Sunday telegraph sunday, september 06, 2015 binder1 by Newtelegraphonline

udom replies DSS

No arms, dollars found in Akwa Ibom Govt. House

new yam festival

Confusion in Enugu community over court order

SUNDAY Sunday, SEPTEMBER 06, 2015 Vol. 2 No. 558

Bimbo Thomas

Sanctity of Truth

/newtelegraph

N150

@newtelegraph1 www.newtelegraphonline.com

CRIME CRACKDOWN in lagos, kano, abuja } 4,5,9,20

Day I almost lost my cool in public }23 — Bimbo Thomas aka Omo Ghetto

OGUN GAS EXPLOSION

Pieces of flesh were dropping from my sister, her husband, children — Relation

lPolice comb parks, estates for Boko Haram members

lCult kingpins, robbers in military uniform arrested l‘One Chance’ criminal jumps into lagoon lFive sergeants demoted over N50,000 bribe lPastor arraigned for alleged N200m theft

Olu of Warri feared dead in Lagos hospital }5

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Contents | 06.09.15 BODY & SOUL

Winning cancer For Prof. Ifeoma Okoye, awareness is key to winning the war against cancer

}24

POLITICS

Season of long knives (2) Probes of wanton theft of public funds require loot recovery efforts based on rule of law

}15

BUSINESS

Dangerous gamble Experts say move to resuscitate Nigeria’s national airline despite unsuccessful attempts, is a dangerous gamble

}47

FAITH

Preserving complete gospel ‘In Apostolic Faith church, we don’t want to preach, teach or be like others’

}39

SPORT

Time to act Former African Queen of the Tracks, Mary OnyaliOmagbemi, is worried that athletics in Nigeria would remain stagnant until something drastic is done

}53

MAGAZINE

Gas explosion Members of Odidika family in Pakuro, Mowe, Ogun State have been roasted to death in their two bed-room flat after their gas cylinder exploded

SUNDAY

Editorial

Politicians and their desperation

he expression, “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing” a popular quotation in sports popular in the 1950s, best describes the desperation of Nigerian politicians today. Any logically-minded person can safely infer that recent disturbing occurrences in the polity give credence to this aphorism. Politicians are not only fierce, violent and desperate now, but they adopt all means - fair or foul to gain political office. They stop at nothing to grab and to retain political power. They de-market or even assassinate the character of their opponents, thereby making them unelectable. Where such efforts fail, in some cases, they ensure such co-contenders are watched, eliminated in their prime to foil any possibility of standing for the election. To actualize this heinous crime, they hire and arm thugs with illegal weapons and mandate them to disrupt their rival’s campaign rallies, destroy or deface their posters and the worse – eliminate them altogether. Shocking enough, in other climes, politics and political aspirations are driven by ideology, robust debates where their candidacies are marketed at electioneering campaign. These methods accentuated by rallies, distribution of campaign posters and media adverts formed the fulcrum of the battle for the minds and votes of the electorate. Ironically, these were very common methods in the 50s, 60s and 70s in the country where campaign was issue-driven, and many Nigerians looked forward to attending rallies addressed by the likes of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Sir Ahmadu Bello.8 The recent occurrence where a candidate’s “death certificate” was issued and presented to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, attests to the fact that our politicians are taking their desperation to another scientific level. Chief Odigie-Oyegun was said to have received the supposed death certificate of APC House of Representatives candidate for Okpe, Uvwie and Sapele Federal Constituency, Delta State, Chief Christopher Anirah. Accordingly, the party via a letter to the

then Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Attahiru Jega, substituted Anirah with Mr. Gibson Akporehe, following the former ’s so-called demise. The lid was broken and everyone was stupefied penultimate week when Anirah, the supposedly dead candidate surfaced at the Delta State Election Petition Tribunal. More confounding was the fact that at an earlier sitting of the tribunal, Akporehe had, through his counsel, Charles Umweni, told the courts that Anirah was dead and thus could not come to testify. But at the resumed hearing, Anirah did not only appear in flesh and blood, he put a lie to their claims, stating that though he travelled abroad briefly before the elections, he was stunned upon his return to discover that his candidacy had been sold to another contender by the leadership of the APC at both state and national levels. Coming at a period when the country seems to have put the vestiges of its infamous past behind it, this act of forgery which, by virtue of Section 467, subsection 2, paragraph (0) of the Criminal Code, Cap 638, Laws of the Federation, attracts a maximum of 14 years imprisonment, is a grievous crime which should never be swept under the carpet. All culprits in the crime should face the full weight of the law to make it mandatory for politicians to ensure internal democracy and rule of law. Nigeria should indeed say never again to the culture of impunity, reversal to the bloody electioneering process of 2003, when the nation was virtually turned to a killing field by political assassins. They murdered many of the nation’s leaders like the then Attorney-General of the Federation and Justice Minister, Chief Bola Ige, All Nigerians Peoples Party chieftain, Chief Marshal Harry, Uche Ogbonnaya, Funsho Williams and Dipo Dina in their craze for power. There is the need to attract well meaning compatriots to politics. And one sure way to tickle their interest is for those who should be in jail to be properly so handled in order to make the environment smell sweeter. Criminals must not be allowed to continue to pollute the polity.

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 6 SEPTEMBER, 2015

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

News

NAFDAC probes wrong use of kids’ drug

Appolonia Adeyemi

ational Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control have begun investigating cases of blindness in children caused by the wrong use of a drug by some mothers in Yobe State. Sunday Telegraph learnt that the drug, Cholorhexidine drops, was donated by UNICEF for neonatal umbilical cord care to mothers in some Northern states. However, some mothers ignorantly administered the drug as eye drops to their children, resulting in irreversible blindness in three kids. An ophthalmologist, Dr. Adamu Abdullahi, raised the alarm via a post on social media titled ‘An Emerging Latrogenic Blindness Epidemic in Yobe’ yesterday. He stated that “the packaging was made in form of an eye drop and the naive and less educated mothers are mistakenly instilling the drug in the eyes of their children, who often are vulnerable to ophthalmia neonatorum.” He added, “The effect of such instillation is corneal ulceration and melting, resulting in irreversible blindness! So far, we have seen three cases, two from Ngelzarma and one from Machina. The attention of Dr. Ashiru, Consultant Paediatrician, was drawn

and he had so far made tremendous efforts at reaching the relevant authorities for retrieval of the distributed drops and creating public awareness to the vulnerable public. “We solicit that you do your best to help in disseminating this information and educating the public. Childhood blindness is more burdensome than adult blindness for the much more blind-years that those children have to live! Save the eyes of our future leaders!” An official of NAFDAC Public Relations Unit, Mr. Anselm Okonkwo, confirmed that the agency was aware of the development. He said it had already retrieved the drops from mothers in Yobe and shut a warehouse containing the drops in the Adamawa State capital, Yola. All efforts to get the National President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Kayode Obembe, failed. However, NMA General Secretary, Lagos State Chapter, Dr. Babajide Saheed, urged NAFDAC to immediately withdraw the drug from circulation to avoid further havoc. He said, “NAFDAC should withdraw the drug, check and analyse it as well as direct manufacturers to get it prepared in such a way that people will understand it.”

Tribunal fixes Sept 8 for Adeyemi, Dino’s case

he election petition tribunal sitting in Lokoja yesterday fixed September 8 for the hearing of a petition filed by Sen. Smart Adeyemi against the election of Sen. Dino Melaye . The Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Akon Ikpeme fixed the date while closing pre-hearing in the petition challenging the election of Melaye as the senator representing Kogi West senatorial district. Before closing the pre-hearing session, the tribunal also granted Adeyemi’ s prayers to call additional witnesses and admitted the report of the recounted ballot papers in 21 polling units. The petitioner’s prayer for determination of the primary election of the 1st and 2nd respondents was also granted by the tribunal. In addition, the tribunal also granted the request of the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw its amended motion of reply to the petition filed by Adeyemi on April 3. The INEC ‘s oral application to strike out some paragraphs in its motion was similarly granted by the tribunal. However, in fixing the

date for the hearing of petition proper, Ikpem ruled that Adeyemi , INEC and Melaye would only be allowed two days to open and close their cases. She also ruled that 30 minutes would be given for cross-examination of witnesses; 10 minutes for cross-examination of other counsel’s witnesses while all documents must be filled before Sept. 7 and shown to other counsels involved. However, the 2nd respondent (APC), was granted 20 minutes for cross-examination, 30 minutes for examination of expert witnesses and 10 minutes for cross-examination of other counsel’s witnesses. Adeyemi is challenging the election of March 28, which brought Melaye as the senator representing the Kogi West senatorial district on grounds of irregularities in the results of the election. He is also asking the tribunal to disqualify Melaye for being improperly nominated as a candidate for the election by the APC. In addition, Adeyemi wants the tribunal to declare him the winner or order a fresh election in the disputed polling.

Boko Haram: Police comb estates, parks

Juliana Francis he police in Lagos have begun combing motor parks, estates and other residential areas for suspected Boko Haram insur-

gents. This follows a claim by the Department of State Service that it had received credible intelligence of the presence of Boko Haram insurgents in the state. Lagos State Commis-

sioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, told Sunday Telegraph in an exclusive interview that his command had taken proactive steps to ensure that such destructive elements were not allowed to stay in the

state. He also spoke about his command’s efforts to rid the state of street robbers, cultists and ‘One Chance’ criminals. •Full interview on Pages 20 & 27

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (left) the couple, Oyindamola & Temitope; father of the bride and former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola (right) during the wedding ceremony of Prince Oyinlola’s daughter, at Our Saviours Anglican Church, Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos Island, yesterday

No dollars found in Akwa Ibom Govt House

Tony Anichebe

A Uyo

kwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, yesterday described as “false” claims by the Department of State Service that its agents recovered weapons and dollars from his official residence. An unnamed DSS operative had told journalists in Uyo after the raid that a stockpile of arms and dollars were found in separate rooms during a search of the Hilltop Mansion official residence of the governor on Thursday. They broke into several rooms in the official residence, which is yet to be occupied by the governor, guest houses and the presidential lodge. The operation was jointly carried out by operatives from the SSS headquarters

in Abuja and a detachment from the Akwa Ibom State Command of the Service. “It is true that our operatives carried out an operation in Akwa Ibom State Government House in Uyo yesterday. During the operation which lasted for over an hour, our operatives found a stockpile of arms and ammunition locked up in one of the guest houses within the Government House complex. “We also found a room which has stacks of United States dollars, but since we had no order to take away. Our operatives left the room untouched,” a DSS source said. The source said the operatives initially wanted to evacuate the dollar notes but received instructions from their superiors in Abuja to let the notes be. But the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr.

Ekerete Udoh, said in a statement made available to reporters that “the story is nothing but a lie concocted by people who wish to form a narrative that bears no reality to what is on ground in the peaceful and serene state of Akwa Ibom. “The illegal invasion of the Governor’s Lodge Guest Wing has already been condemned by all wellmeaning Nigerians and it sad that people could throw rationality and decency to the winds by publishing such a blatant lie. “Let me state here that Governor Udom Emmanuel will not be distracted by the machinations of the opposition or its agents. His 100 days have been packed by superlative performance and the good people of Akwa Ibom State who voted for him massively last April 11, are solidly behind him.”

Gunmen seize ex-DSS DG’s brother

nidentified gunmen yesterday kidnapped Chief Asuquo Ekpeyong Ekpe,,the elder brother of the former Director-General of the Department of State Service, Mr. Ita Ekpeyong, in Calabar, the Cross River State capital. The older Ekpeyong was

kidnapped at his home in Creek Town, Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State around 4a.m. The gang accessed the area through a canal near his house. Confirming the development, spokesman for the state police command,

Mr. Hogan Bassey, said he would be rescued. “We are investigating the matter. The kidnappers had invaded the house before but did not succeed. You know Creek Town is a very quiet place. We will soon get the kidnappers,” he said.

Meanwhile, some staff of the governor’s office, who pleaded not to be named for security reasons, told reporters that in the course of the operation, a lot of government property were damaged by the DSS operatives. They stated the operatives did not ransack the official residence of the governor but confirmed they broke into all the guest houses within the Government House complex. DSS could not be immediately reached to officially comment on the operation. The agency has a new director in Akwa Ibom State but does not have a known spokesperson that can be reached for comments. Following on the feels of Thursday’s raid on the Akwa Ibom State Government House in the state capital, Uyo by the Department of State Service, there are indications that the agency may move against more governors over suspected subversive activities. Sunday Telegraph gathered that the service was working on intelligence reports that some top politicians were moving huge amounts of foreign currencies and arms in readiness for alleged subversive activities against the Federal Government.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

News

Police arraign pastor over N200m theft

Tunde Oyesina and Muritala Ayinla

he police in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja have charged a 40-year old pastor, Mr. Paul Agada, with allegedly stealing over N200 million belonging to his employer. Agada was employed as general manager in-charge of Business Development and Strategy over a chain of businesses owned by Goomeej Nigeria Limited. They include Lugard Beach Hotels in Lokoja and Mr. Biggs outlets in Lokoja, Okene, Abuja and Lagos.

86-yr-old landlady dies as fire guts house

In the charge, No. CR/103/2013, InspectorGeneral of Police vs Pastor Paul Agada, the accused was charged with 21 counts of forgery, stealing, dishonesty, among others. He has, however, pleaded ‘not guilty’ to all the offences and was granted bail by the trial judge, Justice M. M. Koko. The trial judge who is currently on election petition duty has adjourned the trial sine die. Some of the charges against the pastor are: Count 1 “That you Pastor Paul Agada ‘m’, sometime in the

Atiku mourns Lagos crash, fire victims Obinna Odoh ABUJA

ormer Vice President and All Progressives Congress chieftain, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, yesterday reacted to the recent incidents in Lagos, in which lives were lost when a container fell off a trailer and landed on some cars, as well as Thursday’s fire at Balogun market. In a statement released by his media office in Abuja, Atiku described the loss of lives in both incidents as unfortunate and preventable, adding that the relevant government agencies needed to be more conscious of their responsibilities in protecting Nigerians. The Turaki Adamawa challenged the relevant government agencies to be alive to their responsibilities, and to prosecute offenders severely to ensure

that others are deterred from taking actions that lead to needless loss of life. “Every day, the lives of Nigerians are lost to avoidable road carnage because some road users flagrantly violate the laws. The relevant agencies have failed to hold violators of the laws of our land accountable to their actions. That is why these things keep happening again and again “ he said. Meanwhile, Atiku has stressed the need for stricter enforcement of safety regulations in the country to avert fire incidents and other disasters at public places. He condemned the apathy that characterised government and public attitude to safety standards. Atiku noted that Nigerians take safety issues for granted, an attribute he said eventually produces undesirable outcomes.

Rep to support talented youths Deborah Makoji

he member representing Esan North-East and South-East Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Sergius Oseasochie Ogun has floated a platform to assist youths in his constituency who are talented in music. He said that those successful in a prequalification contest would be sponsored to bring their talent to limelight. Tagged, ‘SOO Live The Dream,’ audition for the contest would hold on Thursday and Friday, September 17 and 18, 2015. It will be at the discretion of the judges to choose 20 candidates who will go on to the next level of selection, called the Performance Screening, he told Sunday Telegraph. On September 19, the performance screening will take place, during which 10 excep-

tionally talented contestants will be chosen to slug it out in the Grand Finale. Seven of the 10 contestants will be determined by the judges. According to Ogun, the grand prize winner will clinch a cash prize of N200,000 and an all-encompassing record deal with Dihoo Records. The first and second runners-up will get a promotional contract that will see each of them recording two singles. The singles will be promoted locally along with cash prizes of N150,000 and N100,000 respectively. Ogun said the objective of the first edition is to “promote gainful and socially accepted enterprise among youths of Esan North-East/ South-East Federal Constituency, as well as to jumpstart the careers of music-oriented members within the target population.”

year 2010 in Abuja within the judicial division of this court with intent to defraud did forge petty expenses vouchers belonging to GOOMEEJ Nig Ltd. (your employer and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 364 of the Penal Code Law.” Count 2: “That you Pastor Paul Agada ‘m’, sometime in the year sometime in the year 2010 in Abuja within the judicial division of this court with intent to defraud did forge internal memo dated 25/02/2010 belonging to GOOMEEJ Nig Ltd (your employer) and thereby committee an offence punishable under section 364 of the Penal Code Law.” Count 3 “That you Pastor Paul Agada ‘m’, sometime in the year sometime in the

year 2010 in Abuja within the judicial division of this court did steal the sum of One Hundred and Ninety Nine Million (N199,536,499.00) property of GOOMEEJ Nig. Ltd (your employers) and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 289 of the Penal Code Law.” In Count four, he was accused of stealing his employer’s 5.5 KVA generator worth N120,000 while counts five and six charged him with stealing his employers’ N100,000 and N600,000 respectively. In other counts, he was charged with stealing various sums of money belonging to his employers. Meanwhile, a fire in a house in Iba area of Lagos yesterday killed an 86-year-old landla-

dy and destroyed properties worth millions of naira. Sunday Telegraph learnt that the entire 10 rooms located at Dickson Adebayo Street, Iba New Site were razed in the inferno that lasted for several hours before the arrival of the Lagos State Fire Service, which eventually put out the fire. It was learnt that while many residents ran out of the burning house in confusion, the 86-year-old landlady, Mrs. Aiyeola James, was left alone in the house as nobody remembered the octogenarian. One of her aides was said to be out of the area when the incident occurred. Speaking with Sunday Telegraph, the director of the Lagos Fire Service, Mr. Razak Fadipe, who confirmed the incident, said two fire trucks

containing 10,000 litres of water each were quickly deployed to the scene of the incident to stop the fire. He said: “It was a bungalow building comprising 10 rooms. The fire started from one of the rooms. It was learnt that the kids were playing with matches in one of the rooms which ignited fire and caught a mattress. It then spread to other parts of the building. “You know the elderly woman may not have been strong enough to run out of the building like other occupants. Our message to Lagos residents is that they should safety concious. People must be interested in where their neighbours keep their petroleum products. We also discovered a 10-litre of petrol in the building.”

L-R: Celebrant, Chief (Mrs.) Alimot Alake Oshinowo; philanthropist, Sir Kessington Adebutu; Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun and Ogun State DirectorGeneral of Bureau of Lands, Mr Wale Oshinowo, during the coronation of Mama Oshinowo as the ‘Yeye Oba of Idena’ to mark her 90th Birthday, at Iperu Remo, Ogun State...yesterday

New Yam festival: Confusion in Enugu community over court order Dennis Agbo

Enugu

nugu State Police Command is locked in a war of wits with the Umuanekode family of Ibagwa-Nike community in Enugu East Local Government Area over police refusal to obey a court order restraining it from interfering in the community’s celebration of the 2015 new yam festival. A leader in the community, Uchenna Ekete, had sought and obtained an interim injunction froman Enugu State High Court presided over by Justice R.O. Odugu, restraining the police from interfering with their rights to peaceful assembly. On the eve of the new yam festival, over 100 policemen invaded the community, firing teargas and disrupting the event. Spokesman for the command, Ebere Amaraizu,

who confirmed the police action, said it did so to prevent further breakdown of law and order in the community. “The police had to first of all intervene to forestall a breakdown of order in the community,” he said. The spokesman also accused Ekete of disobeying a magistrates’ court. But Ekete, whom the police declared wanted for jumping bail, said: “I have committed no crime. I became sick following the police invasion of my community during the weekend. On Monday, I was diagnosed with malaria and typhoid fever and the matter came up on Tuesday when I was still sick and could not go to court. The magistrate served a bench warrant on me. “The police declared me wanted for not going to court even when a medical certificate had been tendered. But the same police

disobeyed a court order yet they are declaring me wanted. The truth of the matter is that the Commissioner of Police, Adamu Mohammed, is insisting that we withdraw a case against him for violating our 2014 new yam festival. “I was arrested on August 24, 2015 and charged with forgery because one person

disowned his signature in the community’s power of attorney. But the man that donated the power of attorney to me did not disclaim it; so I couldn’t have forged it.” The state police command had in a statement said Ekete was wanted in connection with an alleged case of forgery against him.

Olu of Warri feared dead Joe Obende Warri

ndications emerged yesterday that the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II, may have died in a Lagos hospital of unknown causes. The monarch was reportedly indisposed and hospitalised in Lagos. Rumours filtered around Warri that the monarch had passed on although it

could not be official confirmed. Contacted in Warri over the circulating rumour of the passage of the first class monarch, his younger brother, Yemi Emiko, dismissed the report. He said he was not aware of such a development. He said even if the monarch had passed on, the appropriate authority, Itsekiri elders, would make it public.

SUNDAY

The Sunday Magazine SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

needs N5m Cut down in his prime Man,to 35, regain legs Young lawyer’s fatal J encounter with hoodlums Charles Onyekwere

ENUGU

uly 5 every year,would ever remain indelible in the minds of a 35-year- old Onah Onyebuchi. It was exactly 10 years ago on July 5, 1999 when what he planned to be in future turned bleak in broad daylight. Onyebuchi, who hails from Okpaligbo-Ogu, a remote community, near Ibagwa-Ani in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State was paralysed in the lower limbs due to a spinal cord injury he sustained when he fell from a palm tree while picking palm nuts. Narrating his ordeal to Sunday Telegraph, Onah said it was the grinding poverty in his family and his determination to acquire education that made palm tree cultivation the only means of paying his school fees and meeting other family needs. According him, it was in the process of struggle to acquire the education that he landed in his present predicament. The situation shattered his dreams. Continuing, Onah stated that he was in SS1 then at Ovoko Boys Secondary School during the famous 1999 nationwide strike by secondary school teachers immediately after the inception of Obasanjo’s administration. “I was admitted to University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu under the consultancy of Dr. Onwuasoigwe. But my admission was shortlived due to the inability of relations to foot my bill. “In the course of the treatment, I was directed to go for a scan. I was discharged because my people could not afford the scan and other expenses. “After that, I was taken to a traditional orthopaedic house where I developed serious complications in the lower spinal region. As my condition is presently, I cannot do anything without assistance. To dress up is a major problem. “I cannot take my bath without somebody helping me. My mother, who has been shouldering the responsibility of taking care of me, is no longer capable of doing so because of old age and ill-health. My father died two years ago.” Onah, who appealed to the general public to come to his aid so that he can go for rehabilitation. He stated that an enquiry carried out by experts said his treatment would gulp not less than N5 million for the rehabilitation. He urged those willing to help him to reach him on O7O82O66O71 or Fidelity Bank account: Onah Onyebuchi D. 616O71O893.

Dominic Adewole

D ASABA

etectives at the Delta State Police Command have arrested one Festus Okenedu, 33, for the murder of a 36 year-old lawyer, Emmanuel Egwatu. The victim was allegedly shot dead by the suspect and an accomplice along Eziokpor Road in Obiaruku. They were said to have pounced on the lawyer while he was waiting for his mechanic to fix his car, with registration No. AKD 382 AA, which broke down on the road. Although Festus’ alleged accomplice evaded arrest, the victim’s black bag containing his laptop, some documents, Bible and Christian tracts were recovered from them. Contacted for comments, the command’s spokesman, DSP Celestina Kalu, said, “Information obtained from the laptop revealed it belonged to Barrister Emmanuel Egwatu, who was killed the previous night by unknown persons.” She said detectives from Obiaruku Division raced to the scene on the receipt of the information and removed the victim’s corpse to the mortuary for autopsy. Kalu said the suspects operated with a motorcycle with registration number ACA 833 QA and robbed Abanum Julius of his army green Toyota Camry car with registration number BKW 892 AR, at gun point in the parking lot of Winners’ Chapel in Obiaruku. They later went for the lawyer. “However, on the same date at about 0710hrs, an automobile electrician in Obiaruku, having heard about the snatched Toyota Camry car informed detectives that two young men he could identify if seen took him to fix a faulty army green colour Toyota Camry car at a lonely spot along Obiaruku/UtagbaUno road, close to Ebedei village. “The informant further disclosed that the young men who could not immediately pay for his workmanship pledged a handset, promising to pay him later and collect their handset. “Based on the information, detectives mounted surveillance and later arrested one Festus Okenedu ‘m’, aged 33yrs when he came back to collect the handset from the electrician, while his accomplice escaped. “One black bag containing one laptop, some documents, Bible and Christian tracts was recovered from the suspect. Information obtained from the laptop revealed that it belonged to Barr. Emmanuel Egwatu, who was killed the previous night by unknown person(s).” The PPRO said the suspect had begun assisting the police investigation into the two incidents while efforts have been intensified to track down the fleeing suspect and recover the snatched vehicle.

Arase

Based on the information, detectives mounted surveillance and later arrested one Festus Okenedu ‘m’, aged 33yrs when he came back to collect the handset from the electrician, while his accomplice escaped Mr Onyebuchi in wheel chair

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

The Sunday Magazine

Camillus Nnaji

s he lay down writhing in pains on his sick bed at the Trauma and Burns Centre of Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos, Mr. Osinanna Odidika pondered on what had become of his life. Suddenly, life had become a nightmare for him, as he lost his wife and three children to a cooking gas explosion at their home in Pakuro, Ogun State on August 15, 2015. He was fortunate to have escaped death but sustained serious burns. At the sound of approaching footsteps, he would turn towards the aisle of the hospital ward gaze anxiously at any person entering the ward. He was still wondering why his wife and children had not been brought to see him in the sad condition.Sunday Telegraph learnt that as at Friday, he had not been told that his entire family was wiped out in the incident. Until that fateful day, they were one happy family, comprising Osinana; his wife, Nkechi; five-year-old Glory; her three-year-old sister, Joy; and their 18-month-old brother, Testimony. Osinanna was happily returning home after a hectic business day on Lagos Island with his in-law identified as Simon Maduakor when they made a stop-over at Ketu to refill their gas cylinder. They then left for home but little did they know that trouble was just ahead. Narrating the incident ordeal to our correspondent who visited the area, a teary Maduakor said, “We were coming back from business together and decided to refill their gas cylinder at Ketu. We then drove home. “After we got to their house, I left for my own abode. After two hours, I decided to go back to their house. On my way, I heard a huge sound from their two-bedroom flat and I thought a water tank had collapsed. A huge ball of fire suddenly rose from their flat. I later learnt that the cylinder exploded while they were trying to light their gas cooker.” He said that immediately after the explosion, his in-law had rushed to the only door to the house and tried to force it open. Unfortunately, the key handle was defective and so he resorted to pushing the door open and throwing out his burning family members. “He tried to save them, even with fire all over him, while we decided to carry them away. Their flesh was just peeling off as we were taking them away. It was devastating experience,” he stated. However, Maduakor said he rushed them to Onyi Medical Centre in Mowe, Ogun State. When they saw the extent of the burns, he asked for a referral letter to transfer them to Gbagada General Hospital in Lagos, where they were all admitted at the Trauma and Burns centre. “It was three Sundays ago that I took them to the hospital. On the Thursday after, Joy was first to die at 2p.m. After an hour, Glory died and then their mother followed an hour and half later. Testimony died on Saturday. I’ve just returned from the village where we went to bury them.” The visibly traumatised Maduakor has been at the hospital where his in-law is recuperating for over three weeks. Asked why the news of his family members’ deaths has not been broken to Osinana, he replied, “We are being careful with what we tell him. He must not know that his family members have all died. We told him they have been transferred to Lagos University Teaching Hospital at Idi

Pieces of flesh were dropping from my sister, husband, kids –Relation Witness recounts horror of Ogun gas explosion We are being careful with what we tell him. He must not know that his family members have all died. We told him they have been transferred to Lagos University Teaching Hospital at Idi Araba

Araba. But blood is thicker than water, as he is beginning to suspect that that’s not the truth. We don’t want to lose him also.” He added that he and some wellwishers and friends had spent over N1 million on the victims’ hospital bills as well as additional N60,000 weekly. He added, “We are requesting for help. Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, and well-meaning Nigerians should come and assist this man so he does not die. We are still spending money on him. There is nothing we can do about the dead now, but we have to help Odidika to survive.” A member of the family’s church, Mr. Kenneth Uzomah, said the tragedy should be blamed on the shoddy construction of the flat. “Imagine a two-bedroom flat with one entrance only at the kitchen. In case of an emergency such as this, little or nothing could have been done. Let our builders please consider the safety of people while drawing building plans,” he said.

Osinana

Police demote five sergeants over N50,000 bribe Juliana Francis

agos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, has bared his fangs against five policemen in the state command for allegedly demanding N50,000 from a truck driver carrying fairly used clothes. Sunday Telegraph learnt that the five policemen (names withheld) were earlier listed for participation in the promotion course to sergeants. They, however, lost the opportunity to rise to the next rank over the bribe saga as they have been demoted to constables. According to a police source, the five cops were out on illegal duty somewhere in Lagos when they intercepted a truck loaded with suspected contraband goods. They threatened to arrest him but he begged them to spare him, explaining that the items belonged to a female client. They then allegedly demanded N50,000 from him in order to allow him go scot-free. The driver, however, disagreed, saying the clothes were not worth up to N50,000, thus there was no way he would cough up such an amount. The driver said that though he was used to settling policemen and Customs at border points, he had never had to give any of them up to N50, 000 bribe. He begged them to accept N10, 000, but the leader of the team was allegedly ada-

mant, stressing that their area commander was already aware of the matter. The policemen impounded the truck and clothes. However, the driver immediately contacted the owner of the clothes, who came to meet with them at an agreed point and offered to add N5000 to the bribe. The policemen reportedly insisted on their demand. Thereupon, the woman called her brother, an Inspector, attached to Ila Mobile Training School, in Osun State. The mobile police officer pleaded with the team leader on phone, but he still refused to yield. The mobile policeman had to come down to Lagos from Osun and offered N10, 000 to the team but their leader declined to accept it. Angry and frustrated, the inspector went straight to the Lagos State’s CP to report the matter. Owoseni then ordered the Officer in charge of X-Squad and Officer in charge of Provost Office in the command to handle the matter. Speaking on the matter, a police source said, “The CP ordered both men to make sure they did everything possible to arrest the team. The two officers rubbed minds together and decided to trap the team leader with marked Naira notes. They brought N50,000 with the notes marked and gave it to the woman to hand over to the team leader. “She called him on the telephone, saying she had brought the money. The team leader

said he had closed for the day, but told the woman to wait. He then called a colleague and asked him to collect the N50,000 from the woman. He also instructed his colleague to hand the truck’s key to the driver after he had collected the N50, 000.” As soon as the policeman collected the marked money from the woman and started counting, plain clothes detectives appeared on the scene and arrested him. The alleged accomplice swiftly flung the notes away and tried to flee the scene but was arrested by the X-Squad. Sensing that he had got himself into the soup, he said he was not part of the team that accosted the truck driver. He said that he was merely called by the team leader to assist him to collect the money from the woman. The entire team and their area commander were then summoned to the CP’s office for interrogation. At the CP’s office, the team leader confessed that the area commander was not aware of the deal. Members of the team were detained and later sent on orderly room trial. They were tried by a panel headed by a Superintendent of Police and recommended for dismissal. The CP, however, said the five policemen should be demoted to constables, instead of being dismissed. They were further posted to work under the provost’s supervision.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

News

Emulate Idoko’s lifestyle, Buhari tells Nigerians Cephas Iorhemen MAKURDI

resident Muhammadu Buhari yesterday recommended the anticorruption lifestyle of former Benue State Chief Judge, late Justice Alhassan Idoko, to Nigerians as a pre-requisite for the progress of the country. President Buhari who spoke through Governor

Ortom at the first memorial lecture for the late legal luminary in Makurdi said “The late Justice Alhassan Idoko was a Godfearing, respected and incorruptible jurist who contributed immensely to the dispensation of justice in Benue State in particular and Nigeria at large.” “He was known for his forthrightness as he lived above board and as Chief

Judge, he provided exemplary leadership such that the Benue State judiciary was rated among the best in the country. “This kind of man was rare in his generation, just as it’s difficult to find such a person among public servants these days and every other day. Yet, if Nigeria must make progress and join the greatest in the comity of nations, the life of the

late Justice Idoko remains the best prescription,” he said. “This is the right way for all Nigerians to go, let the memory of Justice Idoko inspire and motivate all of us to seek to positively impact on the society in which we have found ourselves in such a way that long after our departure our lives could be reflected upon,” President Buhari stressed.

Shettima urges pilgrims to pray for Nigeria

overnor Kashim Shettima has called on pilgrims airlifted to perform the 2015 hajj exercise in Saudi Arabia to devote time to offer special prayers for President Muhammadu Buhari to succeed in his determination to put an end to Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast. Shettima spoke yesterday in Maiduguri while addressing the first batch of 320 pilgrims before they were flown out of the Maiduguri airport in a Medview airline to Madina. The Maiduguri International Airport was reopened about two months ago after it was shut for

nearly two years. Shettima told the pilgrims that President Buhari who just marked his first 100 days in office had demonstrated so much love for the people of the northeast geo-political zone and it was clear that his administration was committed to not only ending the Boko Haram insurgency but also stimulating the economy of the region. He said it was therefore a duty for all citizens of the northeast especially those embarking upon holy pilgrimage to make out time to offer prayers for the President to succeed in his effort to make Nigeria a better place for all citizens.

Mimiko advised on use of bailout fund Babatope Okeowo AKURE

A L-R: Divisional Head, Product and Market Support, Keystone Bank, Temitayo Olutoye; National President, Nasrul-lahi-L-Fatih Society (NASFAT) Engr. Kamil Bolarinwa and National Women Affairs Secretary, NASFAT, Alhaja Samiat Omolara Mumuni, at the 16th annual NASFAT Women dinner in Lagos

Why I want second term – Bayelsa governor Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

ayelsa State Governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson said he is seeking re-election to consolidate on the gains of his restoration government in the areas of peace, security, development and prosperity of Bayelsans. According to him, contrary to the situation in the state before he was sworn in three and half years ago, Bayelsa is now in safe hands. He stressed that this track record will form the plank of his campaign, since his achievements in office have cemented his bond with the ordinary people as well as the critical stakeholders of the state. Speaking at the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party in Abuja over the weekend, Governor Dickson said that besides the support of the

masses, the party in the state is a war horse with a formidable structure, cutting across all the nooks and crannies of the state which makes it the party to beat in the December 5 governorship polls. “You can only win election if you are in charge of the grassroots. The PDP produced all members of the National Assembly, 22 out of the 24 members of the state House of Assembly, 105 out of 105 councilors, the entire eight council chairmen and several government appointees who cut across all units, wards and local governments of the state. Will these people fold their hands and watch the opposition write results? Certainly no,’’ Dickson said. The governor said his reelection bid is supported by the grand masters of Bayelsa politics, who make things happen, stating that no aspirant has his groundswell of support. He added

that the few elders paraded by his opponents are elders whose opinions are not respected by the people. Governor Dickson, who spoke in Abuja after submitting his Governorship Nomination/ Expression of Intent form to the National Organising Secretary of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha., accompanied to Wadata House by the Director General of the Restoration Campaign Organisation, Hon Fred Agbedi and many of the chieftains of Bayelsa politics. Amongst them are the first executive governor of the state, Chief Diepreye Alamiesiegha, all current members of both Bayelsa State House of Assembly and National Assembly, former Speaker and Deputy Governor of the state, Chief Peremobowei Ebebi, former speaker of the State House of Assembly, Boyelayefa Debekeme and His Royal Highness Jonny Turner, veteran politician

and former Vice chairman of defunct National Party of Nigeria, Chief T.A Okorotie. Dickson, who was Chairman of the Justice Committee in the House of Representatives, said that the PDP is the party to beat on December 5 and called on Nigerians to discard the ‘‘ranting’’ of those who defected to the All Progressives Congress with a wave of the hand. The governor described the APC in Bayelsa as a congress of propagandists and perennial governorship aspirants who have never won election and do not have the structure and goodwill to win on December 5. “Without sounding immodest, there are no candidates in APC to pose any threat to my re-election. The APC in Bayelsa has no members; all of them are governorship aspirants who want power to put the state in reverse gear.

chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Chief Olusola Oke yesterday advised Governor Olusegun Mimiko to use the leftover of the bailout fund released by the Federal Government to revamp dead industries in the state. Apart from the payment of civil servants’ salary which is three months in arrears, Oke advised the state government to invest public fund in social amenities and economic assets such as Owena dam, Olokola Free Trade Zone, Cassava Processing Industry, Okitipupa, Idanre International Golf Centres and Alfa

3D Company. The projects, Oke said, have the capacity to provide jobs and impact greatly on the economy of the people of the state if completed. According to him, Owena Dam if it completed would provide water for eight local government areas thereby saving government the cost of bore-hole drilling and endless maintenance cost on them. This, he said, will also reduce the burden of the people in the local government areas of the state. “Apart from the bailout loan scheme, Ondo State will have its own share of the $1.7 billion from the Excess Crude Account and also share from N413.7 billion in fresh allocation between the states and federal government.

Groups drag FG to ECOWAS court Temitope Ogunbanke

wo civil societies organisations, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) and Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) have charged Nigerian government to the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, over the refusal of the government to bring Corporal Isaac Gbanwuan; who poured hot stew and oil on her fiancé, Mary Sunday, to justice. Speaking to Sunday Telegraph, the Executive Director of WARDC, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, said that the organisations decided to approach ECOWAS court to seek justice for Mary Sunday, following alleged inability of Nigerian gov-

ernment to conduct an effective investigation into the circumstances surrounding domestic attacks against Sunday three years ago by Gbanwuan. Gbanwuan was reported to have committed the crime by throwing a neighbour’s stove along with boiling soup on the victim on August 24, 2012 in Lagos. The stove reportedly exploded on her and consequently set her on fire. The burns she suffered caused her to lose her two ears and upper neck and her arms glued together by the fire. The CSOs are also seeking an order of damages and monetary compensation in the sum of N10million for the pain, suffering and harm to Sunday’s dignity including physical, mental and emotional trauma.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015

News

Hoodlums attack NAFDAC officials in Lagos, Ogun

My suspension illegal, says Edo LG boss

Nene Umeh

fficials of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC) and mobile policemen attached to its enforcement directorate were attacked by traders and touts in Lagos and Ogun States over the weekend. The attacked enforcement teams of the agency were on a nationwide raid for fake, unregistered, counterfeit and suspected contaminated vegetable oil in major markets and distribution channels in the states, when the traders and touts swooped on them seized some of the products already evacuated by the teams and beat up one of the agency’s staff identified as Miss Evelyn Chiemeke. According to an eye witness, the exercise which

was almost successful turned rowdy when the members of the union at markets trooped out in their hundreds with the help of ‘area boys’ preventing the enforcement team from evacuating the offending “MOI Vegetable oil” and other products already seized from the markets. A statement issued by Anslem Okonkwor Public Relations Officer Enforcement Operations of the agency said that from Mile 12 to Ikorodu, Sango Otta, Alaba-Rago in Ojo, Boundary Market in Ajegunle, Suru Alaba and Oke-Arin Markets, there were pockets of attack on the officials despite the presence of armed mobile police men attached to the teams. At the Ikorodu market where four shops were sealed, 438 gallons of fake vegetable oil valued at N6,

576,000, and two traders arrested, the officials narrowly escaped mob attack as the traders resorted to carrying all forms of weapons for a free- for- all at the instigation of a market leader who later admitted being the importer of the unregistered vegetable oil from Cotonou into Nigeria. At Sango market in Ogun State, where NAFDAC officials were also assaulted by the market Union members, six shops were sealed and one of the staff of the Agency was roundly manhandled. At Alabarago Market in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State where the team forced open a warehouse stocked with fake products after the owners had absconded on sighting of NAFDAC’s official, one of the Mobile Police men was attacked and

almost lost his gun to the mob in the process. Briefing journalists shortly after the raids, at Boundary market in Ajegunle area of Lagos, NAFDAC’s Chief Regulatory Officer, Enforcement operations, Mr. Joseph Folorunsho-Idowu, regretted that the exercise was marred by pockets of violence saying, “The agency stormed the markets following intelligence reports over illegal importation and indiscriminate circulation of unregistered vegetable oil in the Nigerian markets.” Idowu expressed surprise on the shocking discovery of unhygienic warehouses right inside the markets, adding that consuming such vegetable oil refilled in such a dirty environment would not only expose consumers to infections but could lead to untimely deaths.

Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

he Chairman of Ovia South West Local Government Council in Edo State, Comrade Morrison Ogunoroba-Ovia has described as politically motivated his purported suspension carried out by some councilors in the local government area. Comrade OgunorobaOvia said that the action which also affected the secretary of the council, Barrister Oyomire Idahosa, was a grand plot by some aggrieved leaders in collaboration with five lawmakers to stop his second term ambition. Speaking with newsmen in Benin the state capital yesterday on the ongoing political crisis rocking the local government council since Thursday last week,

Plot to unseat Lagos PDP chair thickens

National Organising Secretary All Progressive Congress (APC), Osita Izunaso (right) , governorship aspirant in Bayelsa State, Timi Alaibe (second right) , Director Organisation, Abubakar Kari (second left) and Senator John Brainbaifa during the submission of the nomination form by Alaibe for the forthcoming governorship election in the state at the party National Secretariat in Abuja...on Thursday

Imo sets aside N5bn for factories Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

overnor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has set aside N5billion soft loan to commence the state’s “One Community, One Factory Project” policy as part of measures by his administration to boost industrial activities in the state, create wealth, tackle poverty and provide jobs for the people of the state. Okorocha disclosed this during an interactive session with some core industrialists, investors and business owners in the state at the Imo State Trade and Investment Centre, in Owerri. The governor, who reaffirmed his determination to actualise his administration’s industrialisation and job creation policies, assured that the state gov-

ernment would always do the needful by providing necessary infrastructure that would make businesses succeed in the state. According to Okorocha, the N5 billion has been deposited with the Imo State Micro Finance Bank for communities in the state to access, adding that these communities can access the loans at seven per cent interest rate for each community. He noted that some communities are not viable, hence, the need to merge the unviable ones for better result. Pointing out that the community-based enterprise development strategy will succeed because every community in the state is blessed with at least one natural resource, Okorocha stressed that good leadership, clear sightedness and

passion is an essential ingredient for success. Okorocha lamented the shortfall in oil prices which he said was the cause of the present depression in the nation’s economy, stating however, that the frontiers of industrialisation must be explored to cushion the economy.

At an interactive session at the occasion, the participants called for an industrial blueprint for the state, stressing the need for communities to form co-operatives societies, identify their projects, list their needs and prepare detailed proposals before approaching the bank for the loan.

he noted that the suspension was not only illegal but also did not follow due process in line with the Edo State Local Government Law of 2000 as amended. He said: “Section 19 (9) states that the holder of the office (of chairman) under investigation shall not be suspended within the period of the investigation,” adding that he is still in charge as the elected chief executive office of the local government area. He stated that it was unfortunate that “Since I assumed office two years and some months ago, this local government has not been found wanting in anyway. Yet some people want to seize the opportunity to pull it down despite the glaring developmental strides that cut across all the 10 wards of the council.”

enewed efforts to unseat the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State, Capt. Tunji Shelle, and (retd) are gathering more momentum as the aggrieved executive members have dismissed the vote of confidence passed on the embattled chairman by some members of the executives last Thursday. To achieve their aim, 35 members out of 49 have petitioned the National Working Committee of the party, seeking the removal of Capt Shelle, who was suspended earlier by the executive. The majority of the executive members had on May, 11, 2015 passed a vote of no confidence on the chairman over alleged misappropriation of party funds and high handedness in the management of the party’s affairs amongst others. However, the NWC reversed the supposed suspension on the premise that only the NWC has the prerogative to remove or discipline the chairman, it however, directed that the aggrieved executive members directed their complaints to the National Ex-

ecutive Committee through the National Working Committee which was done on August 31, 2015. Evidence of the rancour within the executive was manifest as majority of the executives boycotted the executive meeting called by Capt Shelle, which they described as an illegality. Sources said that PDP stakeholders had expected Shelle to woo the aggrieved executive members after the NWC’s directive that he should carry all party executives along but he decided to arbitrarily convene a meeting with the few loyal to him. When contacted, the State Secretary, Hon Wahab Owokoniran, frowned at what he called “the ineptitude of the chairman,” adding that the meeting he summoned was unconstitutional and illegal since he was not privy to it as the secretary. He said media reports that the executive passed vote of confidence on Shelle last week was laughable, arguing that a vote of confidence could not have been passed by less than 14 members of the executives out of 49 members.

Police smash robbery gang in Kano Muhammad Kabir KANO

he Kano Police Command has smashed a gang of one of the deadliest highway robbers that specialise in attacking motorists at gun point corners major highways in the state. Two of the gang members who were apprehended in military uniform confessed

that for several years, they had been operating on the major high ways in the northern states. One of the suspects identified as Hamisu explained that he was a farmer Igabi Local Government Area of from Kaduna State, but was lured into robbery by his friends. He said he regretted joining the robbery gang

because his two children and expectant wife who is currently carrying an eight months old pregnant. The second suspect, Rabiu, who was shot in the leg during the raid of the gang’s hideout by policemen, looked unperturbed when the police paraded them, but admitted that he has been carrying out robbery operations on the highways

in the last seven years. Parading the robbery suspects, the command’s spokesman, ASP Magaji Majiya explained that the robbery gang snatched a Gulf car and robbed the sum of N40, 000 passers-by. Mejia said that their operational arms of two long guns were recovered along with two pairs of army uniform and one locally-made pistol.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

OPINION Okowa and the parable of the King’s horse Ufuoma Simpson

“W

hat they will be charging here will be far lower than what obtains anywhere else in the world... About two years ago, we started subsidising dialysis in this hospital and brought it down from N22,000 to N5000. The subsidy is mainly for Deltans.” That statement came from the immediate past governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, after a successful kidney transplant at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara during his governorship of the state. The statement was a celebration of government’s sensitivity to the health needs of the vulnerable in the society. It was also a declaration of hope for a future of continued pro-people governance. And until May 29 this year when Dr. Uduaghan bowed out of the governance of Delta State, indigenes of that state who would have cheaply succumbed to kidney failure for reasons of finance survived it. Today, as I write this, the new PDP government of Governor Okowa in that state has cancelled the Uduaghan subsidy that gave life to many of those ‘dry bones.’ And that is not the only sad reversal the people have suffered in the hands of the new government. On September 16, 2013, Uduaghan inaugurated a scheme designed to keep the state’s children in school. He introduced a corps which he called ‘Education Marshals,’ whose duty was to enforce compliance with the state government’s directive that all children of school age must be in school during school hours. On that September afternoon, Uduaghan told the over 25 Education Special Marshals and 100 Education

Marshals (EduMarshals) to work hard on their mandate “with a charge to ensure that all school-age children attend school compulsorily. “This programme is a serious business to get our children back to school. Over eight per cent of Delta children are not in school according to United Nations statistics. This is as a result of financial, cultural, traditional and economic issues. Government has tried to address these excuses by building and renovating schools in the state, employing more teachers and improving the income of parents through the state Micro-Credit Scheme.” Of course, Uduaghan, like any other person, knew the problem of truancy in school could be beyond the students. Sometimes, parents for reasons of temporal economic survival unleash their wards on the street as hawkers at the expense of schooling. So, while appealing to parents to fix their gaze on the bigger picture of a future of success for their children and of happiness and rest for them if they are allowed to read their books, Uduaghan literally incited the children: “If your parents give you wares to go and hawk or send you to go to their shops to sell while you are supposed to be in school don’t go.” And the measure really worked. Attendance improved and the state was already getting set to reap from this innovation and other similar ones. This was one of the reasons why Dr. Uduaghan’s party and candidate were the preferred choice of Delta people in the last elections. The people voted overwhelmingly for continuity of what they had. That election was a vote of confidence in the programmes, policies and even plans of Uduaghan and his team.

But what news are we hearing now from Delta? Reversals! Now, If you had voted for Change in your state you would have understood these reversals as the inevitable consequence of the choice you made at the polls. But no! You voted against any promise of change from your then existence of life more abundant. You wanted more of what you had. It can be painful when subsequent events prove to you that you have been scammed. You voted Continuity because you felt the positive impact of the Uduaghan experience but the inheritor of the baton of the relay race has decided to run in reverse order! Some others did just that in the past, driving in reverse gear. How did it end? There was a King in the days of our forefathers who loved his people greatly. He was not a tall man but he had a beautiful, strong horse he rode round the town to see personally to the welfare of his people. At the approach of the King, the people trooped out in loving celebration of the royal presence. Maidens danced, Warriors mounted guards. They knew their king, His Majesty knew them. Amidst peace and prosperity, the people were happy. But the king was not getting younger. He was getting old. His neck was no longer able to carry the weight age was placing on him. Kings are not ordinary mortals. They are the second in command to the gods and so they see far into the future. In this kingdom, Kings anointed successors and they properly planned their exit in a glorious manner. This king made to anoint a successor but the kingmakers said no. “That is our task. Not yours. We hold the key to the next monarchy.” They chose the sovereign of tomorrow and the aged king agreed to the

dictation of the Chiefs. “It is their life,” he told himself. Even then, the king took great care in methodically initiating his would be successor into the secrets of his own and the ancestors’ successes. “If you do it as I did, your reign will be greater,” he told the king-in-waiting while adding: “The royal horse has been very loyal in the service of the palace. Please take care of it. It is one creature that stands with one in the day of trouble.” The king soon joined his ancestors. And the new man decided in his heart that he would be different. “Why should I be seen as a continuation of somebody’s life?” he asked himself. He emptied the palace of all things of the past, changed the laws and sold the royal horse to the next village. Exactly seven days later, war entered his domain from the neighbouring village. Our king’s Chiefs were shocked to see the chief hunter of the enemy village mounted in his glory and power on their palace horse. They raced to their king, panting. “What have you done with the horse? We saw it with the enemy force.” “Which horse? The one the late King rode? I sold it. It was old, ugly and old fashioned.” “Abomination,” his Chiefs bellowed. “That is the land’s horse of peace and fortune. Our ancestors gave us to nurture and use in times of trouble. But didn’t the last king warn you to take care of it? A wise man does not throw away medicines that made his ancestors live forever.” The people wept. It was too late for this king. He lost all, including a peaceful reign. He asked for antidotes. There was none. Everyone must live with the consequences of his actions. •Ufuoma Simpson writes from Asaba, Delta State

Made in India: Baskets of lessons for Nigeria (2) Ikem Okuhu

A campaign well defined o one was (and still can be) able to tell what the goal of the various failed nation marketing projects adopted by Nigeria were designed to achieve beyond the notion that since every other country was doing it, we also should despite our various challenges. But as noted earlier, India, aware of its peculiar bad stories, avoided the emotional and chose the practical. It deliberately chose to appeal to greedy capital while avoiding the emotional. For them, direct measurable appeal is better than the grotesque indirectness of emotional destination branding. For instance, India was able to establish over 800 automobile manufacturing centres capable of making spare part for any car in the world. All you need do is provide them with mould and specifications. Promises made clear The major objective behind the Make in India initiative was to focus on 25 sectors of the country’s economy for job creation and skill enhancement. Some of these sectors, according to www.makeinindia.com are: automobiles, chemicals, IT, pharmaceuticals, textiles, ports, aviation, leather, tourism and hospitality, wellness, railways, design manufacturing, renewable energy, mining, bio-technology, and electronics. The initiative hopes to attract capital and technological investment in India, increase GDP growth and tax revenue while aiming at high quality standards and minimising the impact on the environment.

To drive this, India created the “ Zero Defect Zero Effect” slogan coined by the Prime Minister of India himself to signify production mechanisms wherein products have no defects and the process through which product is made has zero adverse environmental and ecological effects. It also aims to prevent products developed from India from being rejected by the global market. Under the initiative, brochures on the 25 sectors and a web portal were released. Before the initiative was launched, foreign equity caps in various sectors had been relaxed . The application for licences was made available online and the validity of licenses was increased to 3 years. Various other norms and procedures were also relaxed. In August 2014, the Cabinet of India allowed 49% foreign direct investment (FDI) in the defence sector and 100% in railways infrastructure. The defence sector previously allowed 26% FDI and FDI was not allowed in railways. This was in hope of bringing down the military imports of India. Earlier, one Indian company would have held the 51% stake, this was changed so that multiple companies could hold the 51%. …and gains came flooding in less than a calendar year Between September 2014 and August 2015, the government received US$17 billion worth of proposals from companies interested in manufacturing electronics in India. 24.8% of smartphones shipped in the country in the April-June quarter of 2015 were made in India, up from 19.9% the pre-

vious quarter. In January 2015, the Spice Group said it would start a mobile phone manufacturing unit in Uttar Pradesh with an investment of 500 crore. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Spice Group and the Government of Uttar Pradesh. In January 2015, HyunChil Hong, the President & CEO of Samsung South Asia, went to India to discuss a joint initiative under which 10 “MSME-Samsung Technical Schools” will be established in India. In February, Samsung said that will manufacture the Samsung Z1 in its plant in Noida. In February 2015, Hitachi said it was committed to the initiative. It said that it would increase its employees in India from 10,000 to 13,000 and it would try to increase its revenues from India from ¥100 billion in 2013 to ¥210 billion. It said that an autocomponent plant will be set up in Chennai in 2016. In February 2015, Huawei opened a new research and development (R&D) campus in Bangalore. It had invested US$170 million to establish the research and development center. It is also in the process of setting up a Telecom hardware manufacturing plant in Chennai, the approvals of which have been granted by the central government. Also in February, Marine Products Export Development Authority said that it was interested in supplying shrimp eggs to shrimp farmers in India under the initiative. In June 2015, France-based LH Aviation signed an MoU with OIS Advanced Technologies to set up a manufacturing plant in India to manufacture drones.

In February 2015, Xiaomi began initial talks with the Andhra Pradesh government to begin manufacturing smartphones at a Foxconn-run facility in Sri City. On 11 August 2015, the company announced that the first manufacturing unit was operational and introduced the Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime, a smartphone that was assembled at the facility. On 18 August 2015, Lenovo announced that it had begun manufacturing Motorola smartphones at a plant in Sriperumbudur near Chennai, run by Singapore-based contract manufacturer Flextronics International Ltd. The plant has separate manufacturing lines for Lenovo and Motorola, as well as quality assurance, and product testing. The first smartphone manufactured at the facility was the 4G variant of the Motorola Moto E (2nd generation). MUMBAI: Reliance Defence & Aerospace (RDA), a Reliance Group company owned by billionaire businessman Anil Ambani, was selected by the Vladimir Putin-led Russian government for a joint venture to manufacture 200 units of Kamov 226T helicopters in India. On August 27, 2015, The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) concluded a Food and Agriculture Executive Mission to India with focus on ways to increase investment in food processing and improve food security in India, as well as how both the U.S and India can work with the central and state governments to achieve mutually beneficially solutions in the food and agriculture sector. •Ikem Okuhu, a Brands and Marketing analyst, lives in Lagos

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

OPINION 100 days after, Ambode treads on steadily Abayomi Johnson

hat has worked for Lagos State in the last 16 years of Nigeria’s democratic experience is continuity in government. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who was the trail blazer as Governor of Lagos State in the Fourth Republic laid a good foundation on which his successor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, built. Fashola’s successor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has taken the baton and is rearing to build more on the foundation of his predecessors. If you say Ambode has hit the ground running in the first 100 days, you may not be wrong. What encouraged Lagosians who have no patience for sloppiness was Ambode’s inaugural speech, a total package and powerfully delivered. The speech recognised the potentials of all Lagosians irrespective of age, sex, tribe or any other status, as long as they reside in Lagos. The speech was a combination of his action plan for the unbroken chain of developmental efforts for the state as well as motivational for our youths whom he urged to dream and work towards the actualisation of the dream adding that nothing is impossible if one is determined. A person’s background should never be a barrier to his success in life just as his own humble background has not been an obstacle to becoming the Governor of Lagos State. Ambode has keyed into the State Development Plan spanning 2012-2025. The plan is structured under four pillars: (1) Social Development and Security; (2) Infrastructural Development; (3) Economic Development and (4) Sustainable Environment. The main thrust of the development plan is to embolden Lagosians to brace up for the challenges ahead as they have been doing with his predecessors in the face of the harsh economic challenges the rest of the country is facing today. He promised to run an open government founded on new ideas of reducing the cost of government and a government of incentives and not of enforcements. Ambode has kickstarted the process of actualising these programmes in the last 100 days. As a retired Accountant-General of the state, he is aware of the importance of the civil service as the main engine of growth and the implementer of government policies. Therefore, he wasted no time in meeting with the Body of Permanent Secretaries in the state to intimate them of the impending reforms of the civil service. He presented his agenda to them especially in the areas of harmonisation of some ministries. He explained that the harmonisation of ministries was not a duplication of ministries as he is aware of the financial constraints of the state. He went ahead to create the new Ministries of Wealth Creation and Employment, Office of Overseas Affairs and Investment (LAGOS GLOBAL) and the Office of Civic Engagement, among others. The Governor has since matched words with action. Three weeks after assumption of office, he announced his decision to realign the Ministry of Rural Development, Parastatals Monitoring Office as well as Political and Legislative Powers Bureau. He also scrapped the Office of the Special Adviser on Taxation and Revenue, Debt Management Office while he merged the office of Works and Office of Infrastructure; Office of Drainage Services and Office of Environmental Service, with optimism that it would improve the process and procedure of service delivery and create opportunities for global competitiveness. On August 5, Governor Ambode also appointed 19 new Permanent Secretaries; an appointment he said was based on merit, competence and track record. In the last three months, while the appointments of the commissioners and special advisers of the Governor are still being awaited, the Permanent Secretaries have

Ambode

adequately held forth, keeping the wheel of governance moving at a steady pace. The wealth of experience of Governor Ambode, having spent 27 years in the State Civil Service before voluntarily retiring, has also helped in creating a synergy between his office and the various ministries. Ambode’s first baptism of fire was the unfortunate tanker fire incidents in Iyana Ipaja on Tuesday, June 2, at Idimu on June 6, and another in Lekki on June 7 barely days after he was sworn in, which caused extensive damage to properties of Lagosians in those areas. His mien, somber look and sadness written all over his face as he was almost shedding tears because of the wanton destruction of properties, is a sign that he is a caring governor. He was full of empathy for those who lost valuables although he thanked God that no life was lost. Despite not being in the state when the first incident occurred, he immediately took the next flight back to Lagos and went straight to the scene. To assure the victims that they had a shoulder to rest on, he directed his officials to furnish him with the report of the incident in 48 hours within which he will do something to assist the victims. He has since compensated the victims as promised. Worried about the occurrence of two petrol tanker accidents and three others averted in a space of one week, Governor Ambode immediately summoned a meeting with petrol marketers and set up a fact finding committee to investigate and ascertain the causes of the incidents. Not many will forget Governor’s Ambode’s milk of kindness to Mrs. Ruth Uche, the mother of three set of twins whose husband absconded from their home in Agege, Lagos. On reading her plight on the pages of newspapers, Governor Ambode immediately directed his deputy, Mrs. Oluranti Adebule, to provide welfare for the embattled mother of six. Today, Mrs. Uche, her children and her runaway husband who is back home, are living comfortably. Prior to Mrs. Uche’s plight, Ambode had on his second working day in office intervened to save the life of the 2015 baby of the year in the state, Miss Oluwajomiloju Goodness Ogundimu who was diagnosed with a heart defect that required surgery. Today, baby Ogundimu is hale and hearty after a successful surgery in India. Retirees from the various parastatals and agencies of the state across board rejoiced as Governor Ambode early in August approved N11 billion to offset arrears owed since 2010, not only for Lagos State Government mainstream retirees but also retirees in Local Governments and Parastatals. The development,

Governor Ambode said, was part of efforts put in place by his administration to find a holistic solution to the issue of payment of pension entitlements to retirees under the Pay As You Go pension Scheme which was discontinued in April, 2007 as well as outstanding accrued pension rights due to retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme. The current Togolese occupants of camps at Igbogbo, Agbowa and Igando, Lagos who are refugees owe the restoration of their human dignity to Governor Ambode. The story of the refugees, who were persecuted by their own government in Togo and rejected by neighbouring Benin Republic where they had run to for succor, was pathetic and touching. The lucky ones among them who made the journey to Lagos via the Idi-Iroko border told gory tales of how many of them were murdered in cold blood in daylight for opposing the current government in Togo. The League for the Defence of Human Rights painted a horrifying picture of a group of refugees whose site was demolished and their luggage scattered. They consisted of men, women (including pregnant ones) and about 333 children who were made to trek for about 70 kilometres in the rain and sun. They were on the streets and in the forests for about 300 days, living on water most of the time. They were once locked in a hall by Beninoise police where tear gas was fired at them. Among them were babies and children! Governor Ambode picked interest in their case and decided to help them as fellow human beings and Africans. The aforementioned camps they occupy presently in Lagos are described as paradise compared to the horrendous condition they were subjected to by the Beninoise authorities. They are quartered in decent accommodation with electricity and water while health workers are on hand to attend to them. The refugees thanked the Lagos State government and attested to the fact that Governor Ambode showed them unprecedented love and made them feel like human beings again. Ambode has done not only Lagos proud, but Nigeria and Africa. In an effort to efficiently improve on the processes of revenue generation and collection in the state and ensure proper accountability and transparency in all Government accrued revenues, the state commenced the operation of a Treasury Single Account (TSA) from September 1, 2015. This which will help the government address the challenges previously faced with the operation of the multiple account system. The (TSA) aside from providing transparency and accountability, will also encourage tax payers to request for a single account before making

their payments. The adoption of the TSA is in line with the objective of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that all government revenue accrues to one consolidated account. One of his first official duties was to receive the President of Namibia, Dr. Hage Geingob, on May 30. They had fruitful discussions on the desirability of Lagos State as an investors’ destination. Since then, the Governor has met several groups of local and foreign investors, including President of Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; investors from Dubai, United States of America, as well as envoys from several European and Middle East countries. He promised an enabling environment for willing investors, stressing that his ambition is to improve on the ease of doing business in the state. At a dinner organised by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Governor Ambode unveiled plans to strengthen the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) as well as establish an integrated security and emergency control platform. The event attracted members of the corporate world and respected members of the society, which saw donations to the tune of over N1 billion. In the last three months, the government acquired 100 brand new power bikes, 10 armoured tanks and a helicopter to take the battle of policing Lagos to the air. The acquisition of 100 brand new squad cars for a soon-to-be introduced Special Operation Service (SOS), expected to coordinate community policing in RRS and other outfits. Governor Ambode mobilised his team on the second working week on assumption of office to visit some traffic prone areas to ensure free movement of Lagosians from one part of Lagos to another. The dreaded traffic in Apapa was especially a focal point. He had received several calls and text messages from residents, complaining of the perennial traffic in the area caused by the activities of petrol tankers queuing to load the products from the 57 tank farms in Apapa. On June 25, the governor was on the road to Apapa to get a firsthand experience of the gridlock which has defied solutions in recent times. He was caught in the gridlock himself and this led to his appeal to the Federal Government to mobilise the contractor awarded the construction of Apapa road network to immediately return to site. He lamented that the Tin Can Bridge, which has been under construction for about six years, had been abandoned and had given rise to tankers parking indiscriminately on the road. As a palliative measure towards ensuring free flow of traffic, the Governor set up a task force to ensure 24 hours surveillance of traffic flow while he followed up his visit to Apapa with a meeting with tanker drivers and stakeholders to fashion out ways to end the Apapa Traffic Gridlock once and for all. Ambode recently directed that Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) should release all seized vehicles in its custody over extortion. The first few weeks of his administration saw the governor embark on an inspection tour to several areas of the state such as Ipaja, Mosan-Okunola, Oshodi- Isolo, Ikotun-Ejigbo and Somolu. The governor announced plans to rehabilitate the roads which were in a deplorable state. The Ejigbo-Ikotun Road, which had hitherto been a nightmare for motorists is currently under rehabilitation as promised by the governor during his visit on July 14. The Lagos State Public Works Corporation moved in to commence work as directed. The rehabilitation work is expected to stretch from Ikotun to Oke-Afa road. Brown Road in Oshodi and Ladipo and Mushin roads are to receive urgent attention. •Johnson wrote from Surulere, Lagos

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Politics / National

Sunday Mail SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

You have a right to be heard! Send your letters and photographs to sundayletters@newtelegraphonline.com. Letters should not be more than 150 words and must have the name and address of the sender Need to rescue Nigeria Dear Editor, I want to seize the opportunity of this medium to call on President Muhammadu Buhari, leaders in all tiers of government, alongside the followers in the country, on the need for joint efforts to rescue Nigeria from the socio – economic and political problems facing the country. If all the negatives troubling Nigeria are to be tackled, then everyone of us must have the fear of God and be righteous. Things are not as expected in Nigeria now, and we (Nigerians) expect much from President Buhari’s government. The truth is that he (Buhari) cannot do it alone. Everybody must be involved. The truth is that, there is mismanagement of public funds as a result of leadership failure. In fact every Nigerian needs a bailout. We should all call on God for divine intervention. Let everyone of us work for the interest of the nation. I also want to urge Buhari to tackle poverty… it is too alarming and disturbing. A war against poverty will encourage the growth and sustenance of democracy in the country. The work ahead is too much and with sincerity of purpose and prayers from every Nigerian, President Buhari will overcome and move the country forward. From my own view, Buhari should fix the oil and power sectors, shore up of the value of Naira to the dollar and embark on infrastructural development. He should also diversify the economy improve security and address unemployment. To rescue Nigeria from her problems, every Nigerian must live according to their religious injunctions in order for things to take shape. We also need to prosper as an indivisible nation. Also, we should trust God and discuss the way forward. Our leaders should put aside inordinate ambitions, desperations and winners-take-all tendencies, for the sake of the masses. We should believe that God will help us. Prophet Oladipupo Funmilade-Joel (Baba Sekunderin) President, The Way of Reconciliation Evangelistic Ministries (TWOREM) Int’l a.k.a. Prophetic & Solution Chapel, Lagos, Nigeria 08033733470 (babasekunderin@yahoo.com) Bridge market

PHOTO:SULEIMAN HUSAINI

FRSC, VIO and truck drivers Dear Editor, This is a clarion call on relevant authorities to take immediate action to regulate the movement of trucks on the nation’s roads. Last week’s tragedy at Ojuelegba, Lagos State could have been avoided if this rule had been observed to the letter. However, the Federal Road Safety Corps and the various traffic authorities in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory as well as the Vehicle Inspection Officers are not living up to expectation. They only delight in enforcing rules as regards private and commercial vehicles while they treat truck drivers as untouchables. They should get soldiers and civil defence to assist them in grounding defective trucks across the country. If their unions threaten to go on strike in protest, government should call their bluff. They cannot continue to treat human beings as disposable items. Enough is enough! Nigerians may be forced to take to the streets to stop these murderers if government fails to take necessary and timely action. We cannot also afford to continue to allow trucks drivers to kill Nigerians at will. A safe environment cannot be taken for granted. Okenwa Dennis Lagos

Ogun LGs

Dear Editor, I would like to call on Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, to revitalise the local governments in the state for optimum performance. The local governments appear to be sleeping. There is so much for them to do but they are merely content to sit in their offices and do nothing. They should show evidence of the huge allocations they get monthly from the Federation Account and what they have been doing with their Internally-Generated Revenue. They should tell the people of Ogun State how many roads they have constructed this year. They should also state what they have done about keeping markets clean and ensuring a safe environment for the people to live in and do business. Ade Ola Ibafo, Ogun State

Illegal roadblocks are back Dear Editor, I write to draw the attention of the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, to the return of roadblocks mounted by local government officials. Some months ago, the IGP ordered them to leave the roads. Bu they obeyed only to crawl back. We should muster the political will to follow up and sustain laudable policies and pronouncements. It amounts to an insult for the IGP to make such a pronouncement and LGA officials feel no qualms flouting it. Jasper Nnadi Lagos

Cybercrime law Dear Editor, The cybercrime law should not be used as a tool to repress dissent or prevent people from expressing their opinions freely. We are ina a democracy and every attempt must be made to protect the right of the people to free speech. The idea that the law is a tool to prevent the free expression of opinion and exchange of ideas on the internet and social media by Nigerians should be quickly discouraged. President Muhammadu Buhari rode on the crest of popular social media support to power. Therefore, he should take another look at the general terms of this obnoxious law so that it does not become a problem for his administration. Nigerians, being the fearless citizens they are, will resist every attempt to muzzle their right to free speech. We cannot afford a return to the days of Decree 4, which Buhari used as military head of state to stifle free speech. Of course, that remains one of the low points of his short stay in power as a military head of state. He now has an opportunity to demonstrate that he is truly a ‘born-again’ democrat. Alex Oluchi Abakaliki

Refugee crisis and West’s culpability Dear Editor, The West is culpable in the growing refugee crisis across the world. Leading nations of the West, especially the United States, Britain, France, Germany among others destabilised Libya, Iraq and Syria over the years. Today, we can see the damaging effects of their thoughtless destabilisation of these countries. They killed Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein and have funded rebels seeking to oust Syria’s Bashir Assad. Libya had no fewer than 1.5 million migrant workers it was catering for but the American imperialists frustrated this because they wanted to foist their evil agenda on the North African nation. Today, Libya is in a mess. Same for Iraq and Syria. The West has also been looking for a way to destabilise Sudan in its hypocritical move to oust Omar al-Bashir. Nigeria needs to raise its voice against these illegal acts as they are a violation of international law. The West has always seen itself as an all-conquering coalition, invading nations against international law. Western nations also subvert the independence of small nations and make their leaders unable to deliver on their promises to their people. These Western nations also use various international institutions and mechanisms to force weaker nations to depend on them for aid. Therefore, let the West deal with the consequences of their divisive tendencies. Smaller nations must join hands to stop the unbridled incursions of the West into their territories. The West is not alone in this illegal act. Also, Russia and China have shown that they are competitors with the West in the destabilisation of other nations. Look at how Russia has steadily been promoting instability in Ukraine. China has been building new islands on territory disputed with its neighbours. For how long will this continue? Why can’t the leaders of these powerful nations step back from the mayhem they are unleashing in nations across the world? Are they not tired of the destruction they have unleashed on the world so far? We are tired of these destroyers. They should have a change of heart and let us live in peace. Comrade Ebun Johnson Abuja

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015

Moments

Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos State Council held reception to honour ten distinguished journalists in Lagos on Friday night. PHOTOS: GODWIN IREKHE

L-R:Special Adviser on Media to President Muhammadu Buhari/ Honoree, Mr. Femi Adesina; Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Ray Ekpu and Lagos NUJ Chairman, Mr. Deji Elumoye

Chief Press Secretary to Lagos State Governor/Honoree, Mr. Habib Haruna(left) and Mr. Femi Adesina

L-R: Former President, National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Mrs. Toro Oladapo; Executive Editor, Upshot Reports, Mr. Mojeed Jamiu and Executive Editor, AN24 TV, Mr. Gboyega Akosile

The Deputy Director/ Project Manager of NITEL/MTEL at the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE),Barrister Obiora Obiagwu (right) with Prof. Michael Addison, the Chancellor of the London Graduate School & Commonwealth University UK under the Dubai Leadership Summit, when he received his Doctorate Degree in Corporate Governance in Dubai... recently

National President, Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ)/Honoree, Mr. Waheed Odusile and General Manager, Radio Lagos/Eko FM/Honoree, Mrs. Funke Moore

L-R: Permanent Secretary Lagos State Ministry of Information/Honoree, Mr. Fola Adeyemi; Lagos NUJ Chairman, Mr. Deji Elumoye and Secretary to State Government, Lagos State/Honoree,Mr. Tunji Bello

L-R: Members, NUJ, Lagos State Council, Mr. Dipo Kehinde; Mr. Lekan Osiade and Mr. Adeniyi Adesina

L-R: Socialite, Mrs. Sade Okoya; representative of Jackson Family Foundation, Cecilie Binoche; Brand Manager, Natures Gentle Touch, Mrs. Toyin Adepegba and Founder/Chair, Basic Education Africa (BEAfrica), Ms. Abimbola Okoya during the BEAfrica/Jackson Family Foundation ‘Make That Change’ seminar, in Lagos...on Saturday

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

News

Adesina tasks media owners on journalists’ welfare

Appolonia Adeyemi

s a strategy to prioritise the welfare of media practitioners in the country, proprietors and unions in the industry have been charged to engage media owners to be up to date in the payment of journalists’ salaries.

Making the call in Lagos over the weekend, Special Adviser on Media to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr. Femi Adesina, said non-payment of journalists by their employers would continue to compromise journalism practice. “The onus is on owners including the Newspapers Proprietors of Nigeria

Tsav calls for trial of militia leader

Cephas Iorhemen MAKURDI

former Commissioner of Police for Lagos State, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav yesterday called for immediate trial of the most dreaded militia leader in Benue State, Terwase Agwaza aka ‘Gana’ recently granted amnesty by Governor Samuel Ortom. Tsav, a Commissioner at the Public Complaints Commission, who was fielding questions from journalists in his office, said Agwaza should be tried for the heinous crimes he committed against humanity in the state. It will be recalled that the militia leader recently surrendered 85 arms to Governor Samuel Ortom in his ongoing amnesty programme at the Benue People’s House, Makurdi. Tsav believed that ‘Gana’ was recruited by some politicians who were bent on winning elections.

“They should try him for the atrocities he has committed, this idea that they give you amnesty, they give you money is wrong. They told him to help them win elections and he did. He in turn told them he wants to walk about freely, so they should to give him amnesty,” Tsav said. Tsav who described the amnesty initiative as ‘a fluke’, rated Governor Ortom’s first 100 days in office as far below expectation, noting that the people of the state have no cause to celebrate the period. But in a swift reaction to Tsav’s outburst, the governor’s Adviser on Media and ICT, Mr. Tahav Agerzua condemned Tsav’s continuous attack on the governor, adding that he and others were acting the script of the opposition PDP that recruited him to disparage the administration of Governor Ortom and cause animosity between him and President Mohammadu Buhari.

•As NUJ honours New Telegraph MD, nine others (NPAN), the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), and all unions under media to do a peer review by talking frankly to one another,” while admonishing those that are not paying salaries with a view to make them leave up to their responsibilities to their staff. Adesina spoke at a reception to celebrate 10 Distinguished Journalists by the Lagos State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ). Among those honoured at the programme held at the Combo Hall, Lagos State Television Ikeja;

were Mr. Femi Adesina, Managing Director, New Telegraph Newspapers, Mrs. Funke Egbemode; Secretary to Lagos State Government (SSG), Mr. Tunji Bello; National President of NUJ, Mr. Waheed Odusile; Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Fola Adeyemi and the General Manager, Radio Lagos/Eko FM, Mrs Funke Moore. Others were the Managing Director/Editor-inChief of The Sun Newspapers, Mr. Eric Osagie, Mr. Deji Balogun, General Manager of Lagos Televi-

sion, Ikeja, Mr. Deji Balogun; Chief Press Secretary to Lagos State Governor, Mr. Habib Haruna and the General Manager, Lagos Traffic Radio, Mr. Yinka Adagun. Adesina said, “All the unions and stakeholders are the ones that will come together and do something about paying journalists as at when due.” He added that it is not for government to dabble into. “Let the unions continue to engage with the owners, the publishers and all those that hold positions of authority so that they can put premium on the wel-

fare of journalists,” he said. The Chairman of Lagos NUJ, Mr. Deji Elumoye said the 10 journalists that were honoured, have made journalism proud by going out of their way to distinguish themselves. Concerning those honoured, Mr. Ray Ekpu, a founding member of Newswatch Magazine and chairman of the occasion, said they are excellent array of distinguished journalists. “There are those who have risen to the top of their profession and those that have risen in government.”

Tribunal affirms Senator Jang’s election Investment: Foreign investors partner Sokoto Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (right), with the Country Mission Director of the French Government’s Investment Agency, AFD, Mr. Olivier Dellefosse, at a business opportunity forum, by the state government in Sokoto...yesterday

Musa Pam JOS

he Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Jos yesterday reaffirmed the elections of the immediate past governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang as the duly elected senator representing Plateau North Senatorial Zones. The All Progressives Congress candidate in the April Plateau North senatorial election, Eunice Ayisa Sambo, had gone to the National Assembly Election Tribunal to seek redress over alleged irregularities that trailed the conduct of the elections in some local government areas. Delivering judgment, chairman of the Tribunal, Lanre Akeredolu upheld the elections of Senator Jonah Jang and dismissed the petition of Mrs. Ayisa which she said failed to prove her case beyond

reasonable doubt and was thrown out. Reacting to the judgment, Senator Jang in his reaction to the judgment thanked God for giving him victory. In a statement signed by his Personal Assistant/Media Aide, Mr. Chris Gyang; Senator Jang said, “This judgment has gone a long way to further confirm the confidence and trust of the electorate in me and the Peoples Democratic Party. “Now I can concentrate better on continuing the redemption agenda at the Senate to enhance the development of our state and country at large” he said. Meanwhile the former Deputy Director of Goodluck Jonathan Sambo Campaign Organisation Plateau State Evang. Leo Jitong has described the judgment as the act of God, saying it has finally vindicated the PDP administration.

Umar Abdullahi SOKOTO

okoto State Government has identified investment-favourable legislation, commitment to transparency and good governance and unveiling of a bold vision backed by timelines for implementation are some of the key requirements needed to boost investments in Nigeria. Similarly, states like Sokoto must actively engage in data mapping because the success of public institutions depends not only on the possession of resources, but on the efficient application of sound management principles based on accurate data utilisation. These were some of the issues agreed upon by local and international investment and development agencies at a twoday business opportunity forum organised by the state government which

ended yesterday. Speaking at the opening of the summit, Governor Aminu Tambuwal said the dwindling resources of the country had made it imperative for states to look to private investment for survival. He said Sokoto cannot afford to allow its income to be determined by the price of oil, which he said from forecasts, would likely remain low for the foreseeable future. While disclosing that Sokoto is open to foreign investment because all necessary incentives are being put in place, Tambuwal said the state has comparative advantage in sectors like agriculture, tourism, mining and power generation. In his remarks, Olivier Dellefosse, Mission Director of the French investment agency AFD, said his home government is ready to provide loans to

micro-finance banks being planned by the state government. The main areas of concern for AFD, according to the director, are power generation, transmission and distribution, urban development, support for SMEs and agriculture. He also said the agency will explore areas of cooperation with the state government for the mutual benefit of the two entities. For their part, the United States Agency for International Development and UK Department for International Development spoke of their readiness to collaborate with the state government in the development of key sectors. They promised to provide technical assistance and expertise where necessary, adding that where there is transparency and good governance, foreign investors will be willing to put their money.

In his presentation, CEO of Aso Savings and Loans Ltd, Malam Hassan Usman, said his company is willing to build 4,000 housing units in Sokoto in the next four years if the government provides land and guarantees buyers. Managing Director of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Mr. Uche Orji, said Sokoto must leverage on the peace it is presently enjoying to sell its credentials to the outside world. Other speakers at the conference, which was attended by government officials and members of the state House of Assembly, were DFID’s Senior Infrastructure Advisor, Keith Hammond; USAID’s Country Director, Michael Harvey; Mallam Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq of the Private Sector Alliance of Nigeria and Malam Kabiru Rabiu, Executive Director at BUA Group.

SUNDAY

Politics SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

Cloud over Kogi, Bayelsa guber elections p.16 Ezenwa: PDP will come out of current crises p.17 Ohakim

Kwakwanso

Nyako

Nnamani

The Sunday Interview

CP Owoseni: Lagos shouldn’t panic over Boko Haram p.20&37

Buhari

Probes: Season of long knives (2)

xpectedly, the season of long knives continued last week not only with more revelations about the wanton profligacy and theft of public funds under former President Goodluck Jonathan, but with the readiness of the Independent Corrupt Practices to probe four former governors. The accounts of the quartet of Rotimi Amaechi, Sullivan Chime, Ibrahim Shema and Rabiu Kwankwaso in Rivers, Enugu, Katsina and Kano states have been frisked by operatives of ICPC, and it said cases have been established against them. Earlier, some former governors have been docked over various allegations.

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

Ihedi Ohakim still on trial Ihedi Ohakim who was Imo state governor between May 2007 and May 2011 is answering to a three-count criminal charge before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja bordering on money laundering, abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds. He was alleged to have looted the sum of $2.290m from the state treasury and used same to acquire a mansion at the Asokoro District of Abuja. Specifically, two of the charges against Ohakim read: “That you, Ikedi Ohakim, on or about the month of November, 2008 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court made a cash payment of $2,290,000.00(Two million, two hundred and ninety thousand dollars) which was then an equivalent of about N270,000,000.00(Two hundred and seventy million naira) for the purchase of the property known and described as Plot No. 1098, Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District, also known as No. 60 Kwame Nkrumah Street, Asokoro, Abuja, which amount exceeded the amount

In this concluding part, BIYI ADEGOROYE and TUNDE OYESINA examine the ongoing probes by President Muhammadu Buhari, advocating a loot-recovery efforts based on rule of law authorised for an individual by section 1 of the Money Laundering (prohibition) Act, 2004, and thereby committed an offence contrary to the said section and punishable by section 15(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004. “That you, Ikedi Ohakim, on or about the 26th of January, 2013, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of Federal High Court, while under arrest for an offence under the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004, knowingly failed to make a full disclosure of your assets by not declaring your ownership of the property known and described as Plot No. 1098, Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District, also known as No. 60 Kwame Nkrumah Street, Asokoro, Abuja, and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 27(3) (c) of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004 and punishable under the same section.” When the charge was read to the accused person, he pleaded not guilty and his counsel applied for bail. The trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola however admitted the accused person to bail in the N270 million, the same amount which is being charged for. The court later adjourned till October 20 for trial. Beyond Lamido’s bail Sule Lamido, who is a former governor of Jigawa State is one of those being tried before the court over alleged corruption while

in office. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arraigned Lamido and his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha over a 28-count criminal charge. The charges are bothering on corruption, money laundering, breach of trust and illegal diversion of public funds to the tune of N1.35billion. Lamido was equally alleged to have collected kickbacks from contractors in the state, with the funds allegedly paid into accounts that were managed by his sons. Four companies that were allegedly involved in the fraud- Bamaina Holdings Limited, Bamiana Company Nigeria Limited, Bamaina Aluminum Limited and Speeds International Limited, were also charge as the fifth to eighth accused persons in the matter. The accused persons were first arraigned in Kano State where Justice Evelyn Anyadike rmanded them in prison because she could not hear their bail application due to the annual vacation of the judiciary. Respite however came their way, five days after they were remanded in Prison custody, as the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja released them on bail. Justice Gabriel Kolawole who then sat as a vacation judge, granted bail to Lamido on selfrecognisance as a former governor. Justice Kolawole, however, ordered his sons CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Politics

Cloud over Kogi, Bayelsa elections ONYEKACHI EZE reports of uncertainty over the November 21 and December 4 governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states as lawyers disagree on the power of the Independent National Electoral Commission, as it is presently constituted, to conduct the elections

n about 11 weeks from now, the people of Kogi State will be going to the polls to elect their governor for the next four years. As a prelude to that, political activities in the state have heightened. Political parties wishing to field candidates for the election have already set the machineries in motion towards choosing the flag bearers. Former governor of the state, Prince Abubakar Audu has secured the ticket of the All Progressives Congress, while the Peoples Democratic Party, the ruling party in Kogi State, has fixed next Thursday, September 10, for its governorship primary. The fight will be between the incumbent governor, Captain Idris Wada and Alhaji Jibrin Isah, a grassroots politician. In Bayelsa arrangement are also underway at party level for the elections. But all these are not the concern of some election stakeholders in the country. Their concern is rather the legality of the forthcoming election given the present composition of the Independent National Electoral Commission . Chief Mike Ozikhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said INEC as it is presently constituted, is not legally and constitutionally constituted to conduct the November governorship election in Kogi State. He said, “there will be a big lacuna, a very dangerous gap in Nigeria’s electoral process,” if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to reconstitute the commission before the election. The 1998 Act that establishes the INEC provides that, “the commission shall consist of a chairman who shall be the chief national electoral commissioner and the chief executive of the commission, and 12 other members to be known as National Electoral Commissioners.” By the provision of this Act, each of the six geopolitical zones is expected to produce two National Commissioners. The Act also says that “there shall be in each State of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, a Resident Electoral Commissioner.” Nigeria is composed of 36 States and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. Since June 30 this year, the number of INEC National Commissioners has depleted. The tenure of nine of the National Commissioners and the commission’s chairman, have expired, and they have since left office while one, Professor Akinola Salau, died of natural cause in August. Also, 16 Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) whose tenure has expired, have equally retired while one REC member (Minkaila Abdullahi, Kano State REC), died in an inferno accident. At present, INEC is left with only an Acting Chairman, Mrs. Amina Bala Zakari (a National Commissioner whose tenure have also expired since July 25 but for her appointment as Acting Chairperson), Ambassador Lawrence Nwuruku, a National Commissioner, and 21 RECs.

Zakari

Abdullahi Adamu Kaugama, a former secretary to the commission, was about three weeks ago confirmed by the Senate as a replacement for the late Kano State REC. She was sworn in last week. Kaugama is from the same Jigawa State with the late REC. Section 8(4) of the same Act says eight members of the National Commissioners, including the chairman, can form a quorum, at any of its meetings. When the timetable for Kogi and Bayelsa State governorship elections were released, INEC was composed of an Acting Chairman and about five National Commissioners. The commission, in its bulletin sometime in June, dispelled the fear that the mass retirement of its commissioners would affect the commission’s activities. The bulletin assured that activities at the commission would not be disrupted “because it can always form a quorum going by the provision of Section 159 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).” This position was supported by Esther Uzoma, a human right lawyer. Citing Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution that establishes federal executive bodies (including INEC), Uzoma argued that INEC as an institution is not hampered in any way to conduct the forthcoming Kogi State election. “Section 159 of the Constitution talks about quorum, which is one third of the members, during meeting. It does not talk about conducting an election. the question is, is the conduct of an election the same thing for holding a meeting? And does the power of INEC as an institution affected by the absence of some members of the body? These are the issues to be addressed. “My submission is, INEC power to conduct election is not hampered by the absence of some of the members. INEC does not die because of the failure to form a quorum,” she added. The opposition party, the PDP had wondered why INEC membership has not been reconstituted since the retirement of the former Chairman. According to the party, before his tenure expired on June 30th, Professor Jega wrote to the president, intimating him of the fact that the tenure of majority of the national commissioners will expire before August.

There will be a big lacuna, a very dangerous gap in Nigeria’s electoral process, if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to reconstitute the commission before the elections “Yet the President never acted, resulting in the present crisis in the commission, where more than 80 per cent out of the statutory 13 members remain vacant, even as eleven (actually 16) states of the federation are also without Resident Electoral Commissioners.” The party accused the APC government at the center of ulterior motive by refusing to reconstitute the commission, and said it was orchestrated by President Buhari’s plan to inject a constitutional crisis to undermine the nation’s democracy. Presently, the National Assembly is on recess, which will last till September 29 unless there is emergency that might compel the Clerk to the National Assembly to cut short the recess and reconvene the House. This means that the president’s communication to the legislators for confirmation of INEC commissioners and RECs (if they are on his programme) will have to wait till October. That is to say the new appointees will have less than one and half months before the Kogi governorship election. Any nominee by the president for INEC Chairman, National Commissioner or Resident Electoral Commissioner, will be screened and confirmed by the National Assembly before such a person could be sworn. Fears have been expressed that the outcome of the election might be contested. But Uzoma advised any political that may complain about the conduct of the election not to field candidate for the election. Chief Olisa Metuh, PDP National Publicity Secretary, said the party was concerned with the conduct of next Thursday’s primary, “after that we will look into the issue.” Metuh said the party’s position on Mrs. Zakari’s appointment has not changed. He however, expressed the hope that the

commission would be properly reconstituted before the election. Though, this is not the first time an acting chairman was being appointed for INEC, Mrs. Zakari’s appointment has been rejected by the PDP. Former President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Prince Solomon Soyebi as acting chairman when he sacked Professor Maurice Iwu as INEC chairman in April 2010. Soyebi acted until June 30 when Professor Jega was sworn in as Iwu’s sucessor. But he did not preside over any meeting of the commission where any major decision relating to an election was taken, nor did he conduct an election. PDP however, conceded that the president has the right to appoint an acting chairman, but said the person appointed is related to the president. The party said acting INEC Chairman worked under the President when he was chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund during late General Sani Abacha administration, and served as Secretary under the present Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai when he was FCT Minister. Ozekhome, who perused it from the legal point of view, said the constitution does not make a provision for acting chairman for “executive bodies including INEC. But Uzoma said he who has the power to appoint INEC Chairman equally has power to appoint anybody on acting capacity. Sine INEC was established in 1998, this is the first time controversy is trailing the transition of one chairman to another. When Justice Ephraim Akpata died on January 8, 2000, he succeeded by Dr. Abel Guobadia who was confirmed by the Senate in May that same year. He served out his tenure till May 2005 and was succeeded the next month by Professor Maurice Iwu. Prince Soyebi acted for about two months before Professor Jega assumed office after his confirmation by the Senate. There is the possibility that INEC may be reconstituted before the November 21 Kogi governorship poll. According to the statement, the APCled Federal Government deliberately debilitated INEC so that it can no longer form a quorum to perform its statutory responsibility, and said the development has completely enervated the commission from carrying out its functions as stipulated in Part 1 of Third Schedule of the 1999 constitution as amended, “thereby putting the nation’s electoral system under severe threat. ”Could this be a ploy by the APC-led government to use a decapitated INEC to conduct the forthcoming governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa sates to pave way for their planned ‘capture’ of the two PDP states? Is the weakening of INEC not part of the plot to use the commission to put the PDP in precarious position in various electoral tribunals to the advantage of the APC?” the PDP asked. Section 8(3) of the Acts states that “during the chairman’s absence on leave or if the chairman is otherwise not available or is unable to perform his functions, the President may appoint any member of the Commission to act as chairman for any specified period.” But Ozekhome said whoever to be appointed INEC Chairman must not have political leaning and “must have the credibility and capability to deliver credible elections to the country.” According to him, with the present controversy trailing the appointment of Mrs. Zakari as acting chairman of the commission, she cannot deliver credible elections for the country.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

Ezenwa: PDP will come out of current crises Prince Ossy Ezenwa was chairman of Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State and former secretary to the state government under Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju. The Chairman of the newly constituted ad hoc committee to reengineer the Peoples Democratic Party in the state tells PAMELA EBOH about crises in the party and his plans to reposition What do you think is the reason for the current crises in Anambra State chapter of the PDP? Well, as you probably know, the political fortunes of the party have gone down. If you recall in 1999, Anambra State had 21 local government areas and the Peoples Democratic Party emerged victorious in 18, two went to the APP and one went to the Alliance for Democracy and the chairman was Calista Nwachukwu of Ogbaru. Eighteen over 21 is an outstanding achievement and of course we had the state government. But unfortunately, right now, we have lost everything. There is no single local government chairman that is of PDP extraction; the state is firmly in the grip of APGA while the Federal Government has equally slipped off our hands. No matter how sanctimonious those piloting the affairs of PDP claim to be, statistically speaking, we have done very poorly and naturally with that poor result. You will hunger for change; but keep in mind also that Anambra State has been riddled with litigations. There was a time we as candidates of the party went to Abuja for a meeting during Vincent Ogbulafor’s tenure and there, one of the party’s leaders from the north said that he was quite certain that the 47 of us that came to the meeting have injunctions in our pockets. Then, Ken Emeakayi was also in court as well Mike Oguebego. We can’t move ahead that way, no. So, we thought that after the entire calamity we need to turn a new leaf keeping in mind that the tenure of Emeakayi had expired. I must tell you also that I am not against anybody contesting for whatever position they deem fit even when the person or his team has performed below expectation whatever needs to be done must be through a popularity contest, that is the ritual that has to be done when you are talking of a democratic process. Am sure you recall when Tony Nwoye sort to become the governor of Anambra State, some of us got attracted to him because he said that if he did not emerge victorious at the party’s primaries, we should not bother and I know that Nicholas Ukachukwu was a formidable candidate but the whole process was done in the open and supervised by the governor of Katsina State and two other governors without any bickering or games. This time around, the party has foisted Ken Emeakayi again and we are saying that nobody will tolerate that. They had told us to prepare for congress but personally, I have never been in this frame of mind to run for an election. I do remember how it was in 1999 when I became chairman of NCP by replacing Odunze in the state. Ezeife was the governor then but the situation we are in now is a difficult situation because those who want to go to National Assembly will try to bribe their way to become the candidate of choice. I don’t like that kind of thing, but we said that some people will have to make sacrifices. To respond to your question, our own group which goes by the name Equity Group or Forum of the PDP, is not an executive faction. If I tell you that I have been elected chairman of the party in Anambra State, I would be telling lies. We just elected a steering committee to come and conduct the election. If that is done,

Ezenwa

we won’t have any problem because that is the only way to get things going. People will know that you have been elected, whether they like your face or not. Not when you call somebody a chieftain of the party, he would foist somebody on everybody and allocating positions to people. That is laughable. Of course, you know Chief Joe Martins Uzodike was made secretary of that group and he repudiated it. Remember, the position was given to him in absentia. In their imagination, they felt that Joe Martins was former governor Peter Obi’s man; hence, they will use him to get Obi to their side but they failed. Of course there was no congress and we are ready to end this ugly stance in Anambra PDP. I think when we understand the powerlessness of the authority we try to exert, that does not even have the backing of the people, only then, there would be room for change. If you want to make money, you go to Ochanja market or main market, not in PDP. Like I have left public office and now run a poultry, fish farm and even bakery so, you give employment to make money. My late father was a Minister, a Deputy Governor, President of NUT and Principal of C.K.C. That’s all that he had with this four bedroom apartment. That’s all and he lived a peaceful life and left. You can’t juggle politics with making money

here and there. So, what we are saying is; Let us have a properly conducted congress and whoever emerges winner will hold sway. Some people are saying that Emeakayi has been carrying a lot of baggage but it doesn’t matter. If he is carrying all that and people say because of his charismatic nature and all that, let him lead, no problem but the point is let us pass through the ritual of democracy. Are you saying that the PDP has no executive in Anambra State at the moment? Precisely. What of Oguebego who is still claiming that court recognizes him as the authentic Anambra State PDP chairman? You see, the issue is that we have problems at the executive level, even at the legislative level but with the judicial arm of government, when a lot of people have court injunctions, then, it boils down to interpretation of the court order. I remember once upon a time, they said his tenure had elapsed as well as that of Emeakayi. Then you go to Port Harcourt where clearly you and I know that the court in question does not exercise the jurisdiction but yet you see them clutching all manner of court injunctions. I don’t know about that but if he brings his own, two or four others usually

Politics

will bring their own and put on the table. This politics thing we are doing is a popularity contest, going out to solicit for support from the people and all that. It’s like our National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh and Emeakayi now. When PDP had Tony Nwoye as its governorship candidate in 2013, Olisa Metuh as the National Publicity secretary did not go to any campaign with the party’s candidate, even his own town. No matter how opposed you may be to a candidate, once that candidate emerges as the party’s flag bearer, you are duty-bound to support that candidate because it’s a family thing. It is expected that you submerge your animosity and all that but in this case, he didn’t go to anywhere with us. Same applicable to Emeakayi. But I must be sincere, out of the 21 local governments, Emeakayi only went to Dunukofia with us. That is the only local government he went with us. Quote me anywhere. You know, these are president in town or vice-president in town politicians. When the president came around to Onitsha precisely, oh, they all came out and where on the podium. Even on that day at the rally, they were saying that some of us should go down from the podium that the podium was shaking and all that. I just laughed it off and asked them, have you ever seen me at Wadata House or the villa? I am not craving to be there for any reason. I was at the rally ground because of my capacity as Director-General of Tony Nwoye campaign Organisation and we had paid some money to AIT and Channels Television. So, I needed to control things to ensure that the President was captured within the specified time, that’s all. You can look at the results, you come from a particular ward but you have never done well there. If you permit me, I will call them Princes of apathy without principality. Based on what you have said so far, from which central body did the candidates that contested various positions emerge? No, no, no. As you probably know, this issue was brewing and I think the National Working Committee in its wisdom thought it would in the best interest of the party to set up a committee, because a lot of bad blood was being generated. If you recall, they then asked Emakayi to step down that his tenure had elapsed and Oguebego wasn’t chairman as well . So they put together a caretaker committee to handle things; hence, there wasn’t any sitting executive so to speak. Mentu came around with some other persons for the congress. So, nobody in particular was in charge. With the incessant bickering and bad blood in Anambra PDP, do you think peace will ever reign there, as it appears the problem in the party is becoming protracted? Well, one need not be dispirited. I am saying this because even those who are at the apex of the leadership structure of the party like Emeakayi for instance, when the last local government election in the state was conducted, those that ran for office as chairmanship and councillorship candidates were crying foul that they were shortchanged. Of course you know, the inauguration of that crop of chairmen was done hurriedly and he put up appearance and said that the thing was well done. Even Nwoye, you know we only campaigned for about nine days and still took the second position. One would have thought that at the end of that election, we would all come together as a party and access how things had gone because you know there was a run off before the governor was pronounced winner. We were meeting with our lawyers to know the way forward and all of a sudden, they started beaming to the public,

CONTINUED on PAGE 19

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Politics

Probes: Season of long knives (2) C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 5

and their alleged accomplice, Wada Abubakar, to deposit N25 million each. All the accused persons, including Lamido, were also directed to surrender their passports and other travelling documents to the Deputy Chief Registrar of the High Court. Justice Kolawole later returned the case file to Kano where the matter will continue after resumption. Murtala Nyako’s trial Murtala Nyako, a former governor of Adamawa State and one of his sons are also facing corruption charges to the tune of N40 billion before the Federal High Court in Abuja. When Nyako was arraigned, he pleaded not guilty to the charge. The trial judge, Justice Elvis Chukwu, granted him bail in the sum of N1.4 billion. In the charge before the court, the accused persons were alleged to have in their bid to conceal the illicit origin of the funds they siphoned from the coffers of the state, embarked on the development of Estates in Abuja. EFCC said it was able to trace various cash

lodgments that Nyako and his son made into various bank accounts they operated in the name of the companies that were fingered in the fraud. They were said to have sequentially withdrawn the funds through the late bank manager and channelled same for private use, contrary to section 15 (2) (a) & (6) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act. The court later adjourned till October 30 for hearing.

Chimaroke Nnamani cases For the former governor of Enugu state, Chimaroke Nnamani, the Federal High court in Lagos has ordered that four companies associated with him be forfeited to the Federal Government. The four companies – Rainbownet Nigeria Limited, Cosmos FM, Capital City Automobile Nigeria Limited and Renaissance University Teaching Hospital – were convicted by a judge of the Lagos court, Mohammed Yinusa, on Tuesday after pleading guilty to a 10-count amended charge against them by

the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The companies pleaded not guilty to the corruption charge slammed on them. The court on reviewing the facts before it convicted the companies and made an order of final forfeiture of their assets to the Federal Government, citing provision of the EFCC Establishment Act on Final Forfeiture All the properties are located across the five states in the South East geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Among them are 22 Duplex buildings in Ebeano Under Tunnel Estate now known as Fidelity Estate; Renaissance University Teaching Hospital; Cosmos 105.5 FM Digital Station (Ceuna Communications); and Capital City Automobile Limited, located at 12 Station Road ,GRA, Enugu. Others are properties of Hill Gate Investment which include: Plot Number H12, H13, H14, H15, H21`, H116, H188, Plot 10, Plot H11, Plot H16, Plot H17, Plot H18, Plot 19, Plot H20, Plot H49, Plot H50, Plot H117, CP/4 (HCR2), CP5 (HCR2) CP/6(HCR2) CP/7 (HCR2) CP/8. The assets also include several unde-

veloped property and plots of land of Rainbownet Nigeria Limited in Enugu, Abakaliki, Aba, Owerri, Onitsha, Awka and Umuahia. Also, property of Rainbownet Communication which include BTS, Microwave Avenue Radio, Rectifiere, and much equipment at various sites in Anambra State are to be forfeited to the Federal Government. Aside these landed properties, over N35 million from the frozen bank accounts of the companies will be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria. Nnamani and the others were accused of laundering funds from the state treasury, especially monies meant for local government councils. The former governor, alongside Sunday Anyaogu -his then aide – and six firms linked to them: Rainbownet Nigeria Limited, Hillgate Nigeria Limited, Cosmos FM, Capital City Automobile Nigeria Limited, Renaissance University Teaching Hospital and Mea Mater Elizabeth High School, were first arraigned before a judge, Tijani Abubakar, in 2007. The case was later re-assigned to another judge, Charles Archibong, following the transfer of Justice Abubakar, now of the Appeal Court, out of the Lagos division of the Federal High Court. Again, the case was re-assigned to Mr. Yinusa, after Mr. Archibong, now retired was also transferred out of the Lagos division of the court. ‘Anti-graft war must be sustained’ The probes have been greeted by various reactions. For instance, former Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Remi Babalola, in the cabinet of former President Jonathan said there was alarming lack of transparency in the oil sector and theft of public fund in the last administration- a development that led to his resignation from the government. Babalola was in a good position to reveal that, having chaired the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee between 2007 and 2010. He said: “Mismanagement and misallocation of resources, coupled with an unprecedented level of corruption have been at their highest in the history of our nation in the last six years. “Performance or success in public space was measured by the conversion rate of public funds into private accounts. It looks as if democracy has been substituted with kleptocracy,” he said, adding though when he drew the nation’s attention to the parlous state of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation’s accounts five years ago, it was as if he was “stepping on a snake.” Reacting to the on-going trial, an Abujabased lawyer, Maxwell Ojeifo stated that due process was followed in their arraignment and that it is not appropriate to pronounce anything at the moment, until the court does so. “The arraignment of all the accused persons is in order. All of them are still accused. This is because they are protected by our constitution and are presumed innocent, until it is proved otherwise by a competent court. I think what we need is to exercise patience and allow the court to do its work,” he added. The renewed fight against corruption, Ojeifo said it is healthy, provided “it is not targeted against the opposition, because ‘he who must to equity must come with equity and justice should be done alone, it must be seen to have been done.” “An average Nigerian wants corruption eradicated completely. So there is no doubt that the fight against corruption is a laudable one. My own concern is the yard stick used to determine who and who should be prosecuted. The prosecution should cut across all political parties, status, race, culture and religion. When this is done, the trust of the common man in this government will be boosted,” he stated.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

Politics

Bayelsa gov election: Dickson, Alaibe, Sylva declare war John-Chuks Onuanyim

ast Thursday, the former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Ndutimi Alaibe, returned his governorship nomination forms of the All Progressives Congress. Alaibe is one of the several others contesting for the governorship ticket of APC for the Bayelsa State governorship election slated for December 5 by the Independent National Electoral Commission. Some others confirmed to have picked the forms and indicated interest to contest the primary elections were a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Warman Ogoriba; immediate past Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) State Chairman, Col. Sam Inokoba (now late); former Housing Commissioner, Austin Ogiowon; former Commissioner for Local Government, Chief Godknows Powell; and former Chief of Staff to the incumbent Governor, Seriake Dickson, Chief Dikivie Ikhiogha. Also said to be interested in the APC governorship ticket in Bayelsa State is a former governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva. Since Alaibe’s supporters declared their support for him to contest the governorship ticket of the APC, it has become a war of wits between the camps of Sylva and Alaibe. Many believe that Alaibe is the man to beat in the APC governorship primaries in Bayelsa State. But Sylva’s supporters believe Alaibe has no qualification to pick the APC governorship ticket in Baylsa State since he is just a new entrant into the party. However, Sylva’s aides have vowed to stop him from emerging as the party’s governorship candidate. Meanwhile, Alaibe’s supporters believe that there is no better candidate for APC in Bayelsa State than their principal. According to them, he has a track record of achievements having led the NDDC, which spearheaded infrastructural development in nine oil-producing states. Defending Alaibe’s recent defection to APC, the leader of Friends of Alaibe Group, Senator John Brambaifa, stated that the guidelines of APC don’t make duration of membership a condition for vying for an elective office in the party. Brambaifa, who led others to APC’s National Secretariat in Abuja last Monday to obtain both the expression of interest and nomination forms on behalf of Alaibe, stated that he (Alaibe) has the best credentials to defeat the incumbent governor in the governorship election. They said that having managed nine states’ resources, running a single state “would not be a problem.” Also declaring their support for Alaibe at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, the Brambaifa group said: “We are here to pick the nomination forms for the Bayelsa State governorship election coming up on December 5. We decided to pick the forms for Chief Nditimi Alaibe having taken pains to study his pedigree and his achievements for the past 30 years and came to the inevitable conclusion that he, Timi Alaibe, is the best person to carry the APC flag into the 5th December governorship election. We have no doubts in our minds that with his pedigree and his achievements in life, Bayelsans would not have any regret in having him as the governor of Bayelsa State.” Alaibe’s name reverberates near and wide within the Niger Delta. It used to be and arguably now is still the most popular household name in Bayelsa State.

Dickson

Alaibe

Alaibe became well known when he was appointed Executive Director of Finance in NDDC under the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He later served as the NDDC MD., also under Obasanjo. The former NDDC MD and former Special Adviser to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua on Niger Delta Affairs is not only an administrator par excellence but also a seasoned politician. He contested the PDP’s governorship ticket in 2003 with the then incumbent governor of the state, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. He lost to him, having scored 30 votes against that of Alamieyesiegh’s 111 votes. Alaibe’s outing in that governorship primaries was significant till date because it was the only instance in the country where a challenger made an impact against an incumbent. Most of the times, the incumbents scored 100 per cent of votes cast at the primaries. Political pundits believe that such a record is capable to defeat a sitting governor.

As someone who is not deterred by failed attempts in life, in 2007, Alaibe showed interest again to run for the governorship on the platform of the PDP. He was prevailed upon by Obasanjo to allow the then governor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who eventually emerged the vice-president to Yar’Adua, to continue. Being a loyal party man, Alaibe obliged. He has this to say about that: “I am a party man. If party picks a candidate, we all shall support that candidate. I have even stepped down for some people in the past.” But in 2011, it was a different scenario as PDP did not give him a chance to express himself by endorsing Sylva as the governorship candidate of the party. Alaibe therefore decided to contest the governorship election on the platform of the Labour Party, which, he however lost to Sylva. Talking about his passion to govern the state, Alaibe, who is also a former coordinator of the Federal Government’s Amnesty programme for repentant militants

in the region, said, “We want Bayelsa to become the ultimate destination of Niger Delta. Our people are angling for change not for the sake of it but a change that will affect their lives. “We as Bayelsa people are tired of accidental leadership. We are tired of visionlessness and you know that I come with a lot of experience, goodwill, integrity and reputation. As one of the major oil producing states in this country, Bayelsa has not been able to see structured development in terms of infrastructural development and even in terms of environmental development as consequence of oil production.” On the insinuation that the difficult terrain of the Niger Delta was responsible for the under-development of the riverine area, he opined that: “There is no terrain in Bayelsa that cannot be surmounted. I have built roads in Bayelsa. How does the excuse of terrain prevent one from building drainages or even clearing refuse on the street. Our challenge in Bayelsa is that of leadership. “It is like talking about the Netherlands, a city of water, where you can see infrastructural development. If you know what to do, let us not use the excuse of terrain. That is deceitful, that is not the problem. How does the excuse of terrain make you not to resolve the drainage problem in Yenagoa town? How does the excuse of terrain make you not to clear the refuse? It is leadership we are talking about, leadership with vision, leadership that gives direction, leadership that know critical issue of infrastructural development and empowerment, leadership that connect with the people, that is what is absent and that is what we want.” The battle, however, will be far from easy as the incumbent Governor Seriake Dickson is not leaving anything to chance. With the recent resolution of his rift with former President Jonathan and his wife Patience, some political observers say the unity of the trio is a great strength for the incumbent in the elections. The fact that the former president had lost the presidency has further emboldened him to fight and ensure that PDP retains the state. Similarly, the high number governorship aspirants from the APC- currently put at 13- seems to make the journey a tough one in the part. Sylva is said to be testing the ground as he might soon declare for the election. Alaibe, however, seems prepared for this and more to ensure he becomes the next governor of the state.

Ezenwa: PDP will come out of current crises C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 7

this time the national publicity secretary, even when the candidate had said that for strategic reasons, he wasn’t going to be involved again whatever thing they wanted to do. If you recall, he was not allowed to vote at his Nsugbe Ward and so many people had the same problem. We were still trying to know what would be our reaction to that and our team of lawyers said that these people have gone to the press already to congratulate the winner. Remember, Peter Obi was still governor when they were looking for a person for the ministerial nominee to replace Stella Oduah. No doubt, if you ask me, Peter Obi was very eminently qualified to be a minister, but he was still in APGA then. If you recall, this so-called chairman had placed adverts

in three national newspapers saying that APGA and PDP were the same. He put up the same act after the local government elections were held. All of a sudden, he was there congratulating them. These are not acts of a true party man. We also have the other arm led by Chris Uba with Oguebego as their chairman. They would each time conduct their own primaries separately and then fight at the national body for their own group to be recognized. I was actually thinking that with the performance of PDP, it will compel everybody to stand up and say things cannot continue this way. I understand that Olisa Metuh convened a meeting and said that this time around, a properly conducted congress would take place but all

of a sudden, he published a notice the Thursday preceding Friday that was public holiday and Monday also public holiday. He asked people with interest to run for any position in that notice to go and pay into a Zenith Bank account. Can you imagine on Thursday and then on Tuesday, you conducted congress? I said, Oh? My God, how would they accomplish that with two public holidays and you are the publicity secretary. But this is Anambra and you have some ulterior motive. Let them check the number of people that made payment to that effect and let me emphasis this. If you say Mr. ‘A’ is going to be your secretary which is a very important position and he repudiates that announcement, it speaks volumes.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 20

The Sunday Interview

CP Owoseni: Lagos sho panic over Boko Haram Mr. Fatai Ajani Owoseni is the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, having assumed office about six weeks ago. Since then, he has been preaching respect for human rights among officers and men. In this interview with JULIANA FRANCIS, Owoseni speaks on myriad of issues, including the Ikorodu bank robberies, cult wars, pipeline vandalism and recent scare over alleged arrest of Boko Haram insurgents in the state Could you give us insight into what you’ve been doing since you assumed duty at the Lagos Command? It’s been about six weeks now. We’ve focused on traffic management. That’s one of the greatest challenges Lagos State Command is facing. We’ve placed more of our personnel, especially during peak periods, on the roads for traffic management. This is in collaboration with other government agencies, like Lagos State Transport Management Authority. I’ve also done a lot of engagement with members of the public, interacting with them. This is one of the ways we can promote community policing, getting to hear from them, their concerns and we can jointly address those concerns together. We’ve also started working on how to increase police visibility by getting patrol vehicles on the road. Another major problem that I encountered, maybe it has been happening, is issue of robbing motorists in traffic. It’s a gradual process, but we’ve tried to see how we can reduce it. I believe that within a short time, we would be able to eradicate that completely. We’ve been putting more policemen on the roads, in order to give confidence to the motorists. The areas which robbery in traffic jam are endemic are Oshodi, Ojota and Mile 2. We’ve been putting policemen there, including putting on the roads motorcycles given to us by the state government. We’ve deployed these motorbikes to these areas to check this menace of robbing people on the highway. I’ve also started reorienting our personnel, to ensure that all they do are within the ambit of the police regulations and laws of the country. Checking those ones that have corrupt tendencies; I’ve been going round personally and have also deployed X-Squad teams. Even as we do this, we tell them that the present police management is taking their welfare into consideration. That’s why a lot of measures had been put in place, to see that the issue is addressed. So that, if we put policemen on the road, we see that basic comforts are given to them in terms of making provisions for ration including bottled water for them to carry along. That’s what the Inspector General of Police has introduced. And this is what we are replicating here, to ensure our policemen don’t resort to self-help in fuelling their patrol vehicles. IGP has been making the provisions and we’re making sure it gets done. We’ve also tried to strengthen

our internal oversight control on personnel that ran afoul of the police regulations. You know the old Public Complaint Bureau of the police has been strengthened by putting a senior officer, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), found to be credible, who also has the legal background as a lawyer, to be addressing complaints from members of the public. That’s to ensure that personnel that are found wanting, are dealt with. Combined to that is also putting into place, the structure for alternate dispute resolution, which the present management of the force is adopting, to reduce cases that are otherwise not criminal. These are cases that although not criminal, may lead to breach of the peace. Examples are land cases. It’s not all of such cases that are criminal. But we don’t want to be turning people away, but we can bring people together under the alternate dispute resolution, we can talk to them and ensure that all such things don’t lead to break down of law and order. Directorate of Security Services said that Boko Haram was in Lagos. What measures are you putting in place to ensure safety of Lagos people? DSS has said it, but the police have not said there’s Boko Haram! DSS probably had their reasons for saying there’s Boko Haram. As far as the police are concerned, we want to tell people in Lagos not to panic over this. There are ways information managed! I’ve been going round the whole of Lagos, speaking to members of the public. We’ve spoken to residents as group, and market women, giving them hints for their personal security, what to watch out for. I don’t think Lagos is under the Owoseni threat of Boko Haram. I wouldn’t know where DSS got their facts from. Haram! Once people are conscious of crime Perhaps they got that from intelligence and criminality… gathering? Immediately I came on board during the Are you saying that even though you believe Ramanda fasting and after it, the police had there are no facts to show that Boko Haram been giving advisories to people, to alert sewas in Lagos, you’ve already taken preventive measures? curity agencies. We’ve also told Lagosians Sure! We’ve been doing that! We keep talkhow we’ve deployed operatives on covert operations to motor parks, in partnership ing to people. Recently I went to FESTAC and spoke with home owners. We distribwith members of the National Road Transuted pamphlets to them, which contained port Workers and Road Transports Workers hints on personal security. We told them our Employees Association of Nigeria, to check areas of concern. We talked to them about the unusual movements in motor parks. This menaces of Okada riders and street hawkers. advice had been on. It’s not just about Boko

These are the sets of people that criminal elements can infiltrate. We’re working on getting street hawkers off the road and ensuring that areas where commercial motorcycles were restricted are maintained. It’s not about saying, ‘they’re the police.’ But the fact now is that we all are the police! It’s not just saying, Oh, Boko Haram. Once everybody takes issue of security serious, asking who my neighbour is; what time does he come home, what does he do? These are part of what we should be telling people. Not to raise alarm. I would actually say that, yes, I don’t know the facts DSS have, but I’m assuring residents in

SUNDAY

Fashion

Drop dead gorgeous in drop waist

28&29

Bed, Work & Life

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s getting so confusing 26

Body Soul SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 06, 2015

My dream is to ride society of cancer -Prof. Ifeoma Okoye

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

my heart m o r f t h g i a r t S

, in selfancé to death e came fi r he d be ab st Sh e mistakenly sed him sex. r preparte y claimed shuring a fight after she refu af gu p ee ng sl u to yo d a te iently as and wan sten to defense, d I listened pat man would li were, how om work tired few days ago,docile our ‘fore mothers’ eep, cook, back home fr noodles for her man. The ad betold me how early in the morning to sw t for more ing a meal ofd that cost him his life. lled for my he they woke up ke care of the children, scoutheir hus- no excuse an present. The guy almost ca tired and linked the Back to the e lady had a right to be wash, scrub, tast to go to bed, still sated with joy. I ness. l la al e th id e d er cause I said th ally charged man to mad e home truths. chores and w d never complained...they xu m se so a m here mind ofsat him down and told hitial Sarah and ‘fore mother’ bands’ lust anto purge his mind. modifications ion. en en le th ot tt I m p li igerian hi a h it is ed w w an es allo r of tim Present day Nexpresery wom his intent . be ev d gs m t an in os nu it th a lm l id A ch al sa su change were ch man u’, Igbo I heard t, when men ending on whi ’ or ‘odozi ak time and tide her and there, dep stories of that utopian pasmany children who but en are no longer ‘Ori aku to enjoy or take care of of d e ch om re ar m ar w bo he co se in omen then o has We all an had to do joined the men in rmers, when w s for ‘she wh hunters and fathe farmlands. All the wom sweat of her hus- sion and’s wealth’. They havemorning and coming back a he ch sb e -t in u Su t h th ! ce ou u e man out in prod e, hushelped bread, going or even more tired than tht irritable once rting the farm re of the hom d re ge was help in cae children - home, take ca e children, it was a daily l ti il as w , g, d in re e the even ly not be in th how good natu band and mal dren. Helped by her femal an, no matter man does. She will definiterd’. il om ch w d l. an al nd it ba sband ‘My lo to en. while, like the Then he spoilt full time job thason to break his reverie. en will do all these in a d all the time to call her hure that beautiful Sarah hadd a re oo ha he om m h no w yw ra n nd an u Sa er u it y yo fo od I read , Lad how many m How many of I’m not sure I ead for the family. In fact Hagar, at her beck “Look Juliet, l respect their husbands? ll your husbands, br , ’ d in ai m ‘w to nd k il ha ca wor ptian ch woman things and st Abraham’s wife, Sarah, maid, her Egyed her to her husband. Whitreated the l na so er ke p li , ed my women she offer ved and ter which seiz and call, until own for her husband if lo ‘My lord’?” yeah, I did, for that laugh d l ee kn to Sarah? rah-like wife aham won’t I guffawed... t unladylike. h called Abr from way Abraham did the man who wants a Sa n the holy book os ra m Sa as s, w ye at h ro th on “O Eve e she returned So, the onus is to provide for his family. r his family as an ‘lord’ each tim sh after hunting for fo rd e ha d vi ry ro ve p k ot or w cann e are given her farm or bu in g h er ot h er- refers to the man whongers are not equal. To som , yet some rm fo er p d m, chok ga m e an rse, all fi llionaires ,” I replied hi infidel. Of cou me trillionaires, some bihundrednaires. For wifely chores r. co be en ev to s and omen owers ing on laughtee did you read that? p illionaires, thousandnaire d specifically for him. W te er m h ea w cr h , ra et an li . Sa u d “J wom love e Abraham an each man is a hen the man is honest in angel, he must first It’s not in th aimed. w an le ib be ig to ir d an e ! cl story!” He ex the holy book? Wow! arSo, if a man expects a womse angels don’t live in hell u in ca r her be ory book “Oh, not eate heaven fo that in some st ghout the Maybe I read I told him, shaking my cr***** ber and throu m te p Se is ,” th re l s us al ary cobsomewhe some imagin May God bles in Jesus name. head to clear on as se r’ Juliet my of- ‘embe webs. ly discussing . A lady al tu ac e er w ay We page last Sund fering on this

Contents 06.09.2015 COVER My home works like clockwork. Sometimes, I am amazed how I am even able to run a home

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FASHION Drop waist was a hit in the 20s and is still making some serious waves now

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

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Vanessa Okwara (Correspondent) Biwom Iklaki (Correspondent)

BEAUTY Always check the labels of cream before purchasing

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Abiola Alaba Peters

MY PASSION If an artiste interprets a particular role very well, it does not mean he cannot handle others

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

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GLAM DUDES The good thing about boots is that they go with just about anything

Associates

BED, WORK & LIFE She dresses up thoughtfully. She’s seeing Val today... all alone. Sam travelled to the village to see his mum. She laughs out loud as she discards the fifth blouse

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Helen Paul

Eyitayo Aloh

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015

Body&Soul

Tell us about the wine store you just opened. I will start by giving thanks to God for making it possible for me to achieve that because everything is about God. Having said that, I think going into wine business was all about spreading one’s tentacles because there is time for everything. Time to build and time to reap. This is the time I have the energy, so I need to channel everything in the right direction so one can smile at the end of the day. Would this new business not affect your acting career? I don’t think there is going to be any clash between my career and my business. It’s basically about planning yourself properly and everything will fall in place. Many feel you have not been able to detach yourself from the character you played in Omo Ghetto, that you have not interpreted other roles well enough. What do you have to say? I don’t know why people keep saying this. I have said it that if an artiste interprets a particular role very well, it does not mean he or she cannot handle others in the same manner. After all, I am an artiste and I’m supposed to be versatile. Omo Ghetto was a success, we thank God, but I just did what I was asked to do. It was like an everyday thing. I did not know it was going to be what it was. I have played several other roles. I have acted a wife, doctor, girly roles that are not in line with violence and such. I hope to be better because we are learning everyday. To the best of my knowledge, I feel I have done better roles, roles that knocked out Omo Ghetto. It’s just that people happen to love it and I think it’s still hard for them to detach Bimbo from her role in Omo Ghetto. I hope that with time and better roles, they will get out of being stuck to Bimbo in Omo Ghetto. But it’s fine. I love it. A few of you that made waves through Omo Ghetto still walk in the shadow of the producer, Funke Akindele. What do you think? (Laughs) I have said it and I will say it again. Funke had always been my friend, even before Omo Ghetto. People have a right to their opinion because if you are not close to us, you can’t really say what is going on between us. You just can’t judge a book by its cover. I do whatever I like to do, I take whatever decision I like to take… I’m an adult and nobody is a boss to anybody. Fine, I met her in the industry but we happen to like each other and we became friends. We can only advise each other and suggest things like: “Bimbo, why don’t you do it this way?” And I can equally say, “Funke, why don’t you try it like this?” But she cannot impose anything on me, not in any way. I don’t know why people talk like that; we are friends and we are cool. I do whatever I like to do, she does not stop me and she can’t even stop me. Like I said, I don’t know why they say that, but nobody is the boss of the other. Based on the reservations some have about actresses, what was the reaction of your parents when you decided to take acting as a profession? I will say I have the best mum ever and I’m kind of mummy’s girl because I’m closer to her than my dad. When I told my mum I wanted to act, she said, “You that you are shy, do you think you can make a career out of it?” And I said, “Watch me now;” and she supported me. I remember when I was training in case I was called for ‘waka pass’ roles. I would take her wrapper and buba, she would even ask when the movies I acted in would come out. So, she gave her support and she is thanking God now.

My first kiss was stolen -Bimbo Thomas

Beautiful graduate of Theatre Arts, Bimbo Thomas, some years back, got a break as an actress through a chart buster movie, Omo Ghetto. Since then, the gifted actress has not looked back as she has moved up the ladder to be a factor in her own right in the movie industry. Bimbo, in this interview with WOLE ADEPOJU, talks about her newly opened multi-million naira wine store, her relationship with Funke Akindele and the men in her life How fulfilled would you say you are so far? I have not even got anywhere close to where I expected, I’m not close to it yet. I’m only working towards that height. As a beautiful lady, how do you handle male attention? (Laughs) I know how to handle that now. It’s not a problem. For instance, my Blackberry is not meant for any fan outside of my people. I also watch my interactions. You would see someone call you and tell you he got your number somewhere. I mean males. I don’t shun them because you can never tell, they would say I will be returning from Yankee (United States) in two weeks’ time and I want to see you. I tell them to buy my films or we talk on any of the social media. So I handle them with care and I make sure I don’t misbehave. I don’t see people I don’t know because it could be an avenue to get you, so I’m always very careful. You are ripe for marriage. What is keeping you? You will ask God that question o! It will happen. I won’t say I should have been married or whatever. I will get married, I will marry very soon. It’s like your parents are not bothering you? No. Like every other parent, my mum would say “Bimbo, Ojo n lo o”! (time is going o!) But I let them know it will happen. They don’t bother me because they know I’m focused and busy. If I were a layabout or something, then they may be worried; but they know I’m focused. Could it be that you are confused as regards whom to choose among those at your disposal? No. the thing is I’m single but I’m not available. What do you appreciate most in your physical attributes? (Laughs) I think my face. I’ve got a pretty face, I love my face. I’ve got a pretty face.

It’s a common practice for actresses to marry someone overseas and eventually they disengage. What is your take on such? That is an individual thing; it’s about what you like. For me, I do my thing, whether you are abroad or Nigeria, I go along with whoever I conclude to go out with. When I decide you are

okay for me, then I don’t have a problem with where you reside. My boyfriend relocated from abroad and we are together. I would say it’s an individual thing like I said earlier because we have all got the freedom to do whatever we like. What is the most embarrassing thing a fan has done to you? That was a Danfo driver and his conductor. It happened on Ikorodu Road. I was just hitting Ikorodu Road when this driver just crossed and started shouting that she’s the one ‘Omo Ghetto’ and before I knew it, all the passengers had come down and they were like do this, do that and all that. I was so embarrassed that I wanted to flare up but because of the environment, I could not. It was really something else. How did your first kiss happen? My first kiss ever, haaaa...it was stolen and it was my first love. We were talking and I was angry, trying to report something to him and he was like, don’t be angry. Before I could say Jack Robinson, he had planted a kiss on my lips. And I asked him, “What did you just do?” That was how I had it. My first kiss was stolen.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

My dream is to rid society of

Professor of Radiology at the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Ifeoma Okoye, who has put in 34 years in the medical profession, is passionate about creating awareness on the importance of early detection of different kinds of Cancer. She has a non-governmental organisation working tirelessly in that regard. The Chairman, Association of Good Clinical Practice in Nigeria, in this interview with VANESSA OKWARA, speaks about her passion, marriage and style Why did you decide to go into Medicine and specialise in radiology? Actually, it was one of those flicks. When I wanted to do my residency, I wasn’t thinking of radiology but gynaecology and obstetrics. But I was persuaded by some of my consultants who knew my husband that it doesn’t go well with marriage. So I stepped out of that desire and thought about doing internal medicine; that is becoming a physician. However, I was not in the country at the time they did the interview for the residency programme. Subsequently, there was an embargo on employment and it was during that embargo I came back and I found that I needed to start a residency. They said the only option was for those areas that people are usually not interested in. They were not popular areas then. I was the first residency in radiology in UNTH Enugu. I was the first person they started training to be a specialist in radiology in UNTH. The entire radiologists then had come from abroad. When did you become a professor? I finished my radiology residency and became a radiologist in 1990. I became a professor in 2005. I work both as a professor, lecturer in College of Medicine, and also as a consultant radiologist in the teaching hospital. My primary employer is the University of Nigeria and then a consultant at the teaching hospital. I teach medical students, Masters students and residents and then work as a radiologist in the hospital. Why did you start the Breast Without Sweat Initiative (BWS)? As a medical student, I had interest in breast cancer issues because the Medical Women Association had it as a project. Their project was on early detection of breast cancer and then I took an interest even as student. I became a residence in radiology, it became obvious to me that we didn’t even have the right facilities to investigate and do the early detection like the mammography machine. That was when the desire was forming in my heart. I became the Medical women President in Anambra State. And then later on continued as Enugu State chapter President and during that time, I put together a lot of programmes to raise funds and see if we could get a mammography. However, I did not succeed in getting the funding for the mammography machine but l succeeded in getting a screening centre and it still stands today. The government gave us an accommodation which we refurbished. Why did you think it was necessary to establish a screening centre? There are two things about screening. Screening is about people that are well. It is also for those with health issues. I discovered that most of the time, we want to deliver this screening at the hospital, and health centres and people’s perception were that if you go to the hospital, it means that you are sick. That is why I said it is important to have the centre away from the hospital. We called it Well Women Centre. Through that centre, we were able to reduce quite a number of late cancer detection cases. In that Well Women Centre, we were screening breasts by doing clinical breast examination and we also screen for cervical cancer by doing Pap smear. By the time I stopped being Medical Women President, I had already started another NGO called Association for Clinical Practices in Nigeria. God gave me a specific vision that the way to solve this problem is to carry this

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015

Body&Soul

cancer -Prof. Ifeoma Okoye information to the people at their doorsteps. When people hear it on radio, they quickly say ‘it is not my portion.’ I call it ‘It is not my portion syndrome.’ They close their hearts and minds to the information. They feel going for the screening is inviting the illness. The only solution was to create an army of people that will empower the awareness, knowledge, prevention and early detection. They can now assist to reach the people one on one. I went to the local governments and asked them to nominate people within their local governments and we trained them. If we can do that in the 734 local governments in this country, I think we should be able to reach the people on one on one basis. The idea is for these trained people to become the resource persons. People have a problem processing information about cancer. If they detect something in the breast, they believe that it came through diabolical means from their enemies. They will quickly say it is not my portion and will focus on prayer rather than going for medical screening. But if they personally know about these trained personnel on breast and cervical cancer in their locality, they can go and ask them questions. In your opinion, do you think government is doing enough in creating awareness of the various cancers ravaging people in the country? Government has not really encouraged NGOs in this respect. You know that HIV/ AIDS awareness was powered by NGOs. The awareness campaign till the NGOs came in did not make any headway in reaching the people. But as soon as NGOs got in, there was progress. I believe that for cancer control, government has to partner with NGOs. However, within that period, I got another idea of using an existing infrastructure to move this vision. I looked at the NYSC and went to them at Abuja and they bought into the vision. They decided to create it as a Community Development service programme within the NYSC. What that means is that in all the camps all over the country, they will give us a slot during their orientation period at the camp. So in a short time, I was able to mobilise volunteers to about 17 states. We were able to do the training. We effectively were able to have it as a CDS in 12 states. I developed a manual which is still in existence called the Cancer Prevention Manual for NYSC advocate. Unfortunately, funding was not forth coming. I wasn’t blessed with funding from outside the country. This is because my belief is that this is our problem and we should be the ones solving it. I felt people will see what the vision is capable of achieving and support it with their own funding. But it wasn’t like that. I had to personally fund the NGO and we were able to do the work effectively in some states in the East and the northern parts of the country. It is something that is still in existence and we are still doing it despite our financial constraints. All the same, we have made considerable progress in creating awareness. We talk to women during the August meetings. We call it using ‘Ready-made crowd’. I got this vision to use ready-made crowds like markets, schools, town hall meetings and generally where people gather for one event or the other. Later on, we added mechanic workshops because men also started developing prostate cancer and we needed to create awareness for that. So in that manual, we have information on breast, cervical and prostate cancer. Do you also involve youths in your awareness programme? We have a programme we run for youths. I will tell you why we needed to run this programme for the youths. Cancer risk factors are shared by other non-communicable diseases like hypertension, cardio vascular

diseases, diabetes. We need to talk to young people about their lifestyle and activities. Children don’t go out to play anymore or run around because they are focused more on the Internet. The food they eat does not have enough vegetables and fruits but more of these fast foods. The youths are the best to benefit from these preventive measures because if they start their lifestyle modification right now, they will definitely cut their risk of having any of these non-communicable diseases including cancer. That is why we felt we should target the youths more. So every World Cancer Day, 4th of February for the past five years, we’ve been running what we call the Youth Jamboree. The platform had to be something they will be happy to be part of. We create a lot of fun with music and comedy. In such programmes, we deliver different cancer examinations for them. How does it feel being part of the few creating awareness about cancer in the country? This is one of the most satisfying aspects of my life. Like this August meeting, I talked to a lot of women on this issue in different parts of the state. From their reactions, you could see the hunger for more knowledge on their faces. I feel so happy being able to do this. I never complain about this work and I feel fulfilled and always eager to do it. I give out my number eagerly to people and they call me when they have questions to ask or have needs I can meet like assisting them to access the right people to look at their cases. I do it all and I pray to God and thank him for keeping me healthy, so it is a little price to pay for being healthy. I love mentoring people and I have quite a number of them now. This project has become big in such a way that I will sit here in Enugu and a programme is going on in a remote area in the country that has to do with the organisation that I absolutely don’t know about. It’s like a legion spreading the word. They just bought into the vision and they are spreading it even without my being aware. The organisation is just spreading and it is exciting to be part of the movement. Some of these volunteers have never even met me. So my own take is that most of the time we just want to rely on government to do this work but I don’t believe in relying on government to do everything for us. One of the visions I also have is to take the message and the screening to the people and we can do that through a mobile clinic. We will be able to detect cancer early because people are dying from these diseases. You are a Ashoka Fellow, which is a global organisation recognised world over. How did you win this award? Interestingly, the first NGO I started was the Association for Clinical Practices in Nigeria before I did Breast Without Sweat. Right now, we have been partnering with NAFDAC, Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Western Institute for Medical Research, SON. All the bodies in that sector, we work with them. They are the ones that discovered me and came and looked at the work we have been doing so far. They saw that it was an innovative ground breaking work. These works helped to drive the health policy into the country and develop the research infrastructure. We also run clinical trials. Sometime early this year, I was inaugurated as the chairman of the Nigerian Clinical Trial Technical Working Group by the DG of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Commission, NAFDAC. We are working hard to see how we can empower the sector. That was why I got the Ashoka Fellow. How long have you been married and how many kids?

I have been married for 34 years. I have four children: two boy and two girls and I am also a grandmother. I have a granddaughter. In what ways does your husband support your projects? He supports me in so many ways. Without his support, I wouldn’t have been able to be where I am today. He supports me in every way both emotionally, physically, financially. He has always been at the background supporting me in every project I go into. Is he also in the medical field? No, he is a civil engineer. Can you tell us how he proposed to you? Actually, we’d known ourselves for a very long time before we even got married. His mother took my mother to the maternity to deliver me. The two families lived in the same neighbourhood where I was born. In school, he was one year ahead of me. So the relationship had been there for a very long time. We were friends before we even thought of being married. How do you manage being a mother, professor and handling so many other projects you are actively involved in? A woman needs to understand that she is a female before she becomes a professional woman. I don’t contest with my husband who heads this family. I have no problem at all because I like being female and I don’t plan to become a man any day. Once I get home from work, I just transform into the role of being a wife and mother. I don’t even remember my professional status when I am at home. That creates an environment of peace and mutual respect for one another. God also gave me the grace to manage my work and home at the same time by putting up a plan. You have to do everything professionally. My home works like clockwork. Sometimes, I am amazed how I am even able to run a home because it looks as if it is running itself. Describe your style. In terms of fashion, I love looking good. It doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive for me to look the way I want to dress. It is important for you to feel confident in the way you dress. Always feel good about yourself and not just in what you put on. The gift that God gave us is our body, so that body needs to be taken care of. So you should exercise, take a lot of water and don’t fill your system with toxins such as alcohol, tobacco and other substances you can abuse. I reduce my carbohydrates and fry with healthy oil. We love to eat our local food and we avoid processed English foods. What are your hobbies? I am a very serious Christian and one of my hobbies is mentoring people. I am a Sunday school teacher but I’m not able to do it now because of time constraints. I also have a fellowship for the women that I started and run with some friends. It is called Blossom of Divine Fellowship. I love exercising, singing and dancing. What is your greatest treasure? My greatest treasure is my love story with my God. I had infertility for six years and God solved that problem and gave me four beautiful children. He adorned my life with a devoted husband, a perfect gentleman and it feels like I am living with a brother. God is indeed my greatest treasure.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

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Juliet Bumah +234 81 1 675 9770

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It’s getting so confusing

t’s becoming increasingly difficult to hide her pregnancy although someone who just met her for the first time would think she’s plump. Pregnancy sits so well on her. She’s simply filling out. Kim examines herself in the mirror. Her cheeks have filled out and the dimples are now heightened when she smiles. At times, she wishes she could get rid of this pregnancy. That’s the only thing coming between her and Dr. Sam. Dr. Sam or Val? Since Sam came back from his visit to Dr. Sam’s dad, he’s been calling his name sake Val. They all actually agreed to call him Val instead of Dr. Sam. Moreover, his father calls him Val. Cute name though. Valentine sounds sexy. She somehow prefers it to Dr. Sam which sounds so impersonal to her. Valentine...love... Kim shakes herself out of her reverie. At almost five months gone, she should be thinking of her future and that of her unborn child. Sam is no longer pressurising her for the solemnisation of their relationship. His mum has been ill. The past few weeks have been stressful. He’s been running helter skelter, trying to get the best medical attention for her. Thank God for Dr. Sam...er...Val and his father. They have been so helpful. Now, his mum is back home, hale and hearty. She wonders how fate throws people together. Sam’s father worked for Val’s grandfather. He was a foreman in one of Val’s grandfather’s companies. Val’s grandfather was a building contractor and had a block-making factory in addition to other businesses. It was during one of their discussions that they found out. Val’s father has shown so much interest in their backgrounds. He asks both direct and indirect questions. Sam and Val are actually from the same cultural background. Since they realised that, they have bonded more. His father is so happy. Val is always coming around and Sam always goes to his house on visits more frequently...but without her. She’s been to Val’s house twice after that jinxed first time. His father was nice, asking questions, some of which made her very uncomfortable. She never liked discussing her father because there was really nothing she could say about him. She didn’t know him and her grandparents didn’t either. She doesn’t even have a picture of him, so what can she say about him? She told Val’s father that her father was late. That’s what she tells people, anyway. Val’s father felt very bad when he learnt that her father was late. “Oh, my condolences my dear child. What happened to him? Was he ill? When did it happen?” he asked kindly. Now, that was the first time someone had pried into that and she had no ready answer to those questions. Her mind went blank. As she searched for words, tears suddenly welled up behind her eyes and before she knew it, the dam broke and poured down her cheeks. She sobbed. They stared at her in surprise. That’s the first time Sam would see her in that mood. Kim never cries over anything! Val’s father was apologetic. He blamed himself for opening an old wound and apologised profusely.

Val was by her side in a moment. Consoling her as Sam rocked her shoulders. Honestly, even Kim was surprised at her reaction. In retrospect, she wonders what brought the tears. It wasn’t acting. She just felt a stinging sensation in her eyes and the next thing, tears poured down her cheeks. Val’s father sure knows how to ask questions! If she stays one hour alone with that old man, he’ll have her confessing like a bad witch who was caught with a vial of blood in the morning. She smiles. But the old man is so lovable, the kind of dad everyone desires. Some people are just so blessed. Val is. She sighs. How she wishes she has a father! To worsen her case, she doesn’t even know where her father is from. She dresses up thoughtfully. She’s seeing Val today...all alone. Sam travelled to the village to see his mum. She laughs out loud as she discards the fifth blouse. Soon, pregnancy will be written all over her, no matter how she tries to conceal it. She laughs again as she settles for a long black top on a mini skirt. Her phone rings and she picks it. Sam. “Babes, how are you doing?” He asked. “I’m good o. How your end? How’s mama doing? Hope no problem?” She replied. “None. She’s good. She’s asking for you. She’s strong enough to run around now. She said I should tell you,” Sam said and they laugh. Of course, they know that mama is talking about their wedding. “I’ll go with you next time you’re seeing her. Will call her tomorrow,” she said. “Oh great. Val has been trying to reach you. He said your line wasn’t going

through,” he said. “Oh, will call him,” she replied. “And how’s my son doing?” He asked. Now, that’s a new one. It had always been his ‘child’. “Son?” She parroted. “Yes, son. Mama said you’re giving me a son,” he said, pride and laughter in his voice. “Oh, mama has become a ‘scan’ doctor,” she replied and they laugh. No harm here, Sam had asked Val to take care of Kim while he’s away in the village. He’s also visiting Val’s village. Val’s father gave him something for one of the aunties. It’s a phone and some cash. ..... Val’s dad has been in a great mood for days. In fact, he’s in a celebratory mood. He’s also suddenly in great good health. Val has been wondering what’s happening. Dad has been making so many discreet calls of recent and receiving several also. Everything had been shrouded in secrecy until last night when his father broke the secret. He had won a contract one of his companies had been chasing for months! Val could swear on his life that whatever put his father in that mood had nothing to do with business...until his father spilled it out! Each time he felt he had studied his father well enough to understand him, he found out he was well off the mark. Phew! You can never know with dad! But right now, everybody is in a celebratory mood. That’s why he brought Kim to where he hangs out with his friends. But today, they are alone. It’s a cozy restaurant and bar that offers Asian stuff in addition to others. He orders some noodles and spareribs

and a bottle of choice fizz. The meal is excellent. The drink too. In fact everything is so good. The butterflies in her tummy make her a little light headed. “I really do not do much alcohol. I try not to. Dad did a lot of that at a point and had issues with his health. So as a matter of principle, I decided to cut down on it. I still go beyond my limit but that should be once in a while,” Val said. His voice is like chilled water in hot weather to her. It has a calming effect. A kind of ‘it’s okay, everything is gonna work out fine’ voice. She ‘drinks’ his words. They talk and talk and before she knows it, her past, the whole secrets - her birth, mother, grandparents, the good, the bad and the ugly tumble out. The good thing about it all is that they laugh over everything. They laugh so hard that tears run down her cheeks. At a point, she picks up the bottle of fizz and checks the label. Not something a pregnant woman should indulge in often. “Don’t worry dear. No matter how hard you try to conceal it, I remember you’re pregnant and I was mindful of that and watched what quantity I poured into your glass,” Val said, with a twinkles in his eyes. Kim’s mind does a somersault -from shame to anger to...and she burst into laughter. It’s so like Val to make everything sound so okay! Then, they delve into real heart to heart. ****** I’m so confused here. What could be happening here? Let’s find out on Sunday. •Send your observations to: julietbumah@gmail.com

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015

Body&Soul

Desire a great skin? Vanessa Okwara

e all need the same nutritious foods that supply antioxidants, fatty acids, protein and vitamins to be healthy. The same concept applies to skin. Skin is the bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest organ. Everyone needs the same ingredients to address acne, wrinkles, sun damage, dry, oily, sensitive, and uneven skin tone. All of these problems affect every skin colour and type. Everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skin also needs the same basic care: gentle cleansing, sun protection, and good products for their skin type. It is also important to avoid problematic ingredients such as alcohol, menthol, peppermint, eucalyptus, lemon, lime, and natural or synthetic fragrances. Exposure to irritants always will worsen any condition on any skin. For you to get the smooth skin you have always wanted, it is important to bear in mind the following: Always use a gentle, water-soluble cleanser. Some bar soaps can dry, clog pores and

cause skin to look ashy and feel dry. Always choose products that are appropriate for your skin type. For example, use gels and serums for oily or combination skin; creams and lotions for dry skin. Always use a well formulated sunscreen during the day. The most typical cause of uneven skin tone for women is the sun. Always use products loaded with antioxidants, skin-repairing and cell-communicating ingredients. Always check the labels of the cream before purchasing to get product recommendations suitable for your skin type. Use products that suit your skin type and condition, not your skin colour. Always follow a regimen of gentle cleansing of the skin; use effective exfoliation to improve skin texture and tone; use a good moisturiser and a broad-spectrum, daily protection from a sunscreen rated SPF 25 or greater.

Body&Soul

Drop dead gorgeous

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

28, 29

Drop waist styles do not take anything away from the figure of a woman, rather, it enhances her appeal by making her look like she is not trying too hard. It does too draw attention to her legs. As a salute to the 20s era, the drop waist style could bring out the demure lady in you with a

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current obsession

rop waist was a hit in the 20s and is still making some serious waves now. For most ladies, it was a deviation from the constant corsted styles that they could escape from in the drop waist styles.

Biwom Iklaki

few strands of pearls, feathered fascinator and strappy sandals. For a work style, a pair of mules or court shoes makes for a formal drop waist ensemble. Beaded or sequined vintage purses and shoes with tiaras or headbands to complete the look will lend a glamourous feel to a date night.

in drop waist

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

Get trendy in boots

Kennedy Aziagba

oots had once faded out but were recently introduced into the fashion world with a new range of designs to suit every individual who is a fan of the boot life. The good thing about boots is that they go with just about anything you have in your wardrobe. Boots make one feel on top of the

world more like a man in uniform. it can be worn with a T-shirt and chinos, or jeans, or with long sleeve shirt with a chinos or jeans. Despite how silly it can look sometimes, boots can also be worn while you are suited up just like Tekno -a Nigerian musician. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter what it is, be rest assured that it is going to give you that trendy look you seek.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015

Body&Soul

As newlyweds, commitment is vital in marriage

t’s that time of the year when wedding bells ring off the hook! Yes, I know couples have been getting married since the beginning of the year, but these bells ring louder as the year gradually winds into the ‘ember months’. It’s as if there’s a race to beat the year’s clock as couples rush to the altar to say ‘I do’. Weddings are usually beautiful and exciting. Preparation is in top gear as the bride shops for her wedding gown and the groom looks for the best car to convey his beautiful bride to the wedding venue. The excitement gets to fever pitch as the D-day draws closer and the couple can’t wait to fall into each other’s arms with the honeymoon filled with bliss. It’s all very well to plan for a dream wedding, but there’s more at stake than just the wedding day and how to entertain the guests at the reception. It is very crucial to make it clear to the newlyweds that there is a great difference between courtship and marriage. Falling in love and being in love with each other for the rest of your lives are two different things. While it may be okay for your courtship to be smooth sailing and free of hitches; don’t expect marriage to be like that and let no one deceive you. Marriage comes with the usual ‘ups and downs’. There are lots of adjustments that need to be made when you merge two lives together. That’s why it is essential not to enter into marriage with your head in the clouds. Make sure gyour feet are firmly planted on the ground with your expectations and how you want to make those aspirations become a reality. As you start living together, embrace

CONNECT NG vanessaonsunday@yahoo.com the change and know that it takes commitment from both sides to work it out. There must be mutual give and take from both partners to make a marriage flourish. You are both responsible for contributing to the success of the marriage and not a one-sided effort. It’s best to always have these important discussions during your courtship days, but if you did not have time to discuss objectively your individual roles in the marriage because of the euphoria of being in love, now is the

It is important to make a pact to be honest with each other and what you need in the relationship. When there are problems, go back to the beginning and resolve it; don’t go to sleep with that quarrel hanging over your heads

best time as newlyweds to decide individual responsibilities in the home. Discuss the division of labour around the house. Talk about having kids. Discuss finances. Talk about long-term plans and goals and what you expect from your partner to contribute to the relationship. Don’t just assume your partner knows your needs and how to meet them. Vocally express your expectations to avoid undue misunderstandings and quarrels that emanate in the first years of being together. Come up with a plan that you are both excited about. Also, note that marriage is a partnership. Days are gone when you were living for only three things -me, myself and I! Now, someone’s happiness is dependent on you and how you treat him/her in that marriage. Commit to each other and to your marriage from day one, and work on your relationship every day. Wake up every morning and ask yourself, “What can I do today to make my spouse’s life better?” Deal with your spouse in a way that protects and enhances his/her self-esteem. Let your spouse know that you are proud of him/her. Instead of badgering, inspire your spouse to be the partner you want him/her to be. Build a partnership of love, mutual support and

commitment to each other. Don’t be too absorbed in work or other activities that take you outside of the home too often. Make sure you are spending enough quality time with your spouse. This helps in bonding and free flow of love between couple. As newlyweds, it is also important to make a pact to be honest with each other and what you need in the relationship. When there are problems, go back to the beginning and resolve it; don’t go to sleep with that quarrel hanging over your heads. Remember the reasons you started your relationship in the first place. Instead of just complaining, be specific about what it is that you want. No one’s a mind reader, so don’t expect your spouse to figure out how you’re feeling or thinking. Communicate freely about your feelings with your spouse on anything. This will help both of you to create a strong bond in that marriage that will be difficult to penetrate by another person. This is because a large percentage of divorces in the society today are as a result of lack of communication and allowing third parties to come into your marriage. Make a pact with your partner to always turn toward each other to fix your problems and not outsides; especially the in-laws. Finally, be patient and willing to make sacrifices. If there are financial problems, you must be willing to forgo some of the things you are used to, so that you can get out of debt and start saving for your future and the future of your children. As newlyweds, create the happiness you desire in your future now! •Send your views to the email above!

Ekiti State as a metaphor for Animal Farm

saw a picture during the week that sent my head spinning; or to be more precise, it made me think of politics in Nigeria as belonging to the stone age rather than a modern practice. It looks like a scene from George Orwelll’s Animal Farm with the supreme pig in charge dishing out punishment to the rest of the animals. Apparently, in Ekiti State -a state that boasts of intellectuals in super abundance and apparently every household has a PhD holder- 31 civil servants came late to work and the governor stopped them outside the state house and punished them like school kids. This shameful act would have at least been palatable but for the fact that the governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, microphone in hand, turned the charade into some sort of public humiliation for the press to feast on, with reporters snapping away and cameras rolling. I know there are people who may see this as clamping down on indiscipline and the punctuality-challenged workers deserving of the treatment but I beg to have answers to certain questions before even contemplating the moral purity of this act. The last time I checked, Ekiti State owed 11 months worth of salary to its staff. Most of those on their knees and the gentleman on all fours were well dressed and appear to be respectable civil servants who, if paid on time, will show up to work on time. I mean, did anyone even bother to ask why they were late? What if there had been an emergency in their homes requiring funds to sort? It could even be a child requiring medical attention and

the poor workers had gone in search of help to pay for the hospital bills? It could have been a number of things and that is why the first line of any disciplinary action by any civil service worth its name is a formal query. As the name implies, that official document ask questions of the staff in order to establish the reason for an action before an official disciplinary action is made; not instant punishment like they were school kids. I mean, does human dignity counts for nothing if you are an employee of Ekiti State? If this was about curbing indiscipline, why play to the gallery? Why make a show of it? I mean, the governor had a microphone in hand, he had

his press corps in tow and he seem to be milking every second of the show for personal political reasons. Now that, in itself, is indiscipline and a lack of respect for humanity. How do you humiliate people you have not paid in such a manner? What moral code justifies that? None. That is why, all the affected workers must now come together and get a petition going against the governor. This should be a prelude to launching a class action suit against the governor in a court of law for abusing their human rights and subjecting them to humiliation. I mean, will the governor expect to be punished by the president if he was late for a Federal Executive Meeting? Can the governor say in all

This is not the kind of leaders we deserve in Nigeria and I am sorry to say, this kind of images circulating on social media only makes it harder to sell the Nigerian brand as a viable one. It validate what Camerounian scholar, Achille Mbembe, calls ‘signs’ of the ‘commandment’

honesty he has never been late or absent from an important engagement? However, I guess fear will never let this happen. Like Fela Anikulapo expressed in one of his more famous songs, “My people too dey fear/we fear for the air around us/we fear the things we no see.” None of those workers will want to do anything for fear of executive reprisal from the governor. Which means we have not seen the last of such shameful act of executive humiliation. I mean, why will the governor think such an act is acceptable in this day and age still baffles me. This is not the kind of leaders we deserve in Nigeria and I am sorry to say, this kind of images circulating on social media only makes it harder to sell the Nigerian brand as a viable one. It validate what Camerounian scholar, Achille Mbembe, calls ‘signs’ of the ‘commandment’. Judges in Ekiti State must also examine themselves as this kind of actions call to question the efficacy of the judicial system. I mean, if the courts work, why does the governor punish offenders publicly? Simple answer, he does not trust their judgement. Which is why, if the judiciary is to be seen as relevant once again, a honourable judge must come forward and condemn this act as extra judicial. And if you recognise any of those workers, see them on the street or work with them, please, do not mock them. Show them love and empathy for they have suffered enough humiliation and we must now work to make this the last of such pictures to come out of Nigeria.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

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Wole Adepoju 07037763410

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Tonye Princewill adopts lowkey lifestyle

Dumo Lulu Briggs plans mum’s burial

umo, the tall, dark and handsome son of influential South South influential Nigerian, Chief O.B Lulu Briggs, having been opportuned to have come from a privileged home, did not misuse the opportunity. Rather, he tapped into it to build himself. Aside of recording outstanding success in his profession as a lawyer, his activities have also brought him to the public light and relevance in the corridors of power. Dumo, at different times, has handled sensitive national assignments as either the head of one national agency or board. Although, he’s a man who cherishes his privacy, his status and aspirations do give him out. He was very much in the public space in the buildup to the last elections where he had signified his interest to run for the governorship position in his state, Rivers, but did not achieve his dream. Meanwhile, Dumo, according to a source, is not currently occupied by any other thing but how to give his deceased mother a befitting burial. His mother, Madam Irene Ine Sokari Danagogo, passed on to glory some weeks back and arrangements to give her a befitting burial are in top gear. It was learnt that a series of meetings by family and another by friends of Dumo to bury the deceased in a grand style has eventually reached the final point.

All for Ladipo Eso at 80

erhaps, for his exploits as a legal luminary, late Justice Kayode Eso was more popular among his siblings. But it is not news in some quarters that there is a younger brother of his who has equally got an enviable pedigree as well as being noble in Ladipo action and influence. The

niversity of Port Harcourt graduate of petroleum engineering, Prince Tonye Princewill, no doubt, has brought honour to his noble and royal family as a Kalabari prince. Starting his career at a young age, Tonye exhibited strong will to be successful. Today, with his business interest from oil and gas to technology, among others, Tonye is a success story. In 2007, he ran for the governorship of Rivers State under the Alliance for Democracy. He did not realise his dream but has remained dogged about it. In the last elections, Tonye ran for the same office on the platform of Labour Party but his dream did not work out still. One thing those who are close to him have not ceased to echo is that he committed so much funds to the governorship project. A dependable source has revealed to Celeb Lounge that the after effect of the expenditure may be the reason why Tonye has adopted a temporary low-key lifestyle.

person is no other than Ven. Ladipo Ladapo Eso. The retired Anglican priest and chartered estate surveyor, during his active days, starting from his time in banking to working as a surveyor, built a stainless reputation which has stood him out over the years. As a priest, he was fearless and never compromised his values. His sterling principles, honesty and accommodating nature put together recently played a significant role when the former chairman, Body of Estate Surveyors in Nigeria celebrated his 80th birthday. It was a gathering of the rich and highly placed Nigerians who know the worth of the rare values Ven. Eso represents. It was indeed a glorious day for the octogenarian who was celebrated by all. The birthday train kicked off at the Anglican Church of Ascension, Opebi, Lagos where a service was held in his honour. The train moved to K&G Event Centre for a reception. Chief Biodun Shobanjo, Chief Dele Fajemirokun and Prof. Wale Omole were among numerous dignitaries in attendance.

Oge Kimono up to new thing

ack in the years, dreadlock wearing Ras Kimono, as a reggae artiste, was among musicians who raised conscious music to an enviable height. It will be an understatement that this personality did stand out in the crowd. As time went by, like a number of them did, Ras Kimono departed our shores to seek greener pastures. Not much was heard about him until he returned a few years back. Coming back now, Kimono, as he’s

Bala Mohammed hospitalised

Kimono

fondly called, returned with his daughter who is interested in music. It was expected that she would ride on the fame of her father to get the attention of music listeners. Oge Kimono might not be a success musically yet, but she’s been able to establish her presence in the minds of many through her single track and a couple of publicised high profile performances. This is notwithstanding the fact that she’s still a student of University of Abuja. Going by information reaching us, the light skinned American returnee, Oge, may have decided to extend her tentacles to other areas even as she’s not quitting music. The beautiful singer has just opened a high profile restaurant in her mother’s place, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. The restaurant, Amala Food Pot, probably by virtue of her status, has become the in-thing in the city of Uyo, according to sources.

rmed with intimidating academic qualifications, making a success of his chosen career and being influential made it easy for him to be recognised in the politics of his home state, Bauchi, and beyond. In the immediate past Federal Government, Bala Mohammed was one of the top shots as minister of the Federal Capital Territory. During his days as FCT minister, Bala had an edge over many of his peers. The reason was that he was believed to be loyal to then President Goodluck Jonathan. Based on this, Bala is believed to be one of those who were worst hit by the failure of his boss to clinch a second term. According to information at our disposal, the former minister is said to have recently been ill. Although the nature of the ailment could not be ascertained, he was said to have been placed on admission at GMC medical facility in faraway Dubai recently. Sources who could not confirm if he’s been discharged, revealed he was sighted at the hospital in company w i t h h i s wife, Aisha.

Bala

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015

Body&Soul

Thinking

Ifeanyi Uba makes new move

ot many had given a chance to Anambra state born oil baron, Ifeanyi Uba, at success many years back when he decided to follow the dictates of his heart. However, his moves have been proven right by the resounding success he has recorded as a business man and an oil dealer of note. Just the way he moved up the ladder of success gradually, from an obscure businessman to a national figure and a factor in the oil industry, the same way the former governorship aspirant is slowly but steadily moving into other business areas to invest his funds. With his hands in different pies already, the Capital Oil boss, not long ago, diverted to sports by buying Gabros International and named it Ifeanyi Uba FC. Uba, according to information, may have decided to make a fresh business move from what has been observed of him in recent times. His latest port of calls, according to information available to Celeb Lounge is the media. He is said to have decided to float a newspaper.

Aloud

ince he hit public consciousness as a labour leader, Comrade Adams Oshiomole can be said to have maintained a particular perception in the minds of many as one whose life is given to struggles. The vibrancy of the labour union under his leadership was never in doubt, no thanks to his seemingly stern looks and his trademark Khaki outfits. While Adams proceeded in the journey of life, his life was perceived to be boring as he was not given to social life and luxury of life but the struggle to liberate the masses. Retaining his dress code and still not given to flamboyancy, Governor Adams was still seen as the same. The death of his wife, Clara, did not help matters as all Adams was now living for was for the people. However, the small-framed Edo State governor has found love again. Unlike ever, he appears very happy, dresses to the admiration of people and is found at social functions. All these can be attributed to the presence of a woman in his life. It’s apparent his joy now knows no bounds since the beautiful young lady, Iara, found her way into his life.

Nike Animashaun finds succour

paulhelenproductions@yahoo.com

with Helen Paul

Training our tomorrow

child is expected to be a better version of his or her parents. Your child is supposed to be a new, improved you. Your child is your future, hence losing your child is losing your future, and gaining your child is gaining your future. Therefore, it is important that you invest in your children because the greatest legacy you can give them is God and education... others are extras. Family units, children and our nation at large are undergoing unimaginable disorderliness and permissiveness, and fundamental family institutions and basic instructional pillars on which effective parenting to training the child to be morally robust, spiritually upright, educationally balanced and ethically rounded are fast being dismantled and neglected. The resulting damaging consequences are the catalogue of what we daily see around – crisis here and there, increasing number of miscreants and social dregs, moral decadence, and wanton waste of precious lives, misplaced value systems, broken homes, and irresponsible lifestyles as well as collapsing destinies, character and impunity. Since to be effective is to get it right, and to parent is to train, mould, systematically guide and nurture the child with every sense of responsibility, then effective parenting is the training of the child to grow up to become a responsible citizen with high moral values, discipline, integrity and honesty. Parenting is a mandatory responsibility for every parent, be it the father or mother. That is why the Bible admonishes that we train our children in the way they should go, so that when they grow up, they will not depart from it. In order to be effective in this task, the word of God further instructs that parents must not spare the rod because it is in the heart of the child that the devil seeks to reside. What we find today is a complete negation of these positions in many homes. Majority of fathers and mothers are falling short of the noble role of nurturing Godly children. They have forgotten that the home is the mirror of the society and the platform for building national sanity and decorum. A family is the home where human life is perfected and adjustments made. The family is like a factory where finished and unfinished and valuable products that carry utilities to satisfy consumer are produced. In the family, elders,

mother, sisters, brothers, grandparents, uncles etc are expected to inculcate into a new member of the family, societal/ family values. A newborn baby’s mind is described as ‘tabular rasar’ –an empty slate. All that the child will be, and the type of adult he will become will be written by agents of socialisation, and the family is number one. Family operation and moderation can make or mar the family. Every husband or wife has the tendency of going off the track of family concord, let alone the children. Therefore, husband and wife must moderate each other and both join hands to moderate the children. More than ever before, the challenges of raising the child in the present-day perverse society, global village, highly challenging and technology driven environment demands God’s intervention. Parenting before now and say about three decades ago did not pose as much difficulty as it is today. Parenting has gone beyond mere name. It now demands serious and rather continuous action, especially the attention and commitment that can sustain family values and rescue the child from the potential pitfalls and snares of life, particularly those that negative peer pressure can bring. Giving good example to children is an obligation that every parent must fulfil. Children not only look up to their parents to pick up what the society will demand of them in future, but also want to be like their parents. Where parents do not show good and Godly examples, their children will naturally pick up examples from other people and this can negatively affect them. Whatever we train our children to be we shall reap of it. It is a must for parents to gain the confidence of their children. This can be developed through the care and concern shown to the child. Children look forward to whom to trust, confide in, confess to, share and discuss issues with. If you fail to be a confidant to your child, he or she will seek for a confidant elsewhere. Most times, they get the wrong confidants outside, and you know the consequence of that. There are many things I actually want to talk about regarding parenting, but time does not permit me this week. So keep a tab on this column next week for a continuation. Have a blessed week ahead.

More than ever before, the challenges of raising the child in present day perverse society, global village, highly challenging and technology driven environment demands God’s intervention

Exciting world of Adams Oshiomhole

he relatively new governor of the Centre of Excellence, Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, has since his resumption in office effected a couple of changes. These changes include scrapping of some agencies, changing some heads of government organisations and handing over of sack letters to some top executives in the state while some are still under investigation. Sadly, among those who were shown the door is the former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Nike Animashaun. Not long after she was fired, the influential lady may have found succour elsewhere, if information at our disposal is anything to go by. Animashaun has been offered a job in a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

) 0807 270 9777

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Wine & Dine

Body&Soul

Causes of wine headache (1) Ibukunoluwa Kayode

eel your head throbbing after a few glasses of your favourite red wine? Yeah, wine headache sucks. Wine choices may have contributed to the reaction especially from poorly made wines which tends to have adulteration of residual sugar, sulfur, fining agents or higher alcohol to make them taste better. If the wine comes from a box or has a critter on the label, then it’s suspect for headache potential. There are ingredients present in wine that causes headaches like the following: Sulfites in wines cause headaches. Back in the 1980s, the food and drug administration discovered that about 1% of the population was allergic to sulfites. Because of the health concern for the sensitive population, wines above 20 ppm (parts per million) must be labeled with ‘contains sulfites’. Sulfites are found naturally on grapes and sulfur is also commonly added in small amounts at the beginning of fermentation and prior to bottling. Typically, red wines have about 50350 ppm and white wines have more, about 250-450

ppm due to extreme sensitivity to light, heat and discoloration. Histamines cause inflammation. Foods that have been fermented or aged have higher levels of histamines such as tofu, tempeh, champagne, red wine, ketchup and aged meats. Histamines are cause of allergy reactions with inflammatory flushing and wakefulness at night. Tannins Sensitivity gives red wines pigmentation, bitterness and the mouthdrying reaction, making red wines last longer. Many red wine headache sufferers point to tannin as the problem because white wines contain much less. The tannin comes from the skins, seeds and stems of a grape and also from wood. Many commercial wines also add tannins from commercial refined sources

made from chestnut, Indian gooseberry, gambir leaf and the wood of a very dense dark-wooded Spanish tree called Quebracho. Tyramine Level increases as food age and proteins broken down. This is an isolated enzyme major headache-causer for people who suffers from migraines. The enzyme is known for causing tightening of blood vessels. However, as much as tyramine could be the culprit, its presence in such a variety of foods such as aged cheese, cured ham, yogurt, soy sauce, beans, shrimp paste, coconut, yeast, bananas, raspberries, peanuts, pineapple, avocado, eggplant and others begs to differ. In fact after repeated exposure, people actually tend to have a reduced reactionary response.

Fruity tutty desserts Biwom Iklaki

any ardent sweet eaters cannot give up their sweets as desserts, even in the heat of a healthy cleanse. However, no one says you have to give it up totally. It is only a matter of putting some thought to the situation.

Look around you, what fruits do you love the most? These could be nature’s candies to you. Cut up your favourite fruits into bite size pieces, and no cutting at all for fruits like black berries, grapes, raspberries and blue berries. These can be left whole. Put them in a bowl and add some low fat cream or yogurt. This will make for a juicy and

low fat dessert that may not necessarily spoil your cleanse. If you feel this could be boring, try a savoury approach to the dessert. A mango or pineapple lover can glaze nice pieces of these fruits with some honey, sprinkle with a little cinnamon or nutmeg and place on a pre-heated grill pan for a few minutes, just to get a

brown grill mark on the fruit. Sprinkle with a bit of lemon and garnish with some mint leaves. You could also warm your favourite dark chocolate (you know those ones with at least 70% cocoa) and dip a few strawberries in them and roll in crushed nuts, and voila! Dessert extraordinaire.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015

RazzleDazzle

Body&Soul Abiola Alaba Peters

with

08062622328

Kennedy Aziagba 08028101185

I’ve made so much Commitment is lacking in many money - Don Jazzy marriages - Joke Silva N

oke Silva, a Nollywood legend, has been married to veteran Nollywood actor, Olu Jacobs, for over two decades. The successful Nollywood thespian has also won several awards and accolades from within and outside Africa. RazzleDazzle earlier in the week caught up with the mother of two, who recently lost her aged mum. She shared her views on why young entertainers and celebrities’ marriages crash. “I think a lot of our people don’t have this sense of commitment in their relationships and marriages, and I think a lot of friends and family have influence in that area. You need to encourage them to work out whatever issues that arise between them because there will be challenges. Don’t forget that they are two different people coming from two different backgrounds. Their families, friends and relations should encourage them to stay together. However, if it is a relationship in which you discover strange things, like the person is on drugs or the person is violent, hey! I won’t advise the person to stay. You just need space, let the person get some counselling and then maybe the marriage can work. If not, let the couple go their separate ways,” she said. On what has kept her marriage to Olu Jacobs going and that special thing she misses about her late mother, she said, “It’s been God, you can’t remove the grace of God from the kind of marriage that we have. It’s not as if we have not had challenges in our marriage like other people, we’ve just been very blessed. God’s grace has been helping us.

We don’t let the sun go down on our anger. We discuss whatever we feel won’t help us. “As for my late mum, believe me, I miss a lot about her. But one special thing I will miss about Dr. Marienne Abimbola Silva is being able to just go down to her house and talk to her about so many things. There are so many things I would have loved to discuss with her in these past couple of weeks she has passed away. But hey! She is gone and so I miss her.” Asked if any of her two children is into entertainment and how well are they supporting them, she said, “Our eldest son is into entertainment, but he is into movie production. We are giving him the best of our support. We wish for him to go higher and higher.” Joke Silva Jacobs, who has starred in several films and television series in both English and Yoruba languages, is not just an actress. She is a director, born in Lagos, Nigeria, into a family of four children. She attended Holy Child College in Lagos, after which she studied English at the University of Lagos. She then relocated to England and studied drama at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Music took away my love life - JJC

ce music producer and hit-maker whose real name is Abdul Rasheed Bello is all geared up to give music lovers all they have been longing for in the highly competitive Nigerian music industry. In a chat with our correspondent, JJC Skillz speaks on the inspiration behind his new hit single, ‘Motiwa’, which features YBNL boss, Olamide. JJC said, “Motiwa’ means ‘I don come’, a fun track that sees JJC (The International African) collaborate with the Street General to give the fans a track which w i l l have

them shouting ‘Motiwa”. Wondering how the inspiration came? “Well I’m not a drinker but I had a birthday party where I drank a bit. The feeling and vibe were captured as I reaffirmed to myself ‘Motiwa’. I wanted to create a street anthem for the clubs, and Olamide being the voice of the streets, I felt fit to be on the song. That was the main reason I featured him in the song,” he said. On challenges he is facing presently in Nigeria compared to the time he was in London, JJC admitted that things were very tough initially but he stood and conquered. He said, “My biggest challenge coming back to Nigeria is the fact that I didn’t grow up in Lagos. I didn’t even grow up in Nigeria. I felt like a fish out of water. Lots of people know me, but I didn’t know most of them. A lot people thought I was arrogant, but they don’t know the real me. At first, I was so depressed and almost ran back to the UK, but I thank God, I stood still and weathered the storm. So, I have fully started my career in Nigeria. “I believe that life is the survival of the fittest. Only the strong survive in tough situations. I have been in the industry for over 17 years. I am sticking to my love and passion. I am not like a typical artiste, I do a whole lot of stuffs in music. I edit, I direct, at a point, I shoot my videos. I believe that hard work will see me through. Right now, I feel I am finally home. I have been home since 2011, but this year, I feel like I have finally been accepted. The major cities in Nigeria should get ready

for us; my team and I are so prepared to give them what they least expect. “I feel so happy right now. My music is doing well, my family is doing well. Two years from now, I will be 40. But I don’t intend retiring yet. God is the planner and my life is like a Nollywood movie, while God is the director. I always feel happy because I know I have achieved something. Even if I am not big, I know I have inspired and created big artistes in the world, not just in Nigeria.” At 38, the proud father of three is still single, but with ‘good’ reasons. According to him, it’s indeed different strokes for different folks. “I have been in love with the idea of love, but it is very hard to attain if you are not focused. To be in love, you need to put in a lot of hard work. I have been selfishly in love with my music career. That was one of the biggest problems I have had in my relationships. My last relationship met with brick walls because I intended to come to Nigeria in 2011 to pursue my career. In other words, music has cost me my love life. People in our kind of career, find it hard to find a companion. I am hoping that I would find the right person but it is hard within my circle,” he squealed. JJC’s 18-track album features a number of artistes including Vector, Kate Henshaw, Victoria Kimani, Ice Prince, Praiz. Dokta Frabz, Puffy Tee, Dresticks, Pheelz, and a few others producers worked on the LP. His songs titled ‘My life’ and ‘Save the last dance’ are still thrilling good music lovers.

o doubt, Micheal Collins Enebeli aka Don Jazzy is one of the most successful record label owners in Nigeria and Africa. The multi-brand ambassador with six artistes signed under his watch in an exclusive chat with online firm, NET-NG, confirms he has made so much money from music that he has lost count. When asked how much he’s invested in the record label, the Doro Bucci boss said, “Before God and man, I will not be able to tell you that, because I don’t know. Maybe the problem that the other record labels have is the fact that they can tell you.” On how much the label has made, he said, “I have made stupid money. A lot of money and I’m very comfortable.” The former co-owner of Mo’hit Records, who had earlier in the week said he can never win acclaimed international award, Grammy, also gives an insight into why most Nigerian record labels fail. “I think I was born to do this. There are other record labels doing well also but in my research, I don’t think there’s any record label that’s as passionate about the career of their artistes as much as I am. I’m over passionate about my artistes. Until the last man blows, am not happy. I think about their success before I think about making money but most labels are always interested in making back the money they have invested and making profit,” he said. He is also not too bothered about the money he spends and the possibility of not recouping it. ‘I believe in the talent that God has given me and I believe I will make many more hit songs. So, if you believe in what you are doing and you work very hard, money will come. You don’t need to be greedy and expect to make all the money in the world when your artiste is not making money. Sometimes, my lawyers tell me the way my artiste contract is set up is wrong because I’m cheating myself with the sharing formula. But I don’t think I’m cheating myself. I think I’m making my artistes very comfortable and in the long run, we’ll be fine because I care more about my name and the glory than the money. But most labels care more about the money than the glory,” he said.

Sarz’ labour of love

it-maker, Sarz, has produced for popular Nigerian artistes like Wizkid, Banky W, Reminisce, Eldee, just to mention a few. With numerous hits under his belt including ‘Samba’ featuring Wizkid, Sarz launched the ‘The Sarz Academy’ to cater for young talented music producers who wish to take their art to the next level. Through the academy, they will be mentored by the music producer himself to give them the guidance they need. Over 400 candidates enrolled in the academy and after careful screening,12 candidates emerged. They will take part in the academy which will hold three days in a week for six weeks. According to the hit-maker, lessons will focus on music production, business, humanitarian service, advocacy, leadership, and legal class. On a recent radio interview, the contestants shared their experiences working with the music producer and the skills they have learnt since they entered the academy. Sarz disclosed that they will be placed in record labels when they are done with the programme, and that this programme will take place every year.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

Celebrations!!!

When shadows come (part III)

t was hard to see, with only a 25-watt bulb in the hallway. Old family pictures covered the walls. And brother and sister could find no windows to look through. “Colin, you up there?” they called. “Grandma! Grandpa!” Both children climbed the last flight of stairs, finding a door leading to a balcony. They breathed in fresh air. Then hurried down an outside fire escape. Shouts of, “There they are!” greeted them. Three figures with droopy hats and long coats stood outside the barn. They were pointing and waving long sticks. Melanie and Adam jumped from the remaining steps. They had to get away. Mom and dad should be returning soon. Later they could all search for Colin. Adam needed someone to

explain what was happening. One of the shadows ran forward and whacked him on the backside with a large broom. “Ouch, that hurt!” he yelped. It felt like a porcupine quill pierced him. The wind began to howl, and another shadowy figure ran towards them. Melanie shouted, “Let’s scat!” And feet flew quickly as a rabbit chased by coyotes. Gusts of wind pushed Adam ahead of his sister. Suddenly, their parents drove up. What a tale they began to tell. Before you could say, “What’s for breakfast?” a decision was made. Parents and children marched towards the farmhouse. They were like a posse on their way to rescue Colin. As they approached, three figures came out of the barn. One was quite short.

Crossword puzzle

“Colin?” Adam gasped. The others were grandpa and grandma. “What’s going on?” Melanie asked. All four adults exploded with laughter. Colin did his little boy giggle, since he and teddy were part of the joke. “Remember?” mom said. “You thought coming to grandma’s and grandpa’s might be too dull. Well, what do you think now?” she chuckled. The older children shook their heads and finally smiled. They were upset at first, but soon joined in the laughing. Yes, the joke was Hurray!!! Hailey Bassey is 2! on them. She loves colour pink while barney and Mickey mouse are her best friends! Melanie turned to her Grow and shine always little one mom. “May we come back again What happened to the wooden car with next week- What do cats eat for breakfast? wooden wheels and wooden engine? Ans Mice Crispies! end?” she Ans It wooden go! asked. (www.bed- Why are some fish at the bottom of the Which weighs more, a ton of feathers or a ocean? time.com)

Gags

Ans Because they dropped out of school!

What do you call a pile of kittens Ans A meowntain What goes up and down but doesn’t move? Ans The temperature!

ton of bricks? Ans Neither, they both weigh a ton! What has one horn and gives milk Ans A milk truck.

Did you hear about the party a little boy had for his sisters barbie dolls? Ans It was a Barbie-Q.

015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

ouldn’t m

or reducing the rank of policemen who had infracted civilians’ rights. But making them to know what is good. We’ve worked with the police training school, to design a one-week orientation programme, where such policemen, after we had handled the matter through the normal disciplinary manner, are taken to the school to be taught some basic human issues. They’ll be taught about community policing, police public relation, ethical and unethical behaviours, so that when they come out, they would be a changed person. I’m even working on psychologists to talk to them! This is because we are all human beings and every human being has some elements of madness which can strike at any time! Of course, the society is already heated up. Every one of us is charged because of pressures of socio-economic and domestic problems. On two or three occasions, bank bandits came from creeks and struck. There are fears they may strike again. What are you doing about this? Crime can’t be completely eradicated. Lagos with its size of 21 million people, with the number of policemen and logistics challenges we have and with migration into Lagos, makes it an attractive place and hot. It’s only a place where we don’t have human existence that you would say we wouldn’t have crime. So, it’s nothing that’s unusual, but we’ve been doing to prevent such from happening again is engaging people. I had met with private jetty owners and boat operators. They see these people when they move. We’ve also being engaging our personnel that are posted on all these security duties to increase their security consciousness. I’ve engaged banks on awakening their security consciousness. We’ve engaged our Special Anti-Robbery Squads (SARS), as well. We told them that we needed to change strategies to address some of these menaces. This morning, I met with Chief Security Officers of oil companies and multi-nationals of embassies. I had a discussion with them working together to ensure such a thing never happen again and if it happens at all, to have effective dispatch. We have started raiding identified criminal hide outs, including abandoned buildings and vehicles, where criminals keep the guns with which they operate. We’ll sustain that raid.

Lagos, that Lagos is safe and that the security agencies, with the assistance of all of the forces, especially the military and member of the public will continue to make sure we do what we need to do. To keep Lagos safe. So you’re synergising very well? Yes. Effectively! You’re grounded in human rights. What are you going to do about human rights abuses in cells of the Special Anti-Robbery Squads (SARS), especially torture?

I’ve not recorded human right abuse or got any case of torture. As I said earlier, we’ve strengthened the internal oversight mechanism in Lagos State. We’re doing that with speaking to our policemen, about Code of Conduct of the police, attribute of the police, the implications of abusing their powers, and there are those who had been found wanting. We’ve also used the internal mechanism to handle their matters, including organising a kind of orientation programmes, at the training school. This is because we believe that it’s not just about punitive measures,

When these bandits come from the creek, they wear army camouflage uniforms. How will jetty owners or private boat operators know the uniform man is a bank robber? That’s the essence of engaging the community. We know ourselves. Private jetty owners, boat owners and fishermen know those residing in their areas! They know people that dress like you in the daylight and changes at night. No! You’re talking about criminals in the community, but these bank robbers come from outside Lagos, through the creeks. Most of them that come from outside Lagos have basis within those communities. If you go along the waterways, there are different communities that have relationship with some of these militants that come into the state. Fighting crime now, is not about the number of guns or ammunitions you have. One of the most potent tools that the police have now is information. Good credible information is stronger and more effective than carrying Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC). This is why we are engaging and partnering with members of the public. Even before the advent of policing, the community knows who was entering the community for the first time. The local vigilantes and neighbourhood watchers; they know some of these people. Some of these bandits that come from the creeks, before they go for operation, they go to beer joints along the creeks. Some of them sleep over night there. And sometimes after operation, they carry women and spend their money there. Once we partner with members of the community and they give good information, we would be able to overcome. But above all, prevention is better than cure.

Our marine police are also upping their activities by doing patrols. Yes, we don’t have enough boats, but the few they have, are being used to sustain patrol along the water. Most of the fishermen do send me SMS now. With that, I think we’re on top of the situation. It seems community policing has failed in the areas of arresting cult wars in Lagos. I disagree with that! We have engaged members of the communities in some of these areas, including the chairmen of local governments. They’ve given credible information. Information they had been hiding before. In Bariga, Fadeyi and Mushin; last week alone at Idi-oro, 14 people were arrested with machetes. In Ikorodu, we arrested some with axes. Just yesterday, one of the notorious cultists, a kingpin, was arrested by the Area Commander, Ogudu. In the course of investigation, it was gathered that this particular person had been arrested before. When he was first arrested, he was given administrative bail because of human right adherence. His file was sent to Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP). DPP advised that he be charged for murder. Since, police had not been able to lay hands on him. Police had been looking for him since two years ago. He was picked yesterday! Another notorious one that had been operating in Fadeyi and Shomolu had also been arrested. It’s a gradual thing. We’ve sustained our raids on them. Residents in Oko-baba, in Ebute-Meta will tell how we’ve been sustaining raids over there. We’ve picked quite a lot and we’ve been sending them to court, looking at some of them that had previous murder cases. Most residents tell us that they know that police arrest, but that these bad boys come back into the community. But we don’t have power over the judiciary. The judiciary will send to jail or whatever, but the bad guys come back to the community. We’re however working around that. There are some of them that have previous cases of unresolved murders. We’re talking about capital offence here. This is why we’re now doing a profiling of them. I’ve engaged landlords, community leaders in discussions and some of them are coming up with credible facts. They tell you where these cultists assemble. Some even send me anonymous SMS. It’s not as if we’re media shy, I however believe that the activities of policing shouldn’t be done on the pages of newspaper. I want what we do to speak for us. I want people to go to those areas and speak to the people, they’ll attest. Some of them sent SMS, praying for me. Such feedbacks are what we want to hear. We need the media. Whether we like it or not, the information that gets to the media, may not get to us. I see the media as our eyes and ears. When you get to the community, you give us information because really, how many police do we have that can police the whole of Lagos? How many places can we reach? I went to a community in Bariga because of these cult wars; you wouldn’t believe the place. If you go there, maybe you’ll pass out within one week. To get into the community, they had to put planks for me to get there and speak with the people. Many of them said that was the first time a Commissioner of Police was coming into the community to speak with them. I’ve been doing a lot of outreach and I believe it’s paying off because I get real information. Someone sent me a text that somewhere along Costain, five guys used to hang around. The person said that he suspected the men were robbers. He gave us the time the five men were always there. We worked on the information. He sent a reply that they hadn’t noticed them again. That information paid off. We’re doing same thing at Oshodi. This week, we’re planning a joint operation with the members of the NURTW, Oshodi. They know the boys that attack and kill them. They know the boys that used to snatch bags. Once these boys snatch bags, they run into the motor parks. One of the measures is the raids carried out by the task force on Saturday and CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Politics

Aisha Bagudu’s passion for women, children

Abubakari Abdul

W Birnin Kebbi

hen her husband was sworn in as governor of Kebbi State about three months ago, Hajiya Aisha Atiku Bagudu took the responsibilities of the office of the first lady with unprecedented seriousness. He started by repositioning the hitherto dormant and obscure office in the state as a highly functional and relevant one. Through deliberate, focused, articulated programmes and policies aimed at building bridges of compassion, love and care for the women, children, orphanages, Alimaajairi schools and the underprivileged in the state, she moved from one place to another to identify their needs and formulate strategies to meet them. With her vision and compassion for social development, she introduced another dimension to governance in the state. As an individual, she had seen hardship and deprivation. Also her electioneering campaign efforts alongside her husband produced in her resilience and commitment to a cause of addressing these needs. That formed the basis for her promise to assist the less-privilege if her husband was elected into office as governor. So after the declaration of her husband winner of the election as the governor of Kebbi State by the Independent Electoral Commission, Hajiya Bagudu visited many Almajiri schools, orphanages, people with disability, prisons, hospitals and others. Hence in line with her philanthropic disposition, her office has since provided a platform for the incorporation of her vision and policy for the overall success of the APC-led present government in the state, by working assiduously to meet the needs of the disadvantaged ones in the society. In the past three months, Hajiya Bagudu has touched many lives in diverse ways - from the infants, children, orphans and women spread across the state. To the despondent and needy ones, she is always a touch away. Recently, Hajiya Bagudu, who is also the founder of Mass Literacy for the LessPrivilege and Almajiri Initiative (MALLPAI), a foundation she established in 2009, graduated and presented the certificates of entrepreneurship to over a thousand youths and women who were trained in a different skills like tailoring, necklace making and knitting. Presenting certificate to one of the beneficiaries, the Vice-President of the Nigeria Entrepreneurs Forum, Mr. Augustine Chibola expressed his group’s readiness to work with and support MALLPAI Foundation, by giving assistance to those who have benefitted from the programme. He said the foundation has done a lot to the less-privilege by training them in different skills such that almost all of them are now self-employed. He commended Hajiya Bagudu for her initiative and laudable achievements. Governor Atiku Bagudu, who graced the occasion and presented certificates to some of the graduates, also commended his wife for taking the initiative to improve on the lives of the citizenry. He assured her of his support and cooperation in order for her to achieve her dreams and ensure more people benefit from the programme. Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Garba Hamani, thanked the wife of the governor for assisting the less-privileged

Governor Bagudu exchanging pleasantaries with the chairperson of MALLPAI Foundation, Hajia Bagudu (up), below Mrs. Bagudu presents certificate to one of the graduates at the event

in the state, urging them, most especially women in the state, to acquire different skills, stating that her Ministry will also continue to assist and train women in various fields. Visits to prisons Hajiya Bagudu also took her advocacy and benevolence to Birnin Kebbi and Arugungu prisons, where she donated cash, foodstuffs and other necessary items to the inmates. During the visits, she advised the inmates to live up to societal expectations by following the rule of law, assuring them, especially those imprisoned for minor offences that the governor Atiku Bagudu would order for a review of their cases in order to decongest the prisons. She was equally involved in advocacy against environmental degradation in collaboration with the Kebbi State Urban Development Authority, where they carried out sanitation programme across the three senatorial districts. Hajiya Bagudu did not leave any stone on unturned, but extended the same gestures to the educational sector, as she also paid official visit on Government Girls Secondary School, Birnin Kebbi and also unity schools in the state where she complained about the school’s bad condition. Addressing the students, the wife of the governor, who expressed dismay over poor quality of infrastructure at the school, assured them that the present government

is ready to support the education. She then donated some food items to the management of the school. Other schools which have been visited by Hajiya Bagudu are: Makarantan Umar Sarkiu Aski, Makera Gandu, Makaranter Mallam Gayya, Kofar Kola, Makaranter

Mallam Tiggi, Nassarawa 2 and also an orphanage under state Ministry of Women Affairs. MALLPAI, which is currently based in Abuja, having branches across the northern parts of the country, has assisted thousands of Almajiri as training centre where unemployed youths and women are trained in order for them to be self employed. It is currently making efforts to expand to the neibouring countries like Niger, Benin Republic and Cameroon. On one of those occasions when presenting the items to the beneficiaries, Hajiya Bagudu urged the beneficiaries to make good of them in order for them to become self-reliant. This, she said, was in tandem with the objective of establishing the MALLPAI Foundation - to reduce poverty, unemployment among youths and women and also to make the less-privilege to have access to the Western education. She expressed satisfaction that “The foundation has been producing graduates, NCE and Diploma holders, some of whom are now self-reliant and are training unemployed youths in the state and in Abuja.” Attesting to her words, one of the beneficiaries, Mohammed Abdul, who is now a holder of the Ordinary Diploma and is currently undergoing his HND in Accountancy, thanked the founder of MALLPAI, stating that but for the NGO, her dream would not have been achieved. Workshop In another development, Hajiya Bagudu, has organised interactive season with the wives of the State House of Assembly members and acting local government chairmen’s wives on how to maintain a healthy home front that would enable their husbands to devote attention to their state functions. The meeting which took place of the Banquet Hall, Government House, Birnin Kebbi in collaboration with the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development was also designed to promote unity among the women in the state. The forum also served as a platform to educate the women, especially the women whose husbands are political appointees, elected government officials or active politicians that their dressing code and houses should dignify them and their husbands.

‘No panic over Boko Haram’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37

Sunday. Surprisingly, some people came to say that because police raided in Oshodi, they were not able to sell. How did a raid that was done around 2am affect their business? We’ll continue and sustain it. I believe that if the members of the community work with us, we’ll succeed. We can’t do it alone. What are the police doing about the return of ‘one chance armed robbers’ in Lagos? Are you going to bring back road block to check it? Road block is cancelled and remains cancelled! It could, however, be used or created when it becomes necessary like the IGP said, in tactical operations. You said that ‘one chance’ is returning, but I say no to that! It’s no more! I had the information the first week I assumed office and we immediately sent out operatives. At Apongbon CSM, plain clothe operatives were there very early in the morning after we discovered that these guys used to operate mostly around 5am-

6am. They move about with buses like they are genuine commercial bus drivers. Our operatives noticed one of such buses. They pursued them and the men jumped into the lagoon. They abandoned a bag. When it was searched, five phones and other materials were inside. A few minutes later, some of the telephones started ringing. Our men picked and told the callers, who were the owners that their phones were with us. They came to my office to collect their items. They took pictures with me. They were excited, wondering how it was possible to recover their items within 15 minutes. There was another incident at Oshodi Bridge, where someone was robbed. We went all out and got the suspects. We recovered guns that were cut down to sizes. We’ve been putting plain cloth operatives on the roads. These are strategies I shouldn’t make known.

Faith

SUNDAY

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

Sermon Nuggets for wholesome deliverance p.44

Interveiw Why miracles are important – Cleric p.46

The Apostolic Faith grooms new leaders

News Cardinal Arinze counsels Buhari, others p.40

Roving Worshipper Hypsoo: A night of Hallelujah p.40

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

sitting Left to Right: Rev. Dayo Abe; Rev.Rachel Fakorede; Rev. Kayode Oje; Sister Josephine Adeniran (DS’ wife); Rev. ‘Bayo Adeniran, Sister Sussah Baltzel, Rev. Dwight Baltzel; Rev. G.K. Ajayi; Sister Ajayi (Wife of Lagos R/O); Rev. James Olaleye and his wife, Sister Martell. Standing behind are facilitators and participants

Tai Anyanwu

midst growing concern that missionary work has become a commercial enterprise rather than service to God, the leadership of The Apostolic Faith Church, West and Central Africa has taken steps to preserve the sanctity of the gospel of Christ. Recognising that the treasure in the word of God, as taught by the Lord Jesus Christ, must be passed onto the next generation through well-bred faithful men and women, the church gathered its future leaders for a month-long training at the serene Apostolic Campground in Anthony Village, Lagos. In his remarks before the training session officially commenced, the Church’s General Superintendent, Rev. Bayo Adeniran, noted that the type of doctrine that people practise affects their lifestyle. This, he explained, was the reason why the apostles of Jesus Christ had to fight against the propagation of false doctrines at the early stage of their ministry. Adeniran described the gospel of Jesus Christ as a ‘unique brand’ that must be handled in the right way. “One thing that always challenges my mind and encourages us in this direction is Apostolic practice in the Bible. When the apostles went into a place to preach the gospel, they always left somebody behind who understood the sound gospel, the practice of the apostles, their peculiar worship and the peculiar things that Jesus Christ was doing when He was among them. “He himself instructed them to go and preach the gospel to all nations, teaching them to observe all the things that

He had taught them. That means that there is a need to accept the gospel and the second is that there is the need to replicate the gospel,” the cleric continued. Picking his text from the book of 2Timothy 2:2: “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also,” the GS explained that Apostle Paul admonished Timothy as a competent disciple who learnt under his spiritual leadership to pass the same things to others without adulteration. “That informs our always wanting those that are going to take our work to other places to have an effective understanding, consciousness of the need to teach the right doctrine and confidence in themselves. “In Apostolic Faith Church, we don’t want to be like others, teach like them or worship like them. We are satisfied with what we are. So you don’t bring their style to us. We are a unique brand and we want to be like we are,” Adeniran warned. He added that the future leaders are the only people that can really preserve or change “the Apostolic Faith adherents.” Adeniran warned that an untrained leader is an accident waiting for the ministry. “So, we have to train those who will lead in the right way. Whatever you are taught is what you take to others. Whatsoever you have learnt of us, whatever you see us practise, whatever Christian culture you have seen among us, is what you should transfer to where you are going. “And I pray that as you do that you will be fearless. If you add things to it, it will be something else and not The Apostolic Faith. And once you find another thing that is not The Apostolic Faith, it will be very risky and you have become a problem not only to the mission but to us all. “So I am praying that the sacrifice you are making to spend here kindly ensure that, it is a

month in which you collect varieties. This is so that once you plant it, it will yield correct plants. These will also yield the same type of seed that has been given to you. “The seed is so precious can then be planted here and there. But if you miss the genuine seed the plant you are going to get is a wrong plant and the fruit will be a wrong fruit and the seed,” The GS affirmed. Sunday Telegraph learnt that the one-month training, for about 45 delegates from the Republic of Benin, Cote D’voire, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Congo, Guinea Conakry, Kenya, Uganda, Mali, Sierra Leone, Cameroun, Niger and Togo, would focus mainly of the doctrines of the Apostolic Faith Church, mode of worship, music and other practices. Declaring the training open, the Director for Africa Work at the Oragon, USA International headquarters of the Church, Rev Dwight Batlzel, remarked: “Sitting here in this room make me feel we are visiting far more than just one Nigerian. This is very special and very pleasing to the Lord, because of what he wants to accomplish here.” He explained that what the GS was trying to get across was indeed of utmost importance pointing out that wisdom was needed to avoid pitfall that were rife in doing ministry. “Gospel is the word of life that everyone needs and spreading it to others is very important. May God give you the spirit of discernment. Because as you lead others you need wisdom. Sometimes we may fall to our own emotions or reason as to what might be right. In secular matters of life, this is not important, but in spiritual leadership, it is very critical. “We have natural abilities. Some have more ability to speak publicly, the others, musical talents and the ability to trust other people. As we leading or choosing leaders, we must not put those abilities above the call and spirit of God,” Rev. Batlzel added.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Faith

Hypsoo: A night of Hallelujah I

Shadrack Yusuf t was a night of Hallelujah as youths of Archbishop Abiodun Adetiloye Memorial Anglican Church, Ajao Estate, Lagos brought the glories of heaven down at its recent festival of songs. The programme entitled, ‘Hypsoo 3 on the Wings of Worship’ held in the church’s auditorium featured various guest ministers such as Dare Justified; The Levites; Oluyonder; De Asaph; Da Awesome Crew; Phronesis. Taking turns, the gospel artistes ensured that the flow of praises and worship laced with humour kept the praise night aglow. The church’s Vicar, Mr. Adelowo Adeshina, explained that the event was the third edition and organised by the youths. His words: “In the Anglican, particularly this parish, we allow youths to worship God and express themselves through the media. “The programme is a youth initiative to worship. It is the third edition. It is an annual event. The youths got support from members of the church. They should continue to appreciate God.” The elated vicar added: “I am particularly impressed by the planning, logistics and execution of the event by the youths. There was a touch of professionalism. Over

and above that, the unity of the church was one major thing. Youths within and outside the church were invited. The programme is another means of spreading the faith of believers. We have a youth chapel where they worship; to evangelise or reach out to

youths within and outside the church.” He, however, charged the youths to always embrace integrity, diligence, uprightness and seek the face of the Lord. Sunday Telegraph learnt that the programme was intended to appreciate God

Youths of Archbishop Abiodun Adetiloye Memorial Anglican Church, Ajao Estate, praising God at the night of praise held recently in Lagos

Stay faithful to God, Bishop Solomon counsels clerics South-East Coordinator of Nigeria College of Bishops, Bishop (Dr.) Solomon Winning, speaks of his mandate to win seven million souls in this interview with JOHN CHUKS Briefly tell us about yourself? I am Bishop (Dr.) Solomon Winning. I hail from Ebonyi State. I am the Presiding Bishop of Majesty Christian Centre International also known as City of Champions in Imo State. I am an apostle with a five-fold ministry. My calling is mainly on prophetic and grass roots deliverance (Deliverance and Prophecy). Through the mission of Obadiah 1:17, we preach deliverance. We preach salvation - total holiness - and prosperity the three-cord mission of Jesus; but like I said, I operate heavily in grass roots deliverance and prophecy. How long have you been in the ministry? This is my 24th year in the ministry and I have been a bishop for close to eight years now. Late Archbishop (Prof.) Victor Onuigbo appointed me in 2007. My spiritual father is Pastor W. F. Kumuyi of Deeper Life Bible Church. For all these years in His vineyard, God has been so faithful. Apart from doing the work of God, what

Cardinal Arinze counsels Buhari, others Okegwo Kenechukwu

Onitsha

else do you do? I am in full-time ministry. I am the SouthEast Coordinator of Nigeria College of Bishops, Nigeria Coordinator of Kingdom Walkers’ Fellowship, which originates from the USA and I am also the President of Imo Prayer Network via Lagos Prayer Network that covers all states in Nigeria. I am contented with working in God’s vineyard. Are there challenges so far? A lot of challenges, countless of them, most importantly is that unity of the Spirit is lacking in the body of Christ, but all to the glory of God. Any regrets in life? No! God has been faithful for all-round deliverance of any kind, land, communities or family and personal deliverance. Where do you see your ministry in few years to come? God is giving us a mandate to impact the world at large. He gave me a seven-billion-

for His faithfulness towards the youths. “What God did for us was far over and above our expectation. The crowd was amazing. The various ministrations were incredible. We also thank God for the wonderful support we got from the church leadership and members as regards the success of the programme. May the name of the Lord be praised,” said the planning committee spokesman, Martin Okechukwu Okeagu He explained that Hypsoo was a Greek word for the phrase ‘to exalt’ or to ‘lift up.’ This simply means that as we raise high praises to God, He is exalted and He lifts us up. “Hypsoo is our annual youth chapel musical concert/praise night that started back in 2012. In 2013, we decided to tag our annual praise night with a name to give it uniqueness. “And to God’s glory ‘Hypsoo’ has come to stay with plenty room for improvement. And by God’s grace we’ve kept improving. This programme cuts across different Anglican youths’ chapel and is interdenominational. Its idea is to bring back youths in our generation to the place of true worship and praise. “There have been outstanding testimonies after each Hypsoo episode and we trust God that more miracles will follow HYPSOO 3 as well.”

Solomon

souls mandate. Recovery of seven million souls that were lost to the devil that was in my last encounter with the Archangel Gabriel sent to me in March 2014. What is your advice to young ministers? They should stay faithful to God who called them and stay focus to their calling. He will definitely show up in their direction. Who is your role model in Christendom? Pastor W.F Kumuyi is my spiritual father. He is known for his holiness and humility.

rancis Cardinal Arinze has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and other Nigerian political leaders to always take decisions and make choices meant to promote the common good of all Nigerians. The former Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in the Catholic Church made the call while delivering his 2015 Annual Lecture in Onitsha, Anambra State on Tuesday. The theme of this year’s lecture was ‘The Christian and Politics.’ Addressing the congregation, the cleric said those in authority or political positions were supposed to serve the people and not oppress them. “The political leader should be flexible, should not regard themselves as indispensable, and should be willing to gracefully accept defeat at elections instead of seeing politics as a do-or-die affair. “The obvious fact should be accepted that everyone cannot have the same opinion on every social or political question. It is the mark of a statesman or to listen carefully to differing views, to seek to work with those who hold such views and to be aware that an elected officer is a servant, not only for those who voted for him or her, but also for those who did not,” he said. The cardinal noted that only a transparently honest leader could easily demand performance and honesty from workers under his care. “Justice should not only be done, but should be seen to be done in the distribution of amenities, in the promotion of persons in public service and in the administration of public funds. A political leader should be up and doing in the defence of human rights and in positive action in favour of the weaker members of society,” he said.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

Faith

Divine surprise awaits you (2) Mystery ofAnxiety Bishop

John Ogbansiegbe

0803 341 6327

don’t know what you are pursuing or what you have been struggling for. Have you been taking an exam or interview without success? Or have you been battling with business stagnation and retrogression? Have you been experiencing delay in marriage or pregnancy? Or maybe, you have done your possible best to obtain a visa to a particular country to no avail. The lord shall do it for you. Peter was a professional fisherman who had all the secrets of fishing profession at his fingertips. On that day, he tried and applied all the tricks, principles and methods of successful fishing, yet, all to no avail. He did his best from morning till night yet he got nothing. The Bible says: “By strength shall no man prevail” 1Sam 2:9. For he said to Moses, I’ll have mercy on whom I’ll have mercy and I’ll have compassion on whom I’ll have compassion. So then, it’s not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Rom 9:15-16 “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, said the lord of host” Zachariah 4:6. When the mighty hand of God comes into any situation, the difference becomes clear. Any man or woman that has the favour of God in his or her life will be a living surprise to his or her generation. If the hand of God’s favour is not upon your life, you will struggle throughout your life and end up with nothing to show for your struggles. The Lord Jesus Christ told him to

launch out into the deep and let down his net for a catch. Peter did not argue, but obeyed. When you obey divine directions, you are practically demonstrating your faith in the power and potency of the Almighty God. Faith honours God and moves God into action to do something positive for you. This was why the word of God declared: “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land” Isaiah 1:19. Jesus gave God the chance to demonstrate His power by obeying Him, trusting Him and doing what He told him to do. Maybe God has told you to do one thing or the other which you have not done up till now. May be He spoke to you through dreams, prophetic directives by a man of God or revelation of His word or visionary directives. My sincere advice is that you go ahead and obey him. As you do so, God shall definitely catapult you to a pedestal where your testimonies shall memorably be celebrated in the name of Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ shall come into your present situation as He did for Peter in the name of Jesus Christ. When He comes into your situation, the difference shall become clear. When He comes into your situation He will make impossibilities to become possible. When He comes into your situation, He will turn your pain to pleasure. When He comes into your situation, He will turn your sorrows to joy; when He comes into your situation He will turn your nothingness to something else. When He comes into your situation, He will lift you from the valley of frustration to the pinnacle of favour. He says: “Silver and gold is mine saith the Lord of Host” Hagg 2: 8. Everything in the universe belongs to the Almighty God, the uncreated creator, the unchanging changer, the

Our Lord Jesus Christ shall come into your present situation as He did for Peter in the name of Jesus Christ. When He comes into your situation, the difference shall become clear

Jehovah omnipotent El Shaddai and omnipresent too-much God. This was why the word of God declared thus: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein. For hath founded it upon the seas, and established in upon floods” Psalm 24:1-2. He will surely come into your situation as the unchanging changer to change your situation for better and put a testimony in your mouth in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Immediately, Simon Peter obeyed the Master, our Lord Jesus Christ, in his Omni scientific potency spoke to the fishes in a language they understood just as he spoke to the in a language they understood just as he spoke to the winds and the waves and they obeyed. He redirected the movement of the fishes to Peter’s net. It was more of an international convention of all the fishes in the oceans of the Middle East. I can hear the fishes telling each other: “Come this way into Peter’s fishes coast, for the master calleth thee.” The whole fishes from different oceans navigated to Lake Genesaret and located Peter’s net, according to the command of our lord Jesus Christ. The Bible said that

when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes, and their net broke. Your miracle shall be too much for you to carry. God shall give you such an overflow that there shall be no room to contain it. When they beckoned on other fishermen to assist them with their boat, they were all filled to overflow that the ships began to sink. You are in for a divine positive supernatural surprise. You are in for a supernatural visitation. You are in for a supernatural overflow. The lord shall anoint your head with the oil of favour and abundance and your cup shall overflow and your blessings shall run over. To this end, the word of God declared, “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker worm, my great army which I sent among you, shall accomplish it. And ye shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praises the name of the lord, your God, who hath dealt wondrously with you and my people shall never be ashamed” Joel 2:25-26. When Mary asked the Angel, “but how can this thing be seeing I know not a man?” and the angel answered and said unto her, “The holy ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee, therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the son of God” Luke 1:34-36. “FOR WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE” Luke 1:37. If a virgin that knows no man can conceive and bear a son, then there is nothing that God cannot do for you. Mary’s case was a divine supernatural surprise of all ages and generations. This God is the same forever. He did it before; He shall do it again and again. Don’t give up, don’t quit, your miracle is on the way. Hold unto God in faith and He shall do it for you in the name of Jesus Christ.

Lessons and values of offering the of

Oracles God

Frank Oboden Olomukoro frankolomukoro@yahoo.com

0703 362 1866

e believe that now at the end of the time of grace, all things in everyone’s personal life and in the church are being brought back to their rightful order before God and that the complete restoration in all areas is indeed taking place. As it was with the first Christians who believed the pure word of God and carried the divine love for truth in their hearts, that is how it will be once again at the end among the true children of God. We belong to the LORD with everything that He has given us and are only stewards of what was entrusted generously not out of obligation, but simply because of gratitude to the LORD. All forms of offerings made to God in the Old Testament by animal sacrifices and in the New Testament by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross were for worship and forgiveness of sin. Through them we learn about the cost of sin, for we see that we cannot forgive ourselves. For a life in the Old Testament, an animal’s life was given to save the life of a person. But this was only a temporary measure until Jesus Christ’s death paid the penalty of sin for all people forever.

The animal sacrifice demonstrated that the person was giving his/her life to God by means of the life of the animal on the day of Atonement. This event with the two goats occurs on the atonement day. The two goats represented the two ways God was dealing with the Israelites’ sin. 1. He was forgiving their sin through the first goat, which was sacrificed. That was Christ, dying on the cross. 2. He was removing their guilt through the second goat. The sinner lays his hand on the scapegoat that was sent into the desert. That was Christ being crucified outside the camp (city) at Golgotha. The same animal sacrifice had to be repeated every year once and for all. But now in the New Testament, we can have our sins forgiven and guilt removed by placing our trust in Christ. (Hebrew 10:1-18) How do we now effect faith in Christ’s sacrificial death? It is by means of the eternal prescription given on the day of Pentecost by the Apostle Peter: “Repent and be baptised everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the REMISSION of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”(Acts 2:38). This involves the process of JUSTIFICATION; repentance, confession and water baptism by immersion (burial) in the NAME of Jesus Christ. Certainly, not in the church tradition of baptism by sprinkling or pouring or immersion in the TITLES of father, son and Holy Ghost. Then SANCTIFICATION; the remission or removal of the sinful nature by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. “Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of Sin” (Heb. 9:22).

The entire system of sacrifice could not help a sinner unless he brought his offering with an attitude of repentance and willingness to confess sin 3. Finally and thirdly, the BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: for regeneration, for conversion from a sinner to a saint, to be born by the spirit of God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh but that which is born of the spirit is spirit” John 1:13. The outcome of every genuine conversion is HOLINESS. To be Holy means to be SEPARATED. God removed His people from Egypt but in the wilderness He was removing Egypt from the people showing them how to exchange Egyptians (worldly) ways of living and thinking for His ways. We must devote every area of life to God. He desires absolute obedience in motives as well as practices. Though we do not observe all the worship practices of Israel, we are to have the same spirit of preparation, devotion and acceptance. The Levites and priests were the ministers of their day who instructed the people in their worship. They type the five-fold ministry of the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, Pastors and Teachers in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Any office outside of the fivefold offices is a church denomination’s invention. It is therefore unscriptural. The ministers showed Israel the way to

God and they provide the historical backdrop for Christ, who is Our High Priest and yet our Servant. God’s true servants care for all the needs of the people The entire system of sacrifice could not help a sinner unless he brought his offering with an attitude of repentance and willingness to confess sin. Today, because of Christ’s death on the cross, we personally do not have to sacrifice animals. But it is still vital to confess sin, because confession shows a realisation of sin, awareness of God’s holiness, humility before God, and willingness to turn from this sin (Psalm 51:16-17). Even Jesus death will be of little value to us if we do not repent and follow Him. The Hebrew word for atonement is to ‘cover.’ Old Testament sacrifices could not actually remove sins but only cover them. Sacrifices were made and blood was shed so that the people’s sins could be ‘covered.’ Until Christ’s sacrifice on the cross would give the people the opportunity to have their sin removed or remitted forever (Acts 2:38). The Holy fire in the altar that keeps burning was because God started it. This represented God’s eternal presence in the sacrificial system. God’s fire should be present in each believer’s life today. He lights the fire when the Holy Spirit comes to live in us and He tends it so that we will grow in grace as we walk with Him “…… If my spirit is not in you, you have no part in me” (Rom. 8:9). Jesus added in Mark 9:41-42, have salt in you every living sacrifice must be salted and the salt is the Holy Spirit.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Faith

Firm Faith:

The metaphor of the Baptist gave it to her mother. John literally “fell head over heels” for the Truth. Such can sometimes be the sort of greatness to which all true Christians are called and we have surely had such “martyrs of truth” in Nigeria.

Right Reason Most Rev.

Emmanuel A. Badejo fradebadejo@yahoo.

0803 949 4219 (SMS only)

The saga of John the Baptist The very life of John the Baptist is a metaphor, used to call our attention to elements of contemporary reality. Undoubtedly one of the most prominent figures of the New Testament, John performed his precursor role to the hilt pointing out Jesus as the Lamb of God. He said of him, “It is necessary that he increase but that I decrease” (Jn. 3: 30). John the Baptist came into the world in a spectacular way, outdone perhaps only by the birth of Jesus Christ. His exit from the world was no less spectacular. He was murdered for standing by the truth, in some sense just like Jesus was. Although John was feared and well-liked by King Herod, his open condemnation of Herod for taking Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother, made the preacher a target of the woman’s grudge and murderous hate. Herod seized John and put him in prison. Herodias’ daughter delighted the king with her dance and he vowed to give her anything she would ask for as compensation. The little girl went to ask Herodias and the wicked queen seized her chance. She instigated the girl to ask for the head of John the Baptist, she did and John was killed. His head was brought to the girl who

Victims of dirty games Among the dramatis personae of the beheading of John the Baptist are two victims. John is the most obvious. The other, the daughter of Herodias, represents millions of innocent youths who are today co-opted into grave sin by the very adults and elders whom they trust to guide and counsel them. The poor daughter of Herodias’ hands, soiled with the blood of John the Baptist, were merely conscripted into her mother’s bloody grudge war. Herodias’ daughter was perhaps the only one in the episode who actively did anything positive, dancing to the delight of the king and the audience. When called upon to take an unusual decision, she did the right thing by seeking her mother’s counsel. She unfortunately ended up with the wrong counselor. Millions of such adults who conscript the youth into their grudges they bear and the wars they fight against their own generation, friends or foes will one day contend with the warning of Jesus Christ in respect of those who lead astray the innocent: “Woe to the world because of so many scandals! Scandals necessarily come, but woe to the one who has brought it about” (Matt. 18: 7). The verdict is damning indeed. “it would be better for you to be thrown into the depths of the sea with a great millstone around your neck” (Matt. 18:6). ... Herod the weakling king

ohn the Baptist stood for truth, and courage. Right from conception he welcomed everything about Jesus

Herod’s role in the story of John’s murder is a re-presentation of many contemporary leaders. Such is the character of leaders who, though have abundant power, lack discipline and moderation. Herod, got so carried away by the dancing skills of a mere girl that he vowed to give her anything she would ask for, even half of his kingdom. What indiscretion, for a mere dance performance! When the girl eventually asked for the head of “a righteous and holy man” as Herod found John to be, the king conceded. How much weaker could a leader be, so weak as not to be able to in spite of his vow, prevent clear injustice against the innocent? “And the king was exceedingly sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her” (Mk 6: 26). Such sorry leaders still hold power today, who because of unholy loyalties and alliances, cowardly allow the spilling of innocent John the Baptists. They deserve to be tagged “misleaders” and will one day face the judgment of woe which they deserve (Lk. 11: 47-48). The conspiracy of silence At the trial of Jesus before Pilate, the crowd played an infamous role, opting

to have him crucified rather than be released. Herod’s guests too are just as guilty as the king for their conspiracy of silence against the innocent. Such high caliber guests could have intervened and persuaded the king to reconsider. They did not. They surely carry as much guilt as anyone for that murder. Such culpable complacency exists today among the masses which arises from the disengagement from the interest of others. Nothing corrodes human society more than this cancer. The pedigree of the Baptist John the Baptist stood for truth, and courage. Right from conception he welcomed everything about Jesus, leaping for joy from Elizabeth’s womb at the appearance of Mary. “Behold the lamb of God”, he pointed Jesus out to his disciples. Knowing his unworthiness, he humbly declared: “After me comes one who is more powerful than I am...As for me, I am not worthy to bend down and untie his sandals” (Mk.1:7-8). John was brave and he told the Pharisees and Sadducees a good telling off, calling them “brood of vipers”. In service of the truth, he was unafraid of Herod nor of his murderous wife and lost his head in the process. How our world today needs men like John the Baptist who would give it all up and pay any price for the truth! However, after all the betrayals and conspiracy, John earned from Jesus the greatest accolade anyone could receive. Jesus testified of him: “I tell you this, no one greater than John the Baptist has come forward among the sons of women....” (Matt.11:11). Can any earthly honor be greater than that?

When you are in your season Insight Rev.

Femi Akinola

www.thehebrewsng.com

01-790 3163; 0808 584 5864

“T

o everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Eccl 3:1 In life there are three seasons - The Rainy Season, Dry Season and the Due season. The rainy season is the good time, the dry season is when things are ‘hard’ while the due season is the continuous good time; that is, whether there is rain or not, everything is fine. “Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.” Lev 26:4 There are covenant steps to take in life for you to ever become relevant irrespective of situation around. The man you looking down on today when in your own season will someday enter his own season too, this is the reason you must be mindful how you treat others when things are rosy for you. Numbers 28:2 “That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.” Deut 11:14 This scripture teaches us that when in your due season, you must learn to offer. God promises to give you the rain

of your land in due season so that you can gather all that you have to gather. Had God not sent Joseph ahead to Egypt to gather in time of plenty, what would have happened? “These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.” Ps 104:27 There is always a time in life when God gives every man a chance, what you do with your chance in life goes a long way to determine your fate when your time is over. The God you don’t remember in your season will not remember you when you are out of season. Do you know how traumatising it is to have once controlled money only to suddenly return to square one? God can be to you either or both of these two in life - your Provider or your Creator. The choice is yours. God is your Creator, no doubt about that, but you will determine whether or not He’d be your Provider. When your season is over, you will not pass away with it in Jesus name. The Bible says Job became the greatest in the East because he understood the secrets of God. An account of a foolish man in the Bible; “And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully.” Luke 12:16 This man was in his season; his investment yielded so much that he became arrogant and he forgot God in all of his plans. As a result, God being the owner of all things asked for his soul. We are only custodians of what God blesses us with and not owners. I was born into a wealthy home, but when season changed, the situation became unbearable. When season changes for a person, so many people suffer for it, especially when there is no preparation

Do you know how traumatising it is to have once controlled money only to suddenly return to square one?

for the sudden change. When times are good, people will flock around and tend to be good to you. But when season changes, people change too. Many friends we have today are fair-weather friends. Five covenant steps to take • Tithing “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house...” Mal 3:10 As God is changing your level, the first thing you must remove is your tithe; like you always did from your small beginning. The tithe is not yours, hence, it is not negotiable. It is the tenancy bill you pay for your staying on earth. What many Christians do is distribute their tithes to several ministries. This is simply an exercise that will never be fruitful. Why? Because the scripture says, ‘bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse…’ not storehouses. • Offering “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” Prov 3:9-10 Offering is what you offer to God in

order for Him to keep you from suffering in life. You must make God first in all your dealings; this is the sure fire way to honour God. You cannot honour Him with your substance and run out of substance in life. Whatever it is that God gives to you in life is not meant to be utterly eaten or consumed. You need to set a portion apart to sow. • Service “And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.” Exo 8:1 You are created to serve. When God delivered the Israelites from the hand of the Egyptians, what was utmost in His mind was for them to serve Him. You see people run around for a long time searching for fulfilment, achievement and happiness and end up worse off than when they started all because they refuse to serve God. When you dedicate your life to serving God, He becomes jealous (on your behalf) and ensures you don’t take a wrong step in life. Even when you are about to go into a wrong marriage, God Himself will personally frustrate it. Isa 45:19 When you serve God faithfully, you will never become a servant of men because God is always jealous for His own. You can’t serve God when in your season and God will neglect you in your time of need or in time of trouble. Write me through; info@thehebrewsng. com. 0809 237 7861, 0808 584 5864. You can also listen to my messages on our Podcast: www.thehebrewsng.com/ podcast. Rev’d Femi Akinola – The Hebrews International, Lekki, Lagos.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

Unbreakable Covenant Wisdom of God’s Word

Pastor Nnadiaso Promise Jomo

Email: info@wisogc.org

+2347044799358/08146353090 (SMS only)

he Bible speaking in the book of 2Chron. 7:15-22 records: “And he said, ‘Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battleis not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. 19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high. 20 So they rose early in the morning and

went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.”[a] 22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lordset ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.” This morning, I want you to know that if God is not in any business the businessman’s efforts are liable to destruction because the devil must fight. I don’t joke with covenant because covenant can build and can also destroy. The scriptures above are indicative of a covenant between the People of God and God Himself. God is looking for a place to function. Covenant is a platform which God stands upon to work for His children. Nothing ever works well in the life of a child of God without covenant. Sacrifice in covenant makes it strong. When there is no sacrifice, covenant may be there but cannot work because there is no power in it. David provoked God by his sacrifice and God said if the children of Israel shall work in the way of their fathers worked, that He will make them rulers over others.

God is committed by covenant so if you want your life to be smooth on earth, then enter into covenant with God today

What is covenant? A covenant is an unbreakable agreement. All the promises of God will be fulfilled, that means if God ever says a thing to you He will surely fulfill it. Obedience in covenant makes the sacrifice more powerful. Because you are in the obedience line, God is busy announcing you to the whole world. We are saved not by philosophical agreement but by his grace and covenant commitment. Favour is the grace of God in your life. God said: “It doesn’t matter the sin you have committed against me, I will forgive you.” God is committed by covenant so if you want your life to be smooth on earth, then enter into covenant with God today. If a man of covenant is talking, he is sure of himself. Covenant makes God to be committed to issues that concerning you. Our faith is a partnership with God in an agreement between God and man. Covenant is a framework for all events in the Bible. The covenant of Bible comes in consecutive series. Consecutive means sequential which means following after

Faith

another, without these covenant another cannot come. There is a covenant that must come before another comes in your life. Seven uses of covenant 1. God’s covenant between Adam and Eve: these two did not just come but as a result of covenant. God transfer quality to govern the earth in the book Genesis 1:26. Because God is not a man so whenever He makes a covenant, He never breaks it. When you as a human being break it, He looks for another people that will keep the covenant so that He will fulfill what He has promised in the time past. In the fulfillment of God’s covenant comes the blessing. 2. Noah and God: Numbers 23:19, when Adam and Eve failed to keep God’s covenant, God kept searching for the person that He can continue it with and He found Noah. Whenever God bless a man He cannot take it away but when you go out of the covenant of God, then Satan will make you fail in life. Have you ever asked why God has not taken the power He gave to Satan? Well that is because when God gives; He cannot take it back because He is committed to His covenant. God came to renew the God covenant that He had made with Adam and Eve, down to Noah. God made a covenant with Noah that He would never destroy the earth any more. Covenant has no ground when there is no salvation. Gen 1:11. God said to Noah: “I will amend my mistake by building a new heaven and new earth.”

Breaking the curse of the womb (2) Hour of Deliverance Pastor Isaac Adelugba xxxxxx

08058023548

horough repentance and abstinence from all forms of sexual perversion such as finger sex, sex with animals, masturbation, sucking of penis, licking of virginal and sex before marriage i.e. fornication. Others include abortion, adultery, sexual flashback, unforgiveness and anger. It is written: “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” - Hebrews 13:4 Confess these sins thoroughly and ask God to forgive you and desist from doing then. • Holy and righteous living is an important ingredient to be delivered from the power of darkness • Belief in and confession of the Word of God i.e. scriptures The church must give the subject of confession its significant role. “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession” Hebrews 3:1. Christianity is called our confession and in Hebrews 4:14 tells us to “hold fast our confession.” The old version reads ‘profession’ but the Greek means witnessing a confession of our lips. Confession is affirming something that we believe. It is testifying of something that we know. It is witnessing for a truth that we embraced. “You can confess that my womb is blessed with children like that Hannah, Elizabeth.” “My womb is blessed with twins like that of Rachael. I am not a barren woman.” “I hold on to the confession that I shall produce children and I shall be fruitful as

the vine and my children shall be like olive plants (Psalm 128:3-6 “3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. 4 Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.5 TheLord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. 6 Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel.”)” “The Lord shall reward me with the fruit of the womb (Psalm 127:3-5 “3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. 4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. 5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.”)” “Words are mighty things. By Words you are saved. By Words you are lost. The Bible is made up of Words. Words are thoughts put in garments so they can be commercially used and exchanged. Words invite deeds, actions. Words stir the world, thrilling nations, firing a people with ambition or sorrow. You and I are going out to sell and to buy and to work and we will be using words today. Let us use them as we would use gold, handle them as though they were diamonds. …. I said a sentence one day and it cost me three hundred dollars. I should not have said it” (E. W. Kenyon 1867 – 1948) Use the word of God. Once you quote the word, the demons bow and run away. Deliverance Ministers can attest to this. Confess scriptures on your womb that it is blessed with children, good health and fruitfulness. Declare the harsh words of God against evil powers attacking your womb and fruitfulness. Harsh words of divine anger like this: “Thus says the Lord God: Art thou of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them. “And it shall come to pass at the same time

when God shall come against the land of Israel saith the Lord God that my fury shall come up in my face for in my jealousy and in the form of my wrath have I spoken. “17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. 18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. 19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. 20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord God. 21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. 22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward. 23 And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword.”Ezekiel 39:17-23 (KJV) “9 I want the birds and animals to eat until they are full and drink until they are drunk. 20 They will come to my table and stuff themselves with the flesh of horses and warriors of every kind. I, the Lord God, have spoken.21 When I punish the nations of the earth, they will see the brightness of my glory. 22 The people of Israel will know from then on that I am the Lord their God. 23 Foreign nations will realize that the Israelites were forced to leave their own land because they sinned against me. I turned my back on my people and let enemies attack and kill them.” Ezekiel 39:19-23 (Contemporary English Version)

Declare, confess these words against the forces of darkness militating against your womb. Memorise it, mediate on them. • Aggressive Warfare Prayer using Diverse Weapons of Warfare in the armoury of God. There is tremendous power in prayer. If you can pray, you have nothing to fear. You will recover whatever the enemies have stolen from you. I recommend you do a lot of personal and corporate vigils. • 1 Kings 3:5,9,10 “5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. 9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? 10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.” God told Solomon to ask what He shall give him. You can ask God to do something positive about your womb. • Matthew 21:21 “21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.” Note: whatsoever ye ask in prayer, ye will receive. John 16:24 “24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” Philippians 4:6 “6 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” • You must have persevering faith. • Be part of our insightful fellowships at God’s Power in Action Evangelical Ministries, at the Bukha, Plot 268, Muri Okunola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. Call Pastor Isaac Adelugba for counseling.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Faith

The power of sonship Taming your Emotions Bishop

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

ut as many as received him, to them gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. John 1:12. In your walk with God, you need to know your placement and position. If not, you will give the devil opportunity to take undue advantage of you. If you don’t know where you are or what God has done by calling you his own, you will be robbed of your entitlements. Renew your mind every day about your position in God. There is no power to become anything except in the hands of God. When you receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour you are automatically given the power to become the son of God. You also become every other thing God has ordained you to become in life. God is the only one that gives the enablement to become anything in life. Don’t only receive Jesus as your Lord, but believe in his name, word and everything he stands for, doing this makes you a son and not a slave. Sonship has a lot of implications in every family. There is a modus operandi in every family. There is a certain level of liberty that you unconsciously operate in. If you are not born into a home, you are a

stranger; but in God we are not strangers. Due to the implications of sonship, the enemy will always want to put a question mark on the genuineness of your sonship. The devil places pressure on the area of your spiritual life, because the day you come to accept the fact that you are born of God, you begin to overcome. Sonship that is understood brings empowerment, boldness, a level of confidence that slaves and servants can never have in any home. But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, made under the law. To redeem them that was under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying Abba father. Therefore thou art no more a servant, but a son and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. God has adopted us through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Adoption is you having no seed of your own and then going to get a seed produced by another and legally bringing him into your own life. The provision of everything the child needs is done by you (Fatherly and Motherly). The child is no longer a member of that family and for the duration of that child’s life, you will be responsible for his upkeep (Emotionally, Spiritually, Physically). Adoption is not sin. God is the author and originator of adoption. You will not be a child of God if not for the process of adoption; God has made us his responsibility. We are not slaves anymore. Being an heir means everything that belongs to your father belongs to you. His inheritance is

Adoption is not sin. God is the author and originator of adoption. You will not be a child of God if not for the process of adoption

yours. Being an heir means a recipient of everything that your father has done. Jesus came so that God might recreate Himself in you and I. God recreated Himself in every one of us. When you see a child of God who is bold, confident and takes authority over every situations and circumstances, you see a person who understands his sonship position. The original Hebrew meaning of father is SOURCE, the source from which you came into existence. Fatherhood has a lot of implications. A father is one who is able to produce and take care of what he has produced. God was your father before you came into this world, he made all provisions available. In God, there is more than enough to make everyone a superstar in his/her right. God will show you your place, because there is a place for you in the family of God. As a son there are things that you carry. As one upon whom God has recreated Himself, you begin to act like your father. The same spirit that dwells in God dwells within us and testifies to the fact that God is our father. We need to understand that we carry power and authority.

The words of your mouth are filled with power, because it is not you talking but God. Be conscious of whom you are, and demons will bow at the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s not about how you look or how you feel, it’s about what you are carrying on the inside of you that gets the job done. Understand who you are, so that you won’t be intimidated. Once you understand your place as a son of God, ther will be testimonies everywhere you go. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now that we are the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that, for we shall see him as he is. And everyman that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. What picture do you have of God in your mind? If you want to experience the power of sonship, you have to be like God. Pursue Godliness, Godlikeness and purity because God is pure, there is no unrighteousness with him. Every righteous step you take gets you closer to the power of God; every step of purity you take brings you closer to the Grace of God. Never settle where you are now because there is a better place God has kept for you. Press on to the higher things of God. The power of your sonship takes you from one level of glory to the next. Everything that belongs to God belongs to you as a son. If the devil keeps his property with you he will always visit to find out what he has kept with you and how the property is faring.

Nuggets for wholesome deliverance Word of Life

Bishop

Moses Kattey

moseskattey@yahoo.co.uk

0808 770 7486

e have discovered that when the devil torments somebody, there are a number of things the devil does to the person to make it difficult for the person to recover when that devil leaves. This is the reason madness is not frequently cured by binding and loosing and by casting out the demons. Bareness is not just removed easily by binding and loosing or by casting out demons. Binding and Loosing is what I call Traditional Deliverance, where we shout fire-firefire-fire etc. There was a time my church was called by mockers Fire-fire-fire-fire because we were ministering the Deliverance the way it is normally done. That is the Traditional method. The effectiveness is low. What the devil does can be outlined as follows: 1. Make covenant with the person’s spirit never to go. 2. To ratify the covenant, gives a lot of properties to the person (the properties could be spiritual or physical and could also be sickness). 3. He can remove something from the person in case the person decides to break the covenant made knowingly or unknowingly, consciously or unconsciously, directly or indirectly. 1. The devil can bind such a person

and tie him or her down. 5. The devil can hide the person’s spirit or lock him up. 6. The devil could block the person way. 7. If an agent of the devil is involved (e.g. an enemy) and a sacrifice has been made or a curse sent, that could continue to work even if the devil leaves. 8. They could be many responsible things for the problem. Subsequent chapters will attempt to take each aspect in detail. You see, if you shout fire fire fire fire and bind the devil or loose the person by shouting and the devil goes, the problem is not onetenth solved. It might still be there. The new system of deliverance takes care of all those things mentioned above. If you do this effectively, there is no problem that cannot be solved in the presence of anointing. When somebody picks, make sure the devil speaking – reverses all he had done – from number one and start the process all again. What killed Lazarus? We now come to this question. If anybody picks, always command in Jesus Name to find out how these spirits came. Ask the following questions: • Are you from the water or from the land? • Why are you here? • What is your name? How many are you? • Who sent you? • What did he / she do to you? From questions like this you will know the cause/source of the problem. If you want to know about the past event, command who was responsible to appear and you will get the answer. You then find out whether it affects

If you shout fire fire fire fire and bind the devil or loose the person by shouting and the devil goes, the problem is not onetenth solved

others’ living, and if it is, command it in Jesus name to REVERSE. Please do not go into Deliverance yet until you have finished reading this book. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him saying this man began to build and was not able to finish (Luke 14:28 – 30). Or what King, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and take counsel whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks terms of peace (Luke 14:31 – 32). Standing for others in deliverance We treated the first two cases of mental problems and the people picked for themselves. You can agree with me that if you go to most mad people or demonized to cast out demons, there will be no response from the demons at all. Most of them do not pick, they instead harm you. It is good to open up

oneself to what God has to say about any particular issue. He has a solution to any problem. Problems are solutions are twins. They are always a pair. They go together. Problem and solution are only separated by ignorance, by time and sometimes baby sin. Once the barrier between a problem and solution is removed, the problem is solved. A woman was brought in such a condition that she was totally off – no response, no picking, nothing. Binding and loosing had no impact on her case. We did all we could to no avail. I called my wife and told her that I was confused and that I did not know what to do again. I left her, sat down on my arm chair and said: Holy Spirit, I am confused. What do I do? Immediately the answer shot into my heart. Use her younger sister. That means, let her sister stand for her. It is like I kneel down on behalf of my family for you to pray for us. I’ve learnt that if I ask the Holy Spirit a question, He answers immediately or thereafter. I know that He will answer. The answer, use her younger sister, came so clear and sure that I immediately knew the source and what it meant. I say what it meant because prior to this time, we have not used anybody to minister Deliverance for any other person, neither had it come into my mind. We had not heard of it, we had not seen it, we had not read of it nor been conscious of such a thing. Use her younger sister was to me like the Aha phenomenon like Eureka, the absolute solution to my confusion. In other words, if the woman that had the mental problem and is completely off could not pick, let her younger sister pick for her and all that could have happened if she had picked would still happen when one picks for her.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

Faith

21 strategies to overcome marital delay Relationships Rev. Solomon Ojigiri sowoojigiri@yahoo.com. everwining@wining.com.

08059203554/08023997277

e started looking at this topic a few weeks ago and we thank God for all the responses and questions from all the readers. We encourage you to continue to send your questions and observations to us. We have talked about the need for you to overcome tribalism and discrimination. Secondly, we have talked about the fact that you must learn to quit a wrong relationship on time. Today we are talking about responsibility, jealousy and the need for you to overcome the tendencies to be jealous or be over-possessive. BE RESPONSIBLE One of the greatest problems we have in our generation is that of irresponsibility. We would rather transfer blames on others or something else or give excuses than to accept responsibility. It causes delay in every area of our lives. God cannot continue to promote anyone who remains irresponsible. Every promotion, position, appointment confers greater responsibilities on us. The truth is that, many love the position, the titles and the authority but they run away from the responsibility. Somebody said, “Responsibility is the price of greatness.” Nothing perpetuates

stagnation or setback as irresponsibility. We need to become responsible if we must truly move forward in life. So many people want to get married but the question is that, are they prepared for the responsibility? There are many who are married today, they used to be very eager and excited about marriage before they got married but after getting married and having children, such people began to see their responsibilities as pressures. The first thing that God gave Adam in the Garden of Eden was not a wife but responsibility. Adam was given a job to do; to maintain and manage the garden. So many people erroneously think that the fall of Adam is the reason why we work today, but that is far from the truth or else our redemption by the blood of Jesus would have saved us from going to work. Also we discover that in God’s order of priority work comes before marriage. Until you become a responsible person, you are not set for a successful marriage or a successful life. Before we explain what responsibility is, it is good to give the definition of irresponsibility as defined by Dr. Myles Munroe (of blessed memory) “To be irresponsible means not answerable to authority, lacking a sense of accountability, thoughtless, undependable, unreliable, careless, lose, immoral, unpredictable, no commitment to anybody, wild, untrustworthy, or to transfer blame.” The truth of the situation in our generation is that many are running away from marriage because of the commitment. Some are merely looking for free sex but they do not like the commitment. But ladies must know that they are worth more than that. When you allow a man to

When you allow a man to have sex with you without commitment of marriage, you simply cheapen yourself have sex with you without commitment of marriage, you simply cheapen yourself for the man to use you and dump you. Love is not a mere feeling, love is a choice and love is commitments. If he truly loves you let him get committed, by taking you to the altar. To be responsible therefore means to be committed, to be accountable, to be answerable for our actions, to refuse to transfer blames or give excuses, to accept obligations. Just like Jesus Christ our perfect example said in John 9:4 “I must work the works of Him that sent me.” We must also accept obligations or duties and be ready to perform them. Nothing gets done until it becomes a must. We must stop the blame game that started right from the Garden of Eden with Adam who blamed his wife Eve and Eve in turn blamed the serpent. We must accept full responsibility for our actions and our behaivour. John Mason says: “A man who mastered the art of manufacturing excuses will not be able to manufacture anything else.” To give excuses is to accuse yourself. So many people today blame parents for their harvests, we blame teachers for our ignorance, we blame cancer on the tobacco company. We blame the government for our unemployment even though we could get something to do by ourselves. The Bible says, whatever our hands find to do, we should do it with all our might

(Eccl 9:10). So many women blame their depression on their husbands and some men sometimes blame their waywardness on their wives, black men blame the white for their predicament, the poor blame the rich for their poverty and suffering, criminals blame the society for their own behaivour and the sinner blames the hypocritical preacher for his damnation. A pastor was found with a charm but he blamed the church for the sin. God expected Adam to be responsible. Unfortunately Adam lost the garden to mismanagement. If you are not set for responsibility there is the tendency for you to mismanage the relationship. Whatever you mismanage will certainly be taken away from you. Another very important aspect is making your marriage work. Until you are prepared for responsibility, your marriage cannot work. Please understand that marriage does not work by itself, you have to make it work. Responsibility is responding to the demands of your desires and expectations. Shun the Doris Day Doctrine “Que sera sera” that is “What will be will be” and embrace the saying of the Earl of Nightingale “If it will be, it is up to me”. While some people think God has delayed them from having their wives and husbands, the truth is that God has been waiting for them to grow up and become responsible before He presents the right people to them. Before you think of marrying please ensure that you are ready to embrace responsibility with joy and excitements. You must not see your responsibility as a burden. Especially if you are a man, you need to know that marriage is a responsibility. •To be continue next week

Engaging the wonders in the word The Voice of Dominion by

Bishop David Oyedepo

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eptember is here again! For us, it shall be a month of strange miracles, signs and wonders to remember in the precious name of Jesus! God’s Word is pregnant with wonders. However, until we believe what the Word says about us, God is not committed to perform it (Luke 1:45; see also Genesis 13:14-15; Deuteronomy 28:1-13; Psalms 119:18). Again, it is important to know that the Kingdom of God is governed by mysteries, through which we command mastery over life’s situations and circumstances. However, we must understand that mysteries are divine revelations from scriptures that are wrapped up in biblical simplicities. That is why Jesus, while explaining the Parable Of The Sower to his disciples, said: …Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God (Luke 8:10-11; Mark 4:11; Ephesians 3:1-5; Colossians 1:25-27; 2 Corinthians 11:3). In other words, God’s Words are mysteries that we operate to gain mastery over life situations. However, we must receive, believe and put them to work before the wonders therein can be delivered (James

1:22). Again, it is written: Meditate upon these things (God’s Word); give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all (1 Timothy 4:15). “Profiting” in the above scripture means wonders. It is important to know that Christianity will remain an adventure in frustration without commitment to Word practice. This is because only the Word we put to work guarantees profitable living (Wonders), not the one we preach or reverence (James 1:25). But, what are these wonders embedded in God’s Word? First, we must understand that God’s Word is not just full of revelations, but also of spiritual pictures. This is because the Word of God is a spiritual mirror that shows us who we are, what we are worth and what we can do (James 1:23-25). When we catch a glimpse of who God says we are from the mirror/glass of scripture and practice same, we are guaranteed profitable living in Christ Jesus. That is why the Bible says: Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place (2 Corinthians 2:14). Based on the above scripture, one of the wonders embedded in the Word is triumphant living. That means when we access revelation (knowledge) from God’s Word, we are divinely illuminated and empowered to triumph over every challenging situation of life. Let us examine scriptural pictures that validate our triumphant destiny in Christ Jesus. • At redemption, there was a change of position: When Jesus rose from the dead, every redeemed child of God became a part of His resurrection and

is seated with Jesus in heavenly places, far above principalities and powers (Ephesians 1:20-21; 2:6). Thus, by redemption, we are above the realms where principalities and powers torment people. When we catch the picture of our new position in Christ from scriptures, our confidence in God and in confronting the powers of darkness, is enhanced (Colossians 1:13; Psalms 119:130). • Jesus is the Stone in Zion: From scriptures, we understand that Jesus is the Chief Corner Stone and every believer is sent after the same order (Ephesians 2:20; Matthew 21:42, 44). That means by redemption, we are also made lively stones and as such, we are turned into rocks of offense. Thus, anyone who dares to stop us shall be broken to pieces and those we confront, shall be grinded to powder (John 20:21; 1 Peter 2:5). We also understand from scripture that Jesus is the living Word of God. That means the Word of God is the Stone in Zion. When we operate in that revelation, the Word turns us into rocks of offense in Zion. • God is a consuming fire: From scriptures, we understand that our God is a consuming fire. We also understand that God’s Word, is God in print. This helps us to understand that God’s Word is a consuming fire that has unlimited capacity to destroy all forms of evil stubbles on our paths (Deuteronomy 4:24; Hebrews 12:29; Daniel 3:17-28; Jeremiah 23:29). • We are turned to spiritual “illuminants”: By revelation from God’s Word, we are turned into spiritual “illuminants” and thus empowered to dominate the powers of darkness. For instance, when

we turn on the light in a dark room, darkness disappears automatically. Similarly, when we walk in the reality of God’s picture for us from scriptures, we triumph over the powers of darkness, cheaply (John 1:1-5, 9; Isaiah 60:1-3, 8, 22). However, it is not enough to recognize the wonders in God’s Word; we must identify the channels of impartation that guarantee our triumphant destiny in redemption. What, then, are the Channels through which scriptural wonders flow? • Prophetic proclamations: The Bible says: Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy… (1 Timothy 4:14; Hosea 12:13). • Laying on of hands: We can experience impartation of grace and transference of spirits via laying on of hands (2 Timothy 1:6-7). • Through the prophetic mantle: God’s prophets do not only carry the anointing on their bodies but it also overflows to their garments (Psalms 45:8; Matthew 14:35-36). However, to access the flow of wonders in God’s Word through the mantle, we must engage the following: • Believe in God’s prophet (Matthew 10:42). • Believe that the prophet is sent to us for a change of story (Luke 4:25-27). • We must believe that the prophet occupies a higher place than we do in God: Remember, water never flows uphill but downhill (Psalms 133:1-3; Hebrews 7:7). When we submit ourselves to these demands, we tap into the flow of virtue through the prophetic mantle of God’s anointed prophet.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Faith

Why miracles are important – Cleric

What is your area in the ministry? In our church we review Christ as the new creation. Our ministry is about new creation reality. Here, we are concerned about people getting to know who they are, what they are, what they have and what they can do in Christ Jesus. We are concerned with the identity, the inheritance and the ability of the man. We are concerned about making people God-like and fearless. Because we have come to understand that most of the decay in the society, and in man’s life is caused by fear, even the corruption that has eaten deep into the fabrics of man is as a result of fear. Sin is as a result of fear. Every problem man faces is as a result of fear. So, if fear is conquered, there is no problem with mankind, man can live and what in righteousness with Christ Jesus. That is precisely what we do here, we preach faith. We strive to make the ministry a transformer that electrifies Christ in the heart of anyone that comes across us. At our Over comers Day, we celebrate the mandate our ministry and it is always characterised with miracles, signs and wonders. We seize the occasion to break through the shackles of darkness and convert agonies of hell into the bliss of heaven. Besides that, we have in October, the International Faith Conference, which has been billed for Asaba, Delta State. The occasion is bound to change participants’ perception on the light of God’s love. Though many churches exist in Nigeria, crime is on the increase. What is your take on this? My concern! I don’t see the churches but I see the gospel. I am glad that the gospel is everywhere. Would I have been happier if there were more bad and gigantic houses everywhere? Would I have been happier if there were more brothels and chalets everywhere than they are of the House of God? So, I am happy that the gospel, which started with 12 unknown men 2000 years ago, now has many known men preaching it in their churches. So I glad that I am seeing the positive side of what you tagged proliferation of churches. The churches you see here and there are the manifestation and glorification of the reign of God on earth. So, I am glad that Jesus is being preached everywhere, in every nook and cranny. Nowadays, many pastors are preaching prosperity. They appear to be only concerned about the monetary gains. What is your reaction to that? Nothing is wrong with the gospel of prosperity. The issues at hand sic! I mean the problem people have is their inability to grapple with the interpretation of the concept or the word ‘prosperity.’ Our understanding of the word is myopic. The Scripture says, ‘My people perish for lack of knowledge.’ Going by its dictionary meaning, the word prosperity means a state of well-being, to be whole, to be alright and to be complete. Is it bad therefore for a man of God to tell somebody ‘be alright’ or ‘it is well’ or ‘you have been made whole.’ Jesus said which is easier to say ‘take up People want to be alright, complete and be made whole - that is the prosperity gospel I know about and that is the gospel people should hear. But the mistake some people make at times is to think that a man of God will ask you to empty your pockets or savings for the sake of the gospel. The Scripture says, ‘I wish above all things, that, thou mayest proper as l am or come to prosperity.’ God has vowed to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory – so that we may be alright, complete, whole, lacking nothing. The gospel of prosperity is even more significant to our present-day dwindling economy, and the economic system of the entire world because of its healing balm. If it is misinterpreted, then we have the issue to grapple with. But if it is preached as gospel’s

General Overseer of Salvation Gospel Mission International, Pastor Sam Agbamuche, says the proliferation of churches is a positive development. He spoke with DOMINIC ADEWOLE I love miracles! I have seen God doing many signs and wonders beyond human imagination. I have seen God doing different kinds of things. Miracles are a practical proof of God’s mandate. If there is no supernatural, then there is no God. There must be miracles to make us know that God exists. The practical proof of divine call is miracles. There must be miracles for man to believe that God sends you. If a man sends you a message, there must be the sign of a man, so also if God sends you a message, there must be a practical proof from Him. No man taketh this honour upon himself. When God sent Moses on an errand, he asked for a proof and God gave him a practical proof. He told him to deep his hand into his pocket, Moses did so and received his miracle. So, miracles confirm that your calling is from God. If God calls you, He equips you. Miracles are the practical proof of such call.

Agbamuche prosperity, then it is no longer the gospel of prosperity that is supposed to be a blessing to the followers of Christ that I know about. Nigeria parades many churches, yet we are not moving forward. Where do you think we got it wrong as a nation? The problem with Nigerians is that we are not patriotic. Nigerians are impatient. How old is Nigeria that we begin to compare the country with other nations, with some countries that have put up several decades of independence? A child that is born today will not just start crawling or walking. Our democracy is still very young. Let us nurture it. Nigeria’s democracy had been adjudged as one of the healthiest democracies across the world. It is a matter of time; Nigeria will celebrate its democracy. We have not got it wrong; we are in our

learning and crawling stage. We will soon walk talk among our equals. How has the issue of gay marriage affected the church in Nigeria? It is not a burning issue. It is settled in God’s word and in heaven. It would have been a burning issue in Nigeria if our constitution had failed to rule it out but it has rightly ruled it out. So, it is not fashionable in Nigeria. In some other countries, it may be a burning issue because it touches on their very existence as a nation. Our government understands the politics behind it and has taken a right stand on it. So, as it was in the beginning when God made them male and female, so it is in Nigeria. Miracles, signs, wonders and magic, any corollary?

How I served 50 years on the pulpit - Ugwu

he Golden Jubilee celebration of the General Overseer of Glorious Believers Church Worldwide, Pastor James Ugwu, which was held at the church headquarters on August 9, 2015, brought together all its members from various branches. The cleric, who gave glory to God for how he had fared all through the years, said: “My life’s journey, which is full of travails, is the high point going into this celebration of my golden jubilee on the pulpit.” Addressing members of his church during the event, he said, “As God would have it, both of us were saved and rescued from twin killing in my hometown. Escaping that fate, to me, was an act of God; hence the decision to embrace the gospel in order to take the good news to all mankind and to further prove that every child born in the world is a gift from God and must be allowed to fulfil its God-given potential.” Speaking further, he said, “God delivered me from an accident in 1988, which would have resulted in the death of almost 50 people. The bus we were travelling in somersaulted more than three times and almost fell into a pit. But God stopped it through the prayer of people in the bus. “I was struck with pile, but was healed in 1996. Then in 2004, I went into a coma for nine days. It began when I was in the church with two of my members. Three occultic women came looking for the pastor of

the church, invariably for him to be killed. Not knowing I was the one, they left. Immediately they left, I started feeling dizzy and having a headache. I managed to drive home, leaving my wife and others behind in the church. That was the last event I recollected for nine days, meaning that I went into a coma for nine days, but God brought me back to live miraculously. “I was also struck with diabetes in 2013. God healed me of that too, I can now eat even what I’m asked to avoid. In all this, I have no regret about life because ‘all things worketh together for good to them that love God.’ God has been merciful to me right from my birth, my twin brother and I are alive. In fact I now have two grandsons.”

Ugwu

Church holds ‘Children Day’ celebration Edwin Usoboh

child is expected to be a better version of his or her parent. Your child represents the future generation. Therefore losing your child is losing your future, and gaining your child is gaining the future. It is important that you invest in your children because the greatest legacy you can give them is God and education. Last Sunday, the children of Behold He Cometh Pentecostal Church located at Ajah, Lagos State celebrated ‘Children’s Day.’ The children took turns to recite difference verses of the Bible to the excitement of the congregation. The head pastor of Behold He Cometh Pentecostal Church, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Uchechi Agwu, in his sermon applauded the parents for the Godly training of their children. He reminded them of the Bible passage, Proverb 22v6, which states “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” He said the verse should always be their guide when it comes to the upbringing of children. He also noted that Christianity has left the main aim behind and now preaches the shuffle. He urged Christians to live up to their calling as believers. “Churches don’t know which one to follow anymore. Most pastors preach prosperity instead of salvation because that is what the world and the people want to hear. People may compromise but Jesus will never compromise. When we worship Him, everything you think is impossible will become possible. God does that because of His faithfulness and greatness. “Today, some people will tell you they are travelling to Kaduna, Kano for deliverance; they will go and eat, drink and even collect more from innocent people. If God is omnipresence, omniscience you don’t need to travel to anywhere for deliverance. “The word ‘deliverance’ means when we are in sin and somebody comes to deliver us, we don’t need to travel abroad to deliver anybody.” The children in their message thanked their Sunday school teacher, Mrs. Blessing Kanu, and also appealed to parents to encourage them to serve God.

SundayBusiness SUNDAY

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER, 6, 2015

News

Abuja Centenary City: Virgin city enmeshed in controversy

p.48

National carrier: Sticky idea that won’t go away

Paul Ogbuokiri

Brands NANTS lauds new AfDB boss p.50

News

Nigeria is one of world’s worst business destinations — WB p.49

Paul Ogbuokiri Head, Business paulogbuokiri@newtelegraph online.com

pparently to restore Nigeria’s past glories when the defunct Nigeria Airways used to be the pride of Africa’s largest economy, President Muhammadu Buhari recently directed the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Aviation, Hajia Binta Bello, to commence the process of resuscitating the Nigerian national carrier. The President gave the directive after he was briefed on the activities of the ministry by the permanent secretary at the State House, Abuja. Since then, the issue has generated much interest in aviation circles and among members of the public generally. References were often made to swinging fortunes of the defunct Nigerian Airways, a viable national carrier but beset with multi-dimensional problems. It could not overcome these problems until it finally went under in 2003, amidst protracted operational weaknesses, chief of which was corporate insolvency. At the time it was grounded, it was burdened with a debt of over $60 million, and a fleet of three aircraft from the high level of 32. Records available to Sunday Telegraph show that airline business is capital-intensive. This leaves most international carriers with huge operating costs and low profit margins year in year out. Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group with 400 companies under its control, told the British media recently that he was richer before going into the airline business. Little wonder, the globally known business mogul is having very little to associate with whenever Virgin Airline is mentioned. Reacting to the move to resuscitate the national airline, President, Skyjet Aviation Services, Dr. Kashim Shettima, called for caution, saying establishing a new national airline might not be in the interest of the country. “In my own opinion, I think the President needs to be properly briefed about what the current situation is. He needs to hear the truth and nothing but the truth. There should be a stakeholders’ meeting with the President where they will meet face to face with industry players such as unions, airline operators and so on. “Does the President know the cost of running an airline now? Does he know that the national carrier will have to be given subsidy from time to time? Why do we have to re-invent what happened to Nigeria Airways? The President needs to have a forensic audit of why Nigerian airlines are debt-ridden before venturing into the business. “I hope it is going to be business because aviation is nothing but business.

Why do we have to re-invent what happened to Nigeria Airways? The President needs to have a forensic audit of why Nigerian airlines are debt-ridden before venturing into the business

Binta Saidu

This might be a nightmare. In as much as this is a good dream, sentiments must not replace reality like what we have currently in Nigerian aviation,” Shettima told journalists recently. Kingsley Chima, an aviation analyst, spoke in the same vein: “Before this decision/directive, have we done a thorough autopsy on the reasons that led to the death of Nigeria Airways? The idea of a national carrier is going out of fashion in this industry as it has been demonstrated in many quarters. “National carriers succeed in countries where corruption is tightly managed. When government starts appointing directors and they start awarding white elephant/juicy contracts, the airline will gasp for breath and die,” he said. Chima further said at a recent seminar that what Nigeria needs is only a competitive national carrier if and only if “we

make our airports efficient and effective. This will make transit facilitation a good experience. Government’s involvement must not be beyond 25 per cent share. Technical partners own about 15 per cent and an institutional investor should take the rest,” he said. He added: “It is very simple. Until there is a fundamental attitudinal change towards what belongs to government whatever is set up as a Nigerian government airline will go the same way as the old airline. As long as I’ve yet to see any concrete effort towards that change, I will advise President Muhammadu Buhari not to rush into it. In his last interview on Nigeria Television Authority, he admitted that the stealing of the nation’s crude oil was still going on under his administration.” President of Aviation Round Table, Elder Gabriel Olowo, also condemned the idea. He warned against the idea of instituting another monopoly in the aviation sector. He said, “Nigeria has succeeded in breaking government monopoly with their numerous deficiencies in banking, oil, telecoms and lately in power. It should not stay in aviation. This same attempt failed woefully under the Obasanjo Administration when Virgin Nigeria had some preferential advantages over and above other operators,” he said. Sunday Telegraph learnt that Kenya Airline (one of the best managed airlines in Africa) is facing a turbulent time after recurring losses stoked by spiraling operating costs. This has left the management of the airline begging its government for fresh injection of capital.

Business News

Abuja Centenary

A commemorative project endorsed by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to celebrate Nigeria’s 100 years of nationhood

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Abuja Centenary City: Virgin city enmeshed in controversy

Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

novel idea conceived to add to the uniqueness of Abuja as Nigeria’s city within a mega city, the Abuja Centenary City Project, by the intents and purposes of its promoters is designed to be a replica of the architectural wonders of Dubai on Nigerian soil. Rich in facilities and modern technologies, the 25-hectare project located about 30 minutes drive from Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, is a joint venture of the Federal Government and Eagle Hills, a Dubai-based firm specialising in the development, creation and reinvigoration of urban centers. A commemorative project endorsed by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to celebrate Nigeria’s 100 years of nationhood, the entire project is estimated to cost about $180.6 billion and with a completion period of 10 years. The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) is the government proxy eye in the project. The immediate past SGF, Chief Pius Anyim, was government’s eye designated to monitor the project’s progress. The city represents a revolutionary approach to urbanisation in Africa and champions the private sector’s role in projects of significant magnitude. The project has a lifespan. By the end of its planned five-year development cycle, the extra economic mileage the Nigerian economy stands to reap from the multibillion dollar centenary project includes the creation of over 50,000 construction jobs and 5,000 permanent well-paying jobs. The city is planned for a residential population of about 100,000 people but equally designed to host about 500,000 visitors daily. In addition, the city is envisaged to promote world-class multinational and domestic businesses and contribute substantially to Nigeria’s economic growth. The above narrative conjures a mere fantasy of a new city in Abuja metropolis. Curiously, another leg of the Abuja Centenary City story - the unimpressive angle which almost cast fraudulent aspersions to the project - was added last week. In the newest narrative as told by a prominent Nigerian and National Vice Chairman (South-South) of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, he allegedly called to question the role played by the former SGF. Ojougboh had dragged Anyim before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the multi-billion dollar Centenary City project. In a petition dated July 21, 2015 and addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, the PDP chieftain called on the President to, as a matter of urgency, probe Anyim over his handling of the ACC. He added that Jonathan was not properly briefed about the project before he appended his signature on the ACC documents. Addressing the media recently in Abuja, Ojougboh said: “The former president thought that the centenary city project was for the good of all Nigerians because of the centenary spirit. But unknown to him, it was the private project of the former SGF and his cohorts. Yes, the former President signed the papers as presented to him by the former SGF. “He was not properly briefed because of vested interests. I can defend him; he

was not part of the fraud. If Jonathan had been properly briefed, he would not have approved the project, let alone talk of going to perform the ground breaking of the project. I am calling on President Buhari now to revisit the centenary project and he will be shocked at the findings that the project was owned by private individuals but procured with government funds.” He also accused Anyim, a former president of the Senate, of some other infractions in collaboration with the sponsors of the project covering over 1,500 hectares of land in the Federal Capital City, Abuja.

He stated that the size of the land was equal to Maitama, Asokoro and Guzape districts put together. Anyim fired back and defended his actions, even as he proceeded to drag Ojougboh to court. Speaking to journalists on the development, Senator Anyim’s media aide, Sam Nwaboisi, said, “Senator Anyim has gone to court to sue him for defamation of character on the previous press conference and interviews that he (Ojougboh) granted, in which he has accused him (Anyim) of almost all these things he is

saying now.” However, the latest development is that the President has endorsed the project. The President did so when he received board members of the centenary project board at the State House. Responding to Buhari’s decision to continue with the project, 14 civil society organisations, including the Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency, described the decision as a sign that the current administration may not abandon projects as had been speculated in the past. At a press conference in Abuja, the groups said truncating the $180.5bn project would have had serious consequences for the economy. They said it would have also created credibility problems for the country as foreign investors would have concluded that Nigeria has no culture of honouring agreements. Executive Coordinator of the Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency, Ikpa Isaac, who briefed journalists on behalf of the other groups, commended Buhari for approving the project initiated by his predecessor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, despite efforts by a few individuals to allegedly confuse the issue for selfish interests. “We are particularly pleased at Mr. President’s endorsement of this project which is projected to create about 250,000 direct jobs in the Federal Capital Territory and about half a million indirect jobs. This potential to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs for our teeming youths has always made this project of interest to us. “We see this step as a clear testimony to the readiness of President Buhari to continue with projects that have a direct impact on the citizenry. We appeal that he looks dispassionately and critically into other inherited programmes of the past administration, with a view to further expanding those that will create additional employment for the youths,” Isaac said. In days to come, the city might become Nigeria’s replica of Dubai.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

Business News

Paul Ogbuokiri espite improving five steps on its ranking last year, Nigeria emerged one of the worst business destinations; the 2015 World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking has showed. Nigeria ranked 170 among 189 economies covered in the 2015 edition, released this week. The improvement, which showed a 3.61 per cent improvement from 43.72 per cent points in 2014 to 47.33 per cent points in 2015, reflected the country’s movement from the 175th position in 2014 to its current this year. In sub-Saharan Africa, the report showed that Nigeria ranked 36 out of 47, barely above other struggling economies like Zimbabwe, Liberia, Mauritania, Congo Republic, Guinea Bissau, Angola, Congo Democratic Republic, Chad, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Eritrea. The thrust of the report showed that entrepreneurs in 123 economies saw improvements in their local regulatory framework in 2014. Between June 2013 and June 2014, the report documented 230 business reforms, with 145 reforms aimed at reducing the complexity and cost of complying with business regulation. About 85 reforms aimed at strengthening legal institutions – with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for the largest number of such reforms, took place during the year. The report identified Tajikistan, Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Azerbaijan, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates as the economies that improved the most during the year in areas tracked by Doing Business. These 10 top improving economies, the report noted, had implemented 40 regulatory reforms making it easier to do business in their respective environments. The case studies highlighted good practices in eight of the areas measured by Doing Business indicators. These included the growing efficiency of company registries in starting a business; zoning and urban planning in dealing with construction permits; measuring quality of land administration in registering property, and importance of registries in getting credit. It also included going beyond related-party transactions in protecting minority investors; trends before and after the financial crisis in paying taxes; judicial efficiency supporting freedom of contract in enforcing contracts; and measuring strength of insolvency laws in resolving insolvency. Out of 189 economies, Nigeria improved by nine steps from 138 in 2014 to 129 in 2015 in the starting business, while dropping three places in dealing with construction permits category, declining from the 168 ranking to 171. The country’ best performance, the report showed, was in getting credit to start business, rising 73 spots from the 125 ranking in 2014 to 52 in the current report. Although the country did not record any change in her 2014 ranking in terms of registering property and trading across borders, the country slipped marginally by two spots in her ranking on paying taxes and resolving insolvency – 177 to 179, and 129 to 131 positions respectively. The country also dropped one step each in terms of protecting minority investors (dropping from 61 to 60 position), and enforcing contracts (from 139 to 140). Details of the report showed that to register a company name in the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, and pay the mandatory fees at the CAC bank desk, a fresh businessman required a minimum of 11 days. It would, however, take a week to prepare the requisite incorporation documents and stamp duty for the company’s Memorandum and Article of Association. Similarly, the report said it would take an average of five days to complete the reservation of a unique company name at the CAC

Nigeria is one of world’s worst business destinations — WB

L-R: Managing Director/CEO, Fidelity Bank Plc, Nnamdi Okonkwo; Chairman, Chief Christopher Eze; Executive Director, Shared Services, Mrs. Chijioke Ugochukwu and longest serving male staff, Mr. Peter Maison, during the unveiling of the bank’s New Identity Logo in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

after the payment for the mandatory application fees. To get the declaration of compliance (Form CAC 4) signed before a Commissioner for Oaths or notary public, a businessman would have to wait for a whole day. It would take the same duration to attempt

to make a company seal and registration of a business premises with the Lagos state government, for instance, as well as pay the business premises levy at designated bank. To register for income tax and the value added tax at the Federal Inland Revenue Ser-

Airtel, Wari partner on financial inclusion

s part of its contribution towards the Federal Government’s efforts to deepen financial inclusion in the country, leading telecoms operator, Airtel Nigeria, has collaborated with payment solution provider, Wari, to provide an innovative payment platform for Nigerians. Designed as a convenient and easy-touse payment solution, Wari allows users to make payment for goods and services, buy airtime, pay bills, deposit cash and make withdrawals within the country or outside. Wari can also be used to transfer money and remit through accredited agents across Nigeria, and the service is available to anyone irrespective of whether they are account holders or not. Speaking on the innovative service, Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Maurice Newa described Airtel’s partnership with Wari as a collaboration of two forwardthinking brands, coming together to offer accessible and convenient payment service to millions of Nigerians, helping them carry out their day-to-day transactions seamlessly. “‘Wari is designed to meet the needs of Nigerians, including the banked and unbanked; everyone who needs to make or receive payment for good and services. It also reduces the risk of carrying cash while travelling since you can deposit and withdraw at your destination through Wari

agents whether within the country or outside Nigeria,” Newa noted. In his own remarks, Country Manager, Wari Nigeria, Mr. Damilola Bamiro, said the partnership would strengthen Wari’s local presence in all the local governments in Nigeria. This strategic plan will greatly increase access to financial services of the various institutions especially to the unbanked.He said, “Wari as an African grown agent network has always ensured the best user experience, taking into consideration all local peculiarities and cultures. This, it has done in its 23 countries of presence.” As part of the partnership, Airtel Nigeria is expected to identify potential Wari agents across the country for the purpose of providing the product and services. To start using the Wari, Airtel subscribers and non-subscribers can visit any designated Wari agent in their locality and request for the services, the agent will then facilitate the specific transaction on behalf of the customer. Both customers and Wari agents will receive alerts as confirmation of the transaction carried out. Wari is a payment solution company with presence in 23 African countries and in partnership with licensed commercial banks in Nigeria to drive merchant payments through Wari platform under the brand name ‘Wari.’

vice the report said the businessman would require a minimum of four days, while it would take about two days to register for personal income tax pay as you earn, PAYE, at the state tax office.

Sprite inspires teens to explore new boundaries

prite, a leading lemon-lime flavoured sparkling soft drink produced by Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, has restated its commitment to supporting Nigeria’s Rap industry through support of platforms that promote true self-expression. The popular beverage brand expressed this at the Sprite-sponsored Silverbird Rhythm Freestyle Fury challenge, which held recently in the Rhythm FM Studios at the Silverbird Galleria, Victoria Island, Lagos. Speaking at the event, Senior Brand Manager, Flavours, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Toyin Nnodi, remarked that Nigeria’s rap industry is a thriving industry that allows for self-expression among Nigerian youths, especially Teens. Nnodi said “Rap has become an incredibly powerful tool for expression of ideas and emotions among Nigerian Teens who naturally are edgy and seek to explore new boundaries. Sprite is excited to support events like these which encourage Teens to express themselves.” She emphasised that Sprite stimulates out-of-the-box thinking and recognizes the creativity and ingenuity embedded in the average Nigerian youth. “Sprite stands for the attitude, edginess and swag of the urbane youth, and therefore encourages them to obey their passions,” Nnodi noted.

Natures Gentle Touch supports basic education for Nigerian children

ersonal style brand, Natures Gentle Touch has given its support to Basic Education for Nigerian children at a seminar organized by Basic Education Africa (BEAfrica) in partnership with the Jackson Family Foundation. The seminar themed ‘’ Make that Change’’ highlighted the importance of quality basic education for Nigerian children and the challenges facing its implementation. While making a presentation at the event, Natures Gentle Touch Brand Manager, Mrs. Toyin Adepegba, stated that education is the way out of poverty. She said that basic education should be encouraged for every child,

stressing that parents, teachers, the government, individuals and private organizations have roles to play in ensuring that every Nigerian child gets the basic education needed to foster their career of choice. “I want to use this opportunity to congratulate BEAfrica for coming up with this great initiative, which I believe has brought to light what is currently being experienced in the educational sector. It is an initiative that will get more people involved, especially private organizations. It is a great honor to be part of this event and to join our voices with the world to secure the future of our children and Africa at large” she said.

The seminar is aimed at creating a platform for key stakeholders of basic education in Nigeria to exchange ideas on key issues that affect its full implementation and offer solutions on the way forward. In her opening remarks, Founder/Chair of BEAfrica, Ms Abimbola Okoya noted that the seminar is one of the non-profit organization’s advocacy tools to promote quality basic education in Nigeria. This is achieved through a public discourse on the current state of education in Nigeria, the factors contributing to non-education of the Nigerian child and the need for a sustainable positive change in the education sector at large.

SUNDAY

Markets&Malls SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

Traders turn mega shops complex into residences Stanley Ihedigbo

any Lagos traders who rented shops at some of the mega shopping plazas in the metropolis now sleep in their shops, Sunday Telegraph has learnt. They claim that they were forced to do so as a result of the exorbitant cost of renting the shops which often leaves traders with nothing to pay for residential apartments. Some of the traders said that after paying for the shops, they were left with nothing. They said they prefer to pay for shops first as their source of livelihood. Speaking on the development, a trader, Mr. Kingsley Uche, said that living in the shop was not something he planned for. He said he used all his savings to pay for the shop, adding that this left him with nothing was left for him to rent an apartment. He described the cost of renting shops as too exorbitant, saying it will take several years before a trader can recoup the investment on shops. Uche called on the state government to look into the matter, with a view to reviewing it downward. Sunday Telegraph, however, learnt from the Lagos State Market Board that the state government has nothing to do with markets in the state. Rather, the councils and the private investors are in charge of the market’s shops.

NANTS lauds new AfDB boss

ational Association of Nigerian Traders has congratulated former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, on his assumption of duty as the new president of the African Development Bank (AfDB). A statement by the association’s national president, Ken Ukoha, lauded the team work between former President Goodluck Jonathan and President Muhammadu Buhari which was largely attributable to Adesina’s successful election. He said Adesina had brought honour to Nigeria, being the first citizen to hold the position since the bank was established in 1966.

NANTS added that it was indeed not a surprise that Adesina emerged as the president of the bank as his antecedents spoke glowingly in his favour. “Dr. Adesina, who trained as an agricultural economist and graduate of Purdue University (USA) and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife (Nigeria) demonstrated unequal transformation of the Nigerian agricultural sector. “He will always be remembered especially for his input in the sector which he revolutionised with the innovative e-wallet system where fertilisers and other inputs now get directly to real farmers. This was a departure from the corrupt-ridden regime of subsidy application that had been prac-

tised over the years,” the association said. The association noted that Adesina brought in a commercial approach to farming in the country and changed the mindset of Nigerian farmers towards agriculture. “Dr. Adesina’s approach to farming boosted the domestic production of rice with the introduction of dry-season faming. His leadership in the transformation of Nigeria’s agriculture and his valuable achievements in the field of agricultural research for development in Africa are examples of commitments which NANTS believes have earned him this honour, and truly becomes a challenge to others that may be coming behind him,” the group said.

Dubai opens new shopping mall

ajid Al Futtaim has opened its sixth City Centre mall in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and 12th in the region at a cost of Dh275 million featuring 53 retail outlets. Located in Me’aisem area of International Media Production Zone (IMPZ) in Dubai, City Centre Me’aisem would cater for an anticipated four million visitors in its first year and more than 11 surrounding communities. The mall also houses the UAE’s 22nd Carrefour hypermarket, the 19th Magic Planet in the Middle East and a range of fashion and lifestyle brands such as Centrepoint, H&M, Max and Sun & Sand Sports and Patchi. Some brands would also be making their debut in the UAE like 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria, Cath Kidston and GRK Fresh Greek. The new mall would also be home to Majid Al Futtaim’s second City Centre Clinic in Dubai, offering complimentary GP and pediatric consultations in the first two weeks of opening. Connected to two of Dubai’s major highways, the mall would serve several residential areas and communities such as Victory Heights, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Jumeirah Village Circle, Jumeirah Village Triangle, Motor City, Sports City, Emirates Living, Jebel Ali Race Course, Barsha South, Dubai Investment Park and Arabian Ranches, representing approximately 105,000 residents. City Centre Me’aisem was built on 325,000 square feet, comprising 23,850 square metres of Gross Leasable Area and is spread on a 1-level mall featuring contemporary world-class design, sustainability measures, accessibility and premium finish.

Trading anyhow.

PHOTO:SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Konga to host SMEs’ summit

igeria’s leading online marketplace, Konga, will hold the Biggest Summit for SME Business Owners. The 2015 Seller Summit tagged, ‘The New Marketplace: Tapping into the Ecosystem’ is targeted at its sellers and other small and medium scale enterprises in Nigeria. The business summit for SMEs is meant to sensitise business owners on the need to constantly adapt their business strategy and channels to ensure they stay relevant in today’s market and that their business is well positioned to enjoy continued business growth. The 2015 Seller Summit would feature A-list speakers that are the most sought after business experts, successful entrepreneurs, CEOs of top corporations and indigenous companies and financial experts from different sectors. These speakers will discuss breakthrough models in business management, branding, logistics management, inventory management to mention a few. Speakers and panelists at the Seller Summit will include Troyka Holdings Limited; Juliet Ehimuan, Country Manager Google Nigeria; Ebi Atawodi, General Manager Uber Lagos; Steve Babaeko, Chief Executive Officer of X3M

Ideas; Erica Ayenuro, Managing Director of CCSP Nigeria; Kabir Shagaya, CEO, Zippy Logistics; Mohamed Fouani, Managing Director, Fouani Nigeria Limited (LG); Randy Buday, MD Anglophone Africa, DHL; Eghosa Omoigui, Founder and Managing General Partner of EchoVC Partners; Opeyemi Awoyemi, Co-Founder of Jobberman to men-

tion a few. The summit is open to both sellers on Konga’s marketplace as well as other current or prospective business owners. The summit, according to Konga’s Head of PR, Olatomiwa Akande, is in furtherance of Konga’s vision ‘To Be the Engine of Trade and Commerce in Africa.’

Chinese traders agree to stop imitating Kano local dyers’ products

ano State dyers’ association, popularly known as Masu Rini Progressive Association (MARIPA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese traders on the protection of their century-old handcraft. The local dyers and Chinese traders have been on collision course over the “invasion” of their trade by the later, a situation that led to a series of protest by the over 30,000 dyers in the state. But a statement by the secretary general of the association, Yakubu Ishaq, said the Chinese traders in the state have agreed to stop imitating the local dyers’ products in

order not to make the local products less attractive to buyers. “Henceforth, the Chinese will no longer under whatever guise import imitated products of the Kano dyers,” said the statement. Mr. Ishaq said the MOU, which was signed at the office of the state commissioner for Commerce, Trade and Investment, Rabiu Bako, would help preserve a trade the city of Kano prides itself on centuries ago. With this development, the secretary general said normalcy and progress of both parties was in sight.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

Business News

From hall of fame to fall of shame Success Nuggets Victor Okwudiri 08037674300 (SMS only)

onourable Mike was an enigma. From a humble background, his rise from oblivion to the pavilion of political relevance was meteoric. From his secondary school days, he told whoever cared to listen that he will become the Governor of his state. That was his dream, and he pursued it with such brutality of focus that not even women were a distraction to him. His only weakness, however, was his love for money. He could do almost anything for money, except robbery and killing. Given his passion for and involvement in politics, soon after his National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) exercise, he was appointed Special Assistant on Political Matters to the Governor of his state. That was his spring board. Some years later, he became an elected member of the federal parliament. Having displayed traits of political sagacity and intellectual profundity, his party, which was the party in power, prevailed on the Speaker of the parliament to appoint him to a vital committee of the parliament. He was, therefore, appointed Chairman of a committee. Then the time

came to settle into serious legislative business. Honourable Mike distinguished himself in the house and was seen as a symbol of forthrightness because of his vocal stance against corruption. In fact, for many public office holders, especially those whose offices were within the purview of the committee chaired by Honourable Mike, the fear of Honourable Mike was the beginning of wisdom. One morning, however, the nation was thrown into shock. Newspaper headlines all had damaging information about Honourable Mike. One of the newspapers had it’s headline thus: “From the HALL OF FAME to a FALL of SHAME: Honourable Mike in a Messy Money Scandal”. News was all over the place that Honourable Mike demanded and was bribed by a stakeholder in a sector undergoing probe by Honourable Mike’s committee. Honourable Mike made a quick move. He called a press conference that same morning that the headlines hit the nation. In the said conference, he denied the allegations and threatened to sue media houses broadcasting the ‘falsehood’. The said press conference restored confidence in those who had always spoken of Honourable Mike as a symbol of a new nation. By evening, however, the unanticipated happened. Videos showing Honourable Mike collecting the said bribe money from the said ‘stakeholder’ went viral on social media. Also, audios of Honourable Mike’s conversation with the said ‘stakeholder’ on how the deal was to be executed also went viral. With such damaging evidence,

Honourable Mike was nipped in the bud. The press conference held in the morning was the last everybody heard from Honourable Mike. He decimated into oblivion, as he was prosecuted and jailed by the nation’s anti-graft agency. Such was the rise and fall of a promising young man. LESSONS 1. The line between FAME and SHAME is a thin one, and the distance between the HALL OF FAME and a FALL OF SHAME is a short one. Honourable Mike’s fall from FAME to SHAME happened in less than 24 hours. He did not lose his popularity gradually. It was a sharp drop. Friend, it is important you know that the good will you built over the years can evaporate in a twinkle. It is always easier to destroy than to build, and reputation is no exception to this rule. It is, therefore, important to exercise caution in all you do. Think your intended actions through before you act, and, if necessary, evaluate actions in retrospection, to avoid repeat mistakes. Also, always look beyond you in weighing the consequences of your actions. Always see the big picture. 2. Limelight does not change us. It only reveals our weaknesses and strength. From Honourable Mike’s younger days, the major character challenge he had was the money problem. Though, the excellence of his personality hid that part of him, he did not deal with it as he ascended the ladder of political prominence. It is a pity some people are so overwhelmed with the ambition for stardom that they forget to deal with the little issues about their lives today.

What is life? The Big Picture Julian Atufunwa 08032810713 (SMS only)

rowing up was fun. I was surrounded by lovely parents, older ones, uncles and aunties. Life to me was wake up, brush, eat and play again. Sometimes, I ignored my meals just to have more fun with my mates. My days in school were also fun, because I was always my teacher’s pet in any class I was in. I was well known in school and that gave me an edge. I had good friends too. If anyone had asked me then what life was I would have said “fun.” But that was not until I lost my mum, in my earlier days in secondary school, and was forced by life to grow up. In order to continue with my education, I sold after school and became a mother to my siblings. I began to ask myself more serious questions about life: “What is the meaning of life?” “What is the reason for living?” It is all about being born, living and dying. Why must we pass through this life to eternity? Still seeking answers to life issues, recently I joined a group of friends made up of youths, the aged, rich, poor, male and female; though different in status we shared a similarity in mindset. We asked ourselves difficult questions

and found answers too. I asked them questions about ‘life’ and these were the answers I got: • Life is a journey • Life is a race • Life is a puzzle • Life is a gift • Life is about love • Life is vain/a dream One of them said life is a mirage and went ahead to add: “A mirage is something we think we see but which really isn’t there. And a mirage can be either positive or negative. Some people see what they want to see, others see what they fear to see. Either way, the mirage exists only in the mind. It is only because I believe that it is real. So, in this life we create mirages, false gods, vain imaginations and crazy complexes.” There are people who live in a world created entirely by their imagination and intellect; they have a little contact with reality. Certainly, a big mirage in this life is that of certainty. If there is one thing we crave, it is that - to be certain. If we can just know that this or that is certain, then we can take security in it. We know what the rules are and how to play by them, and we can achieve the desired result most of the time. There are many things in this life which seem to offer a sense of certainty and security. Chief among them is money. You can deny it all you want, but if you have lots of money, you do feel secure and certain. If you don’t have enough money, you probably never feel certain about much. Money is the key to security without God in this world. There are many other things which can give us a

A mirage is something we think we see but which really isn’t there. And a mirage can be either positive or negative. Some people see what they want to see, others see what they fear to see sense of certainty. Good looks, family, possessions and health. None of these things are wrong, in and of themselves, but if they are making us feel certain about life, and secure in ourselves, then we have put our faith in them. We are placing our faith in a mirage. Our money may be real, but the security we think it provides is a mirage. It is not real – no matter how much we FEEL like it is real. The sobering truth is, if your security is, if your security is in money or possessions, you are serving mammon. But if your insecurity is due to lack of money or possessions, you are likewise serving mammon. The point is when mammon governs not only what I do – but my attitude and perspective towards life, then it is my master. I am serving and trusting it instead of my Creator. uncertainty – this is going to seem like a radical statement…… It is going to clash with every impulse we have towards our living. And it is going to disturb some of us. Yet it is a principle which is completely true. If I am certain about anything in this life, I am deceived. I am believing and trusting in a mirage. TO BE CONTINUED

Microsoft promotes innovators

icrosoft, under the 4Afrika Initiative, has confirmed its support for the upcoming DEMO Africa event in Lagos, Nigeria. This is the fourth time that the software giant has pledged support to the pan-African event, which provides a platform for start-ups to showcase their solutions and engage investors.

The move by Microsoft has been seen as a show of confidence in the growing startup technology scene across Africa. Commenting on this partnership, Amrote Abdella, Director of Startup Engagement and Partnerships, 4Africa Initiatives at Microsoft, has stressed the importance of partnership to build an innovative ecosystem in Africa: “By supporting the growth of startups with disruptive innovations that solve major challenges in Africa today, we are laying the foundation for the creation of globally competitiveness businesses. It opens up the opportunity to partner with various stakeholders across sectors, and at Microsoft we believe in joining forces to create a bigger and more sustainable impact.” Harry Hare, Executive Producer of DEMO Africa, welcomed the support, echoing Mrs. Abdella’s call for stakeholder support for technology and entrepreneurship in Africa: “It is actions by different players that will see technology entrepreneurship effectively bringing sustainability to entrepreneurship across Africa.” The DEMO Africa event is scheduled to take place in September 2015.

Safety: Dockworkers to picket non-compliant stevedores

ockworkers branch of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria has raised the alarm that some stevedoring companies operating in Nigeria’s seaports lack ambulance for emergencies.

Speaking to journalists in Lagos, President of the Dockworkers branch of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, said the union would soon picket some of the stevedoring firms lacking up to date safety equipment in their operational area. He said, “Some service providers who work under the terminal operators at the seaports don’t have up to date safety equipment. Some don’t even have ambulances and we are going to picket some of them very soon. “Like some stevedoring contractors under the terminal operators whose names I don’t want to mention now, their ambulances are not up to standard. We are talking about the third parties in the job chain at the seaports, the stevedoring contractors; they are the ones who are responsible for the welfare of the workers under them. Some dockworkers work with them, yet their ambulance is nothing to write home about. “We have noticed that some of these ambulances are sub-standard and we will be going about to inspect these safety equipment. When we go around, we will then make public the names of the stevedoring contractors who operate sub-standard equipment at the seaport.” On the implementation of payment to tally clerks recently agreed with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), he explained that some of their members had yet to get paid. “As I am talking to you now, the tally clerks’ salaries have not been paid. We had earlier issued out a 14-day ultimatum to the ports authority which has elapsed, but due to the promise of the NPA management and the involvement of the Ministry of Transport then, that was why we shelved our strike,” he said.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Market sustains prior week’s rally

fter three (3) consecutive weeks of negative week-on-week (WoW) returns, the equities market rebounded this week, following 3 trading days of gains. Although the NSEASI advanced by 2.42% WoW, this was not enough to push the index level above the 30,000pts mark, as it closed at 29,511pts. The extended rally from the last two trading days in the prior week, may be attributed to bargain hunting activities buoyed by the attractive prices at which most fundamentally justified stocks were trading in the course of the week. Volume traded and market capitalization appreciated by 18.94% and 17.92% respectively, just as 57 stocks increased in value against 21 price decliners. IKEJAHOTEL with a 26.57% price movement emerged the top gainer during the week, closing at NGN3.43 (vs. NGN2.71 in previous week). TRANSEXPR (+24.42%), STANBIC (+24.00%), OKOMUOIL (+21.17%) and UBA (+20.57%) also featured on the top gainers’ chart. On the flip side, NEIMETH, ETRANZACT, CONOIL, CADBURY and CWG declined the most in value during the week, after the stocks waned in value by 17.07%, 13.65%, 9.71%, 9.70% and 9.49% correspondingly. Following impressive top and bottom-line growths, UBA declared an interim dividend of NGN0.20/share, implying a dividend yield of 5.78% as at the date of declaration. GUINNESS, posted its FY2015 audited results, showing revenue growth of 8.51% YoY, while Earnings-After-Tax declined by 18.58% YoY to NGN7.79bn, down from 9.57bn in the corresponding period of 2014. While we expect investors to react to news flows to the market, we are not optimistic that the bullish trend will be sustained in the coming week, as we anticipate that profit taking activities will dictate the market’s direction. 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: Central Bank continues intervention The Nigerian Treasury Bills secondary market witnessed strong buy sentiments this week, with a large amount of interest aimed at the shortertermed instruments. Consequently, average yields on T-bill instruments declined by 0.93% WoW to settle at 14.87%. Activities in the bond market were tempered with investors’ interest seemingly focused at the shorter end of the yield curve, consequently the average offer yields for both the Benchmark and Off-the-run bonds advanced by 0.15% and 0.07% accordingly, to close at 15.78% and 15.65% respectively. The relatively robust market liquidity ensured the preservation of the money market and interbank rates at low ranges, as the average rate for both instruments declined by 0.12% and 1.77% weekto-date, to close at 8.46% and 14.84% accordingly. The domestic currency recorded a week-to-date return of -0.36%, against the dollar to close at a mid-price of NGN198.23 on the last trading day of the week. During the week, there were two unsuccessful OMO auctions, as investors demanded higher yields to take positions. Also, the Central Bank auctioned Treasury Bills instruments worth NGN172.85bn, while instruments worth the same value matured. The current FX policy continues to limit funds availability in the system, while institutional investors continue to demand higher yields, which led to the failed OMO sales during the week. We anticipate continued demand for the shorter term instruments given the system liquidity and attractive yields, while we expect participation at the longer end of the curve to remain tempered in the build up to the Primary Market Auction (PMA), scheduled for the 16th of September, 2015. Agric sector: YtD settles at 10.21% On the back of spirited trading activities in the week, the MERIAGRI index advanced by 7.84% to drive the Year-to-Date return to 10.21%. Two stocks gained while three stocks traded flat during the week. OKOMUOIL led the outperformers in the week with a market price appreciation of 21.17% WoW to close at NGN23.75. LIVESTOCK (5.59%) also made the list of gainers while ELLAHLAKES, FTNCOCOA and PRESCO all traded flat. The positive sentiment on sector stocks in the week, comes on the heels of predominantly bearish trading session in the previous week, hence indicating a possible oscillatory pattern. We therefore advise investors to trade with caution in the coming week as profit taking may ensue.

…as NSEASI advances by 2.42 WoW

Banking sector: Price levels keep investors’ vested The performance of the banking sector was positive during the week, with our MERI-BNK index recording a progressive Week-on-Week performance. The index advanced by 10.63%, to peg the YtD return at -10.44%. There were 13 gainers and 1 decliner while UNITYBNK traded flat. The gainers’ were led by STANBIC, after the ticker recorded a price appreciation of 24.00% to peg at NGN23.20. The ticker was closely followed by UBA, DIAMONDBNK, and FCMB, which recorded respective gains of 20.57%, 17.82%, and 14.55% accordingly. Conversely, UBN was the sole decliner, paring in value by 3.02% to leave its trading price at NGN6.11 at the close of the week’s trading. UBA released its H1:2015 result today, which showed that the bank recorded Year-on-Year Gross earnings, Profit-Before-Tax, and Profit-After-Tax growths of 20.78%, 35.14%, and 40.00% accordingly, to NGN166.94bn, NGN39.05bn, and NGN32.00bn respectively. Also, the bank announced an interim dividend of NGN0.20/share which implies a dividend yield of 5.78%, with closure and payment dates of September 11th and 16th respectively. The banking sector survived the profit-taking activities which depressed the general market mood in the week after the gains recorded on the first two trading days. We attribute this to the value inherent in the sector, given the current levels of prices. Heading into the coming week, we expect investors to continue to bid up the prices on the fundamentally justified stocks before interests of profit-takers become triggered. Consumer Goods: HONYFLOUR earnings down 38.74%YoY The component companies in the Consumer good basket of the Nigerian Equities market had a better showing during the week, to kick start the month of September with a month-to-date of -0.17%. The Consumer Goods and Conglomerate sectors recorded 3.44% and 10.34% week-to-date retirns as measured by our Meri-Consumer Goods and MeriConglomerate sector indices respectively. VONO, PZ, NASCON, HONYFLOUR, UNILEVER and CHAMPION were the outperformers for the week, with respective gains of 17.78%, 15.38%, 11.72%, 11.59%, 10.25% and 10.02%. On the flip side, CADBURY, DANGSUGAR, NNFM and FLOURMILL recorded the highest price declines of 9.70%,

8.82%, 4.97% and 4.35% in that order. Honeywell Flour Mills Plc released its Q1:2016 result, which showed a 2.99% decline in revenue, 2.5% increase in gross profit and 12.79% decline in operating profit from prior period. Profit before and after tax for the period declined by 32.65% and 38.74% accordingly. Net margin consequently pegged lower at 2.21% (vs. 3.50% Q1:2015). PZ Cussons concluded a three year deal with Manchester City, in a bid to drive the company’s Premier, Olympic and Robb products. It also provides the opportunity for loyal customers of the company to win VIP tickets and access to private training sessions. This may not be unconnected to the rally witnessed on the stock this week. We believe that the relatively attractive market prices at which some of the listed companies closed the previous week was responsible for the rally seen this week. Subsequently, we anticipate profit-taking in the coming week, due to lack of positive sector specific news to drive a more sustainable rally. Healthcare Sector: Bears on Recess The sector reversed previous week’s bearish trend as it advanced by 1.40% WoW as measured by MERI-HLTH, thus pegging the YtD return at -12.49%. Sector breadth skewed in favour of advancers as four (4) stocks advanced against a lone decliner. Other counters traded flat. EVANSMED reversed part of the previously week’s price decline, advancing by 4.92% WoW, trailed by MAYBAKER, GLAXOSMITH and FIDSON which recorded price appreciations of 2.44%, 1.45% and 0.63% to settle prices at NGN1.26, NGN35.00 and NGN3.20 correspondingly. Conversely, NEIMETH continued to shed points during the week, declining by 17.07% to emerge the only price loser for the week. We attribute the positive sentiment witnessed on sector stocks this week to bargain hunting on relatively low stock prices following weeks of bearish run. We advise investor to trade with caution, especially in stocks with weak fundamentals. Industrial goods: DANGCEM dampens sector mood Measuring with our Meri-Industrial sector index, the Industrial goods sector closed 3.03% down at the end of the week, despite four stocks closing in the positive zone. The decline recorded in the index was largely as a result of DANGCEM’s poor outing, as the stock’s

value depreciated by 3.47% WoW. CCNN also closed the week down at NGN8.43 due to the 3.44% price decline recorded during the review period. In a change of fortune from last week’s pattern, CUTIX emerged as the top gainer for the week having appreciated by 14.81% WoW to NGN 1.55. Other gainers were BERGER, PORTPAINT and ASHAKACEM with respective gains of 8.51%, 5.00% and 1.82%. During the week, Dangote Cement announced a NGN300 cut in cement price, as well as capacity expansions plans totaling 26.5Mtpa across Africa over the next 30months. We believe the company’s new pricing strategy is necessary, considering the recent slowdown in demand following modest economic growth and reduced infrastructural development drive by the government. We also opine that the continued expansions into other parts of Africa will aid revenue and risk diversification, away from Nigeria. While we expect initial negative market reactions following the price reduction announcement, our long term outlook for the stock remains positive. Insurance sector: NAICOM signs MOU with Anglophone countries MANSARD attracted the most investor interest in the sector during the week, as the counter almost reversed prior week’s losses of 10.50%, after advancing by 10.05% to close at NGN2.41. MANSARD’s performance alongside the 3.70% and 3.13% Weekon-Week (WoW) gains recorded by AIICO and NEM positioned the sector’s WoW return index in the green zone, given that all other counters traded flat in the week. Measuring the sector’s performance by the NSEINS10 index, the sector gained 2.89% WoW to peg the year to date return at -10.97%. However, considering the current market outlook, we believe the sector’s performance in the coming week will be largely determined by speculative and bargain hunting activities. During the week, the Nigerian Insurance Commission (NAICOM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with some Anglophone countries, in order to strengthen the cross border insurance supervision in West African Countries. According to Mr. Mohammed Kari – Nigerian Commissioner for Insurance - the MOU underlines NAICOM’s goal to build effective working relationships with regulators in the West African region and beyond. We believe this should augur well for the insurance sector and further boost insurance penetration in Nigeria and other West African countries. Oil & Gas Sector: Sector sheds 2.22% WtD Activities within the sector were tempered, as the NSEOILG5 index pared by 2.22% WtD. There were two (2) advancers and four (4) decliners in the week, while other counters traded flat. OANDO and ETERNA featured on the gainers list, appreciating by 13.35%, and 2.86% WoW to close at NGN11.55 and NGN1.80 respectively. On the flip side, CONOIL led the laggards, shedding 9.71% to settle at NGN30.05. Other decliners in the week were; SEPLAT (-7.63%), FO (-5.96%), and TOTAL (-0.98%). During the week, Conoil Plc’s management announced the intention to convene its 45th Annual General Meeting on Friday 23rd October 2015, with the day’s agenda being presentation of the 2014 audited accounts and proposal for the payment of dividends to shareholders in the register at close of business 25th September, 2015. We opine that market anticipation of the dividend payment by Conoil Plc. will result in a rally on the stock in the coming weeks, however we expect positive trading activities on sector stocks to remain moderate. Services sector…IKEJAHOTEL tops with 26.57% WoW The MERISERV INDEX peaked on the second trading day of the week, having returned 3.05%. Profit taking activities however ensued on the last three trading days to drag overall WoW gain to 1.43%. The sectoral breadth (4.00x) was strongly in favor of the advancers, as 8 stocks advanced against 2 stock that waned in value, while others traded flat. IKEJAHOTEL was the week’s strongest performer having closed the week at NGN3.43, following a 26.57% WoW growth in share price. The counter was closely followed by TRANSEXPR which rose by 24.42% WoW. Other gainers were NAHCO (4.71%), CAVERTON (4.68%), AIRSERVICE (4.62%), LEARNAFRCA (4.40%), RTBRISCOE (1.89%), and UPL which gained marginally by 0.39%. The underperformers were, ACADEMY and ABCTRANS which fell by 4.11% and 1.85% WoW respectively. In the coming week, we expect profit taking on most stocks that recorded price gains this week. Hence, we advise investors to trade with caution.

SUNDAY

Sport 59 53

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 06, 2015

Eagles

Oliseh happy with Eagles’ draw p.55

Three Lion

Rooney equals Sir Bobby’s 49-goal England record p.55

Football

The 10 most expensive teenagers in football history p.54

Tennis

Serena keeps Grand Slam bid alive p.55

Deputy Sports Editor Dapo Sotuminu daposotu@yahoo.com

Onyali: F Nigeria will remain stagnant in Athletics

Dapo Sotuminu

ormer Africa Queen of the tracks, Mary Onyali-Omagbemi, has declared that athletics in Nigeria would remain stagnant with no clear cut international achievements if the sports authorities in the country refuse to do the proper thing towards the development of sports. Onyali told Sunday Telegraph in an interview that, it is regrettable that those in charge of sports in Nigeria kept doing the same thing wrongly without results, yet they have not found it worthy to toe a different line towards success. “As it is, the Sports Ministry has made it very difficult for youth athletes to properly take over from me as a consistent track queen and the likes of Innocent Egbunike, Chioma Ajunwa, Falilat Ogunkoya, Chidi Imo and Sunday Bada to mention just a few. “We are going to have a very wide gap of nothing and that is exactly what is happening to Team Nigeria right now. “The last time the likes of Glory Alozie and Francis Obikwelu ran for Nigeria was in 1999 and 2000, they drifted to other European countries dumping Nigeria for reasons best known to them, but the bottom-line was poor athletes’ welfare. The duo felt that they were not treated well. A lot of us that competed during that period were very patriotic, I mean extremely patriotic but not all of us had the stomach to endure the way we were treated. So those who couldn’t accept that, took off to greener pastures. “The athletes’ welfare up till date has not been paramount in the minds of sports administrators in Nigeria from the local level to the state and even to the national level up to the presidency. Because no matter what a coach puts into an athlete’s in training over the years, that athlete would ultimately be the one that would go out there in the field to compete. The athlete’s state of mind on the day of competition is all that matters. This is the difference between gold, silver and bronze, or nothing.” Onyali, noted that Nigerian athletes to the just concluded IAAF World Championship in Beijing, China failed to win any medal, because the athletes felt that they didn’t have what it takes to win laurels for Nigeria because of the shabby way they were treated. She disclosed that, education was key to Nigeria’s successful participation in international competitions then. But this has been lacking over the years unlike what it used to be during her formation stage as a world class athlete. “The Ministry of Education needs to work together with the National Sports Commission to bring back that Inter House Sports and Inter School Sports that discovered the likes of Mary Onyali and Falilat Ogunkoya. “I was fished out of the Ojo Zone in Lagos as a junior athlete to compete at the senior level. I went from the junior category to beat the seniors and from there, I acquired free scholarship for years in an America university. All I did when I was in the United States for four years or more was eat, sleep and dream tracks. Everything I needed was paid for, from books to medical. If we can buy into the American system that worked hand-in-hand with sports and education the sky would be the limit. The schools are where the talents are. All the American athletes you saw at the World Championship in Beijing, China were all university breeds and when they graduated they fizzle into the clubs where they are closely monitored. Here the adidas, Nikes and other sportswear companies endorse them and pay for their training and other welfare. They have facilities all over the place, even when they do not use it, it is there. “The Americans have the private sector that throws in the money to sponsor sports, as they know that government alone cannot do it. Nigeria should imbibe the same sports culture. It has been working for America it would surely work for us. If the Nigerian sports authorities continue in their retrogressive fashion, I am afraid the country would have to wait for a very long time to produce worthy replacements for retired superstar athletes who hanged their spike shoes years ago,” Mary OnyaliOmagbemi said.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Sport

The 10 most expensive teenagers in football history Anthony Martial’s £36m move from Monaco to Manchester United has made him the most expensive teenager in history. The 19-yearold breaks the record previously set by his new team-mate Luke Shaw, who joined United in a £31m deal from Southampton last summer. Here, we take a look at the 10 most expensive teenagers in history… Anthony Martial (£36m): The 19-year-old has been handed the No 9 shirt at United and the pressure is on the youngster to make an immediate impact at his new club. Martial only has one full season under his belt with Monaco, but he is a highly-rated striker and United will be hoping he can live up to comparisons with Thierry Henry. Martial has becomes the most expensive teenage footballer in history, overtaking his new team-mate Luke Shaw. Luke Shaw (£31m): Shaw had a tough start to life at United after his bigmoney switch from Southampton as he struggled for fitness and form, but the leftback has started the 2015/16 campaign in fine form. He looks to have a bright future ahead of him. Luke Shaw has impressed for Man Utd so far this season.

Martial

Shaw

Aguero

Rooney

Marquinho

Cassano

Anderson Moura

never quite hit the heights that had been expected. He’s now back at River Plate at the age of 33. Saviola’s move to Barcelona remains one of the world’s most expensive teenage transfers. Anderson (£22m): It’s fair to say Anderson was not exactly a storming success at Old Trafford. The Brazilian midfielder only made 10 appearances in his final two seasons at United and he now finds himself back in his homeland with Internacional. Anderson fell out of favour at Man Utd before leaving the club to return to Brazil. Marquinhos (£22m): Chelsea tried and failed to take Marquinhos to Stamford Bridge this summer. The Brazilian is rated as one of the best young centrebacks around, and PSG are unlikely to part with him any time soon.

Lucas Moura (£28m): The Brazilian forward has not exactly set the world alight since his big-money move to PSG. Now 23, he still struggles to hold down a regular starting spot for the French giants. Lucas Moura agreed his move from PSG to Sao Paulo in 2012.

Antonio Cassano (£20m): Cassano was only 19 when Roma paid £24m to sign him from Bari in 2001. The Italian striker went on to have a colourful career, with spells at Real Madrid, AC Milan and Inter, among others. Cassano spent time with Inter Milan.

Wayne Rooney (£26m): While his current form leaves a lot to be desired, the £30m spent on Rooney in 2004 remains one of United’s wisest investments. The 29-year-old is their captain and talisman, and he is only 16 goals short of Bobby Charlton’s 249-goal United scoring record. Rooney has become a key man for Man Utd since his move from Everton.

Sergio Ramos (£19m): Ramos has become a talismanic figure for Real Madrid since his arrival from Sevilla. The defender was wanted by Manchester United during the summer, but he eventually committed his future to Madrid by signing a new contract. Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos was linked with a move to Man Utd over the summer.

Javier Saviola (£25m): The Argentine striker arrived at Barcelona as one of the most exciting young talents in world football in 2001. He scored 60 goals in his first three seasons at the Nou Camp, but his career

Sergio Aguero (£15m): Atletico doubled their money on Aguero when they sold him to City five years after his arrival at the Vicente Calderon in 2006. He has gone on to become one of the deadliest strikers in world football.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2015

AAG: Falcons set trap for Congo

Sport / News

Oliseh happy with Eagles’ draw

Adekunle Salami, IN TANZANIA

he Super Falcons of Nigeria will today battle the Red She-Devils of Congo Brazzaville in the opening game of the All Africa Games women’s soccer event in a game the players have promised would be to warn other contenders that Nigeria mean business to win the event gold medal. Falcons coach, Chris Danjuma, noted that with the current form of the team, Congo will fall like a pack of cards. The African champions will face the Central Africans today in the opening Group A clash. The Nigerians have the privilege of taking just four overseas players to the Games namely, Desire Oparanozie, Esther Sunday, Evelyn Nwabuoku and Onome Ebi. Danjuma stressed that his side will approach the match against Congo as if it is a cup final to serve a strong notice of intention to end the campaign with gold. “Playing against the host in the first match of any championship is usually difficult as you are meant to confront the partisan crowd as well as the officials. However, we have our match plan intact which is to kick-off our title campaign on a winning note. “Based on the vast experienced of the Falcons, the match has already been awarded to us, but we won’t be fooled or take the Congolese for granted as there are no minnows anymore in football. Our mission to Brazzaville, Congo is to first and foremost win the gold medal and also restore the prestige of the Falcons on the continent. “We want to play ourselves back into the hearts of Nigerians after the futile attempt to win the 2016 Rio Olympic ticket. We want to excel, we want to win the gold medal, that’s our ambition and aspiration,” said Danjuma. The Falcons who are 2003 and 2007 gold medallist would battle against Tanzania on Wednesday after today’s clash against Congo, while the last group clash will be against Ivory Coast on Saturday.

uper Eagles chief coach, Sunday Oliseh, has expressed his delight over the goalless draw result the team recorded yesterday against the Tafia Stars of Tanzania in Dar es Salaam in one of the 2017 Africa Nations Cup qualifiers played at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium. The former Eagles captain noted that the rebuilding of the team continues as the Eagles prepare for other crucial games leading to the Nations Cup. He said: “The first half was not good for us. The second half was a little better. I am happy with the one point. You can’t expect the boys to gel from the beginning that’s why I am happy with the one point we got from this match.” The Eagles head coach, was however full of praises for goalkeeper Carl Ikeme, who gave a good account of himself on his debut. “It is unfair to say Ikeme had a decent game. He was actually fantastic. The Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper was in superb form on his international debut. We could have conceded some goals and lost the game, but Ikeme wonderful

Serena keeps Grand Slam bid alive

S WEEKEND RESULTS

Rwanda 0 – 1 Ghana Djibouti 0-2 Togo Comosros 0 - 1 Uganda Seychelles 1- 1 Ethiopia Argentina 7-0 Bolivia Canada 3- 0 Belize Panama 0-1 Uruguay Mexico 3-3 Trinidad & Tobago Portugal 0 - 1 France Faroe Islands 1 - 3 N. Ireland Germany 3 - 1 Poland Gibraltar 0 - 4 Rep. of Ireland Georgia 1-0 Scotland Estonia 1 - 0 Lithuania Luxembour 1 -0 Macedonia Russia 1 - 0 Sweden S Marino 0 - 6 England Ukraine 3 - 1 Belarus

Chukwu lauds Eagles after baptism of fire in Tanzania

Eaglets to train in Argentina T

he Golden Eaglets of Nigeria are expected to set up a pre-World Cup training camp in Argentina before they head off to Chile for the FIFA U17 World Cup in October. Team’s chief coach Emmanuel Amuneke said: “We will train in Argentina to prepare for the World Cup in Chile.” The Eaglets are top of an invitational tournament in Suwon, South Korea, on four points after they beat Brazil 2-1 on Friday. The Eaglets final game in Suwon will be this afternoon against Croatia, who they will also clash with at the World Cup. The four-time world champions, Nigeria, are also drawn against hosts Chile and USA in the first round of Chile 2015.

erena Williams flirted with grand slam danger once again but kept her calendar-year Grand Slam bid on track by beating a battling, 101st-ranked Bethanie Mattek-Sands 3-6 7-5 6-0 at the U.S. Open. Williams, who lost nine sets, including seven first-set losses, in her charge to the Australian, French and Wimbledon titles, was tested at Flushing Meadows by her fellow American, but roared back to victory to reach the fourth round. “I’m not trying to live on the edge,” the 33-year-old Williams said in an on-court interview. “I’m playing players that come out really strong. I just think Bethanie played really well.” The world number one looked out of sorts at the start, broken twice in dropping the first set to the aggressive Mattek-Sands, who at age 30 still looks like a punk rocker with a splash of orange topping her pinned up blond hair.

saves didn’t allow that,” Oliseh commended. Ikeme’s best moment was an amazing save in the 67th minute when he denied Thomas Ulimwengu with a long stretch before scrambling to Mrisho Ngassa’s follow-up which went by the post, with both shots coming from inside the six-yard box. Eagles’ captain, Ahmed Musa, added that: “Football has changed, there are no small teams. Tanzania gave us a good game, but I know the Eagles will get better with time.” It was not the debut the Nigeria coach would have hoped for as his team was dominated by a determined home team, who created the better chances but failed to put them away. The home team were first to settle into this game and TP Mazembe star Mbwana Samatta forced a save from Ikeme after just 13 minutes, when he dashed past Solomon Kwambe only for the Wolves of England goalkeeper to make a wonderful save. With this result, the Super Eagles now have four points and top Group G. pending the outcome of Sunday’s game between Chad and Egypt. While Tanzania who last made an Afcon appearance 35 years ago remain at the base of the log with a point.

Carl Ikeme

ormer Super Eagles coach, Christian Chukwu, has said that the draw result recorded by the Eagles against the Taifa Stars of Tanzania was not a bad one by the Nigerian side. The Eagles team without top stars like Vincent Enyeama, Mikel Obi, Victor Moses and Odion Ighalo were held to a 0-0 draw by the East Africans in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying clash on Saturday in Dar es Salaam. Chukwu said: “The scoreless draw in the Nations Cup qualifiers was far a better result for the

Eagles than an outright defeat. Well, the draw is a better result than outright defeat, the Eagles are new under a new coach, Sunday Oliseh, the result is quite good for the rebuilding process. “At least, Oliseh and his new boys have received their baptism of fire and I know they will improve in the next series of matches. I am happy we did not lose the game because I was worried about the harsh weather and its impact on the team. It’s a fair result going forward in the qualification campaign,” Chukwu said.

Rooney equals Sir Bobby’s 49-goal England record

lmost 12 years to the day since he scored his first England goal, Wayne Rooney has matched Sir Bobby Charlton’s national record of 49 with his strike against San Marino. The Manchester United forward’s 13th-minute penalty in Serravalle came almost 12 years to the day since he opened his international account on his sixth England outing, a UEFA EURO 2004 qualifier against FYR Macedonia. With that effort in Skopje, Rooney became his nation’s youngest-ever scorer at 17 years and 317 days - a record that still stands. The 29-year-old - who burst onto the scene at the 2004 finals in Portugal with four goals - has achieved the feat in 106 appearances, the same total Sir Bobby made during an England career that lasted from 1958 to 1970 came almost 12 years to the day since he opened his international

Wayne Rooney scores record goal for England against San Marino

account on his sixth England outing, a UEFA EURO 2004 qualifier against FYR Macedonia. With that effort in Skopje, Rooney became his nation’s youngest-ever scorer at 17 years and 317 days - a record that still stands.

The 29-year-old - who burst onto the scene at the 2004 finals in Portugal with four goals - has achieved the feat in 106 appearances, the same total Sir Bobby made during an England career that lasted from 1958 to 1970

SPORTS

Onyali: Nigeria will remain stagnant in Athletics }53

FAITH

Sanctity of Truth

SUNDAY

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 06, 2015

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Why miracles are important -Cleric }46

Where are Igbos, Yorubas in Buhari’s Govt? (2) ECHOES FROM LAST WEEK We continue this week, the lopsided appointment of the key drivers of this administration. PMB has already formed his “kitchen cabinet”, those he can really trust. Others like Ministers are usually outsiders. Last week, we discussed the dumping of Dr Ogbonnaya Onu. THOSE WHO LOST OUT IN THE NEW APPOINTMENTS What of my good friend, Dr Chris Ngige, erstwhile governor of Anambra state and Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who staked all against his Igbo’s bent and inclination in the last Presidential election, and who was touted for the position of SGF or Chief of Staff? What of former Lagos state Governor, Fashola, an intelligent Senior Advocate of Nigeria who was projected for Chief of Staff? Is he still dreaming? Perhaps, the worst hit in this unfolding melodrama, is Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who spearheaded the cobbling together of disparate elements and parties of different plumages to form a virile opposition that has become the ruling party today, all in a record time of two years? He carried the broom everywhere, danced, sang, weaved, screamed, wrote, lectured, pontificated, criticised and even sneered at and cursed opponents, in the hope that he will remain the “National Leader” of the APC? Is he still so today, or is he merely just “defacto” and not “dejure” National leader? How will he be sleeping today at the newest tsunami and hurricane that seemed to have used APC’s broom to sweep him off his feet and undermine everything he represents as leader of the APC party? Where are the Igbos and Yorubas in PMB’s recent appointments of the real engines and drivers of his government? Is it a case that he only trusted the Igbos and Yorubas to work for his election, but cannot trust them for appointments? For the uninitiated, be told clearly that the SGF is the heart beat of any government. He is the engine room, the pivot around which all governmental affairs articulate. He is the oxygen that the government breathes. Indeed, he is the unofficial chairman of all ministers who must report to and clear with him, on all matters of contracts, projects, etc. He is, in fact, the clearing house of the government. Amongst others, the SGF is responsible for ensuring the effective coordination and monitoring the implementation of govt policies and programmes for the overall development of the Nation. He coordinates policy design and formulation by Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government for approval by govt; serves as Secretary to Council of State, FEC and other constitutional councils chaired by the President. The SGF deals with all constitutional, political and socio economic matters referred to the presidency, coordinates Administrative Tribunals, Commissions and Panels of Inquiry, national security, public safety, National Honours, awards, prerogative of Mercy, protocol matters, channeling papers and directives of the President, processing and granting checks-up/treatment and intergovernmental meetings and conferences abroad by public officers, members of the Judiciary, Chairman and members of Statutory Commission/Bodies, for approval by President. The SGF also coordinates appointments to Headship of Statutory Bodies, Commissions and Agencies of Govt., conditions of service of political office

The

NIGERIAN PROJECT

MIKE OZEKHOME san, ofr mike.ozekhome@yahoo.com 08094777755 (sms only) holders, Intergovernmental affairs and relations with State and Local Govts, liason with Secretaries to state govts and allocation of office accommodation to political office holders. The office of Chief of Staff, on the other hand, was first created in 1939 by American President, Frankling D. Roose Velt, and is responsible for very critical function in support of the President daunting duties. He oversees the Executive Office of President (EOP), manages communications and information flow, negotiates with the National Assembly, Executive Branch agencies and political groups to implement the President’s agenda, etc. He, indeed controls all presidency’s staff, controls the President’s schedule, determines who sees, or does not see Mr President. All President and Vice President’s staff are hired, and fired through him; supervises their daily activities, eg. Commendation, query, deployment, promotion, dismissal, etc. he is the last official link between the outside world and the President, advising the President on critical matters. So powerful is the position of C of S that he has often been labeled “The power behind the throne”, or the Gate keeper”. Indeed, a President is as good, effective and strong as these two key government officials, SGF and C of S. Where are the Igbos and Yorubas here? I am not talking of the other 279 ethnic groups in Nigeria, that speak over 500 languages, but usually largely ignored in national calculations, especially when it comes to sharing (not baking the national cake); including my own grotesquely pristinely marginalized Edo, Etsako and Weppa Wanno groups. I am here speaking about two of the unstable tripod that Nigeria wobbles, stumbles and fumbles on, the other being Hausa/Fulani. Have you ever seen a balanced tripod, a three-legged object? The New Appointments: The Last Straw Let’s see the recent appointments that are causing so much ricocheting ruckus and brouhaha. After combing the whole length and breadth of Nigeria, using all

President Buhari

his avowed available indices of anti corruption, security and economic development, PMB’s standard could not find a single Southerner, but could only find the following Northerners worthy of his redemptive messianic mantra in a country of 178,516,904 people (as at 1st of July, 2014): Engr Babachir David Lawal, Secretary to the government of the federation (SGF). Lawal hails from Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa state (North). Alhaji Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff. Kyari hails from Borno state (North). Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd, Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service). This Col Ali who turns 60 in January, erstwhile Secretary General of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), was Military Administrator of Kaduna state between 1996 and 1998. He served as PMB’s Chief of Staff during the presidential campaigns, managing his campaign funds, and has been acting in that capacity since PMB’s inauguration, coordinating and managing the personnel working with PMB. Ali is a passionate core northerner from Kano state. He

BUSY BODY

had vowed in June, 2006, that the North would get back the presidency in 2007. Though he did not succeed then, he has now, and has been generously rewarded with the second highest income generating agency in Nigeria, outside NNPC. PMB also appointed Mr. Kure Martin Abeshi, as the new Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service. Mr Abeshi hails from Nassarawa state (North ). Hon Sule Abdulrahman Kawu, erstwhile member of the Federal House of Representatives, was appointed SSA, National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives). Sule is from Kano, North. The only appointment that went to the entire South South, South East and South West geopolitical zones is that of Senator Ita Enang, as SSA, National Assembly Matters (Senate). Ita Enang, the 1962 born erstwhile chief whip of the Senate, who represented Itu and Ibiono Ibom Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State in the Senate between 2011 and 2014, was a member of the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2011. Enang hails from Akwa Ibom State. NOW THIS With this, PMB’s arithmetical score in the appointments thus far, including NNPC and Anti Corruption Heads, is 15 major appointments for the North and a miserly 4 for the entire South, a mere quarter of the entire appointments. Only three of them, Adesina, Kachikwu and Sagay, can be said to be of any substance out of the about 19 critical appointments. AND THIS PMB, sir, don’t be deceived by a kitchen cabinet that will tell you all is well. It is a lie sir. All is wrong. They will tell you that after all, you have not yet appointed your ministers. That is the constitutional right of every and each state, since the 1999 Constitution has statutorily settled for one Minister per state. It will be unthinkable, sir, for example, to appoint a Hausa/Fulani Minister for a South East or South West state, just as it will be aberative or infra dig, to appoint a minister of Igbo or Yoruba origin for any North East or North West State. Are PMB, APC, Tinubu, Onu, Ngige, Fashola, Amechi, PMB’s new appointees, Nigerians, both at home, and in the diaspora, reading and digesting this my second tranche of PMB’s lopsided appointments, and awaiting the final instalment in the weekly Sunday sermon in the Nigerian Project, by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN OFR?

• Follow me on twitter @ MikeozekhomeSAN

By Aliu Eroje

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