4th June 2016

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 1,154

SATURDAY, 4 JUNE, 2016

www.tribuneonlineng.com

Nigerian Tribune

@nigeriantribune

Nigerian Tribune

FG directs banks to stop sack of workers

N150

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ATTACK ON OIL FACILITIES

FG panics as Nigeria loses N14.4bn daily

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Lepacious Bose wins award after weight loss pg27

Buhari meets Jonathan, Obasanjo over crisis Don’t dare us, Avengers warn Agip, blow up more pipelines Soldiers beat up my children, I’m in pains —Ijaw king pg9 PHOTOS: TOMMY ADEGBITE

Mohammed Ali, going, going... BP Weekend Lagos

The arraigned labour leaders on the court premises, on Friday

In Lagos, it is just N250,000 to roast the dead

Workers in solidarity with their leaders

‘We cremate bodies along with caskets’

pgs19,20,21&22

Policemen on the court premises

Oyo labour leaders arraigned, granted bail

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4 June, 2016

Dr. Sidney Onoriode Esiri, popularly known as Dr SID, was born in Ikeja, Lagos, as the second child of legendary thespian, the late Justus Esiri. A native of Delta State and specialist in Dental Surgery from the University of Ibadan, Dr Sid started his career in music 13 years ago and is known as one of Nigeria’s accomplished singers/ songwriters. He is signed to a major record label in the industry, The Mavin Records, headed by Nigeria’s biggest producer, Don Jazzy.

Dr Sid spoke to Newton-Ray Ukwuoma in this interview about his career path, the growth in the music industry, the controversies amongst others.

I don’t comment on controversies —Dr Sid

I

t has been two years since your last album was released are we expecting an album launch this year?

As of this moment there is no plan to release an album till 2017.

It might change tomorrow. But as of now there is plan to release any album. But I do have some singles I want to release this year.

tion and its peak. For me, I am happy to see that Nigerian music is branching out into different genres.

Before, the music industry didn’t really have genres. It was always about what was bumping in the clubs. Talented artistes like Timi Dakolo, Darey Art Alade, Bez have not been fully appreciated the way they should have been for the kind of music they have put out. They and some others pioneered the evolution of new genres. And with the likes of Simi, Falz, Adekunle Gold coming out with totally different sounds and pushing boundaries, the industry has witnessed tremendous growth. It is nice to see that people can now embrace other genres of music. And this has given room for a surge of creativity.

You are one of Nigeria’s best singers, though you started as a rapper. Have you ever considered doing a rap song some time?

I might do a rap verse someday.

And it depends on how I feel and if it is befitting of the track. I do not have any grandmaster plan for a rap song. But I definitely will like to do a rap song. Maybe some time Having enumerated the botsoon, but there is no rush. tlenecks, how do you see the future of the music industry?

This year has been riddled At some point, the biggest music with a number of controver- coming out of Africa was Makossa sies, how would you react to from Congo. After that it was Hip the way the music industry Life from Ghana and for the last 13 has fared since the beginning years it’s been Nigerian music. We of the year? have slowly built ourselves to the Honestly, I don’t talk about con- point that we are the number one troversies. I can talk about the recognised entertainment country growth in the industry. That is the on the continent. But if we do not topic I am very interested in. appreciate what we have, maybe next year, South Africa will take In that case how has the in- over. We need to be ready to produstry grown this year? mote what we have and make sure The industry is like a child. And it never falls. Both the artistes and as a child, it might sometimes have the fans have to be supportive of the challenges growing. The industry growth taking place in the industry. has witnessed its rise, its stagna- Buy music. Pay for it. If you pay for

something, it means you value it. And what you value will continue to give you quality service. There are so many platforms to pay for music legally instead of downloading for free.

Talking about loyalty, you are the only artiste of the default MoHits records who is in Mavin Records. Why did you decide to stick with Don Jazzy?

Don Jazzy and I are great friends. We have always had a very good working relationship. When we are in studio we create together. It was really natural.

Don Jazzy is the person I have great bond, respect and relationship with. When the rumours came out I was the one that broke up MoHits Records, there was really no need to talk then. It is easy to point fingers at or blame someone. But people need to really get the facts right. And honestly thinking about it now, I might have had a part to play in the whole. That is the honest truth.

People said that the recorded chat between you and Davido was significant in the breaking up. What do you have to say about it?

The recording didn’t say anything. All I said was “your star [Dbanj is being referred to] is too big, too bright that it overshadows everyone effortlessly”. The key word is “effortlessly”, meaning that he does not do it on purpose. It was not his fault. That is who he is. If saying the truth about somebody and not blaming them for doing anything is a bad thing what then is good!

Are you saying it was meant as a praise?

It was meant as praise. I was complimenting him. It sounded the way it did because the conversation was heated, voices were being raised. Either way, the content of what I said is simple. He [Dbanj] is who he is.

If Michael Jackson walks into this room now nobody is going to see you. That is just the thrust of life. So, if Nigerians want to listen to a recording and not pay attention to detail, I cannot stop anybody, my brother.

In the end, time will tell.

Saturday Tribune

I don’t think so.

Well, the truth is most artistes who start record labels,want to be independent. And the question is why do they want to be independent? If you are in a situation that works, if every of your needs is met, if you have a great boss, your bank account is credited timely, everything is fine, why would you want to leave?

You might say, I want to have my own label. But that is not based on functionality. A record label should not be something you want to possess. It is business. And it is important to say that it is not beans [easy] to have a record label. It is not beans to take care of yourself, let alone other people. Being in Mavin Records has not hindered my progress in anyway; it has not stopped the money in my bank account. I give the record label what is due to it and the record label does its part. In the end, it is business. It is a partnership.

Are you saying you are not leaving Mavin Records any time soon?

I do not have a problem with anyone opening their own label. If it works for them fine. I am not going to put myself in a situation just because everybody says or is doing so. What I have works.

But are you doing something on your own?

Yes. I have a film production company. I am looking for scriptwriters, directors of photography, etc. I am looking for a film crew.

Last year you registered with the New York Academy, do you intend to venture into Nollywood?

Yes. I studied filmmaking there. I think I want to go into film and music video production. I co-directed ‘Kabiyesi’ and have acted in one movie already. My passion is making film.

Why do you want to go into moviemaking?

Do you want to sustain your father’s legacy?

No. my father was an actor. My own is movie production. Though I have acted in a movie before, the thing is that I have always had a passion for movie production right from the start. My hobbies are playing video games and watching anything movies. I am a film critic. I look for flaws. I look for the ingenious ways things are done in films. I watch a lot of behind the scenes. I have the utmost respect for anyone that makes films, adverts, music video in the country. It is simply not easy to make anything great in such an environment.

During the recent controversy about Tee Bliz’s allegations, Don Jazzy’s birthday message to you actually helped to douse some fires.

How did you feel?

Did you read my wife’s message?

Yes. Funny enough I only got to read Don Jazzy’s message recently. Don Jazzy said a lot. He said how he felt about the situation. And I think Tiwa [Savage] also said a lot in her interview.

There have been reports making the rounds about you. Are you bothered that social media users do not take time to verify stories?

Who do you verify from? How many things would one verify? Let’s be real. If this person talk am and that person talk am again, na so I be [if one person says it and another confirms it, then it is true.] I am not really bothered about these things. Tiwa Savage is, and will always be, a good friend of mine. She is a hard worker. All we need to do is to pray for them and hope that everything is sorted out soon. On my own, my wife and I are good. Everybody is fine. If somebody calls you a thief and you did not steal why you go vex? I don’t want to respond to anything.

Do you think that social media has increased celebrity rants and unscrupulous attacks by fans?

I am also not going to speak on that issue because tomorrow I might rant. The first thing we must know, whether a person is a celebrity or not, is that we are all human beings. Human beings make mistakes. Human beings get upset. Human beings express themselves.

Human beings rant. You that are watching from the sidelines, are not to judge, but to understand. And if we have understanding, we will not have problems. When people start to put their mouths and to extrapolate issues that don’t concern them, they complicate simple matters.

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news

4 June, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Attacks on pipelines:

FG panics as Nigeria loses N14.4bn daily •Buhari meets Jonathan, Obasanjo •Don’t dare us, Avengers warn Agip, blow up more pipelines Leon Usigbe -Abuja, Olatunde Dodondawa -Lagos, Austin Ebipade - Yenagoa and Ebenezer Adurokiya –Warri

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HERE were apprehensions in government circles on Friday as strong indications emerged that the Federal Government, International Oil Companies (IOCs) and other indigenous oil producers may be losing up to N14.4 billion daily to attacks on oil installations and pipelines by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday night, met with his predecessor, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The meeting, said to have taken place at about 9.00 p.m., was not officially announced.

It was, however, speculated to have dwelt on the rising tension as well as oil and gas installation vandalism perpetrated by Niger Delta militants led by the NDA in the region.

The NDA has vowed to ensure that crude oil production is brought to zero level in the country until its demands are met.

Buhari was believed to be seeking Jonathan’s help to bring the crisis to an end and spare the nation’s economy of unwarranted damage.

In an apparent move to prepare the ground for this meeting, the president had in recent days been speaking glowingly about the former president whose activities in office have been the subject of investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Buhari had engaged in praising Jonathan over the defeat concession phone call the latter made to him before the final tally of the 2015 presidential election result was known.

President Buhari also, on Friday, hosted former President Olusegun Obasanjo to a secret meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The meeting, which took place inside the president’s office, lasted for about 30 minutes.

The former president was approached for comments as he emerged from the president’s office but he declined to speak on the meeting on the grounds that it was already time for Jumat prayers and he did not want to waste further time since President

Buhari needed to go to the mosque.

A government source expressed worries to Saturday Tribune over the spate of attacks on the pipelines and the effect on the 2016 budget.

“Two months from now, the effect will be known.

What we are sharing now is money that accrued to our accounts about three months ago when there was relative stability in the oil sector. So, the effect of these militant activities will be known in August. It is very worrisome.

“You know those militants have almost crippled the oil industry, destroying an average of two major pipelines per day. By next month, states that will be able to pay salaries may not be more than five,” he said.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, during the week, put Nigeria’s output at 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd) while the Avengers claimed they had reduced Nigeria’s output to 800,000 bpd.

The Head of Research, Ecobank Plc, Dolapo Oni, stated that Nigeria’s oil production had suffered a deficit of record 1.01 million barrels per day, raising the revenue losses by the country and the IOCs to N14.1 billion ($49.5 million) daily.

If the government is to be believed, the country is losing 600,000 bpd which is equivalent to N8.4 billion ($29.4 million) daily. On the other hand, going by the claims of the NDA, the country is losing 1.4 million bpd which is equivalent to N19.5 billion ($68.6 million) per day. The above calculations were based on N285 to $1 and crude price was based on $49 per barrel.

Nigeria’s quota from the Organisation of Petroleum Countries (OPEC) is put at 2.2 million bpd. This means Nigeria is allowed to sell officially 2.2 million bpd at the crude oil international market.

According to a source at one of the loading terminals who pleaded anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to speak to the media, “production is not as low as it was in 2008 when we were producing at about 700,000 bpd. But the activities of the NDA are taking their toll on the country’s output.”

When asked to be specific about Nigeria’s current output figure, he stated that “the official figures will be out by

Monday because we collate the figures from 26 terminals across the country and add them up to have an official figure.

“However, if I were you, I would go with the Vice-President’s (Professor Osinbajo’s) position because he must have been briefed ahead of making that pronouncement.”

Oni argued further that the crude production in Nigeria, hitherto the biggest crude producer in Africa, had now dipped to about 990,000 barrels per day.

In a more drastic estimate of the economic implication of attacks on oil and gas installations, Oni, according to Reuters, said: “Between pipeline repairs and militant attacks, Nigeria is probably producing no more than 990,000 barrels of oil every day.”

Avengers blow up more pipelines

The Avengers, on Friday, attacked Shell Petroleum Development Company’s Forcados 48, Export line and the Brass to Tedibaba crude pipeline in Bayelsa.

Also, the Avengers, in a tweet Friday afternoon, warned an oil company, Agip, not to repair its damaged pipelines.

“We are sending this warning message to Agip not to commence repair works on any of the blown pipelines in Bayelsa. We will make you regret if you even dare us,” the group said.

The militant group claimed responsibility for the attack on its Twitter handle.

“At 3:00 a.m. today @NDAvengers blew up the SPDC forcados 48, Export line. We warned SPDC not to go ahead with repair works but they refused,” said the group.

It had on Thursday claimed responsibility for the bombing of pipelines conveying crude oil from Ogboinbiri to Tebidaba and from Clough Creek to Tebidaba. The two pipelines are located in Bayelsa State.

“At about 2.00 a.m. today @NDAvengers blew up the Ogboinbiri to Tebidaba and Clough Creek to Tebidaba Crude Oil pipelines in Bayelsa State. This is in line with our promise to all international oil companies and indigenous oil companies that Nigeria’s oil production will be zero,” the group said on its Twitter handle.

A top military officer at

Forcados at the time of the destruction confirmed the incident, saying it was another trying period for the company, which only recently carried out repairs on it.

“The blast was deafening. It sent jitters down our spines.

We thank God there is no casualty,” the source noted.

No official reaction from the management of SPDC was handy as of the time of filing this report.

NSCDC confirms attacks on Agip’s oilfield in Bayelsa

The Bayelsa State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), on Friday, confirmed attacks on crude oil pipelines operated by Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in the state.

Mr Desmond Agu, Commandant of NSCDC in the state, confirmed the attack on Agip’s Ogboinbiri-Tebidaba and Clough CreekTebidaba Crude Oil pipelines in a telephone interview.

“The pipelines, located within Agip’s oil fields, were attacked. We got the reports that the pipelines were attacked when they have been shut down, so there is no loss of crude or leak.

“We have dispatched our men and we have intensified patrols in the area. We are working round the clock to protect critical infrastructure in Bayelsa,” Agu said.

Eni, parent company of NAOC, as of press time, was yet to respond to an email requesting its reaction.

Colonel Isa Ado, spokesman for the Joint Military Force deployed to protect oil facility in the Niger Delta, declined to comment on the development.

Meanwhile, the Ijaw apex sociocultural organisation, the Ijaw National Congress (INC), has called on the Federal Government to open dialogue with the Avengers in order to curb the humanitarian crisis brewing in Ijaw communities as well as the dwindling economic fortune of the country.

The group, which also urged the Avengers to cease fire unconditionally to give way for dialogue, made the plea at a press briefing on Friday in Warri, Delta State.

President and secretary of INC, Mr Boma Obuoforibo and Dr Bibobra Bello Orubebe, as well as leaders of communities from Gbaramatu and Egbema kingdoms

in Warri South West and Warri North local government areas of Delta State, condemned the activities of the NDA in the region.

They said the Ijaw people were committed to the success of the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

They, however, condemned the use of maximum force on Ijaw communities, saying most of their women and children were still trapped in the forest under excruciating hunger and elements of nature.

The group also urged humanitarian groups such as the Red Cross to send relief materials to the internally displaced persons who are in need of help in Warri and environs.

They called on aggrieved youths in the Niger Delta to embrace peace and progress of Nigeria and stop using the country’s oil economy as a battle ground.

The IDPs, some of whom narrated their ordeals before escaping from the creeks, called on the Federal Government to send them urgent help.

‘We had no hand in killing of soldiers.’

The Avengers have denied any involvement in the killing of two soldiers and four civilian staff attached to a houseboat belonging to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) at Ejere creek in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.

The NDA denied its involvement in the attack in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Brigadier-General Mudoch Agbinibo, posted on its website late Thursday.

It stated that its modus operandi did not include snuffing the life out of “sleeping soldiers,” even as it reiterated its promise not to shed blood in the process of liberating its people from the shackles of the Nigerian state.

“The Niger Delta Avengers were not involved in the attack of the military houseboat around Warri, Delta State.

“Killing of sleeping soldiers is not our style. We promise the world that in this process of liberating our people, not a single blood of Nigerian soldiers will be wasted despite the provocation.

“Even the inhumane Nigerian soldiers are exempted.

Our war is on oil installations, not to take innocent lives.

“For the fact we can’t give

life, we also don’t have the power to take any life,” the group stated.

However, the group has promised families of the deceased to bring the attackers to book wherever they may be hiding in the creeks.

It vowed never to shed the blood of innocent Nigerian soldiers unless they fired the first shot.

“But we (Avengers) are assuring the families of the affected soldiers that we will bring the culprits to book.

“When it is time to face the military in combat let the whole world know that we won’t be the ones to throw the first punch,” the group noted.

It warned all so-called groups fighting for the emancipation of their people to eschew killing the “innocent” as well as other forms of criminality such as kidnapping.

“This message is going to all groups parading themselves as freedom fighters. You can fight for your people without killing innocent souls. NDA have proved it.

“We were able to drop Nigeria’s oil production from two million barrels to just 800,000 barrels without killing a soul,” it bragged.

The group also admonished other “freedom fighters” to follow in its footsteps, saying, “We are warning every group to follow in our footsteps.

The days of killing and kidnapping are over.”

Two soldiers and four civilians were killed Wednesday night at Ejere creek, a suburb of Warri during an invasion of a military houseboat by unknown gunmen.

In the attack, a soldier was wounded and another was said to be missing in the incident that occurred at about 5:50 p.m.

Report said the assailants, who disguised as commuters, approached the houseboat in five speedboats mounted with 250 horse power engines and opened fire on the soldiers and civilian staff working in the houseboat.

They were said to have disguised as commuters waiting to be passed by the two military men left on duty.

Assistant Director, Public Relations, Captain Jonah Unuakhalu, from 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Benin City, who condemned the attack in a press release on Thursday, said the perpetrators of the dastardly act would be fished out.

4 news

4 June, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Oba’s burial: No cooking in Benin tomorrow Banji Aluko - Benin City THE Benin Palace has announced that in continuation of the funeral rites of the departed Oba of Benin, Oba Erediauwa, there will not be cooking with fire in the entire Benin Kingdom on Sunday.

According to a statement signed by the secretary of the Benin Traditional Council, Frank Irabor, the day is the day of the Igberimwin in the programme for the royal funeral rites.

The statement reads in part: “This is to inform the general public that in continuation of the royal funeral rites and in accordance to the Benin customs and tradition, there shall be no cooking with fire in every household in Benin Kingdom on Sunday, 5th June, 2016.”

The statement added that all Benins as well as the non indigenes are expected to observe the rites.

FG will improve on infrastructural decay to boost economy —Fashola Olayinka Olukoya - Abeokuta The celebrant and former governor of Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, assisted by his wives, Pastor Florence Alao-Akala; Chief (Mrs) Oluwakemi Alao-Akala; children, Toyin, Olamide, Olamijuwonlo, Yode and Muyiwa, to cut his 66th birthday anniversary cake at Opadoyin Akala Lodge, Randa, Ogbomoso, on Friday. PHOTO ALABA IGBAROOLA.

Police to fish out killers of woman in Kano

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HE police in Kano state have pledged to fish out and arrest the killers of a woman who was alleged to have blasphemed the Prophet Muhammad.

A police spokesperson, Magaji Majiya, told PREMIUM TIMES on Friday that Bridget Agbahwe was killed and beheaded on Thursday by a mob after an argument with some customers in Kano’s Wambai market who accused her of blasphemy.

‘At about 4: 30 pm, there

was a disagreement between the murdered woman and some traders bordering on religion.

“The woman was said to have blasphemed Prophet Mohammed, which did not go down well with the people and they decided to take the law into their hands,” he said.

The police spokesperson said the body of the victim had been deposited at a hospital mortuary and that a special squad of the command had since swung into action with a view to arrest-

ing the killers.

The victim, a trader on domestic plastic wares at the market, was in the company of her husband when she was attacked by the angry mob with machetes.

Mr. Majiya said police intervention prevented the mob from also killing her husband.

The police spokesperson assured that the force were on the trail of the killers and would get them soon.

Meanwhile, the Ohaneze Ndigbo, a socio cultur-

I receive financial requests to free Chibok girls —Buhari Leon Usigbe - Abuja PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has received demands for money from persons believed to be fraudsters who told him that they can release Chibok school girls still in Boko Haram captivity.

However, he said while the rescue and safe return of the remaining Chibok girls remained a top priority of his administration, he would not fall for the antics of fraudsters.

Receiving the Primate and Archbishops of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) at the State House, Abuja, on Friday, Buhari said that his administration would continue to insist on a thorough authentication of the identities and bona fides of any persons or groups claiming to have custody of the girls before entering into negotiations with them.

The President, however, assured the Anglican Bishops of his steadfast commitment to the rescue of the Chibok girls, saying that their safe return would be one of his greatest fulfillments in office as President.

Buhari also assured the clerics that the Federal Government will give maximum attention to the clean-up of Ogoniland which was

launched on Thursday.

“We inherited the United Nations Environmental Project report from the previous administration. We decided it needed urgent attention, in spite of the economic crunch because of our concern for the welfare and environmental comfort of the people of

Ogoniland,” he said.

Earlier in his remarks, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), The Most Rev Nicholas Okoh pledged the support of the church in helping the Federal Government achieve its objectives of improving security and the welfare of Nigerians.

al organisation of Igbo people, Kano state chapter, led by Chris Azuka, condemned the killing and called for a thorough investigation to arrest the perpetrators.

THE Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola , has said that the Federal Government will address infrastructural deficit across the nation to boost the ailing economy.

He made this known at the inauguration of a 24km ItoriIbese concrete road constructed by AG Dangote Company, on Friday, in Ogun State.

Fashola said that one of the key thrusts of the Muhammadu Buhari administration is infrastructural development and that the government was committed to alleviating the sufferings of Nigerians.

He said that the Federal Government would consider using cement concrete to re-construct bad roads across the country.

FG directs banks to suspend sack of workers THE Federal Government on Friday directed banks, insurance and financial institutions to suspend the ongoing retrenchment in the sector.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, and made available to newsmen in Abuja.

“Following spate of petitions and complaints from stakeholders in the banking, insurance and financial institutions, I hereby direct the suspension of the ongoing retrenchment

pending the outcome of the conciliatory meetings in the industry.

“This is as a result of the apprehension by my office of the various disputes in the sector in accordance and in compliance with the provisions of the labour laws of Nigeria,” it said.

The statement said that the decision was further predicated on the fact that the continued retrenchment and redundancy by the sector were jeopardising the outcome of the reconciliatory and mediatory processes undertaken by the ministry.

“In this wise, all the retrenchments and redundancies done in the last four months and all proposed ones should be put on hold.

“Pending the outcome of the proposed stakeholders’ summit for the banking, insurance and financial institutions’ employers and employees, slated for the first week of July 2,” the statement read in part.

However, Ngige advised all parties in the interest of industrial peace and harmony to maintain the status-quo ante-belum.

Shortfall in allocation has crippled UI — Unions

By Tunde Ogunesan ALL staff unions in the University of Ibadan on Friday, declared that the system in the ivory tower has been crippled following the shortfall in federal allocations to the school since December 2015.

Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Comrade Wale Akinremi, stated this on behalf of the unions while addressing journalists at the NISER park, opposite the institution’s Senate building saying the “University of Ibadan is in a very critical situation.”

Akinremi, who was flanked

by SSANU women leader, Comrade Moromoke Olabiyi, chairman of Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), Comrade Arojo Oluwaseun Akintunde, NASU secretary

Olakanmi S.A. and chairman, National Association of Academic Technology (NAAT), Comrade Caleb Falaye, declared that all staff of the university had exhausted their goodwill in sustaining their families without their full compliments since the shortfall experience began in December 2015.

According to him, “since December 2015, that was the first time we had the challenge of shortfall in federal allocation. You can imagine the whole of University of Ibadan not getting over N301 million in a month. That was the first month in office of the present vice chancellor and we thought over time, this thing would be corrected.

“Every month since then, we’ve been getting less than what we should get from the Federal Government for payment of salaries and mainte-

nance of the university. This is not only about the workers; it is about the institution and we have a legacy, a heritage we think we should do our best to consistently and almost perfectly maintain.

“But half a year, we have been running the university somehow and the workers have not been paid their salaries. Around march, we made known our intention but we had a letter from the Committee of Vice Chancellors that things would be sorted out, and out of respect and understanding, we agreed on what they told us.”

Akinremi further stated that the most worrisome aspect of the situation is that there is no communication from any government quarters, stating reasons for the shortfall.

He said, “Why are we having shortfalls? There is no letter to date from the Federal

Government on why they are paying us less than what we deserve. Some few weeks ago, at a meeting, our bursar told us that he was invited to come and collect the arrears of the shortfalls in Abuja.

So everybody expected that when he came back that the money would be paid. We were so hopeful.

“Sad enough, when the money came, not only that they did not pay us the arrears of the shortfalls, again they paid us less than what we should get from the Federal Government. This is causing untold hardship, it is causing serious pressure on the system, union leaders, members of the community, workforce, there is also serious pressure on the administrator.

“How do we run our first university? For crying out loud, is this how we’re going to treat our first born? It is

unfair. What we are getting is far less than what we should get. Families are in financial crisis, co-operative societies cannot work anymore. You can’t go to any co-operative now and get any help.

“The way UI is now, we are being pushed to the wall already. There is nothing working here anymore. For six months, we’ve been paid what we call ‘amputated salaries’. Nobody collects what he should get, the management cannot afford what they should do.

“There is the need for the Federal Government to come to the aid of this university. If there is something that they think they know about UI, we will all cooperate with them. If there is an issue, they should let us know. If you have a letter, comment or a report from anywhere, let us know,” he said.

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4 June, 2016

Saturday Tribune

NDLEA uncovers house of cannabis in Lagos Shola Adekola - Lagos

President Muhammadu Buhari (right), welcoming former President Olusegun Obasanjo to the Presidential Villa, in Abuja, on Friday.

PHOTO: NAN.

Police arraign 7 Oyo labour leaders over protest

•NLC, NUP condemn arrest

By Tunde Ogunesan and Olatunde Dodondawa

T

HE Oyo State police command on Friday arraigned seven leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Oyo State chapter who were arrested in connection with the alleged disruption of education stakeholders’ meeting.

They were arraigned in an Ibadan magistrates’ court on alleged assault on the Secretary to the Oyo State Government, destruction of property; disruption of stakeholders’ meeting, chasing of participants, unlawful assembly and acts capable of breaching public peace.

The NLC leadership was invited by the police on Thursday morning and some members of the union expressing their displeasure at the development.

Before the commencement of court proceedings, a sizeable number of union members, mostly teachers, came around the court premises to protest but were prevented by scores of armed policemen from entering the court premises.

As the court began sitting, their solidarity songs and anti-government slogans were echoing in the court at regular intervals.

All the charges were read to the accused persons one by one to which they all pleaded not guilty.

According to the charge sheet, the accused were alleged to have destroyed chairs valued at N1m; disturb public peace; assaulted the SSG, Olalekan Alli

by beating him with sticks thereby causing him bodily harm; threatened the governor, while holding meeting with stakeholders and assembling in an unlawful procession to the Oyo State Government Secretariat carrying Nigeria Union of Teachers banners and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 88.

Those docked are Mr. Waheed Olojede, Mr. Sikiru Bayo Titilola Sodo, Oseni Aderemi, Oparinde Kehinde, Falade Akinyele, Ogundeji Kofoworola and Adegbogun Titi.

Mr. Waheed Olajide stood in for the first defendant, Akin Ladipo for the second and third defendants, Yakubu Fadare for the 4th and 5th defendants, while Olutayo Oyewale held briefs for 6th and 7th defendants.

The prosecutor in the case was M. A Ojeah.

While applying for bail for his client and other defence counsel, Mr Olajide prayed the court to grant bail to their clients because their alleged offences were bailable and also asked the court to order the police to release the phones of the accused persons which they confiscated after arresting them around 10:00am on Thursday.

The prosecution counsel, Mr. Ojeah who conceded that the offences were bailable asked the court to refuse them bail, arguing that the accused caused bodily harm to the SSG who was on admission in the hospital.

According to him, the accused should be refused bail because they possessed

international passports and could travel out of the country.

When the magistrate was writing his ruling, his attention was called to the condition of one of the accused in the dock said to be fainting.

The court provided a chair for him and allowed some of the workers to fan him as he was sweating profusely due to poor ventilation in the court.

The magistrate, Mr A. A Adeniyi, then granted all of them bail in the sum of N200,000 with a surety that possesses a national identity card or voter card. The court also ordered the police to return their phones to them and then adjourned the case till June 24, 2016 for trial.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned in its entirety what it called the arrest, harassment and detention of its members on Thursday.

In a letter titled, ‘NLC/ NS/OYO/SC/2016’ and addressed to the Oyo State governor, Senator Ajimobi and signed by its national president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, the union stated: “We wish to express our dismay at the harassment, arrest and detention of our members for peacefully protesting against government’s policy of giving away public schools to individuals or organisations in the guise of Public-Private Partnership.

“Please do permit us to state that the right to peaceful protest against a wrong is guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Labour Laws, ILO Conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory, and Human

Rights Laws and cannot be abridged by government.

“We hold the view that the public schools which the government of Oyo State has put up for sale without due process or the consent of the people is not only ultra vires, it constitutes a betrayal of the people and the ideals for which Chief Awolowo stood.”

The union leadership argued that the public schools were built with the blood and sweat of the people and not a few, including “Your Excellency and members of your cabinet, were grand beneficiaries of this public school system. To auction out these schools, lock, stock and barrel, to the highest bidders offends moral decency and social justice as it denies generations of the children of the poor access to education guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution as amended.”

Also, the Oyo State council of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, (NUP) on Friday condemned the harrassment, arrest and detention of the chairman, Oyo State chapter of the NLC, Comrade Waheed Olojede and six other labour leaders over their disagreement with the Oyo State government’s plan to privatise secondary education in the state.

A press release signed by state’s secretary of NUP, Comrade Olusegun Abatan and made available to Saturday Tribune explained that no government in the last 20 years in Oyo State arrested labour leaders, “not even when the state was under the control of a former police officer.”

FEW weeks after Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State donated two operational Hilux buses and five motorcycles to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the agency has recorded a major operational success.

The command, acting on intelligence report, discovered a cannabis warehouse where 8,597.63kgs of dried weeds of the illegal substance was illegally stored.

According to the agency, the latest is the single largest cannabis seizure ever made by the agency in Lagos.

NDLEA has sealed off the six-bedroom duplex used in stockpiling the cannabis, located at 46, Ateoyo Street, Igbeleri Okoko, Lagos.

The operation, which lasted over twelve hours, was led by the Assistant Commander Operations and Intelligence, Mr. Ojo Ogbechema.

“It was cannabis everywhere except a room, a sitting room and a kitchen in the house. Officers spent several hours to evacuate the over 8.5 tons of cannabis from the illicit warehouse at Okoko, Lagos,” Ogbechema said.

Speaking, the Lagos State Commander of NDLEA, Mr. Aliyu Sule said that the command made the unprecedented seizure in a cannabis house operated by one Cletus Ishie, while acting on a tipoff.

“The suspect, his wife and two children were living with the drugs in their family house converted into a warehouse.

We engaged different trucks in conveying the drugs to the office because of the quantity. This is a serious problem that requires concerted effort and adequate logistic support. Cletus Ishie was not at home at the time of the raid but the wife witnessed the entire operation,” Aliyu stated.

NDLEA chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Colonel Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (retd.) promised to arrest the main suspect, identify and shut down more illicit drug warehouses, saying, “this discovery is impressive and the agency’s strategic approach in eradicating drugs from the country. I assure Nigerians that the main suspect will be arrested and made to answer his charges. Any investment in the fight against the scourge of narcotic drugs will continue to generate commensurate value. The assistance by the state government is yielding the right results. The Agency will remain active in undercover operations and detect more clandestine warehouses.”

Fayemi mourns Senator Kolawole’s passage THE Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has condoled with family of the late Senator James Olagunju Kolawole, a notable leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), over the death of the politician on Thursday.

Senator Kolawole, who represented Ekiti North in the Senate between 2003 and 2007 was the national vice chairman (South West) of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Fayemi, in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on media, Mr Yinka Oyebode, said he was saddened

by Senator Kolawole’s death, at this moment when the party and indeed Ekiti State need the intervention and support of passionate, patriotic and pragmatic leaders like him.

The Minister described the late Senator as a progressive politician, forthright leader, loyal party man and a grass-roots mobilise who undertook all his assignments with tact, courage and diligence.

Oba Erediauwa, a global citizen —Ekweremadu Banji Aluko - Benin City DEPUTY Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu on Friday described the departed Oba of Benin, Oba Erediauwa, as as a global citizen, who used his lifetime to pursue peace and good for mankind He, however, expressed confidence in the Crown Prince to fill the big shoes left behind by his father.

Ekweremadu stated this when he led seven other senators to pay a condolence visit on the Benin Crown Prince and Edaiken N’ Usleu, HRH Eheneden Erediauwa, at the Benin palace over the transition of his father and Oba of Benin.

Ekweremadu, who was accompanied by senators Matthew Urhoghide, Francis Alimekhena, Jerimiah Useni, Gbenga Asafa, Clifford Ordia, Peter Nwaboshi and Forster Ogoala, had earlier visited Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State at the Government House, Benin City, before visiting Prince Erediauwa.

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Kaduna security outfit rescues 3 kidnapped victims Muhammad Sabiu - Kaduna

Chairperson, Southern Governors’ Wives’ Forum and wife of Imo Governor, Mrs Nkechi Okorocha (sixth left); Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode (fifth right); his wife, Bolanle (fourth right); wife of the Osun State Governor, Mrs Sherifat Aregbesola (third right); wife of the Oyo State Governor, Mrs Florence Ajimobi (second right); wife of the Anambra State Governor, Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano (right) and others, during a visit of the Southern Governors’ Wives’ Forum to Governor Ambode in Lagos on Friday. PHOTO: NAN

EFCC arraigns Army General, others over N8.5bn fraud Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin - Lagos

A

former Commander of the military Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield, in the Niger Delta, Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Atewe, and a former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA), Patrick Akpobolokemi have been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over an alleged fraud of N8.5bn.

Both men were arraigned on Friday by the EFCC on an 11 count charge bordering on fraud.

The other defendants in the charge filed by the EFCC before Justice Saliu Saidu of a Federal High Court in Lagos are Kime Engozu and Josephine Otuaga.

The anti-graft agency alleged that Akpobolokemi and his alleged accomplices conspired among them-

selves to defraud NIMASA of N8.5bn using six companies – Jagan Limited; Jagan Trading Company Limited; Jagan Global Services Limited; Al-Nald Limited; Paper Warehouse Limited; Eastpoint Integrated Services Limited and De-Newlink Integrated Services Limited.

The EFCC claimed that the defendants committed the alleged fraud between September 5, 2014 and May 20, 2015.

The offence is said to be contrary to Section 18(a)

of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act. The defendants are also being tried for allegedly violating Section 390 of the Criminal Code Act Cap C. 38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

But upon reading the charges to them on Friday, they all pleaded not guilty.

Following applications for bail through their counsel including Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Justice

Buhari should dialogue with Niger Delta Avengers —Fayose EKITI State governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has urged President Mohammadu Buhari to dialogue with the Niger Delta militants, especially the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) so as to end hostilities in the oil rich region and save Nigeria’s economy from immi-

nent collapse.

Fayose said Buhari’s failure to attend the flagoff of the Clean-Up Ogoni project yesterday, because of threat from the Niger Delta Militants was a demonstration that the President had surrendered to the superior powers of the

Oyinlola tasks FG to explore potential in culture, tourism tourism, but we have been Oluwole Ige - Osogbo FORMER governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, on Thursday in Osogbo tasked the Federal Government to explore full potential inherent in the cultural and tourism sector in generating more revenues for the nation.

He said this approach would assist in tackling the consequences of the current economic challenges, confronting Nigeria.

Oyinlola, who is the current chairman of the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU) gave the charge at a cultural programme on

Saidu admitted all the defendants to bail.

Akpobolokemi, who had earlier been arraigned before Justice Saidu on December 3, 2015 on a separate charge involving an alleged N3.4bn fraud, was allowed by the judge to continue on the bail of N20m granted him in the earlier case.

However, the other defendants, Atewe, Engozu and Otuaga were each granted a bail of N100m with two sureties in like sum.

“Dancers of Yoruba land” to preserve the race’s cultural heritage.

He contended that proactive measures needed to be taken by stakeholders and lovers of this country to salvage it from the current economic quagmire precipitated by sharp drop in the price of crude oil which has remained the mainstay of the economy.

Oyinlola promised to under the auspices of the CBCIU, go the whole hog in developing culture and tourism potential in the state to boost the nation’s economy.

According to him, “Kenya, Egypt depend largely on

complacent in Nigeria here because of crude oil which can no longer sustain us instead of taking good advantage of God-given gifts to improve on our economy.

It is high time we diversiied our economy in diverse ways to survive the current hardship”.

“We are aware that Osun and indeed Nigeria are sitting on what could be regarded as a goldmine of culture and tourism that are highly regarded as the world’s biggest economic force today because it circulates more money and inspires more investment and social contract than any other economic factor.

militants.

It should be recalled that the NDA had warned President Buhari to stay away from the Niger Delta region if he desired to live.

According to a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose said it was shameful and embarrassing that President Buhari, a retired Military General could succumb to threat from militants despite that he told Nigerians that he was going to lead from the fronts.

Fayose who wondered why the President was not always interested in visiting states in the country as against his penchant for overseas trips, added that it was time that the President stopped acting like a foreign president.

He said it was obvious that the President’s approach to civil unrests of any kind under the government was causing more security problems in the country, adding that “the President cannot afford to continue to talk tough on issues that dialogue can resolve.”

THE Kaduna State security outfit code-named ‘Operation Yaki’ has rescued three persons abducted by kidnappers at gun point in the state.

Speaking with newsmen in Kaduna on Friday, Samuel Aruwan, spokesman to Governor Nasir el-rufai, said the government and security agencies were deeply committed to security and well being of citizens.

The spokesman explained that the rescued persons have been reunited with their families and the items recovered handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department of Kaduna State Police Command for further investigation while effort is being intensified to track down the fleeing bandits.

He appealed to citizens to continue to volunteer information to the Operation Yaki outfit for prompt action.

According to him: “Government and security agencies will continue to deepen their collaboration in protecting citizens and their properties.

‘You may wish to know that three kidnapped victims were rescued on Thursday night following a distress call received at the Control Room of Joint Operation Yaki Headquarters that some gang of armed bandits had kidnapped the following persons. Alhaji Zato, Alhaji Abubakar and Saidu all of Idon Village in Kachia local government area of the state.

Party stands united with el-Rufai —APC Muhammad Sabiu - Kaduna THE All Progressives Congress(APC) Kaduna State chapter,has declared that the party has no faction saying its leadership and members stand united with Governor Nasir el-Rufai in delivering service to the masses.

This declaration was coming barely 24 hours when Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District,, Senator Shehu Sani, governorship aspirant in 2015, Isah Hashiru and former Secretary, Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, had floated a pressure group within the party and christened it ‘APC AKIDA’ .

Addressing a news conference in Kaduna on Friday to mark the first anniversary of APC-led government , State acting Publicity Secretary,Salisu Tanko Wusono,warned disloyal party members to desist from operating ‘an illegal and unrecognised group’ or face sanctions.

APC further commended the governor for employing 2,503 youths into Kaduna State Traffic and Enviromental Law Enforcement Agency(KASTELEA) among other numerous achievements.

Tadash Colosseum debuts in Ilesa A new 2000 seat amphitheatre will be commissioned today in Ilesa, Osun State. The facility is expected to be home to luxurious entertainment, classy relaxation, events, cinema, exquisite reception, and arts gallery.

According to the management of the facility “there is a need to upgrade the social landscape of Osun State with such facilities that will expand the possibilities for social and human interactions in the state and this is what the colosseum intends to fulfill.

The President of the Roots Club of Ijesa land, Mr Dipo Komolafe , is billed to commission the facility along with the members of the club immediately after the bi-monthly meeting of the club.

There are also plans to entertain guests who include dignitaries and corporate guests at the colosseum during the event.

Gbadamosi donates doctors’ lodge A philanthropist who is also the Balogun of Ilisan Remo, High Chief Ambaliu Adewoga Gbadamosi is set to donate well-equipped three bedroom flats, complete with modern facilities to the Ogun State government for the use of medical doctors.

The Remo High chief who spoke with journalists on the project sited in Illisan Remo, said he decided to take on the project as a result of rising cases of maternal mortality which he attributed to unavailability of doctors during emergency period.

“I decided to build this doctors’ lodge to curb and reduce the rate of maternal mortality in the area, because at times, emergency matters failed to be attended to in the night because doctors live far away from hospitals,” he said.

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Idi-Ahun community cries out to Oyo State govt

By Olaide Sokoya

Residents of Idi-Ahun Community, Elebu area of Ibadan during a peaceful protest to the Tribune House, Imalefalafia Street, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Friday.

Collapsed Synagogue building had structural defects —COREN Ayomide OwonibiOdekanyin —Lagos

The Council of Regulated Engineers in Nigeria, (COREN), specifically told an Ikeja High Court sitting in Lagos that a seven-storey building which collapaed within the premises of the Synagogue Chuech of All Nations (SCOAN,) killing 116 people was defective.

A civil engineer, Dr. Victor Oyenuga, stated this in the ongoing trial of two engineers (Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Ogundeji) and SCOAN, who were arraigned over involuntary manslaughter charges.

Oyenuga maintained that the foundation was supposed to be bigger than what was found on the site and in the structural drawing of the building.

The prosecution witness added that their investigation revealed that the superstructure which is the stability of the building was undersized in terms of physical size and quantity of iron rod used for the beams.

He pointed out that the soil bearing capacity of the collapsed site also showed

that the load was above the expected size.

He, however, stated that the foundation though found to be undersized during investigations on the debris of the collapsed building by Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NIBBRI) in conjunction with COREN, it might not have caused the

collapse.

Led in examination in chief by prosecuting counsel, Mrs. Idowu Alakija, Dr. Oyenuga stated that in the course of investigation, the council advertised in major newspapers requesting that engineers who oversaw the collapsed building should come for interrogation but no one claimed responsi-

Court grants Osun female Muslim students right to wear hijab in schools We’ll appeal judgment—CAN Oluwole Ige, Osogbo An Osun State High Court on Friday granted female Muslim students in the state the right and freedom to wear hijab in public schools.

Delivering a judgment in a suit instituted by Osun Muslim community against the state government, the presiding judge, Justice Jide Falola, cited section 38 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution as basis for his judgment, stressing that the section stipulates the right of every individual

to practise their religion in tandem with their religious faith.

Falola recalled the Osun Muslim community had dragged the Osun State government to court to allow Muslim female students use hijab in public schools, a development which he said had led to series of letters and accusation by counsel of both the Muslim and Christian communities.

He observed that the joining of Osun State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the suit caused tension leading to

Fape elected new Archbishop of Lagos Province Olayinka Olukoya—Abeokuta The Bishop of Remo Diocese (Anglican Communion), The Right Rev’d ((Dr) Michael Olusina Fape, has been elected as the new Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos.

His election was announced at the just concluded Episcopal Meeting of the Bishop headed by the Primate of All Nigeria, Anglican Communion, the Most Rev’d Nicholas D. Okoh, held at Ibru Centre, Agbarha Otor, Delta State.

Bishop Fape was elected and consecrated as the sec-

bility.

The cross-examination of the witness by the defence team has been adjourned till June 20 by the presiding judge, Justice LawalAkapo, who fixed the date shortly after the SCOAN counsel, Chief Lateef Fagbemi, asked the court to avail them time for the cross-examination.

ond Bishop of the Diocese of Remo on 16 November, 2003 and was enthroned on 20 November, 2003.

Fape was born on 28 January, 1959 in Ipogun, Akure, Ondo State and had his primary education at St. Jude’s Primary School, Ipogun, from 1966 to 1971 and attended St. Paul’s Secondary Modern School, Ilara–Mokin between 1972 and 1974 where he obtained Secondary Modern School Leaving Certificate in 1974. Later he went to St. John/Mary’s College, Owo where he trained as a Professional Teacher and

obtained Teachers’ Grade II Certificate, between 1975 -1978.

In his quest for higher education, Bishop Fape went to the University of Ibadan in 1984 and graduated in 1987 with Bachelor of Arts (Hons), Religious Studies: Second Class Upper Division. He then travelled overseas for his Master’s Degree at Yale University Divinity School, New Haven, CT (U.S.A.) between 1989 and 1990 where he obtained a Master of Sacred Theology degree (S.T.M.), in Pastoral Counselling and NT Ethics.

several adjournments of the case and overruling of the application filed by CAN. Falola subsequently ordered that every female Muslim student should be allowed to wear hijab in public schools as enshrined in their religious faith, explaining that the school authorities would determine the colours of hijabs to be used.

Reacting to the ruling, counsel for the Muslim community, Mr Kazeem Odedeji, expressed satisfaction with the judgment, adding that the ruling was a well deserved one, just as he appealed to parties to the suit to obey the judgment.

In his submission, the lead counsel for CAN, Mr Femi Ayandokun, commended the judge for the display of maturity in managing the situation, declaring that he would appeal the decision taken by the court after proper consultation.

However, the Osun State chairman of CAN, Reverend Elisha Ogundiya, on Friday, said the body would appeal the judgment, adding that “emergency meeting of the church leaders in the state is slated for next week Tuesday to discuss further action on the development.”

Residents of Idi-Ahun community in Elebu area of Ibadan, Oyo State have appealed to the governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and Ido Local Government chairman to rescue them from the hands of land owners terrorisng the community.

The general chairman of the community, Alfa Kamarudeen Tiamiyu, while speaking with Saturday Tribune during a peaceful protest to the Tribune House on Friday, said their intention was to bring to light the illegal takeover of some parcel of lands in areas like Idi-Ahun and Jankata, both at Elebu road in Ido Local Government Area of the state.

According to one of the residents, Mr Abiodun Victor, “about six months ago, some people came with thugs and tractors to demolish houses and fences, claiming that they were sent by the Oyo State government to destroy all the properties on the land. As we speak, these people are there working with South West Local Government tractors, destroying houses, suggesting that they could have some people’s backing to carry out the demolition.

Nasarawa NMA strike over government’s refusal to pay corrected CONMESS Godwin Agwam- Lafia THE Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), has declared an indefinite strike in Nasarawa State over the refusal of the state government to implement the corrected Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) in the state.

The union had last week issued a seven-day ultimatum to the state government to implement the 2014 CONMESS agreement it had with the government but got no response on its ultimatum.

Speaking to newsmen in Lafia on Friday, the chairman of the union, Dr. Friday Omolei, said the industrial action became necessary due to the present policy of starvation and degradation of its members through the non-implementation of the corrected CONMESS by the state government.

Omolei disclosed that “in the interest of the people of the state, the implementation of the withdrawal of services will be in two phases as the first phase will only capture doctors in the employment of the state government while the second phase will capture its members in Federal Government hospitals in the state and private hospitals if their demands are not met.”

The chairman added that government has also shut the door of negotiation against the union, saying some top government officials are already opting for traditional medicine.

“It is unfortunate that some top government officials are telling us that before Western medicine came, they were using traditional medicine and we are the ones that will get tired of the strike,” he said.

Dr. Omolei, however, appealed for the understanding of people of the state, saying every man is entitled to his wage.

As of press time, efforts to get government officials to comment on the matter were unsuccessful as the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Daniel Iya, said he was in a meeting and switched off his mobile phone.

Nigerian college librarians set to improve library service delivery

By Kehinde Adio Members of the Committee of Colleges of Education Librarians in the country have converged on the Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo, Oyo State, to ruminate on the development of strategies to make academic libraries in Nigerian tertiary institutions more conducive and informative for users.

At the official opening ceremony of the 2016 annual conference and general meeting of the committee held on Tuesday, the host college librarian, Mr. Ayinla Oladepo, declared that the librarians drawn from all the colleges in the country would spend three days to deliberate on relevant issues affecting the growth and development of libraries in quality service, delivery and patronage.

According to him, the invention of e-library devices should complement books. He expressed dissatisfaction over Nigerian students’ nonchallant attitude towards the use of library in their various institutions. He said if Nigerian school proprietors would earmark tangible fund to library expansion, the development would go a long way to enhance the quality of service of academic libraries in the country.

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Kwara gov’s wife tackles violence against children Biola Azeez— Ilorin

A commercial bus involved in an accident at Fadeyi area of Lagos State on Friday.

Some children who lost their lives in the accident.

PHOTOS: SYLVESTER OKORUWA

11 killed in 2 Lagos accidents olalekan olabulo - lagos

N

o fewer than nine people were feared dead in an accident that occurred on Ikorodu Road in Lagos State on Friday, as the two vehicles involved head on collission.

Two people were again feared killed and many others injured in another accident that occurred, also on Friday at the Ikeja bus stop on the Agege Motor Road.

The Fadeyi accident involved an interstate commercial bus, which was said to be coming from the northern part of Nigeria.

The commercial bus, marked KT715YG, was coming from Palm Groove end of the road when the driver lost control and crashed into the barricade in the middle of the road before colliding with an incoming truck marked GGE 715 YG. Nine people, made up of two adults, one female adult and four children were reportedly killed in the accident.

It was gathered that the

vehicle was heading towards Yaba area on top speed when the driver suddenly lost control.

The driver, in an apparent attempt to halt the vehicle, crashed into the barricade in the middle of the road, the vehicle to tumble to the other side of the road.

The commercial bus crashed into an incoming articulated lorry and it was

badly crushed, resulting in the death and injuries of the passengers.

Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Lagos State Ambulance Service took part in the recovery of the bodies of the dead occupants of the vehicle and the rescue of the

Strike: NULGE chairman accuses LG boss of sending thugs to beat him •It’s a lie — LG boss Sam Nwaoko, Ado Ekiti The strike by workers in Ekiti State got messy as the chairman of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Efon Local Government Area, Mr. Charles Kayode, was said to have been beaten up by suspected thugs.

Kayode was said to have been beaten on Thursday, on the alleged instruction of the council boss, Mr . Bolaji Jeje, while trying to enforce compliance with the strike in the council secretariat.

Kayode told newsmen on

Friday that the council boss allegedly invaded his house with about 19 thugs and beat him up for allegedly ordering that the gate of the council should be closed.

He said: “We were at the gate of the Council with my Secretary and we saw it opened and I had to order the security man to close it because we were on strike.

We instructed that the gate be closed and that was the order we got from NULGE chairman in Ekiti, Mr. Bunmi Ajimoko.

“After the closure of the gate, I went back to my house

BEDC attributes low generation to poor power supply to coverage states Benin Electricity Distribution Plc. (BEDC) has attributed the degenerating level of electricity supply to its esteemed customers in the operational areas of, Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti states to low power generation received from the national grid, occasioned by gas shortage due to pipeline vandalism.

This was contained in a statement from BEDC, signed by its Chief Corporate Services Officer, Mrs Kunbi Labiyi.

She said BEDC’s Chief State Head, Edo State, Engr. Fidelis Obishai, made the explanation during a meeting between BEDC management and Governor Adams Oshiomhole in Benin City on Friday.

injured victims.

The General Manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Michael Akindele confirmed the incident to Saturday Tribune.

The Lagos State sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Hyginus Omeje, also confirmed the death of nine people to Saturday Tribune.

Obishai said: “We take no joy in not giving power supply to the people but due to the present low power generation, we are constrained.”

He said the serious drop in power generation was affecting BEDC’s ability to distribute power to customers despite its installed capacity of 800 megawatts, stressing that what it gets as a distribution company hovers between 130 to 150 megawatts daily and as such this was responsible for the poor supply.

On disconnected communities, Obishai told the governor that any community disconnected was based on non-payment of electricity bills, adding that once such is paid, power supply would be restored immediately.

“We do not disconnect indiscriminately but those who are owing debts. For instance in the case of Auchi, there was a violent protest in Auchi that resulted in the damage of nine operational vehicles and offices and there is a recorded threat to life which is a major challenge. ‘‘BEDC is very disposed to engaging such communities in dialogue on best way to resolving such issues, no matter the level of grievances,” he added.

According to him, BEDC has submitted a formal petition to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Federal Ministry of Power and the Edo State Commissioner of Police.

located within the vicinity, just a stone’s throw to the place. The chairman brought about 19 thugs and broke the gate to my house. I had to scale the fence but they still pursued me and beat me up.

“As I speak with you, I am in a clinic in Efon Alaaye where I am receiving medical attention.

After the beating, I was hospitalised at a private hospital in Ado Ekiti.

“The Divisional Police Officer in the council was at the scene, but he could not make any arrest. He was watching helplessly. He was even the one that rescued me from the thugs and took me to the police station, so I could make my statement.

“But I didn’t make statement because I fell down as I was about to write and I was rushed to the hospital.”

However, the council boss, Bolaji Jeje, who reacted via telephone, denied the allegation that he ordered the beating of the NULGE boss, saying he left the council in frustration after he was prevented from entering by the NULGE executive.

Jeje said: “I didn’t order that he should be beaten up. I also want to say that the NULGE boss was only trying to sensationalize the issue, because I had to leave the council with my Director of Administration, Secretary and Treasurer, after getting instruction from Governor Ayodele Fayose to ignore him, because I told the governor that I was prevented from entering to do my work.’’

Against growing cases of violence and abuse on children in parts of Kwara State, wife of the Kwara State governor, Mrs. Omolewa Ahmed, has set up a committee in collaboration with state Ministry of Social Welfare to address the menace.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin during a special talent discovery programme among disabled and physically challenged school children in the state, Mrs. Ahmed said membership of the committee would include traditional, community and religious leaders among other stakeholders.

“The committe will be working on tackling violence against persons, both male and female. We are already working with the Ministry of Social Welfare in that regard. We want to embark on massive advocacy and ultimately, we want to have a home for them, a sort of refuge where they can stay, especially when a child is molested.

“Last year, we also produced a movie, titled, ‘Delima,’ which was nominated in Ghana Movie Award in best the shot film category, still talking about ills of child abuse in our society. We want to do more. We want to do a lot of advocacy with community leaders, religious leaders.

We’ll be rolling out very soon,” she said.

VoguePay wins Award For Best e-Payment Platform In Africa

VoguePay.com, leading e-payment platform that serves hundreds of thousands of small businesses in four continents has won the best emerging online payment platform in Africa at the African Information Technology and Telecom Awards (AITTA) 2016, held at the Kempinski Hotel, Accra, Ghana, recently.

This year’s edition of the coveted ICT awards organised

by InstinctWaves, publishers of Africa’s only free premium ICT and telecoms magazine, recognised industry leaders across various categories, including e-payment where VoguePay was awarded the Best Emerging Online Payment Platform in Africa.

Mr. Akin Naphtal, Cnief Executive Officer of InstinctWave, speaking at the event, remarked that VoguePay won the industry recognition as a result of its contribution to online payment in Nigeria and Africa in general.

Provost wants private institutions included in TETFUND intervention funds Godwin Agwam - Lafia THE Provost of College of Education, Gwanje-Akwanga in Nasarawa State, Musa Juan has sued for the inclusion of private tertiary institutions in the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).

The provost who made the call on Friday while playing host to the leadership of the state’s council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, who were on an assessment visit to the college, insisted that TETFUND was being financed by tax payers money, hence it was unfair for government to restrict its interventions to only public tertiary institutions.

He argued that there was no justification for the exclusion of private tertiary institutions in TETFUND interventions as both public and private institutions were working for the same purpose of providing the manpower needs and general educational advancement of the nation.

All nominated OYSIEC members belong to APC—Accord Party chairman

By Dare Adekanmbi The chairman, Accord Party in Oyo State, Alhaji Bashir Lawal, has claimed that all the eight persons nominated

by Governor Abiola Ajimobi as members of Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) are cardcarrying members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Lawal, however, said Accord would not boycott the local government election whenever it is scheduled but use the polls to confirm its acceptability.

Speaking with Saturday Tribune in Ibadan on Friday, the chairman explained that appointment of APC members into OYSIEC was a trap to get the opposition parties to challenge the nomination in court and consequently postpone the election using the litigation as an alibi.

“We will not only participate fully in the election anytime it is slated for, we will also galvanise other opposition parties and join force with them to trounce APC candidates.

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4 June, 2016

Feature

Saturday Tribune

Soldiers, in my presence, tied up my children and beat them up; I fear for my life —Gbaramatu king Gbaramatu Kingdom, in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, has been in the news for some time now with reports of alleged looting and molestation of the natives.

EBENEZER ADUROKIYA, who was among select journalists on an impromptu visit to Oporoza, headquarters of the kingdom, last Sunday, paints a true picture of the area.

F

ROM the Warri Club jetty, where the crew took off at about 3:20 p.m. last Sunday, down to Oporoza, headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, no single boat was seen coming to or leaving Escravos or Gbaramatu Kingdom. This was unusual.

The waterways were deserted, devoid of the hustling and bustling they were known for. But at some strategic locations were boat houses and military checkpoints, heavily armed and fortified with gunboats of various shapes and sizes. It reminded one of the days of militancy at its peak.

The notorious Warri rains that give no warning did not help matters on the fateful Sunday trip. The rains had been given way to by a sunny weather when worshippers were hardly back home - from churches.

But then, the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brigadier General Paul Boroh, had arrived at the Warri Club from Abuja on a visit to the embattled Gbaramatu Kingdom. On this day, fighter jets had not been sent to add some pep to the clampdown on members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

The amnesty boss said emerging stories, especially on the social media, on the activities of military troops being bandied around concerning their siege on Gbaramatu kingdom in search of NDA members were worrisome.

With two gunboats and two civilian boats, one of which sheltered a few journalists from the print and electronic media, the crew headed for the lonely river towards Oporoza, the political headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom.

At the jetty, at the point where the big Warri River divides in two - one leading to Escravos and the other to Oporoza - a heavy presence of soldiers, whose facial expressions betrayed an awareness of a visit by their former boss, Gen. Boroh, was noticed. Soon, the boats headed in the direction of Oporoza. Graveyard serenity pervaded the entire community. No single human being could be sighted. On a normal day, the community burbles with music and young boys and girls milling around, some taking fresh air in jetties amid intermittent sipping of different brands of sophisticated alcoholic drinks.

Oporoza, a ghost town From the Oporoza jetty that leads to the temple and

The Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom, William N. S. Ogoba Oboro Gbaraun II (Aketekpe) Agadagba.

guesthouse, which are directly opposite the palace ground of the Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom, William N. S. Ogoba Oboro Gbaraun II (Aketekpe) Agadagba, armed troops in their hundreds kept watch on various locations in the area. Like a conquered territory, soldiers laying siege to the community were not only manning the guesthouse, they had gained access into the facility.

A few women, about 30 of them, as well as a few white sheep were eventually sighted in front of some of the houses, looking with great suspicion. The sheep were grazing in a large open space looking like a football pitch. There were no children playing the round leather game. There was no air of conviviality. There were no trading activities going on. There was no electricity as solders had taken over the community’s power plant. Construction work ongoing at the once bombarded palace of the Gbaramatu King had been halted in the wake of the military invasion. Tools like shovels, spades, diggers and half-mixed concrete sand were seen to have been hurriedly abandoned by workers.

I sat here and watched the military men parade my children. They tied them and beat them up. I was touched. If you want to beat up a child and you see the father, you have to respect him and then, maybe, forgive the child, but in my presence, my children were beaten up. The soldiers have become the owners of this community.

A few young boys were seen with the traditional ruler who seemed restricted only to his house.

Allegations against soldiers But the rumour that the soldiers had looted resident’s houses and property could be said to be far from the truth.

To prove this, Brigadier-General Boroh led journalists to the guesthouse built by Tompolo [Government Ekpemupolo] and found intact items like TV, refrigerator, furniture, glassy interior decorations, among others. No item was found vandalised.

However, two of the boys found in the house of the traditional ruler alleged that the troops had arrested the cook working in the guesthouse, one Philip, a mechanic; Moses Andrew, a security man; Odike, a tailor identified as Ebiowede and a few students from the only secondary school in the community.

“They also took a lot of money from the traditional temple. They desecrated the palace and the temple,” the boys claimed.

The soldiers were said to have arrived in Oporoza at about 2.00 a.m. last Saturday and the fear of their arrival left many residents bolting into the bush. Students who were supposed to be writing their NECO exams have all fled the community.

Military to enforce peace in Gbaramatu Immediately the entourage arrived in the jetty, it headed for the palace of the Gbaramatu king. The amnesty boss, Gen. Boroh, uncomfortable with the blackout in the palace, ordered the restoration of electricity through the central Continues pg32

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4 June, 2016

Saturday Tribune

style New trend report: The shirtdress

Saturday Tribune

31

08071080888 anikate92@yahoo.com

with Kate Ani

Tinuola Ayanniyi tayanniyi@yahoo.com 08055069379

Do-it-yourself:

Chain curtain heeled shoes

What you need

Steps

L

ADIES sometimes sleep over at their partner’s place and throw on their men’s oversized shirt the morning after.

Well, guess what? This dressing has now become a fashionable statement to rock outside the confines of the

house. However, stylists have moved from the oversized shirt to oversized chiffon blouses as dress.

The most appealing thing about wearing shirtdress is that it flatters every body type and it’s effortlessly wearable. Nothing suits better than

I’m an expert in false eye lashes —Viola Davies Golden Globes Award winning actress and star of Hollywood hit series ‘How To Get Away with Murder, Viola Davies in this interview with V Magazine reveals her beauty tips.

Viewers of your hit show ‘How To Get Away With Murder’ were surprised when you removed your wig during an episode, to reveal your almost bald hair…

When I was 28, I woke up one day and it looked like I had a Mohawk. I never showed my natural hair, I was so desperate for people to think that I was beautiful but I have now embraced my natural hair and showing it off.

Tell us about your skin-care regimen.

I am addicted to skin care—I can’t even tell you how many products I own! I used to think there was no difference between day cream and night cream; now I use both, plus an eye cream.

What’s your best makeup skill?

I’m an expert at putting on false lashes. And when I was at Juilliard, I took a makeup class on how to contour. When I make the effort to do it, I’m pretty good at it.

What is your definition of ‘beauty’?

Just like we have to redefine strength, we have to redefine beauty. It’s not even about beautiful; it’s about being who you are. It’s about being honest.

being able to toss on a minimal piece and look put-together without a lot of fuss.

It is important to remember that the shorter the hem line, the lower your heels should be since the dress naturally elongates your legs.

11 commentary

Buhari’s first 366 days: The country is hard

By Oludayo Tade

T

HE quality of life in Nigeria is nothing to write home about. Poverty has become a common denominator as most Nigerians now swim in the scary waters of hopelessness. No other title can better capture what the average Nigerian has experienced in the last one year other than to tell President Mohammadu Buhari (PMB): This country is hard!. It is understandably arduous for the government image launderer, Lai Mohammed, to defend the glaring non-performance across sectors. What majority now experience is botched ‘change’ characterised by institutional-anomie with growing lawlessness, impunity and emergence of insurgent groups. From kidnapping, herdsmen terrorism, smuggling, armed robbery, demands for self-determination, unpaid salaries, hike in prices of everything (including tomotoes!), comatose electricity, collapsing or comatose business ventures, protests in first-generation universities of Ibadan, Ife and Lagos (due to infrastructure decay), increased domestic violence leading to deaths, increase in ritual killings, abductions and suicide. Added to this awful list are phenomenal increases in unemployment (12.1%), underemployment (19.1%) and youth unemployment/ underemployment (42.24%). Of course, one cannot leave out the large pool of internally displaced persons and the daring Niger-Delta Avengers (NDA). The NDA have demonstrated their capability and the consequences are legion.

PMB must learn to negotiate peace and not force peace as a converted democrat which he claims to be but rarely demonstrates. The worthlessness of life in Nigeria needs a policy review and not the nebulous afterthought of allocating N5,000 to the poorest of the poor. This amount cannot even buy a basket of tomatoes!. Of course, the anti-corruption fight is ongoing but its benefits still remain elusive to Nigerians. Corruption is getting more entrenched as people now devise innovative ways to survive the hardship foisted on them. Yet, the ‘sacred cows’ continue to regenerate. The figure of those murdered via herdsmen terrorism in the last one year is indicative of the failure of the state in its core function of securing her citizens. Sadly, the political-economy or ethno-religious posture of PMB on this issue is reminiscent of Goodluck Jonathan’s attitude when Boko Haram was birthed. I have come to see, that there are two differentiated levels of citizenship in Nigeria: the ‘ordinary’ Nigerians and ‘real’ Nigerians. The blood of the

former (the masses) is drained to nourish the lives of the real Nigerians (elite, public servants and their allies). It should be noted that a differentiated citizenship is being created which will lead to the creation of more insurgent groups.

I had warned that there is a limit to trust as we need to characterise the men in the corridors of power. The cabal that was protested against in the oil sector is still holding sway and the APC, which asked the Jonathan administration to prosecute and deal with the cabal and fix refineries have gone back to eat their vomit.

Ibe Kachikwu and the Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo seemed to be far from the reality on the ground when they said, “we share your pain” to Nigerians after they forced N145 fuel price down our throats. They do not know and certainly feel no pains! Do they know how parents have lost the respect of their children? Do they know how many families have become shattered? Do they know that money lenders no longer offer services to government workers after unmet timelines? Do they know how much strain is in the land? The social contract between the government and the governed is breached which makes human life valueless. The body language is that ‘sacred cows’ can take over your land, kill, rape and create more problems as we continue to have more orphans, widows, widowers and a burgeoning army of internally displaced persons. The Boko Haram ‘largely decimation’ narrative is now stale. The new threats are the development of insurgent groups which is a by-product of social and economic cataclysm. The magnitude of the insecurity in Nigeria is being underestimated by the PMB-led administration.

The spiral effects of the stiffening economic situation are backbreaking. The Federal Executive Council endorsed the failure to arrest pipeline vandals, stop smuggling, negotiate peace in the Niger Delta and fix the refineries and the ailing economy by forcing hike in fuel price on an already distressed people. The government

4 June, 2016

Saturday Tribune

should be ready for new dimensions of criminality and social problems because when there is disjunction between societally approved goals and means of achieving them, anomie ensues and people mostly innovate and rebel rather than conform. Celebrated (late) Nigerian sociologist, Akinsola Akiwowo had explained cherished life values among the Yoruba and by extension Nigerians to include financial and social security and victory over enemies, among others. Failure to meet these leads to social problems. As Beautiful Nubia said in his song, the masses are not asking for too much. They want the basic things that make life worth living (light, qualitative health, financial and social security, water, good roads). Thus, this propaganda narrative of sponsored efforts to destabilise the government should be jettisoned. This government needs to put on its thinking cap and design indigenous means to develop. As we have seen, our state governors have only succeeded in underdeveloping their states by lying to go to China, Japan, South Africa and others in search of investors. While they claimed allowances for such trips their states now have to endure the mountain of debts burden; no reliefs.

Corruption fight cannot be fought and won when the stomach infrastructure is threatened. Government should be apprehensive about how people are still going to their offices despite unpaid salaries! For example, my friend who lectures in a state polytechnic is owed four months salary and her husband, a civil servant, is owed six months salary!

Their kids are threatened to be sent out of school. She now has a ‘Book of debt’ where she records all her borrowings.

Sad enough she lamented that nobody is ready to loan them again. Today people receive daily requests for financial assistance to fulfill their unmet needs. Pensioners are receiving no benefits and you expect those approaching retirement to be incorruptible? Not many people will listen to the scratching disc of ‘God will do it’ or ‘Nigerians should learn to sacrifice’ when those in public offices do not sacrifice. Frustration and aggression are setting in and you can see the erosion of trust in the ability of government to save them. PMB is human and cannot be right always. We must keep this president on his toes as South Africans have done to President Jacob Zuma and Americans to Barack Obama.

One year is gone and the ‘Poor Peoples’ Republic in Nigeria’ is getting larger. In the second part of the “You can trust me with your money” home video by PMB; the masses MUST experience the promised positive CHANGE. Dr Oludayo Tade, a criminologist wrote from Ibadan via dotad2003@yahoo.com

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4 June, 2016

Saturday Tribune

With Aunty Yemi 08056834515 ojeleyeoyeyemi@yahoo.com

Muideen Olagoke, 9 yrs old, JSS 1 I’m happy that Ramadan is around the corner but at the same time, I’m thinking of lots of things which I will miss. I wish I could be at home because I do lesser work.

I’m already concerned about combining school activities with fasting.

How we feel as Ramadan approaches

Maryam Oyeyemi, 14 yrs old, SSS 1 I am so excited that Ramadan is almost here because it’s a sacred month in the Islamic calendar when Allah forgives sins. During this period, I usually get gifts such as clothing items, jewelry and money from my uncles, aunts and grandparents.

Respondents are students of Medmina College, Iyana Ajia, Egbeda, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Pupils and teachers of Christ City Model School, Moniya, Ibadan, during a visit to the Zoological Garden, University of Ibadan, on Children’s Day.

Fatiha Yahya, 11 yrs old, JSS 1 I’m happy and at the same time anxious because this is the first time I will be fasting outside the home. All the same, I pray it will go as I expect. I pray that God will send help to the needy and also fulfill the desires of my heart.

a r t o o n

Z a k a r i y a h Habeeb, 13 yrs old, JSS 2 I have been waiting for this wonderful month when we abstain from food for certain hours. This year, it has been destined that it will meet us while the school is on. My school usually has good plans for us during this season so I’m not afraid.

Each time we fast, it reminds me of those who are not privileged to eat three square meals. It’s a period we must all give thanks to God for His provision.

Children of Jubilee-Life Baptist Church, Basorun, Ibadan, after the Children’s Day programme, last Sunday.

C

Saheed Furqan, 15 yrs old, SSS 2 I will miss a few usual things in this month of Ramadan.

It’s a very special month because during the fasting period, I get motivated and also have more time dedicated to reading the Qur’an and listen to sermons. By the end of this year’s fasting, it will be the second time I would have read the Qur’an through.

I’m delighted because every Muslim will be shielded from the evil ones.

AbdurRahman Oyediran, 10 yrs old, JSS 1 I feel excited as Ramadan is fast approaching when people will abstain from evil deeds and God will forgive people’s sins. However, I will miss my midday snacks and lunch during the fasting period. But the good thing about the period is that I will be taking enough fruits.

Moreover, the number of periods that will be used for classes will also be reduced.

Aisha Mustapha, 13 yrs old, SSS 1 I’m eager to participate in fasting this year.

Ramadan helps me to know more about my religion and also encourages me to submit myself more to the will of God from the lessons we will be taught. I wish and pray for strength to complete the fast.

Saidat Ige, 12 yrs old, JSS 2 Ramadan is a special season in the year so I feel excited whenever it is approaching. I would have wished to observe the fasting with my family members because of the joy of togetherness. Nevertheless, I believe that wherever one is during the period is not a barrier. I admonish every Muslim to pray for a successful Ramadan, more so for those that will be travelling to Mecca.

Yunus Mubarak, 13 yrs old, Jss 2 I thank Allah for sparing my life to witness another Ramadan. I feel wonderful as it is approaching, being a period that takes me closer to God. But, I feel a bit unhappy as the fasting will begin in the school.

I foresee that I will not feel comfortable considering the stress of reading for the third term examination. If I would be at home during the period, I wouldn’t have done anything. I hope we will have classes with a reduction of 30 minutes.

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4 June, 2016

Saturday Tribune BLESSING EKUM ekumblessing@gmail.com 08116954639

food&drink Tantalise your taste buds with catfish pepper soup Mrs Karimat Iyaniwura is a foodie and restaurateur. The Chief Executive Officer, Le Reseau, Heritage Mall, Ibadan, shares with BLESSING EKUM how to get the best in fine dining and a common mistake made in the preparation of catfish peppersoup.

Why did you decide to go into the food business? efore I relocated to Ibadan, whenever I visited I was always on the lookout for a classy lounge to hang out and have good food but it was difficult to get one. When I finally relocated, my husband and I decided that since it was difficult to get a place that’s secluded, classy with good and affordable food, we could as well create one. That was how the idea was birthed. Our strength is in our food, exclusivity and the services we offer.

Moreover, I love food and I’m passionate about good food.

B

Can you share your experience so far?

It was initially tough but now it seems Ibadan residents now understand that class and taste don’t have to be expensive. One can have good food and class at affordable prices.

What’s the most challenging aspect of running a food business?

I’d say it’s getting the right location. This is because the locality influences the perception of the people that reside there. For instance, many Ibadan residents believe foods sold in classy restaurants are very expensive and that’s why they mostly patronise bukaterias. Most times, they don’t even enter the restaurant to enquire but just assume that if a place is nice, it would be really expensive. But this perception is wrong. So, I’ll say the most challenging part is dealing with this mindset.

There is the belief that food, especially local cuisines, sold in bukaterias are tastier than those sold in high-end restaurants. Could this also be a reason for their patronage?

I don’t believe bukateria foods are tastier. It’s just about getting experienced hands to do the cooking; people who have the interest in cooking and know the right timing and ingredients to use.

What does ‘good food’ mean to you?

Exquisite presentation and taste. There are times one may not be hungry but the presentation of the food can whet the appetite. Then when the food is also delicious, I’ll describe that as good food.

Where do you draw inspiration for the presentation of your foods?

Whenever I travel and visit a restaurant, I notice the way their food is presented and take pictures. These inspire my own food presentation.

What’s the most fulfilling part?

It’s meeting people and satisfying their needs.

Would you describe yourself as adventurous in the kitchen?

I think I’m too adventurous. I love food; both the preparation and eating. I love the fact that one can get very creative and produce interesting and tasty dishes.

Can you share a recent creation?

It’s something I created with coconut oil. For health reasons, I had to start a health plan that required lowering my oil intake. I was introduced to coconut oil and learnt of its benefits, so I decided to incorporate it into my diet. I’m not much of a salad lover but owing to the health plan, I had to find a way to enjoy it. So, I stir fried salad using coconut oil and seasoning. I call it Le Reseau special. It’s a delicious way to enjoy salad, especially for those who are bored with the bland taste of vegetables.

What’s your customer service philosophy?

The customer is boss. It doesn’t matter what they are purchasing or how demanding they are, the customer must be pleased.

In the food preparation process, what aspect do you pay the most attention to?

The taste really matters to me.

What’s the connection between ambience and fine dining?

Ambience plays a huge role in enjoying food. When one has had a stressful day, hunger may not be a primary need, but just a place to relax. When that is available, it can then encourage the person to want to eat or drink something. The relaxing atmosphere would make the person better enjoy whatever is served. So it’s a total package.

Do you have a favourite food?

I enjoy all kinds of food and don’t have a particular favourite. My mood dictates my food preference. When I feel down, I go for swallow. When I’m very happy, I go for light foods like pasta. When I’m indifferent, I go for pepper soup.

Any particular variety of pepper soup?

I particularly like fresh catfish pepper soup and I’ve incorporated it into our menu.

Can you share the recipe?

You will need fresh catfish, yam, Cameroon pepper, scotch bonnet (rodo), onions, seasoning cubes, salt, scent leaves (efinrin), peppersoup spices. It takes about 20 minutes to prepare.

Pour water in pot and place on fire. Add blitzed Cameroon pepper, scotch bonnet (rodo), yam chunks, seasoning cubes, sliced onions, peppersoup spices, salt and allow to cook. Add cleaned catfish and leave to cook. Add chopped scent leaves and leave to simmer on low heat.

Serve.

What are the common mistakes made in preparing catfish pepper soup?

It’s usually in the seasoning. One has to be careful not to over-salt or add too many seasoning cubes.

What’s the weirdest food you’ve seen someone eat?

Beans and moin moin served together.

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4 June, 2016

Saturday Tribune

With Bosede Ola-Samuel 08112658560 bosedeola_samuel@yahoo.com

intimacy STRICTLY FOR ADULTS

Simple ways to better your sexual performance (II)

L

ast week I wrote on simple ways to better your sexual performance.

Today’s article is the concluding part. Do enjoy it.

Treat your wife like a bride Since men don’t usually have problem of sexual arousal and reaching orgasm due to their body make up, it is usually the woman that needs to be worked on to make sexual arousal and orgasm a reality.

Therefore, every man should help his wife to make this a reality by always treating her as a new bride. It is true every woman is not a new bride but every woman wants to be treated as one even by her husband of 20 years. Can you remember how you did it the first night?

•You reduced the room light to the barest minimum •You played soft music •You gently undressed her and you did it in stages

•You passed compliments on her that made her feel so special she didn’t want to leave your arms.

•You spent enough time in foreplay as if you had all the time in the world to spend with her and her alone.

•You entered her so gently and did it so softly that she never felt anything better like it before.

Even though she didn’t experience orgasm, you made her enjoy the warmth of your embrace several minutes after the intercourse and it didn’t matter to her if the whole world had crumbled.

But now, you do it as if you are in a hurry to have what you want and the moment you are through, you roll off and the next minute, you are snoring.

Treat him as a groom You remember what it was like when you newly got married. You took time to prepare yourself for your husband. You went the extra mile to make yourself attractive to him. You were careful in choosing what you wore. Your night dress was one he could not resist. But now, those things no longer matter to you. This year, you must go back to treating your man like you did when you newly got married to him.

Experiment with new styles This is also a time to try new sex styles.

conversewithyemisi I am getting frustrated, unhappy Dear Yemisi, I’m a 22-year-old lady. I have a boyfriend who is 27. We have been together for the past two years.

I am getting really tired of my boyfriend’s attitude towards me. He speaks very rudely to me, hardly calls me because he says he doesn’t have money and pretty much just does whatever he likes. He doesn’t listen to me anymore and when I complain, he turns it into a fight. I really don’t enjoy talking to him anymore because he would always find something negative to say.

For about two months now, he hasn’t called me, we sometimes chat via WhatsApp. I call him as often as I can without complaining as I understood that he was really broke. It got so bad that he said he doesn’t have money to eat.

I only support Him with prayers as I am not working yet.

A few days ago, I called and he told me he was asked to pay N20,000.00 for something. I was concerned about where he would get the money. To my surprise, he told me he had money to pay and I should never ask him where he gets money from that I was trying to ridicule him by suggesting that he doesn’t have money in his bank account. I was speechless. I later found out that he had been paid two months salary the very week he told me that he didn’t have money.

We have been apart for about a year. He had

to move to another state. This might be the reason for the change in attitude because it wasn’t this bad when we were staying in the same state.

I am getting frustrated and unhappy.

What can I do ma?

Seun, (Not real name ).

Dear Readers, kindly send your pieces of counsel for Seun to 08055001741 or yemiaofolaju@yahoo.com as Seun does not know what to do with her boyfriend’s unpredictable attitude.

It appears she is insincere with her status

Dear Yemisi, I am 30 years now (a virgin) and I have a girlfriend (my first lover) who I have in mind to marry, she claims to be a virgin too, this has kept us together as both of us have common goal —sex after marriage”, but now she doesn’t like us discussing anything about virginity again as we used to do in the past, she changes the topic as fast as she can.

What do you think I can do?

Sam. Dear Sam, You should be able to read in between the lines from the action of your girlfriend that she is not sincere with her claim that she is a virgin like you. Though you are

For Him

Olaide, 49, banker in a reputable bank based in Lagos, needs a God-fearing, attractive, financially independent woman aged between 45 and 55 years for a relationship. Call 08093688092.

Rosheed Olatomiwa, 29, needs a serious Muslim or Christian Yoruba, working class lady for a serious relationship. Call 08142521944.

This creates great excitement for the couple as they explore better ways of deriving sexual satisfaction for each other. It’s like eating a type of food in many ways, i.e. eating beans as moinmoin, akara, beans soup [gbegiri], etc. So, use this period to make life more beautiful for yourselves by breaking new grounds in lovemaking. You can also try new locations and different times of the day; if you have always done it at night, try during the day. If it has always been in your house, you can go for a ‘retreat’ with your loved one. All these will help in renewing your commitment to each other.

08055001741 (sms only) yemiaofolaju@yahoo.com

For Her

Titilope, 26, educated, tall, decent, Christian, needs an honest, good Christian, nice, caring, educated, employed, genotype AA, life partner, aged between 28 and 36, from the South West zone of Nigeria. Call 09093437188.

Ola, 33, employed, Christian, tall and fair in complexion, desires a brilliant, mature, humble, working-class lady aged between 23 and 28 for a relationship. Call 08028839246.

Mercy, 30, single, Delta-Ibo, Christian, civil servant, fair-skinned, tall, plump, God-fearing, needs a single, mature, understanding, tall, dark-skinned, nice, honest, Christian, working class or business gentleman, aged between 34 and 39 for marriage. Call 09034842285.

privy to your decision to remain a virgin until you are legally licensed to have carnal knowledge of a woman, which I think you must stick to irrespective of any untoward attitude being demonstrated by your girlfriend.

I would not know what the two of you have promised each other when you both met, if her indifference to your discussion on virginity is affecting your rating of her sincerity, I can only suggest you remain silent on the issue and make less fuss about it.

As long as you have seen in her total commitment to your love, you can as well close your eyes to her recent status on virginity. But if this attitude of hers keeps getting you on the edge, you better let her know that you are not feeling comfortable

with her silence about her hitherto status on virginity. It is better this is thrashed and put to rest for you to build your relationship on a solid foundation.

If you are seriously committed to getting married in the true sense of the word, dwell less on each other’s past so as to forge ahead and make meaning of your association. But if you cannot but refer to this issue it is better to let go of each other to live happily.

Even if she has been deflowered and she is sober about this mistake, you should forgive her and consider the reason for her lie maybe was borne out of fear of losing you to another lady. Perfection is of the Lord.

Take care and let objectivity be your watchword.

15

4 June, 2016

health&fitness

Blessing Ekum

ekumblessing@gmail.com 08116954639

Protect yourself from several diseases with one step

By Toluwalase Odetunde

I

n Nigeria today, surviving the economic and social times has put a lot of pressure on individuals, families and organisations. While life’s pressures are generally expected, for many, the stress these pressures cause have given rise to outcomes which adversely affect health even to the point of being fatal in some cases. It is not uncommon today to hear of people suffering from chronic fatigue which they attribute to stress. Others get depressed, angry and suffer other psychological conditions which they equally trace to stress. Yet others collapse and in some cases die from complications that arise from poorly managed stressful situations. Such complications include high blood pressure, stroke and the like. But these are all avoidable when the right step is taken.

Due to the overabundance of stress in our modern lives we usually think of stress as a negative experience, but from a biological point of view, stress can be a neutral, negative, or positive experience. While it can either help us learn and grow, it can also cause us significant problems. According to Dr Seyi Akinbinu, a medical doctor at the Redeemers Health Centre, Ogun State, “because there are different sources of stress which could be

physical, emotional or psychological, stress does not have a specific definition. However, it is anything that strains you beyond your limit which can sometimes make it unhealthy.” Experts say prolonged, uninterrupted, unexpected and unmanageable stress are the most damaging.

According to medical experts, both external and internal factors contribute to stress.

External factors include the physical environment, including your job, your relationship with others, your home, and all the situations, challenges, difficulties, and expectations you’re confronted with on a daily basis.

Internal factor determine your body ability to and deal with the external stress inducing factors. Internal factors which influence your ability to handle stress include your nutritional status, overall health and fitness levels, emotional well-being and the amount of sleep and rest you get.

So how does one differentiate from normal life’s pressure and being under stress that affects the health? Dr Akinbinu says, “One should be concerned about stress when it gets to the point that it affects the things they usually do. The limit at which the body can function should be known and should not be overstretched. People mistake being tired for being stressed, but there is a difference. Being

It’s natural to get tired, but prolonged periods of tiredness can indicate that the person is undergoing stress. The danger is that most times we don’t know when we have crossed the boundary of tiredness and are under stress. tired is a normal body physiology; if you work longer hours, you can get tired. It’s natural to

Saturday Tribune

get tired, but prolonged periods of tiredness can indicate that the person is undergoing stress. The danger is that most times we don’t know when we have crossed the boundary of tiredness and are under stress.

“Prolonged periods of stress are a risk factor for some kinds of mental illness and this has been well documented. It can also affect the physical body by increasing the risk of hypertension and stroke. Prolonged periods of stress are also known to lower the body’s immunity thereby making such a person vulnerable to different kinds of diseases or infections. Moreover, those under prolonged stress can pose danger to those around them.

For instance, a person who has been exposed to long periods of continuous stressful situations goes behind the wheels to drive, it can affect their performance and may cause traffic accidents.”

Researchers have also added that poorly managed stressful situations can lead to cardiovascular disease. They point out the importance of learning to manage stress as it’s not the actual number of stressful events that puts a person at higher risk for heart disease and premature death – as many believe – but one’s perception of the event as stressful and the exhibition of more negative emotions that put them at risk.

Given that most times, stressful situations are unavoidable, the key to optimal health is in learning how to manage these situations. “Although life provides numerous demands that can prove difficult to handle, stress management provides a number of ways to manage anxiety and maintain overall well-being. Stress should be managed appropriately, else it can lead to death. It might not be a direct cause of death but can be a secondary implication.

While there are promising treatments for stress, the management of stress is mostly dependent on the ability and willingness of a person to make the changes necessary for a healthy lifestyle,” Dr Akinbinu said.

Psychologists suggest that stress can be managed by seeking support from loved ones, regular exercise, meditation or other relaxation techniques, structured time outs and learning new coping strategies to create predictability in our lives. Dr Nicole Brown suggests some very effective ways of easing or preventing stress to include “taking a day or some hours off from your job; finding a work-life balance by analysing how you spend your time each day; making sure to get enough sleep so your body can recover from the day’s stress while you’re sleeping.

It’s also helpful to write down what you’re worried about before bed so you can let it go while you’re sleeping. Try kickboxing or other workouts known to help reduce stress levels. Re-evaluate your purpose in life by connecting with family or friends, spirituality or community service.”

Although the right kinds of foods is necessary for optimum health, Dr Akinbinu says it has not been discovered that there is a connection between one’s diet and stress management.

16 healthandfitness I have small breasts My name is Simmy. I have a little problem which I think you can solve. I am 18 years old but I have small breasts like that of a 10-year-old girl.

I don’t like this at all and want to know if there is anything I can use to enlarge my small breasts.

Simmy (by SMS)

Dr. Wale Okediran For some yet unknown reasons, some individuals have body organs that are smaller than the average. These could be breasts, penis or even the whole body size.

In most cases, there is nothing anyone can do with these small ‘sizes’ except to live with them. In your own case, you may increase your bust line by wearing padded brassieres or if you can afford it, you can go for cosmetic surgery to increase your breast size. However, the best thing to do in the circumstances is to live with your ‘God’-given breasts.

Am I pregnant?

I have not seen my menses for about 15 weeks. However, all the tests I carried out including pelvic scan, all came out negative.

Still, I have all the symptoms of pregnancy such as morning sickness and some abdomen movements. I want to know if I am pregnant.

Mojisola (by SMS) Since you didn’t state your age, it is difficult to know if you are actually pregnant. This is because some women who are past the child bearing age sometimes have some psychological feelings of pregnancy when they are actually not pregnant (pseudo cyesis). The best

Saturday Tribune

4 June, 2016

solution is to see a doctor, who apart from carrying out a thorough physical examination on you, will order some blood and urine tests that will confirm your true state.

I don’t last while having sex I am a middle aged man who has been married for the last 10 years. My problem now is that I don’t last while having sex. Kindly tell me what I should do to solve my problem.

Umar (by SMS) Many factors could be responsible for your inability to maintain a good sexual relationship. These range from stress, a poorly

controlled hypertension, diabetes mellitus or low hormonal levels as well as side effects of some drugs, including alcohol. It is, therefore, important for you to check your lifestyle and reduce any stress factors as well as the use of drugs including alcohol. In addition, it will be necessary to go for a medical check-up so as to ascertain that your vital indices are well controlled.

waleokediran@yahoo.co.uk

08055069356 (sms only)

No blood at first sex I had never had sex with any man in my life. I told my fiancée this and he believed me with the promise to keep my virginity till our wedding night. Unfortunately, on that night, there was not even a drop of blood from my vagina.

My husband was very angry with me and has never trusted me again. Help me doctor to explain this mystery.

Grace (by SMS) There are many possibilities in your case.

The most likely is that you must have mis-

takenly torn your hymen during some vigorous sporting activities or through the use of sanitary tampons. As such, there was no hymen for your husband to tear. It is also possible that you have a very elastic hymen which your husband has not been able to tear, meaning that you are technically still a virgin. Whatever it is, since you are now married, all you need to do is to try and gain your husband’s trust and continue to enjoy your marriage.

No breasts, no menses at 25 I am a 25 year old lady. My problem is that I have not been seeing any menses and I have no breasts at my age. All the blood tests I carried out showed that I have low hormones. Please, what can I do?

Ngozi (by SMS) Yours is a very peculiar case which

will need the attention of medical specialists such as a gynaecologist and an endocrinologist.

Apart from your low hormonal levels, it is equally important for you to have some genetic screening done to ascertain your correct sex.

This way, the attending doctor will know the kind of hormonal, medical and psychological therapy to administer on you.

Dr. Abiodun Adeoye adeoyemoshood@yahoo.com

D

08056564360, 08072000017 (sms only)

iabetes mellitus is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disability and death. Efforts are on to stem the tide through the discovery of new drugs and improvement on the older ones. If this effort is yielding good results is not evident in the clinical picture in the patients; many of whom are coming down with complications such as stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure. It thus dawns on us that control of diabetes is more than medication. From the foregoing, the issue of diet must be added to preventive measures in the management of diabetes mellitus. Recent study suggests that “a saltier diet might boost the cardiovascular risk from type 2 diabetes.”

Researchers found out that “the highest quartile of sodium intake was associated with two-fold higher risk of cardiovascular disease than seen in the lowest quartile.” The data indicated that “within the Japanese cohort of people with hemoglobin A1c levels of at least 6.5%, each 1-g per day increase in sodium intake was associated with a 20% higher risk of heart and vascular disease.”

Above findings can be simplified to mean that a diabetic that takes saltier food are twice at risk of developing heart attack or stroke. Please avoid salty diet. Information below can further help in the choice of food in diabetes mellitus Diabetes mellitus is not a problem of carbohydrates foods alone; protein and fat are also involved. The general assumption that people living with diabetes can do without carbohydrates and live on proteinous food alone is wrong, and should be discarded - since foods that are eaten raise blood sugar levels. Diet or meal planning is the cornerstone of diabetes treatment.

Salt-diet and diabetes

Starchy food People with diabetes should eat some starches at each meal. It is NOT correct not to take starch at all. Starchy foods should include complex ones such as whole grain bread, cereals (such as rice, corn, cocoyam, wheat, plantain, millet, sorghum), yam and potatoes.

Protein There is no difference in the daily protein requirement of a person with diabetes when compared to normal individuals. In the presence of diabetic kidney disease however, a need arises to reduce the proportion of protein in the diet. The main sources of dietary proteins include animal protein (e.g. meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, pork, chicken and snail) and plant protein (e.g. soya, cowpea, mushroom, locust bean, cashew and groundnut). Meat contains a significant amount of saturated fats (bad fats). Fish should be encouraged as an alternative to meat, but it is also advisable for persons with diabetes to imbibe other cooking methods such as steaming, boiling and baking as opposed to frying. Appropriate mixing of cereals (e.g. rice) and legumes (e.g. bean) or pap from corn with soya bean form a good combination nutritionally.

Fat and oils The use of skimmed milk (low fat) should be encouraged over and above that of condensed/evaporated milk.

Pastry, cakes, biscuits, chocolates, ice-cream, mayonnaise and crisp/chips should be avoided. Emphasis should be placed on the use of corn, sunflower, soya, and olive oil, groundnut oil and palm oil for cooking but in limited amount. Oils (fat) help in absorption of fat soluble Vitamins A, D, E, K in the body.

Vegetables and fruits Vegetables contain fibres that help in controlling blood sugar, constipation and add bulk to meal with less energy. Examples are all green leafy vegetables, ‘ugwu’, water leaf, okro, ewedu, cabbage, cucumber, garden egg, etc.

Fruits give energy, vitamins, minerals and fibre. Fruits may be taken raw or cooked. The contribution of fruits to the diet will depend on local availability. All fruits including mango, pawpaw, guava, orange, banana, watermelon, apple, grape, etc can be eaten by people with diabetes, but should be quantified for the patient (2-3 servings or portions per day).

Fruit juices are very concentrated source of natural sugar and tend to cause a rapid rise in blood glucose.

They should be avoided.

Alcohol Intake of alcohol may need to be restricted entirely in poor controlled diabetes. Alcohol usage affects the work of insulin. Taking alcohol on empty stomach can make the blood glucose to become too low. Alcohol can also raise blood fats, deleterious to your heart and circulation.

Water Water is essential for life. The body can go without food for several days but it cannot do without water. It is the most important component of the human body.

It is beneficial to take enough water daily, at least 1.5litres.

Let me end with this quote from Hippocrates: “May your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.”

Till next week, maintain a healthy heart.

17

4 June, 2016

Divorce

Court & Crime

He is always stealing my money —Wife I don’t love her again —Husband

Stories by Oluwole Ige - Osogbo, Ayomide Owonibi-Odekanyin and Oyeyemi Okunlade, with Agency reports

A

housewife, Mrs Idayat Olayiwola of Kabelo Street, Otaefun, Osogbo, Osun State, has told the Osogbo customary court 2, Oja Oba, that his husband, Mr Nurudeen Olayiwola, is a thief, who indulges in stealing her money most of the time.

He also accused him of refusing to give her and her only child food allowance, pleading with the court for a divorce.

Idayat stated: “The defendant would not give me and my child money for food. Instead, he would be stealing my money and

whenever I asked him to return my stolen money, he would resort to beating me”.

According to her, “on one of such occasions, one of my neighbours called my parents when he was beating me mercilessly.

When my parents came and asked him what he wanted, he said I should leave his house because he does not love me anymore. That is why I am seeking for divorce”.

However, the defendant described the allegation of stealing levelled against him by his wife as untrue, but admitted that he told her parents that she should leave his house because he does not love her again, stressing that, “I agree to the divorce because she has married another man and bore a child for him”.

In his judgement, the president of the court , Chief Popoola Bolarinwa said, “with the consideration of the totality of the evidence She stopped cooking for me given by 6 yrs ago, denied me sex for both par- 3yrs —Husband ties, the marriage I refused him cos’ I’ve reached could no menopause —Wife longer be Though a pastor, she’s also a sustained street-fighter — Husband and is ‘Don’t dissolve the marriage hereby as I still love him —Wife d i s See pages 18 & 23 solved”.

inside

Saturday Tribune

I’mlikeamaidinmyhome ashisfamilycontrolshim, womantellscourt

A 45-year-old businesswoman, Anna Oshomogbe, has asked an Igando customary court in Lagos State, to dissolve her marriage with Edmund because his family controls her home.

According to the the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Anna told the court that Edmund with whom she had two children in their 18-year-old marriage could not make decisions on his own.

“My husband’s mother and brothers are controlling our home.

“If we discuss anything, my husband will first go to his family to consult with them, what they say will be my husband’s final decision.

“I am just like a maid, my decision is always rejected. In fact, I don’t have a say in my matrimonial home,” she said.

Anna also told the court that her husband was a drunk.

“My husband always spends his salary with his brothers at a beer parlour and after drinking to stupor, he will be staggering and falling into the gutter.

“He urinates and messes up everywhere in our flat whenever he is drunk and most times, he beats me without reason,” she said.

Anna accused her husband, who has failed to appear in court after receiving several summons, of being an irresponsible husband and father.

“When my daughter fainted when she had fever, I called my husband to come home so that we could take her to the hospital, he said that he was in a beer joint and that he could not come.

“He does not sleep at home most times as he stays with his brothers or mother.

“He always tells me that nothing can separate him and his family.

“I pay the house rent and the children’s school fees because my husband refused to pay,” she said.

Anna claimed that her husband asked her to go to his village for spiritual cleansing.

“My husband is forcing me to go to his village for cleansing; I don’t just understand what the cleansing is all about.

“Two of my husband’s elder brothers’ wives had gone to the village for cleansing, they died few days after returning to Lagos.

“I am afraid because I don’t want to die now,” she said.

The petitioner presented a text message sent to her by her husband that she should go to his village for cleansing and that he would not appear in court for any dissolution.

President of the court, Mr Adegboyega Omilola, ordered the court bailiff to serve the respondent again and adjourned the case till June 28 for mediation.

18

4 June, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Saturday Tribune

23

courtandcrime

He urinates inside my soup whenever he takes ogogoro —Wife

I only drink beer, not ogogoro —Husband

She’s is an unfaithful and troublesome woman —Husband AN eight-year-old marriage has been dissolved in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on the order of a court.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that it was a reprieve for the estranged wife, Funke, as her union with Sonyoolu Ariyo, was severed on grounds of lack of care and irresponsible behaviour

by Ariyo.

President of an Abeokuta customary court, Mr Emmanuel Erinoso, while pronouncing his verdict, said:”There is no more love between the husband and the wife.”

Erinoso said both parties were free to remarry and awarded the custody of the two children of the marriage to their mother.

He said the school fees of the children, their welfare and health matters should be the joint responsibility of both

Though a pastor, she’s also a street fighter —Husband

Stories by Ayomide OwonibiOdekanyin with Agency reports

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housewife, Mrs Mujidat Lawal, has told an Oja Oba, Osogbo customary court 2, in Osun State, how her husband, Kazeem Lawal, usually urinated inside her pot of soup whenever he was drunk, pleading with the court to dissolve her eightyear- old marriage.

Describing her husband as an heavy drinker of ogogoro, otherwise known as local gin, Mujidat said she could no longer cope with the irresponsible behaviour of her husband.

According to her, “we have been married for eight years. We have no formal marriage, but we have three children. The reason I am here to seek divorce is that the defendant is a heavy drinker of ogogoro. Whenever he is drunk, he urinates inside my pot of soup.

“He is always having trouble with the police such that I have to arrange for his bail most of the time. His mother accuses me of using his talent. I am also in court to seek divorce so that I can free myself from this false accusation,” Mujidat said.

“The last straw that broke the camel’s back was when his junior brother went to our family house, beating up my uncle and caused some damage in the process,” Mujidat asserted.

Responding, Lawal said: “It is not true that I drink ogogoro. I usually drink beer and don’t urinate inside her pot of soup. It is true that I was once arrested by the police while trying to buy ... schnapp. My wife came to the police station to secure my release.”

Delivering his judgement, the president of the court, Chief Popoola Bolarinwa said, “this is a case calling for divorce straight away as the plaintiff has proved her case with concrete evidence and the defendant has not denied almost all the accusations against him. The marriage is hereby dissolved”.

My marriage to him has been very stressful and bloody —Wife

Don’t dissolve the marriage, I still love him —Wife AFTER 10 years of unresolved marital crises, an Igando customary court in Lagos State has dissolved the marriage between a 42-year-old pastor and evangelist, Racheal, and her husband, Mr Joseph Aduwo.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the president of the court, Mr Adegboyega Omilola, who gave the verdict, cited frequent fighting between the man and his wife.

To the husband, the dissolution of the 10-year-old marriage is good riddance to bad rubbish.

“My wife, who is a pastor, an evangelist, a church interpreter and women leader, fought with nine persons in a

day on our street, wearing only bra and underpants.

“She is a shameless street fighter,” he told the court.

Omilola said he was convinced that the couple could no longer live together as the petitioner insisted on divorce after several unsuccessful interventions.

He ruled:”The court has no choice but to dissolve the union in spite of the fact that the wife claims she still loves her husband.

“The court hereby pronounces the marriage between Joseph Aduwo and Racheal dissolved today; both parties henceforth cease to be husband and wife.

“You are free to go your separate ways without hindrances and molestation.”

The petitioner, Aduwo, 59, had approached the court seeking the dissolution of the marriage who he described as a street fighter.

“My wife one day engaged in fights from 8.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. and residents were begging her to stop but she refused.

“I also pleaded with her but instead she cursed me and I was ashamed of myself.

“I had to take her pictures with my phone when she

was fighting in the public with only brassier and sent the pictures to her family,” he also told the court.

He accused Racheal of maltreating his three children he had from another woman.

“My wife has been hostile to my children and they had to vacate my house and rent an apartment elsewhere.

“She fights my friends and relatives anytime they visit me and this has prevented them from coming to my house,” said the estranged husband, who pleaded with the court to dissolve the marriage.

Racheal, however, denied all the allegations, saying: “I used to prepare food in the morning, afternoon and evening for my husband.

“The court should not grant his request for a divorce as I still love him,” she had told the court.

He beat me till I landed in hospital, I want a divorce —Wife We don’t accept divorce in my place —Husband A 44-year-old security officer, Mr Jude Oguh, has refused a divorce petition filed against him by his wife, saying, “I don’t want divorce because we don’t divorce women in my state just like that.”

She’s a dirty and wicked human being —Husband A lecturer, Mr Jayeola Waheed Adekunle, has told a Grade ‘C’ customary court sitting at Inalende, Ibadan, Oyo State, that he wants his marriage with his wife, Mrs Jayeola Adenike dissolved, on grounds of her dirtiness and incessant trouble making. He also prayed the court to grant him custody of the six children their marriage has produced in order to take proper and better care of them.

“I want a divorce because since I got married to her, I have been complaining of her filthiness. Each time I reported to her mother, she would beg me but my wife refused to change her way of life. I informed her father on several occasions and the man would call and advise her. I noticed that she would change but after about two days, I would start to notice her nonchalance again.

“I wash my clothes , sweep the floor and do other things in the house. At a time, I gave her certain amount of money to invest in a business but unfortunately, she wasted it.

“As a family, I warned her not to inform anybody about our move to embark on any project and she did. We completed the building of our house and moved into it. But by the time

She stopped cooking for me 6 yrs ago, denied me sex for 3 yrs —Husband

I refused him cos’ I’ve reached menopause —Wife A 64-year-old man, Mustafa Ariori, has urged a Lagos Island customary court, Lagos State to dissolve his 32-year-old marriage to his 60-year-old wife, Tawakalitu, over alleged sexual starvation.

According to the the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ariori, who runs a rental service, told the court that his wife had stopped preparing meals for him for over six years and had denied him sex for three years.

He said that the problem started when his wife followed one of his friends to Osogbo, Osun State, for his father’s burial for six days.

“My wife started misbehaving since she followed my friend to Osogbo in 2010. When she came back and I attempted to make love to her, she refused.

“Our two children, who are now married and my club members, have on different occasions tried to mediate, but to no avail,” he said.

His wife, a businesswoman, told the court that she loved her husband and she had been the breadwinner of the home.

“I feed and clothe my husband. When I had money to spend, there was no problem and complaints.

“I usually travel to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to buy male and female wears; my business started dwindling because there was no money.

“This whole problem started because I have no money

to spend on my husband again.

“His friend that I followed to Osogbo told me that his club members found him a woman much younger than me who he is presently dating,” she said Tawakalitu said that she had been denying her husband sex because she has attained menopause.

After listening to both parties, the president of the court, Mr Awos Awosola, adjourned the case till July 12 further hearing

parties.

Erinoso, however, ordered that Ariyo should pay N2, 500 monthly to the court’s registrar for the upkeep of the last child.

Funke, a businesswoman, had told the court that Ariyo was irresponsible, uncaring and unloving.

She described her eight-year-old marriage as stressful but that she had tried to endure it.

“Every little disagreement triggers a fight, so I hardly have peace of mind and he even threatens to kill me.

“He is not a responsible husband and father; all he knows is to frustrate me and my children.

“I have been the only one taking care of the house and the children, I pay the house rent, school fees and I am also responsible for their welfare,” she said.

Funke said she had to move out of her matrimonial home because she was seriously injured during the last fight they had.

“I could not bear the sufferings anymore, so I moved out of the house two years ago, so that I could have my peace.

“I beg this court to please dissolve this marriage so that he will stop harassing me because he does that wherever he sees me,” she added.

She pleaded with the court to grant her the custody of the children.

Ariyo, who resides in Adigbe area of Abeokuta, denied the allegations, saying his wife is an unfaithful and troublesome woman.

“My wife flirts around and she always quarrels with our neighbours.”

we started living in our new house, my wife began her dirty habit again and also prevented my family members from coming around; she only accommodates her own relations.

“When I could not tolerate her anymore, I had to marry another woman. When she heard about it, she threatened to kill me and the new wife. Then I reported the case to the police. The police advised me to rent a house for the new woman.

“Besides these actions, sometime when my brother’s wife bought clothes for her children, she also bought for my children. But when my wife saw the clothes, she burnt everything, including my brother’s son’s own. That singular action resulted in a quarrel to the extent that she hit my brother with a stick. The case was again reported to the police and I was told to decide on what to do because if the case was taken to a magistrates court, that my wife might be sentenced. After that day, my wife took all my children out of the house. I was informed by my neighbour but I went to take my children and I left the house,” he said.

Waheed told the court that after he ran away from the house, his wife went behind and forced the door open. He also said that she behaves as the head of the family. “She wants me to be under her and I’m tired. She doesn’t listen to my advice. One of her brothers had told me to divorce her,” he told the court.

Adekunle was asked by the court if Fatimo’s parents intervened when he left his house, he said that Fatimo’s mother called one of his brothers with a promise that the defendant’s sisters would come to settle the quarrel. Waheed was also asked to tell the court the number of times he had beaten his wife; he replied “I only beat her once under provocation.”

Having given several adjournments to the couple to consider out-of-court settlement, but to no avail, the court observed that there was no more love between the parties and that their marriage had broken down irretrievably.

President of the court, Mr Ramoni Olafenwa, ruled thus: “ The marriage is hereby dissolved. The six children are to be in the custody of the plaintiff for proper care as it affects education, health, financial and on moral grounds. The defendant should pack out of the house on or before seven days of the judgement, while the parties should maintain the peace.”

Meanwhile, the wife, Mrs Ebere Oguh, told the court that she wants a divorce and also wish to recover a child who is in the custody of the husband.

Jude and Ebere Oguh got married about 16 years ago and the marriage is blessed with four children.

Ebere told the court that she was injured one day when her husband beat her with a stick. The husband was said to have resorted to beating her when she told him there was no food in the house one Monday morning .

“He beat me in the presence of his father and throughout the three days I spent in the hospital, neither my husband nor his mother paid me a visit. My mother went to ask his mother why they did not ask after me. Instead of feeling sorry, his mother started abusing my mother and shortly after, he came to arrest my mother with a policeman. We were told at the police station to settle it amicably.

“My husband did not come for settlement but rather came to harass me by calling me a harlot who engaged in sexual intercourse in bathrooms and toilets. I moved away from the area in shame.

My husband did not stop there but came to where I moved to and repeated his action.

“I went to check my children in the school but I wasn’t given easy access. Their conditions too were very bad, especially Kelechi’s.

That is why I request to have him in my custody,” she told the court.

Ebere told the court that his parents did not make any move for settlement since she left her husband’s house about five years ago.

The court asked Ebere that it means that she only enjoyed her husband for 11 years out of their marriage.

She said, “It’s not even up to that because I live with his mother.”

Jude, however, put up a defence that he has tried to settle the matter with his wife’s family but that his efforts failed.

“One day, I caught my wife at a petrol station with a man taking her to a hotel. Immediately, I called her phone number to ask of her whereabouts and she told me that she was at home washing clothes. It pained me so much. She later called to ask for forgiveness that the man was her customer and I forgave her. Despite that she moved out of my house. I still call her to as ask about her welfare and that of the children. She set my children against me; she told them to be rude so that they will all be in her custody,” she said.

Jude was asked again by the court if he was ready to divorce his wife having heard all the charges levelled against him, but he said ‘no’ The court nevertheless dissolved the marriage. The presiding judge, Mr Olafenwa Ramoni, ordered that the third and last child, Kelechi and Christiana Oguh, should be in the custody of Ebere, while the first and second child, should be in the custody of Jude.

Both parties were advised to take care of the children.

19

4 June, 2016

Eko Akete

The ‘well-fed’ celebrity

Saturday Tribune

Strange Ogudu manna

21

Weekend Lagos Editor Lanre Adewole m: 0811 695 4637

e: olanreade@yahoo.

Photo: enviropaul.wordpress.com

inside

Rough tackles over Land Use Charge in Lagos

In Lagos, it is just N250,000 to roast the dead ‘We cremate bodies with caskets’

A talk about a former governor and his late father triggered the idea of looking into the cremation procedure in Lagos. LANRE ADEWOLE in this peep, turned up a dormant procedure, hugely unpopular, wherein investors can be said to have lost their deposits. TUNDE DODONDAWA, CHUKS OKPARAOCHA and SYLVESTER OKORUWA were part of the fact-finding team.

By Lanre Adewole

H

OW do you wish to be buried? Many who are down with the reality of death and hope to go in style, always have burial plans, especially those with the means of adding an extra flavour into what should be an everyday occurrence.

When Saturday Tribune ran an eye-opening report on the operations of cemeteries in Lagos, the exploitative tendencies of local government officials who operate the public burial sites, the financial stress Lagosians go through to give their own befitting closure (depending on financial capacity)

and the reality of the limited land space to cater for over 20 million people who die in their numbers on a daily basis, the major question has been what could happen if there isn’t a decent alternative to putting the bodies down the proverbial six feet, with minimal financial pressure.

Beyond the financial encumbrances of everybody clinging to the usage of the six-feet, associated challenges like high chances of conscienceless cemetery operators conniving with their ritualistic costumers to tamper with useable bodies and the likelihood of the operators exhuming and dumping the bodies just anywhere immediately the dead’s

loved ones stop coming around the graveside, have kept more questions popping regarding the desirability of keeping dead bodies in graves, particularly those that are not permanent and not covered enough to deter evil agenda.

Surprisingly while the mad dash for the limited space gets tougher with the attendant exploitative cost, what could pass for a viable alternative is right under the nose of Lagosians, which they have been giving a wide possible berth, despite being cheaper, cleaner, tidier, permanent and more environment-friendly and beneficial!

Continues on pg20

20

4 June, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Saturday Tribune

Weekend Lagos

‘We cremate bodies with caskets’ Continued from pg19

It is called a crematorium. It is a machine, with enclosed fire, designed to incinerate the dead body and make the burial very permanent. This burial mode which is popular in the Western world, is lawful in Lagos and even the residents are not buying into it as findings by Saturday Tribune have shown.

The contentious burial mode was established by a law passed by the immediate past Lagos House of Assembly, from an initial Executive Bill then later Private Bill and signed into law by the administration of former Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola.

Cremation may have been pushed into the realm of legality in Lagos but Saturday Tribune can reveal that the residents are not buying it. It was discovered that in making the process effective, the state government under Fashola appointed two prominent funeral homes in the state to supply and operate the crematoria.

The two are TOS Funeral and Benny Omega.

Each reportedly supplied the cremation machines that are also being managed by them. While one is said to domiciled at Yaba on the premises of the Disease Control Centre, Saturday Tribune wasn’t able to locate where the other is located. It was, however, discovered that there is a local cremation centre somewhere in Ogun State, which is more like an Incinerator, where normal fire is stoked to burn dead bodies.

Saturday Tribune can also reveal that the Yaba machine was installed even before the bill was eventually passed, to demonstrate the commitment of the state government and its partners but findings showed that no dime had been made on investment that went into these machines because no fee-paying job has been undertaken, according to an insider who has been a part of the process from the formative stage.

Well, the loss could be government’s and by extension, Lagosians’, because the funeral homes are operating them for the state government. Because of the religious and cultural antagonism, the activities around the crematoria are conducted with high level of secrecy, caution and concern as observed by Saturday Tribune.

‘No corpse has been cremated here’ An insider told Saturday Tribune that beyond the trials conducted with abandoned bodies when the machines were installed, no other dead bodies had passed through them, strangely including the unclaimed bodies at mortuaries, for which the whole cremation thing was purportedly made to be in the first place.

But it isn’t that Lagosians don’t check things out with the cremators. “We get a lot of enquiries. But somehow we have not been able to cremate any body here for a fee. The issues are many and since the government of the day is doing a lot of good jobs out there, we don’t want this cremation controversy to become another distraction” an insider source volunteered.

From the insight provided by the sources, the challenges of getting the dead burnt are multi-dimensional and the fee may have little or nothing to do with the near total boycott of the process.

A source gave this engaging arithmetic. “It is the cheapest of all ways of burying the dead. It is a flat rate of N250,000 and when you consider the multiple benefits, it is better in all ways than using the grave. Imagine the back side of Ikoyi Vault is about N600,000. Even the local Incinerator in Ogun is costlier than the machine procedure here. So, it can’t be about the fee. It is a clean job. It is more environmental-friendly and tidier”.

When pressed further on why it has been difficult to tie potential customers down after their enquiry visits, the source explained that while even some of them want to pay, caution is being applied to ensure that the cremation activities do not bring needless public outcry.

Photo: henninglarsen.com

From his explanation, it was clear that those against the procedure have not backed down completely and are just waiting to see a job done there to inflame the passion of their religious antagonism again.

When asked how such outside antagonists would know about a job being done inside an enclosed place, the source noted that “Those within (members of certain religious sect) will inform those outside. In the advanced world, where this machine is, it is an ideal place but this is Lagos.”

If the enforcers are kicking against government recouping its investment, are they also responsible for unclaimed bodies not being made to undergo the same procedure.

“Yes, intact we are afraid of what could be their reaction if unclaimed bodies are cremated. Apart from the trials, we have not done any unclaimed body here. We always bury them in any available land space” Saturday Tribune confidant enthused.

If the machine has been practically dormant for more than three years and the enforcers are always prowling to ensure the procedure remains dead -on-arrival, what then is the future of this potentially-viable burial option and the huge investment that has gone into it.

“We once tried public enlightenment. The feedback wasn’t great. We are not ruling out future public education but right now, we don’t want anything that would distract the government from the good job it is doing. We are moving even if we are not doing paid jobs for now. At least, we know have the lawful backing to cremate non-Nigerians. Burial spaces will get more expensive. Very soon, those N3.5million vaults in Ikoyi will rise further because the available spaces are getting smaller. Lagosians won’t have a choice at the end of the day. They will embrace cremation when the land space is no longer there. Cremation is the future of cleaner, tidier burial which is also eco-friendly.

“Regarding the machine and investment, things would get better. Now, since it is a machine that must run with or without bodies, we run the machine occasionally for it not to be idle and ultimately faulty. Can you imagine the benefits of what Lagosians are not

embracing? You are given the ashes after the cremation and another thing not known to many is that the ashes can serve as rich protein for fish if turned to fish feed and a high-yielding fertilizer.”

‘We cremate bodies with caskets’ On the operations of the machine, the source volunteered albeit reluctantly, “It is real but enclosed fire.

You will need to see it in operation to capture very well how it works. For those opposing it on the basis of the dead having to be well treated, the fact is that we give the best of treatment to the dead here. We don’t cremate only the body. The rule says the dead must be in a casket to be provided by the relatives.

That is not a part of our fee. We cremate with the casket. It isn’t that we just throw a dead body into fire”.

The cremation bill was passed into law on Monday June 10, 2013, and it will arguably go down as one of the highly controversial and hugely debated bills ever passed into law by the Fashola administration in Lagos State. The controversy is not unconnected with the various contrasting views that greeted each step of the bill before it finally became a law.

The cremation law primarily provides for voluntary burning of corpses and unclaimed corpses in the state, and it also stipulates that even after cremation, the ashes will be buried if its owners fail to claim it after a 14-day issuance of a notice to that effect.

Section 2 of the Cremation Law stipulates that “no cremation may take place except in a crematorium established by the Ministry of Health or by any other body upon the recommendation of the authority and approval by the Commissioner for Health,

while Section 6 lists those who could apply for permission to cremate to include the child or children of the deceased; a close relative of the deceased; an undertaker and an agent/legal representative.

Section 10 of the law states that “the cremator in charge of a crematorium must not dispose of the ashes remaining after a cremation except in accordance with any reasonable written instructions of the applicant.”

The sponsorship of the bill started sometime during ex-Governor Babatunde Fashola’s first term in office as an Executive Bill.

As earlier mentioned, serious controversy soon ensued, as lawmakers, especially those of Islam faith, vehemently objected to the move, arguing that the idea undermined local culture and religious sensibilities.

As election for the second term of the then governor approached, the bill was subsequently stood down to allow the dust raised to settle and forestall imminent electoral backlash, despite the governor being a Muslim himself. But the delay wasn’t going to be a denial. The proponents of the bill roared back, almost immediately the governor secured a second term in office, but with a better tactical approach; making it now a Private Bill instead of an Executive Bill.

The member of the House who woke up the “sleeping beast” was Hon. Suru Avoseh, the then Chairman of the House’s Committee on Health Care Services. He premised his argument on the grounds that many of the morgues in General Hospitals in Lagos were littered with unclaimed corpses, as revealed by a recent tour made by his committee.

You are given the ashes after the cremation and another thing not known to many is that the ashes can serve as rich protein for fish if turned to fish feed and a high-yielding fertilizer.

Though now a private member bill, many observers were certain the renewed process was clandestinely backed by the Executive, thus turning the entire process into the biblical “hand of Esau and voice of Jacob,” idiom.

Avoseh, who represented Badagary Constituency 2 in the House presented the bill entitled: “A Bill to Legalise Voluntary Cremation of Corpses and Unclaimed Corpses in Lagos State,” and on March 6, during the plenary session of the Assembly, he insisted that cremation would be an alternative method for taking care of the dead in Lagos State.

This time, the bill received less hostility in the House, as more members seemed to have seen the light in the bill’s dark hole.

A prominent member of the House who is currently the Speaker, Rt Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, a Muslim, became one of the leading protagonists of the bill.

While supporting the bill during one of the debate sessions in the House, Obasa, representing Agege Constituency 1, notably maintained that the bill, when eventually passed into law would “help reduce the activities of ritualists dealing in human parts.”

Strangely, the bill scaled through first and second reading with little hassle, while its public presentation was equally faced with only pockets of objections.

Expectedly, the then State Governor, Fashola, had no problem signing the bill into law, as he did so on June 10, 2013, only days after the lawmakers passed it into law.

Possibly due to the decision to be cautious, official insight and reactions weren’t forthcoming but Saturday Tribune isn’t giving up on providing graphic details of the cremation procedure.

Cremation is the combustion, vaporization and oxidation of dead bodies to basic chemical compounds, such as gases, ashes and mineral fragments retaining the appearance of dry bone. Saturday Tribune’s quest to seek further reactions to its boycott took our correspondent to Ikorodu vault management, managed by Ikorodu Local Government, a visit that revealed that nothing really had changed regarding patronage of the cemetery by the residents rather

than embracing cremation. A cemetery worker, Mr. Raheem Muftau, who spoke with Saturday Tribune stated that though he was aware of the cremation law, he would not be commenting on the level of compliance and patronage by Lagosians because, according to him, “we only take the dead and bury for those people that patronize us.”

When asked what the cemetry management does with skeletons that are allegedly evacuated after a long while to give way for more space for the dead to be buried, he refused to comment but insisted that space is always available for the dead to be buried.

Efforts to speak with the Executive Secretary of Ikorodu Local Government proved abortive as he was said not to be on his seat, while no one was ready to give official statement regarding compliance and patronage level of Ikorodu indigenes, regarding the cremation law.

However, part of the factors inhibiting implementation of the Cremation Law may be mainly because of religious beliefs. A Muslim cleric, Sheik Nojeeb Moshood, who spoke with the Saturday Tribune, said it is against the tenets of Islam to cremate the dead because the dead is recognized by the Holy Quran as an integral part of humanity.

In his words, “It is against the instructions of the Holy Quran. In Islam, the body is recognized as part of humanity and this is the reason why it must be washed (bathed), cared for, made to undergo some rites like praying on it before it is laid to rest.

I think it is also applicable in other religions too.”

He said he is yet to hear or see any Muslim who cremates the dead but “I heard it is normal practice in Asia, but in Islam, it is forbidden.”

It would be recalled that Saturday Tribune had reported how several millions are spent on vaults, graves and tombs for the dead and one would have thought that the law will have impacts on the amounts spent on burial rites.

When Saturday Tribune visited Eti Osa LCDA secretariat on Friday, one Mr. Adigun of the Environmental service said the law is unpopular in the area and cannot give any opinion on behalf of the council when asked by Saturday Tribune of cremation in Lagos because he knew nothing about it.

However, Saturday Tribune visited some mourners at Ikoyi cemetery who had come to bury their loved ones.

Many of them said that they could not cremate their loved ones because of spiritual and cultural reasons.

“In Nigeria we like to give our loved ones befitting burial rites. That is why you will see some people spending so much money to bury their dead.

“The way dead bodies are treated in Lagos cemeteries will not make Nigerians to take to cremation as this form of burial is alien to us Nigerians, maybe, with time people will begin to do it,” they said.

‘Cremation is like sending the dead to hell’ In a vox-pop on the issue, most of the people who spoke see cremation as a way of sending their loves ones to hell. When the bodies of the four persons who died from the Ebola disease were cremated, despite the plea of understanding from the state government to the affected families, the latter weren’t still at peace with the procedure because they felt that their loved ones had no resting place.

On the issue of burial charges, Saturday Tribune discovered that they remain as recently published as the charges were reportedly fixed by the Eti Osa Local Government.

According to Adigun, “The council wholly manages the place. Everybody wants to bury their loved ones in ikoyi closer to them so the idea of removing bodies for fresh burial will continue”.

With Lagosians attitude to the cremation procedure, it is certainly going to be a long night on the optimism of the cremators. But who can really blame those running away from being roasted, even in death. At least not in a crematorium that is heated by real fire at 2,000 degree centrigrade.

21

Eko Akete

The ‘well-fed’ celebrity

CELEBRITIES are not mere humans.

They must be made of a superior stuff, sand clays collected from the choicest part of heaven or some loftier material.

Or how else can we account for the hypnotic sensations and goose bumps that announce their presence?

Well, Lagos is the home of celebrities. It is the place where this sort of humans are born or come to take their titles. And it is also the place where the celebrity mystery has been demystified. Celebrities are human beings.

Last weekend, Eko Akete took a particular interest in one. We all know him, a TV god. During his reign, his bald head was his favourite drum spot. He would tap it feverishly whenever he was upset and mutter a continuous stream of two syllables. He also is the first man on earth to match a shirt, a wrapper with a tie comfortably. He was well-loved.

However, when Eko Akete sighted him at an event attended by other gods like him, the bald head had grown and the wrapper replaced with actual trousers.

He later revealed that the bald hair was all costume and the wrapper a mere addition.

And at that instant he fell from the sky. He was no longer a god. And seeing him as a mere man, it was easy to explain why he left his eminent seat for the food stand, why he emptied plate after plate, why he ate standing, why he demanded to be given every meal on the buffet table, why he kept eating and eating in a public place. He was human.

And we know it.

Strange Ogudu manna

STRANGE things happen in Lagos all the time. Lagos is a place for strange things. Any sentence fits well. But there are things that we do not often expect to see, even in Lagos – things that are too strange for Lagos. And that was just the case when Eko Akete learned, during the week, that a popular brand of bread in the Ogudu-Ojota area of the city had become cheaper! A couple of residents who spoke to Eko Akete said it was like a miracle: just when one expected something bad to happen, it is always a pleasant surprise when it is the very opposite that comes to pass.

True, the difference in price is not particularly great. But that hardly makes it any less amazing. Even though the previous price was N230 per loaf, the well-sought-after bread can now be purchased for N200. Thirty naira is saved – and that can add sugar-andmilk your tea!

Sadly, some naysayers have been developing some strange theories to explain this occurrence.

While investigation is still ongoing, this Ogudu bread, to many residents, has fallen like manna from heaven.

22

4 June, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Rough tackles over Land Use Charge in Lagos

It is ill-timed, inconsiderate —Landlords No, it is statutory, affordable —Govt supporter

Lagos residents have expressed divergent opinions of the idea of Land Use Charge, one of the remarkable sources of internally generated revenue for the state government. BOLA BADMUS and SHOLA ADEKOLA here reflect people’s reaction to the levy.

M

Akinkunmi

IXED reactions have continued to trail the threat issued by the Lagos State government to the landlords and property owners to pay their Land Use Charge promptly or face sanctions, which include sealing of the affected property and prosecution of offenders.

Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Mustapha Akinkunmi, issued the threat at a news conference, saying property owners were to pay their Land Use Charge within 30 days of being served their bills, failure of which penalties would begin to accrue from the 45th day after bill delivery, leading to sealing off of the affected property.

According to him, Land Use Charge contributed a total of N7.14billion to state revenues in 2014, dropping to N6billion in 2015, saying the state expected an improvement this fiscal year.

Speaking with Saturday Tribune, a landlord, Mr. Olaoye Davies, felt there was no need for payment of the charge, due to the fact that government had not justified such as it had failed to provide the residents the basic needs, including water supply, electricity supply and good roads.

“They should come out and tell us what the state has done in terms of provision of basic needs,” Davies said, pointing out that the payment of outrageous Land Use Charge as against the tenement rate which was in operation before had not translated to better service from the government to Lagosians.

The landlord insisted that there was no justification for the threat, pointing out

that even the road on the street he lived was put in place by the community and not the government.

Another landlord, who gave his name simply as Ademola, said the Land Use Charge, as well as penalty for violation was statutory.

According to him, it applies to individuals as well as corporate bodies, even as he also agreed that it was introduced to replace tenement rate, which he said was relatively as low as between N2,000 and N5,000.

He, however, disagreed that the Land Use Charge was quite outrageous, saying, “It is affordable, it is only when you have arrears to pay that it goes on the high side.

It also has to do with the value of your property.”

According to Mr Sanya Owodiran, a resident at Shasha, for the government to come out with this policy at this time shows that it is not feeling the pulse of those they are governing.

They should come out and tell us what the state has done in terms of provision of basic needs.

Owodiran particularly accused the state government of committing fraud through the land use charge, describing the government’s decision to slam an extra 100% increment on any one who could not pay the bill on time.

“It is very inhuman for the government to increase the original bill by 100% as a punishment for those who could not pay.

Does the government know what people are passing through this time. Things are generally hard for people so much that to eat one square meal is almost impossible and yet the same government elected by the people are coming up with this policy this time. It is unfair.”

Madam Ibilola, a landlady at Bammeke, berated the state government for suddenly becoming interested in collecting Land Use Charge on houses within the community despite the failure of the government to provide the community the dividends of democracy.

She cited the long abandoned Oyegbemi/ Bammeke road by the subsequent state governments including the current one which has made transportation a serious challenge to the immunity.

According to her, it is unfair that a government that denied the community an essential facility such as good road network and development would still add to their problems by threatening to seal off their houses for not paying land use charge.

Many of the residents across Alimosho have continued to fault the state government policy on the Land Use Charge describing the latest action of the government as insensitive and ill-timed.

24

4 June, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Toluwani Olamitoke 08050498504 toluwaniforever@yahoo.com

Nigeria can have a woman president

—Comfort, wife of Archbishop Akinfenwa Mrs Comfort Oluwayemisi Akinfenwa, wife of The Most Reverend (Dr) Joseph Olatunji Akinfenwa, Bishop of Ibadan Diocese (Anglican Communion) is a retired educationist and President, Women’s Organisation, Ibadan Anglican Diocese. She speaks with RITA OKONOBOH and OLAIDE SOKOYA on the place of women in Nigerian politics, why they need to embrace selfempowerment and how to handle issues as they relate to marriage. has been possible through God’s grace. However, I let office work end in the office. When I’m home, I concentrate on the family.

The important thing is to make sure that one does not affect the other. God has been the source of my strength and He has been helping me to strike a balance.

Y

OU are a Baptist married to an Anglican, what has been your experience?

There isn’t much difference. We all serve the same Lord, Jesus Christ. I think the only or little difference is the order of service.

How would you admonish couples who belong to different doctrines?

They should see themselves as one in Christ Jesus because in Christ, there is no North, East or South, Jew or Greek. We are all one. We all call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. As long as Christ is professed as the Lord and Saviour, we are all one, regardless of what Christian denomination one belongs to.

What is your take on Christians marrying outside their faith?

Personally, I believe that once you profess Christ, there is no problem. However, the Bible says we should not be unequally yoked. For me, and from what my Bible teaches me, a Christian should marry a Christian. However, where it happens that people from different religions fall in love and marry, like the Bible says, one cannot because of that hate his or her spouse. But I will state that prayer is essential in such a situation. Who knows, a spouse’s faith or Christ-like attitude can convert the other.

As a woman leader, you have many responsibilities, how do you strike a balance between work and the home?

I have been married for 36 years and I must confess that it

We know there is no perfect person, after 36 years of being married, what would you wish to change about your husband?

God is the only perfect man, but I thank God for the man He has given me. I am yet to see any imperfection in him. Human beings have their shortcomings but for the time I have spent with my husband, he has been a wonderful man. God has given me what is best for me and I’m there to complement him. God has made everything perfect for us, and with the help of prayers, if at all there is any imperfection, God will see us through.

You an advocate of women self-sufficiency and have at different times organised workshops, seminars and training programmes to achieve that objective, what is the motivation?

My activities tend towards alleviating suffering in the face of the current economic downturn and my charge to every woman is to be up and doing. When a woman is empowered or educated, she will automatically impact

I let office work end in the office.

When I’m home, I concentrate on the family. The important thing is to make sure that one does not affect the other.

her generation. Again, she won’t have to depend solely on the stipends that come from her husband but will be able to contribute to the economic development of her family and the society at large. On why we encourage entrepreneurship skills, it is obvious that white collar jobs are not enough to go round. So, when a woman has something she can lay her hands on as a source of income, no matter how small, it saves her from poverty while she also has a fixed income. We are trusting God to intervene in the present situation of the nation so that we can enter into our time of surplus. Every woman should find something doing. Working with the hands gives a woman a sense of fulfillment and she will forever remain grateful to God for endowing her with such talents. There is no snack I have not tried my hands on. When one does these things herself, then one is sure of the taste and the conditions in which they are prepared. In fact, my other sisters, that is clergy wives, some members of staff and I make snacks for whatever event we are holding. We are known to be farmers in Africa and God has blessed us with favourable conditions for farming. We should therefore take advantage of this, especially now that more and more people are going for natural produce. For all the ceremonies in my family, all the vegetables eaten come from our farm. We actually grow all the cassava and corn we eat in my home.

It is usually best and even cheaper to grow and consume locally produced produce.

In what ways do you think the government can promote farming?

I believe governments at all levels should encourage farmers by providing mechanised equipment to ensure maximum and quality output. Soft loans should also be made available to them.

When you look at the Nigerian setting, do you think women have what it takes to be president of the country?

It is possible. God has made us both male and female and if God doesn’t see anything good in women, He would not have created us. We are helpmeets for our men. Women should also support the men. With the right support, we can have a woman president. With our setting, however, it would seem that men are usually at the helm. However, if a woman president doesn’t seem attainable now, we can be vice-presidents.

Your husband recently clocked 60, what would you want to say to him?

I wish him long life and prosperity and pray that the Almighty God will give him fulfillment in the ministry. He has been doing wonderfully well, and I pray that God, in His infinite mercy, will grant him more grace to function and finish well. I also pray that he will see many more of his grandchildren.

25

4 June, 2016

ntertainment News

Society Gist

Saturday Tribune with Joan Omionawele and

jistwtjoan@yahoo.com Twitter:@joanbajojo 08059793705 Newton-Ray Ukwuoma 08052271251

Celebrity Interviews

Celebrities at war again!

Annie Idibia vs 2face baby mama

p27

26 entertainment

Wives on strike:

Omoni Oboli expresses gratitude

Stories by Joan Omionawele and Newton-Ray Ukwuoma

S

tar actress and director, Omoni Oboli has expressed her heartfelt gratitude to her fans and everyone who have made ‘Wives On Strike’ the latest most successful Nollywood movie at the box office in recent times.

Aside that, the box-office figure of ‘Wives On Strike,’ which grossed over N60 million after the first four weeks, has made Oboli the all-time number one Nollywood box-office queen. The movie is still making money even in its eighth week, at some cinemas in Nigeria and Ghana.

Before the success of ‘Wives On Strike’, Oboli was ahead of other great actors in the box-office returns with movies like ‘Figurine’, ‘Anchor Baby’, ‘Being Mrs Elliot’, ‘The First Lady’ and ‘Fifty’. She led the pack with cumulative returns of over N168 000 000 at the cinema box-office. With the recent cinema runs of her latest work, ‘Wives On Strike’, after about a month, Oboli has further increased her lead over

Akin Shuga empowers people with disabilities LEAD singer of the topmost band, Shuga Band, Akin Tofowomo, also known as Akin Shuga, during the week walked the talk of his disability advocacy initiative, The Shuga Limb Foundation Empowerment Project, “The Gifted and Talented”.

The event, which was held amidst accolades at the Social Place, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Monday, attracted socialites and celebrities who gathered to celebrate and empower people living with disabilities.

The Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Ogun State, Mr Bimbo Ashiru; the wife of the Minister of Power and Housing, Mrs Abimbola Fashola; the chairperson, Lekki British International School, Ms. Biodun Laja; AIG Tunji Alapini (retd), Mr. Wole Okunfulure and artiste, Tosin Martins witnessed the presentation of work tools to talented, but physically disabled people.

Olaitan Keshinro, a physically challenged photographer, received a professional canon camera and photo printer; Jamiu Fatai, a speech impaired fashion designer, got a fully equipped tailoring set, while Tope Akinleye, a physically challenged student and a visual artist, Toma Onu, who paints with her legs, were given scholarship and work tools and a three-month tutelage with a visual art instructor respectively.

Having sponsored the Children’s Day celebration for people living with disability for four consecutive years, Akin said Shuga Limb Foundation will chart a new course in line with the global focus to promote inclusion, access, and empowerment for persons with disabilities.

Shuga, who was recently honoured as one of the icons of ability in disability by the Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, reiterated that people living with disabilities (PLDs) must cultivate the mindset of financial independence to aid sustainable livelihood.

However, the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Ogun State, Mr Bimbo Ashiru, called on the government and stakeholders to empower enterprising Nigerians who lack the financial capacity to achieve their dreams and excel in their pursuits.

Special recognition awards were given to media personalities such as Adenike Oyetunde, Engr. Idiat Amusu, art instructor, Michael Oluwatosin, a physically challenged cobbler, Olumide Adegbenro and the legendary Cobhams Asuquo.

4 June, 2016 the nearest actor by a wider margin.

Her cumulative returns now stands at over N228 000 000 from the cinemas, making her the overall number one box-office queen.

For all of this, Oboli is thankful, acknowledging that she would not have achieved this without the immense support of fans, critics and industry supporters. In a press release sent out by her PR company, BBB Media, Oboli says she owes people a great debt of gratitude.

"I am very grateful for the immense support you have shown me.

This did not come as a result of only the effort on my part, but a divine favour from God who looked upon me with grace and favour and made it possible for my movies to find acceptance with the diverse audiences across Nigeria, Ghana and abroad.

“I can't thank the fans enough for coming out in droves to not only sit and watch my movies, but also to go out of their way to convince others to watch my movies, so that they have become sold-out box-office successes back-toback. I'm also grateful for the endorsement deals and fabulous movie deals I've gotten because of your patronage. Also, I do not take it lightly when I say that my family has been so supportive, and the backbone of my career, so that I'm able to joggle both work and family without missing a beat. I have enjoyed great support from my fans, friends and colleagues in this industry,” she wrote.

Saturday Tribune

Star Parade at ‘8 bars and clef’ premiere It was a starstudd e d gathering at the premiere of the A M A A nominated movie, ‘8 Bars and A Clef’, held on 29 May at the Genesis Deluxe Cinemas in Lekki, Lagos.

In attendance were cast and crew of the movie, including Bimbo Akintola, Linda Ejiofor, Kehinde Bankole, Wale Ojo, Ade Bantu, IBK SPaceshipboi, Olumide Oworu, Blink and others. Other stars like Rita Dominic, Lala Akindoju, Adesua Etomi, Lynxxx and Uti Nwachukwu.

“It is fulfilling to see the work that took over two years finally premiered, said filmmaker and director, Chioma Onyenwe. “I am incredibly grateful to the cast and crew of the movie for their support and to everyone who came out to support ‘8 Bars and a Clef’,” she added.

The subject matter of the movie borders on issues which plague the society, such as domestic abuse, dyslexia, acceptance and learning, love, record label woes among other issues.

Teeblaq goes prayerful in Gbemileke

Fast rising singer and Eldar records signee, Teeblaq has released his first official song ‘Robo’ with several follow-up songs that include Nicki Minaj, Vassahi, Shope amongst others.

Teeblaq is not stopping at upping the ante in the industry as he recently released yet another massive afro beat tune titled ‘Gbemileke’ which was produced by monster hit maker, Jay Pizzle.

The Eldar records act revealed that the song talks about his hustle in Mushin, a suburb of Lagos, where he grew up, how things went slow and steady till the present moment. In ‘Gbemileke’, Teeblaq showers blessing to his creator for His undying love and blessing over his career.

Kiki Omeili debuts with ‘Unprotected’ NOLLYWOOD actress, Kiki Omeili, has made a debut into movie production with the release of her first short film titled 'Unprotected'.

'Unprotected' is a short film directed by Stanlee Ohikhuare and written and produced by Kiki Omeili.

The film is a compelling story based on true events and stars Kiki Omeili, Eric Didie, Bimbo Ademoye, Blessing Ambrose and Nathan Kingsley.

Aside acting, the budding

actress is a trained medical doctor as she obtained her medical degree from the University of Lagos in 2006.

She made her first screen appearance in the TV series, "Behind the Smile" directed

by Tunde Olaoye.

27 entertainment

4 June, 2016

celebrities at war again

Annie Idibia Vs 2face Idibia’s baby mamas

D

URING THE WEEK, trouble loomed in the Idibia family love web as Annie and Pero’s (2Face’s baby mama who has three kids for him) sister, Eniola both exchanged words over Tuface’s lack of access to Pero’s kids.

Saturday Tribune gathered that trouble began when Annie started it all by giving special praise to one of 2face’s other baby mamas, Sumbo Ajayi, describing her as a ‘real mom’ in

an Instagram post that was intended to speak against child abuse and celebrate parents who ‘don’t stress the other parent over seeing their own kid’.

She wrote: “I am all about child abuse for the last few weeks and I realise that they are so many forms of it, even as parents, we do this without us even knowing.”

Annie continued: “Let’s love our children more than the situations! Shout out to all the separated parents /EX who don’t stress the other parent over seeing

their own kid! God bless you..

Your reward is bigger and it is in heaven… #sayNo2Parentalalienation #saynotochildabuseforreal #loveyourkidsmore #whatGoneIsGone #letgo #livefree God bless u real big @shout out to @ sunmbo great woman.‘ This didn’t go down well with Pero’s elder sister, Eniola, who caught wind of the post and called out Annie for referring to her sister, Pero. Eniola then replied Annie asking her these questions: “Do you think we have deleted all your evil messages concerning those three kids? Do you want the world to know the truth on how you keep him from seeing his kids.

Girl, don’t even go there with me! I am not hiding.

I am Pero’s only sister. The older one. This is a clap back season and I am so in on it. How dare you throw a subtle shade?! You think her keeping quiet means she is stupid, you think she doesn’t know how to use social media to aim fame?

Living her life in the US quietly is because she respects her children, loves them and does not show them on social media to score cheap points and cheap likes. You

think you can trespass that territory, You just crossed the line. If you think you are the superwoman, I got the krypton items for your ass she lashed #dontevengothere”.

But Annie insisted that she never mentioned anyone in her post, while maintaining her posts was all about ‘child abuse’. “I didn’t mention anyone in my post, I ain’t throwing no shades, But you are so dumb that you haven’t been seeing all my post for past weeks about child abuse etc why does my post bother you so much? Ohhh someone is guilty of my post? And if you are who you say you are.

Why are you even on my page? Teach your toddler self worth and self pride, don’t come on my page to rant your frustrations and stop acting clueless,”Annie fired back.

However, Pero’s sister who seems ready for war did not relent but responded saying “I have been waiting for you to respond and you have just killed yourself, you just ticked a time bomb. It is done, where is your hubby? You are dead! See you on the blogs..’she added

Saturday Tribune

Lepacious Bose wins Leading Woman Award after weight loss NIGERIAN female comedian, Bose Ogunboye, popularly known as Lapacious Bose, is currently experiencing a new lease on life after her incredible weight loss.

The former plus-size comedienne and actress, bagged a ‘Leading Woman Award’ during the week for inspiring others with her weight loss.

Bose, who embarked on a 2-year weight loss programme, moving from 195kg to 95kg after what she termed “a slowly, but surely” journey, has been inspiring her fans on social media with pictures of her new found body and life.

“These days I just love taking pictures, she wrote in one of her posts. “It’s amazing how far I have come from acting like I love the camera to actually loving it”.

Bose, indeed continues to inspire her fans. “The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step, make a choice, start today, a little walk, a little exercise, a conscious healthier eating habit. It all comes together slowly but surely, you too can lose that weight, let’s enjoy this journey together. Almost two years on this journey and I can’t stop smiling,” she also wrote.

And speaking about the prestigious recognition award, which she shared on Instagram, Ms Ogunboye said she did not expect to be nominated or to win the award.

“Indeed the stones the builders rejected can be the cornerstone. Over the years through my comedy career I have won so many awards and I kind of feel blessed and grateful. But to be nominated for this particular award is a deep blessing.

“I worked to lose weight for myself and I never expected to inspire anyone or make me a leading woman award winner. God is indeed a master planner.”

28

4 June, 2016

Saturday Tribune

with Tunde Ayanda ayandaayotunde@yahoo.com 08034649018

Dapo Abiodun bounces back!

H eyden boss, Dapo Abiodun, has a lot to show for his absence from the social scene for many years.

Just like a jack-in-the-box, the socialite, who remained in the background and chose his business to speak for him, launched himself back on the social space with the staging of a birthday soiree in his Lagos home a few days ago.

The likes of Gov-

Deola Layade opens Exquisito Café Deola Layade, top confectioner and the Chief Executive Officer of Exquisito Cakes, just added another feather to her cap with the opening of the Exquisito Café in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The pastry-cook, who is ranked among the best in the business, delighted her clients with the opening of the new café where people can sit, make orders, drink and enjoy the ambience.

The opening attracted a small ceremony where pastry lovers had a bite of the creamy cupcakes, donuts, bread and other munchies on display.

Layade diclosed that she was forced to open the café based on the requests by her clients who were looking for a place where they can hang out with friends and families.

Layade started the Exquisito Cakes many years ago after she returned from the United Kingdom where she learnt the art of exquisite baking which is a secret trademark her business enjoys.

ernor Ibikunle Amosun, Femi Gbajabiamila, Aliko Dangote, Lanre Ogunlesi, Muyiwa Bakare, Gbenga Daniel, Bimbo Ashiru, Eyimofe Atake and a lot of others were present at the Tower House where music, food and beverages were in surplus to celebrate the businessman’s 56th birthday.

According to close friends of the Heyden boss, he wanted the day to pass like any other day, but the tone was set as the day was a public holiday and also coincided with the country’s Democracy Day which signposted the mood for such celebration.

Femi Akinruntan soars with OPF The Managing Director of Obat Oil, Femi Akinruntan, has joined the league of many Nigerians who run private foundations.

The young man, the second son of monarch, Oba Obateru Akinruntan, launched his foundation named Omo Oba Pataki Foundation which he had silently been using to meet the demands of the underprivileged, widows and the aged.

The prince, who claimed he has always be in the right point of help to many people in the past without making a noise about it, said the foundation is a dream he wants to nurture and sustain with direct contact to his people in Ondo State and Lagos, where he resides.

His recent visit to the Modupe Cole Me-

morial Childcare where he donated cash and gift items to the school is seen as a normal side of him.

Femi and his siblings seem to match their father’s generous habit, his brother, Abayomi also operates the ABA foundation, which takes care of people of similar needs.

Wedding in the air for Yeni Kuti Yeni, the eldest child of the late king of Afrobeats, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, is still pinching herself to be sure of the event that played out on her 55th birthday.

It was a day her partner of many years, Theo Lawson, used to convey a marriage proposal to the woman who means the world to him.

It was at a surprise birthday party at the Chinese restaurant of the Prince of Anthony Hotel where Abdul Okwechime and Akin Adeoya played the hosts that the event took place and Yeni got the biggest question of her life in the presence of her brother, Femi, friends and colleagues at the TVC. The short ceremony was highlighted by ageless artiste, Jimmy Solanke, who serenaded Yeni to a birthday song which was capped by a performance by her brother, Femi Kuti.

Friends fete Bolu Akin-Olugbade Prince Bolu Akin-Olugbade may have by now understand the importance of keeping old friends.

A few days days ago, just after his return from the United States, where he was given a royal welcome by his family and friends, his friends and old school mates at the prestigious Kings College, Lagos hosted him to a birthday dinner.

The banquet hall of the Chinese restaurant, Lagos, was filled with familiar faces of old friends and colleagues, who made up the Diamond Jubilee set of the Kings College.

It was a night filled with merriment as the billionaire was in awe to witness the love his friends had for him.

The event dragged into the night and was filled with memories of their old school days which everyone at the gathering enjoyed to share.

29

4 June, 2016

outofthisworld

Saturday Tribune With femi osinusi

osfem2@yahoo.com 08055069292

The drummer.

Behold!

Playing a custom-made guitar.

The first musical band

that plays under the water

A

One of the band members.

Playing a specially-made trumpet.

musical bank in The Netherlands has done the unusual. The band played music while fully submerged in a glass water tank.

According to the Daily Mail of UK, the five-man band used custom-made instruments and did not use any breathing apparatus inside the glass tank, while coming up for air regularly.

The band was seen inside the water tank rehearsing ahead of its first live concert inside water which will take place next Friday at a festival in Rotterdam.

The singer.

Another instrumentalist.

30

4 June, 2016

weekend cartoons

Saturday Tribune

Adeeko Olusegun adeeko.olusegun@yahoo.com 0811 695 4638

Just a Laffing Mata

Who has more money?

Segeluulu asked his parents, “Mum, dad, who has more money?”

The parents answered, “We have money equally.”

The child said, “No, it’s a lie, mummy has more money.

The father asked, “Why do you say so?” Segeluulu replied, “Because every time mummy goes out, she returns with shopping bags but anytime you go out, you come back home with only a newspaper.

POLITICO

H y dr o g e n

Worker

Teacher: Describe hydrogen Segeluulu: It is a prostitute element.

Teacher: Who taught you that?

Segeluulu: You said it does not belong to a particular group and it reacts with almost all the elements in the periodic table.

The whole class burst into laughter.

FUNOLOGY

Naughty Segeluulu Naughty Segeluulu asked a married woman out but the woman got pissed and told her husband. The husband told her to invite the boy so that he could beat the hell out of him.

The woman did what her husband asked her to do while the husband he hid under the bed.

When Segeluulu got there, he took off his shirt but his body was full of scars. Curious, the woman asked, “why do you have so many scars?” The boy replied, “I lay with married women but when I get caught, I kill their husbands. If your husband shows up here, he will be number twenty on my murder list.” The boy continued, as the woman tried to reach out her husband under the bed, a small voice said: ‘If you tell him I’m here, you are dead!’

Craziest thing a fan did to me —Veteran Yoruba actor

32

feature

4 June, 2016

Saturday Tribune

‘If the soldiers treat us well, we’ll give them wives’ Continued from pg9

plant. That done, the traditional ruler sauntered out from his room into his guestroom and one Chief Dan Ekpebide did the traditional kola nut breaking introduction. Boroh said he was in the kingdom on a peace mission at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari, because the current bombing of oil and gas pipelines by militants was affecting the country’s economy. He said the military was sent to the kingdom to stabilise the area and deter the Avengers.

“I’m here physically, sent by the Federal Government because the activities happening in this area are affecting the economy of the country. They are affecting our land.

They are affecting all of us and the government is very concerned about it. We cherish peace. The presence of the military is for peace. They didn’t come to create scenes; they came to ensure stability and peace. I will want us to cooperate with them. They will just be around to ensure there is peace and stability,” Boroh noted.

Ijaws now endangered species Spokesperson for the Gbaramatu Kingdom during the visit, Chief Ekpebide, said the people of the kingdom had become endangered species. “In recent times, Ijaws of Gbaramatu have become endangered species because they said they are looking for Tompolo for whatever reason.

We have had threats that Tomopolo is supporting the Federal Government against Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

Therefore, they sent a message that they were coming to attack us. The presence of the military is even a welcome development to us because they are going to repel those that are coming to attack us. We are very happy to have them in our midst.

“But since they came, our Royal Highness has been trying to meet with the leader of the team but there has been no success. It looks like he is under a siege. He cannot move out of his house. His chiefs cannot move out. Ordinarily, when soldiers visit a place, they go to the traditional ruler and discuss with him. We are very apprehensive as a result of what happened in Oporoza in 2009 when the military aerially invaded the place for reasons we didn’t know.

‘We can give the soldiers wives’ The spokesperson added that Ijaws can give wives to the soldiers if they behaved well with them. “Therefore sir, the soldiers are welcome. We have better intentions than you think because if you have not sent these people here, we don’t know what would have happened.

People would have come to invade us by now. But please, there should be a cordial relationship between the community and the soldiers. We may even be able to give them privileged information. We will relate with them. We will do well with them. Ijaw people are very friendly people. If they relate with us very well, we can even give them wives, because when you do good to an Ijaw man, he gives you a wife. That is how we behave,” Ekpebide noted.

‘Soldiers beat up my children’ The Pere of the Gbaramatu Kingdom, Williams N. S. Ogoba Oboro Gbaraun II (Aketekpe) Agadagba, who looked nervous and unsettled, while narrating the ordeal of his kingdom, said he was apprehensive of the fate that might befall him because of the unfriendly attitude of the soldiers.

“For now, I can say that I am in pain as the king and father of the kingdom. If I am not mistaken, this has made it the third time that the military has invaded this place. This third one is the worst. They came at midnight, picked up a lot of people. People ran helterskelter. Some women still cannot find their children. I sat here and watched the military men parade my children. They tied them and beat them up. I was touched.

I tried unsuccessfully to reach out to their leaders. It is just now we are having light and water after your (Boroh’s) intervention.

“I am arrested in this place. I cannot even go to visit one of my chiefs. They had injured him seriously. If not for some godly ones among them, the chief would have died by now. Because of that, all the chiefs in this community have run away. No single chief is with me. I am lonely here. I don’t know the next thing they will do to me. If

Oporza guesthouse allegedly taken over by soldiers.

Boroh making a remark in front of the Gbaramatu king.

militants. We are not hiding militants.

So, please, they should know we are a peace-loving people and we are ready to work with the government and not that the government should push us out,” he pleaded.

A deserted street of Oporoza.

They are here for peacekeeping, not to make life unbearable for the people...The government is very concerned about what is happening in Gbaramatu, particularly in terms of economic sabotage. It is affecting the economy of the country. Economic sabotage is very bad.

you want to beat up a child and you see the father, you have to respect him and then, maybe, forgive the child, but in my presence, my children were beaten up. The soldiers have become the owners of this community.

“Before this time, my chiefs and I called the people, hoping to stop vandalism and all that. I have been working with the government. We are a peace-loving kingdom but I did not know that the government would treat me this way. You don’t have to judge a clan from Abuja or Lagos where you are. You have to come down and see, instead of judging us from Abuja or Lagos and coming to embarrass us. I am in danger. Since morning, I have not taken my bath. I am afraid. I can’t see my community members. Even the ones that were beaten up, I can’t find them. I don’t know where they are presently. The soldiers have been looting the guesthouse. They also invaded my territory and environment, including areas that nobody should step into. I don’t really know if I am safe. I want to plead with the government to come to our rescue. What I know is that if I have soldiers with me here, my life is safe and my properties are safe.

‘We are not Avengers’ The Pere reiterated his earlier denial that his subjects were members of the Niger Delta Avengers. “I am pleading with the government that all that is happening in this kingdom, we are not happy about it and we are not part of it. We are not the Avengers and we are not

‘Soldiers have not come to steal or molest’ Gen. Boroh, who spoke on behalf of the Nigerian troops keeping vigil in Gbaramatu, denied allegations that soldiers were beating up residents and looting their properties. “I want to assure you that the military are friendly people. I strongly believe that they did not come to beat up and molest people. They came for a mission which has to do with searching for items which are not supposed to be in the hands of the people. They are here for peacekeeping, not to make life unbearable for the people. They have information about certain things that they are to recover. The items they recovered are military-related items. They will just be around; they will not embarrass or molest anyone.

Their presence is for the better because other people that you said wanted to come and attack this place would be repelled.

“Why can’t the people here prevent the things that are happening here from happening? The government is very concerned about what is happening in Gbaramatu, particularly in terms of economic sabotage. It is affecting the economy of the country. Economic sabotage is very bad. I am happy that His Royal Majesty is committed to the kingdom and he is ready to support government’s programmes and policies and also key into these policies and programmes. These are the kinds of things that the government wants, to show that the kingdom is not an enemy to the government; that they are in support of the government and are ready to key into their programmes. We want to stabilise the Niger Delta. Our region is not stable and it is affecting development. People that have good intention of coming to invest here will not come. I have never been worried before as I am now. I need to be encouraged so that we can achieve stability in the Niger Delta,” Boro lamented.

Boroh did not stop at talking, he went with journalists to confirm the allegation that an 85-year-old chief was injured and was in need of urgent medical treatment. The old man denied ever being beaten or molested by soldiers.

Before the entourage left the community, no fewer than 30 women, including pregnant ones, were seen moving around on some of the deserted streets, but hardly could one sight any male youth except those with the traditional ruler in his palace. One of the youth at the king’s palace aired his opinion on the situation in the community: “Generally, life is difficult. Those who were free are now being held hostage. Life would be difficult for you if you don’t have your freedom. No access to buy things, to walk about and to even bathe.”

Meanwhile, respite may not be in sight for the kingdom as members of the NDA are yet to halt their penchant for destroying oil facilities and with no serious arrests having been made so far.

33 feature

4 June, 2016

Saturday Tribune

How we will rout Niger Delta Avengers —Flag officer

Security agencies are still on the trail of members of the faceless, but lethal Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) who are wreaking havoc on oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta region. The new Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Central Naval Command, Yenagoa, Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Mohammed Garba, in this chat with journalists in Warri, hints on issues bordering on the prevailing situation in the region.

Y

OU are back in the Niger Delta region as the new Flag Officer Commanding of the Central Naval Command after your stint as commander of the Nigerian Navy (NNS DELTA), Warri. Which area does your command cover?

The Central Naval Command is responsible for providing security in the nation’s maritime domain covering Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and some parts of Ondo states. The command has remained committed in ensuring security on the waterways and the protection of oil and gas facilities within our area of responsibility. Although, the security situation has been tense in recent days due to series of attacks on oil and gas facilities by miscreants, we are trying to bring the situation under control.

deter them from carrying out such attacks.

Those indicted after investigations will be handed over to the prosecuting agencies.

The Gbaramatu kingdom in Warri South West Local Government Area is on military siege. Gunboats, fighter jets and other military artillery had been deployed there. What’s the reason behind this?

These days, operations are joint efforts of the military, so we always call it joint operation and I also want to tell you that there is no place in the world that you›ll see one particular force going out to take action on its own. It›s a joint operation and a venture so as to ensure that all assets are being used for maximum results to be achieved. So, the air assets are there so that we can comb the areas where these people are hiding after which we can now direct the army to go after them.

In spite of the navy’s heavy presence in the waterways, it is believed that criminalities and illegalities are still ongoing in your command. What proof have you to show anything contrary to these claims?

The truth is that the Central Naval Command has made a lot of progress relating to curbing pipeline vandalism, sea robbery, attacks on shipping and plotting against the Niger Delta Avengers. Our operations resulted in the arrest of five vessels, a tug boat, five barges and 72 Cotonou boats which were destroyed. Others include the arrest of 22 speed boats, destruction of 73 illegal refineries, 154 crude oil pits and 531 surface tanks.

Besides, I can satisfactorily tell you that in the last seven days, we have arrested five suspects in connection with attacks on pipelines, one for killing two soldiers on May 16 at Batan, one for extortion, scene Cotonou boats, five other suspects and 490MT of illegally refined diesel.

Among the pipeline vandalism suspects your command has arrested, is any of them linked with the rampaging Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) or the wanted Tompolo?

Well, whether or not they are connected with Tompolo we can’t really say for now.

But what we want to say is that these people we held were arrested in connection with the explosion of the pipeline at Batan in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State. Investigations are still ongoing; we are profiling the names before we can now make it public. Once investigation has been completed, we assure you, we’ll make it public for everyone of you.

The Nigerian military is said to be intimidating and victimising civilians and innocent people. They are said to have sacked the entire Oporoza community with many people trapped in the bush without water and food. What’s the actual situation

On the issue of the Niger Delta Avengers, we are doing a lot and we are doing what it takes as a rational instrument of national policy to make sure that we keep our waterways safe for economic atmosphere in Gbaramatu kingdom?

The story about military personnel going about patrols and terrorising the people is not true. Most people that are criminals

and those who are enemies of the state will always want to use propaganda and sometimes, the powerful organ of the press. I’m happy that you are trying to verify issue.

The navy seems to have been quiet about the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) knowing that the navy is much more responsible for the security of the waterways and their assets. What’s is happening?

On the issue of the Niger Delta Avengers, we are doing a lot and we are doing what it takes as a rational instrument of national policy to make sure that we keep our waterways safe for economic atmosphere and to make sure that we continue to make arrest of these criminals so that we›ll continue to

Since the upsurge of militant activities in the Niger Delta, it appears to the civilian populace that the various arms of the Nigerian Armed Forces are working at cross purposes. And the navy in particular seems to have been silent on the matter of the Avengers?

The relationship among the armed forces is very cordial. There is never a time that we do something here and the JTF is not aware or the JTF is doing something and we are not aware. Don’t forget that we have been raised together during our course at the Defence Academy. The army, the navy and the air force are contemporaries. We are working together to achieve a common constitutional thrust for the country. We don’t know the Avengers, that’s why we are looking for them, we shall get them and made them public.

What’s your last word for people of the Niger Delta?

I would like to assure the peace-loving people within the Central Naval Command that the command will continue to protect lives and properties and at the same time ensure the freedom of the seas for economic activities to thrive.

In our fight against crude oil theft and other criminalities, I want to use this medium to warn criminals operating in the area to steer clear as the command is poised and determined to rid our waterways of hoodlums and economic saboteurs.

34

4 June, 2016

Politics&Policy

Saturday Tribune

With Saheed Salawu

0811 695 4643

yinkadejavu@yahoo.com

As Edo APC aspirants go to war over governorship ticket Exactly two weeks from today, the primaries will be held to determine the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State.

BANJI ALUKO writes on the issues that will affect the election and the intrigues ahead of the exercise.

The party’s governorship aspirants have been divided in two groups by political analysts. In the first group are aspirants who are capable of winning the primaries based on some factors, while those deemed as having no chance of winning the primaries constitute the second group.

T

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State has an arduous task in conducting governorship primaries for about 11 aspirants. Following the sweeping victory of the party in the general election of 2015, the conclusion was drawn that all it takes to succeed the incumbent Governor Adams Oshiomhole was picking the party’s ticket. Little wonder the list of Edo citizens who have shown interest in the ticket ranges from politicians to semi-politicians and professionals. They are all angling to secure the votes of about 2,500 delegates.

Leading the pack is Oshiomhole’s deputy, Pius Odubu, who wants to step up to become the number one occupant of the Osadebey Avenue. Others are former junior Works Minister, Chris Ogienmwonyi; 2012 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Charles Airhiavbere; former PDP strongman, Kenneth Imansuangbon; chairman of the state economic team, Godwin Obaseki; former Governor Oserheimen Osunbor; former president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Peter Esele; Architect Austin Emuan, Pedro Obaseki, Blessing Agbonmere and Mrs Tina Agbarha.

Issues that will shape the primaries and the aspirants who are expected to dominate the primaries are there for discerning minds to assess. The party’s governorship aspirants have been divided in two groups by political analysts.

In the first group are aspirants who are capable of winning the primaries based on some factors, while those deemed as having no chance of winning the primaries constitute the second group. There are just about three names in the group of capable winners. Some people even think that the primaries will largely revolve around two aspirants — Godwin Obaseki, who is the candidate of incumbent Governor Adams Oshiomhole and Pius Odubu, Oshiomhole’s deputy. If the list is expanded, Chris Ogienmwonyi may just be accommodated.

Many are not looking beyond these three, especially the first two, as the likely APC governorship candidate. The rest of the aspirants are expected to only compete. One of the reasons for this is the issue of zoning. Two out of the three senatorial zones are involved in the succession race in the APC. They are the Edo South (Benin) and the Edo Central (Esan). Governor Adams Oshiomhole is from Edo North. Edo South zone started the present republic with Lucky Igbinedion in 1999. After eight years, Oserheimen Osunbor took over from Igbinedion in 2007. He, however, only lasted about 18 months. He was booted out of office by the Appeal Court, thereby paving the way for the emergence of Oshiomhole. Following the termination of Osunbor’s tenure, the Edo Central people are united in their quest to produce governor this time.

The Benin people, however, do not want to hear this. As far as some of them are concerned, Edo Central has had its turn in Osunbor and it is now their turn. The campaign of the Benins has been aided by their numerical strength.

Besides, the Benins seem to believe that Edo State is theirs and any other tribe or zone that wants to produce the governor can only do so if they are willing to cede power to them. Their resolve to produce the governor even seems to have outdone that of the Esans such that the APC was close to officially zoning the governorship ticket to Edo South. It is, however, the worst kept secret in Edo State that the APC is disposed to presenting a Benin governorship candidate in order to avoid a backlash from the Benins. It was even gathered that the Esan aspirants have been told to bury

their ambition for now. This is the biggest factor that may not allow the ambition of Esan APC governorship aspirants like Kenneth Imansuangbon, Oseheirmen Osunbor, Austin Emuan and Peter Esele to materialise.

Oshiomhole’s support for Obaseki which started as rumours a few months ago can no longer be denied even by the governor. The governor himself has said that he had the right to give support to any aspirant just the way any of the leaders in the state could support any aspirant. The governor’s support for Obaseki has set him on collision course with his deputy, Odubu, who had long anticipated his boss’s lack of interest in him. The height of the feud between Oshiomhole and his deputy was an attack last month by political thugs on Odubu’s campaign team when they visited Governor Oshiomhole’s Etsako West Local Government Area to meet with party delegates. Talks by Oshiomhole that Odubu contracted a native doctor to kill him had come before this even as the leadership of the party in the state rallied to prevent a total breakdown of relations between the two.

The feud between the occupants of the two biggest political offices in the land has been the most discussed political issue in the state lately. It is one factor many say could make or mar the chances of the APC in the September 10 governorship election if not properly handled. Odubu has, however, insisted that all is well between him and his boss.

At a media briefing last month, he spent quality time praising the achievements of his boss and promising to “build on the solid foundation.” He equally declared Oshiomhole as a transparent governor, saying “there will be no need to probe the governor as there is nothing to look out for.”

He described the story that he wanted to kill Oshiomhole as a creation of political detractors. He said, “It is an old and tired lie concocted to tarnish my image in the eyes of the public. It is politically motivated. You are aware that the governorship election is around the corner and I am one of those vying for the APC ticket. They failed when they tried it during my re-nomination as deputy governor

in 2012. They certainly will fail again now. I leave these enemies of progress to the all-knowing God. Time, they say, writes the ultimate history and history delivers that final judgment.”

Despite the acknowledgment by Odubu, everyone knows that all is not well between him and his boss. The complaints of underhand dealings on the part of Odubu and other aspirants are believed to be particularly targeted at Odubu, whom they accused of plotting unfair means to give victory to Obaseki. Some of the allegations include plot to doctor the list of delegates or harass the delegates that will vote during the primaries. Supporters of Odubu and other aspirants are keenly watching unfolding events in the APC ahead of the primaries. Odubu’s kinsmen in his Orhiomwom Local Government Area are already talking about teaming up with a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who is from the same council in case Odubu does not get the APC ticket and IzeIyamu picks the PDP ticket.

With just 14 days to the conduct of the primaries, the Oshiomhole and Odubu camps have been scheming how to win over the delegates. Just like the other aspirants, they have held series of meetings with the delegates across the 18 local government areas and have deployed their men and resources to the field. Leading the Oshiomhole/Obaseki camp is the Commissioner for Works, Osarodion Ogie.

Ogie, who hitherto was seen as Oshiomhole’s anointed governorship candidate, has since accepted to collapse his structure for Obaseki and lead the charge for him. He is joined by Oshiomhole’s commissioners, special advisers, heads of agencies and other key political office holders.

Those who aligned with Odubu have been sacked with two commissioners losing their jobs last year and another one only last month. Within the hierarchy of the APC, a cleanup was equally done to pave the way for the emergence of Obaseki and clip the wings of the Odubu camp. Attempts were made last year to suspend the Edo South senatorial leader of the APC, Gentleman Amegor, and the chairman of the party in Orhionmwon Local Government Area, Matthew Ehigie. The two are Odubu’s loyalists.

Nonetheless, marketing Obaseki has not been an easy Continues pg12

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Edo governorship, APC and the search for standard-bearer Continues from pg34

task for Oshiomhole in and outside of the APC. One of the challenges is the fact that Obaseki is not a politician and is not well known in Edo State. As head of Oshiomhole’s economic team, he is a behind-the-scene man, being neither a commissioner nor special adviser. Some people even say that the tag, head of economic team, given him was a donation from Oshiomhole to make him share part of his economic achievements. Apart from his family name, Obaseki, that is quite popular in Benin, little was known about Godwin Obaseki before now. Before coming to work with Oshiomhole about seven years ago, he was based in Lagos where he made name as an investment banker.

There is also nothing to suggest that his gubernatorial ambition was his idea. Obaseki, before now, had not seen any need to market his name or be actively involved in the politics of the state. Now that he is in the race, it is like he is trying to cover the kilometres that had long been left behind by the likes of Odubu and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu in the politics of Edo State.

Despite the support from Oshiomhole’s government, it was gathered that the major strategists in the Obaseki camp are still battling to secure the commitment and votes of the delegates. They are particularly bothered that the delegates have continued to host all the aspirants despite the instruction given to them to ignore them. Many, however, believe that money holds the key to winning party primaries in Nigeria. This is where the Obaseki strategists hope to play the last card. With Oshiomhole’s support,

they hope to use money to sway votes in their way. They anticipate that no other aspirants could outspend them and have been doling out money to the delegates just like some other aspirants. They anticipate that some moneybags in the race such as Chris Ogienmwonyi, Charles Airhiavbere, Kenneth Imansuangbon and even Odubu will bring out money for the delegates but they are sure they have enough in the kitty to defeat them.

Still, many believe that Obaseki will still win the primaries as long as he has Oshiomhole’s support. They opine that Oshiomhole is too grounded and in charge of the Edo APC to lose the primary. The analysis is that Obaseki will clear the votes in the three Etsako local government areas with Oshiomhole’s influence while he will also pick votes across the remaining 15 councils. In the Edo Central zone, the feeling is that the Esans will largely give their votes to their sons in the race, namely, Imansuangbon, Esele and Osunbor while a good number of the votes will be shared

by Obaseki and Odubu. In the seven local government areas in the Benin zone, the likes of Airhiavbere, Ogienmwonyi, Obaseki, Odubu and Imansuangbon will share the votes and Obaseki will emerge at the end of the day.

As for Odubu, many in the state are quick to attribute his strength to his early preparation for the race and not necessarily because he is the deputy governor. Long before the present rat race started, he carefully built a formidable political base capable of challenging Oshiomhole. One of the reasons he is upbeat about the APC primaries is the amount of effort he has put into his ambition. He is said to have penetrated many local government areas and has

reached the hearts of a good number of the delegates.

The alleged refusal of many APC stalwarts to buy into the Obaseki project is another reason Odubu feels he could emerge victorious. The support for Obaseki is being criticised by many who are opposed to a situation whereby the governor will decide who will succeed him.

In the race, it seems Obaseki’s loss is Odubu’s gain. Something that seems to be working against Obaseki is the belief by the political class in Edo that he cannot always protect their interest. The core politicians in the APC seem not to have trust in Obaseki’s ability to carry them along if he becomes governor. They fear that Obaseki, as governor, would be tied to the apron strings of Oshiomhole. The politicians also feel this is the right time to get out of the stronghold of Oshiomhole, someone they also consider as a stranger to the Edo politics. Odubu, on the other hand, is seen as regular politician who understands the dynamics of the politics of the state.

The unpredictability of the delegates has made the primaries intriguing as the delegates continue to accommodate all the aspirants. Many fear that many of the delegates may end up collecting money from the aspirants and still vote for the aspirants of their choice. In Etsako West Local Government Area, for instance, it was gathered that the delegates hosted the two leading aspirants in the race within 48 hours last week and gave their words to them.

They even allegedly swore to one of the aspirants that their votes were for him. As the D-day approaches, the fate of the APC in the September 10 election may just rest with the conduct of the primaries.

Lessons Buhari, National Assembly must learn after one year —Ex-Rep Honourable Tayo Sarumi, a member of the House of Representatives between 2003 and 2007, speaks with MOSES ALAO on how to successfully fight corruption in Nigeria and his assessment of the National Assembly in the last one year. Excerpts:

Don’t you think Buhari is making efforts in this regard?

He is but he can do better by implementing a stricter code of ethics for our public officials regarding foreign travels and all that. And he will have to do it democratically. He can use his influence with the National Assembly for them to make a law that will keep public officials inside the country.

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari’s administration celebrated its first year in office last week. As a former legislator and a businessman, how will you rate the performance of the government for the period?

I will say that the man has good intentions and in the last one year, he has been able to record some achievements in his efforts to clear Nigeria of corruption. Although with the efforts, things have not happened so much in the lives of Nigerians, because the president devoted almost 90 per cent of his attention to fighting the cankerworm called corruption, one could still see the determination in him. However, I believe that he has not been able to find the right solution to corruption because he has been using what I will call the wrong approach.

Nigerians have been divided on the president’s anti-corruption crusade. While some have described it as a witch-hunt, others have commended it. Where do you stand on this issue?

Nigeria will become a better place when we consider our problems as national issues rather than basing them on sectional or individual interests. I won’t say more than that.

What, in your view, is the right approach as a lot of people have contributed on how the country can successfully fight corruption?

If we want to fight corruption and many other vices disturbing the country, we need to look inwards. If you look at the history of Japan, before it made its breakthrough, its international borders were closed and it had to look inwards.

Same thing happened in China and Korea. If a country is in a hopeless state like we are in Nigeria, we need a very serious approach to solve our problems. What I am saying is that if we want to solve the problem of corruption, all our public officials have to make sacrifices. The president, ministers, National Assembly members, commissioners and governors should all remain in the country and look for solutions. If we do that, there will be so much money in the country that we will have enough to build infrastructure, diversify our economy and complete all the three stages of the petrochemical industry. If we can do all these, investors will be attracted to the country, because the atmosphere will be congenial.

You will recall how past Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governors always complained about the draining of Nigeria’s foreign exchange due to importation. If we say we are fighting corruption and importation is allowed to thrive and our public officials are still free to take our foreign exchange abroad,

Sarumi.

things will never improve. Look at how much the immediate past Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has allegedly taken out of this country within the period she was minister. There are other ministers like her who are yet to be exposed. Imagine all other public officials who must have indulged in the siphoning of our foreign exchange and you will understand the reason I said Buhari has not been using the right approach. Unfortunately, the flow of money out of the country would be assumed to have been used on importation in the international trade circles, because the assumption is that when foreign exchange leaves a country for another, there must have been a transaction.

Are you saying that importation should be banned?

No. What I am saying is that if we stop our public officials from taking our foreign exchange out of the country in millions, then there will be money and even if we still want to import, then the money would have been justifiably spent for that purpose.

But they often say they went abroad to woo investors. Are you saying they should visit foreign countries to talk to investors?

I am telling you, the intentions they tell us they have when travelling are not always true. Most of them travel because they want to take away our foreign exchange. We have good examples in former Governors Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, James Ibori and now Alison-Madueke. There are many people in that picture who are not yet exposed. These people siphon resources through this channel. I knew of legislators who stay in the United Kingdom to legislate in the National Assembly in Abuja. These people were elected to represent Nigerians and not to holiday around the world while claiming to be representing Nigeria. The same thing goes with governors and ministers. Everything is tied to the success of the anti-corruption war. If we discourage corruption, there will be enough money in circulation; our banks will have money to give entrepreneurs for small scale businesses to thrive. They will have the money to lend to traders. You asked for my view on this government as a businessman, today, there is no capital for businesses, because all the resources are stolen in raw cash to service the banking industries of other countries.

The eighth session of the National Assembly just celebrated its one year in office, what is your take on the performance of the Assembly vis-a-vis the crises, resolutions and efforts made so far?

As I have always said, Nigeria’s democracy is still growing.

After 17 years?

Seventeen years in the life of a country is still relatively young. It takes time to mature. I know the president would have learnt some lessons with what he has experienced in the last one year; that he is no more a military dictator and the National Assembly members would also have learnt lessons that no one is above the law of the land, and that public opinion matters a lot on the deliberations.

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Land disputes/ herdsmen violence: Nigeria counting the cost

By Eromo Egbejule (Reuters)

W

HEN Sarah Adaji’s husband retired as a teacher two years ago, he kept himself busy tending to their farm, hoping to provide food for his family and make some money off the

produce.

Three months ago, Adaji returned to their home in Nigeria’s middle belt region to learn that armed herdsmen had stabbed her husband and dragged him through the fields until he died.

“The cattle herders came and wiped out my joy,” the 44-year-old widow told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, recalling how her husband had relished working on the farm after his retirement.

“They wanted to kill every man in my village, and in the area,” she said at Ocholonya village in Nigeria’s Benue State.

Hundreds of people like Adaji’s husband are killed each year in violent clashes over land use between semi-nomadic, cattle-herding Fulani people and more settled farming communities.

But the violence has surged this year as advancing desertification, overgrazing and lower rainfall drive the mainly Muslim pastoralists toward more fertile land in Nigeria’s predominantly Christian south, farmers and activists say.

Raids by Fulani herdsmen armed with guns, bows and machetes on communities in Benue and Enugu states since February have destroyed villages, killed hundreds of people and forced tens of thousands to flee, according to the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR).

The UNHCR said at least 340 people have been killed so far this year, 70 more than the number of deaths inflicted by the Islamist militants Boko Haram in Nigeria in 2016, according to the Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker.

The Nigerian Senate is considering a bill to establish grazing reserves across the country, seeking to reduce violence and ease tensions between the herdsmen and farmers in a nation that is home to the largest equal mix of Christians and Muslims.

Yet opponents of the grazing bill say such a move - forcing farmers off their land and giving it to the Fulani - would defy Nigeria’s land laws, under which all land belongs to the state.

“The bill is a strategy for territorial expansion, it is a disservice to non-Fulanis,” said Stephen Obodoekwe of Nigeria’s Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD).

“The farmers will lose their farms, impunity of the herdsmen will increase, and there will be more violence,” he added.

Half of people in Nigeria work in agriculture, which accounts for around a quarter of its gross domestic product (GDP), according to the World Bank and Central Bank of Nigeria.

Yet rising violence in recent years has ruined harvests, driven many farmers from their land and prevented them from returning. Conflict has also deterred entrepreneurs and businesses from investing in Nigerian agriculture, farmers and activists say.

Conflict between farmers and herdsmen in just four Nigerian states could cost the country at least $14 billion annually in lost potential revenues, according to aid agency Mercy Corps.

“Farmers in the targeted communities keep away from farms as a result of attacks ... the herdsmen destroy farmlands and crops, making farming impossible,” said Obodoekwe of the CEHRD. There have been at least 370 clashes involving herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria in the last five years, compared to just 20 in the 15 years before that, according to data from the Lagos-based research firm SB Morgen.

The prospect of rebuilding farms and spending extra on security is a concern for many farmers, said Emeka Nwachinemere, whose land has been raided twice in the last three years.

“Building a small farmhouse, having someone stay at the farm permanently, buying a motorcycle and paying for their food ... that costs a lot of money - around 200,000 naira ($1,000) each year,” he said at his farm in Nigeria’s southwestern Oyo state.

The violence has uprooted more than 100,000 people in Benue and Enugu states, and many are staying with relatives or in makeshift camps, according to the UNHCR. “In my 20 years of working as a humanitarian, I have never seen such levels of destruction,” UNHCR representative Angèle Dikongué-Atangana said after the attacks in Benue in February.

The farmers will lose their farms, impunity of the herdsmen will increase, and there will be more violence.

The bursts of violence have displaced 400,000 people in the last five years, and while eight in 10 have since returned, many are still struggling to rebuild their lives, the UNHCR said.

The herder-farmer conflict presents a further challenge for a government faced with the Boko Haram insurgency and recent attacks on oil pipelines by the Niger Delta Avengers militants.

Nigeria has made preventing attacks by armed herdsmen a security priority in Africa’s most populous country, a spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari said in April.

“The government ... must not let this sore fester like Boko Haram,” said a government source on condition of anonymity.

The national grazing reserve bill, which was rejected by the previous Senate, is currently being debated in parliament.

The proposed law would create a commission with the power to seize land, and after paying compensation to the owner, assign it as a grazing reserve for use by the Fulani herdsmen.

Opponents of the bill, including politicians, civil society groups and activists, say such a move would be unconstitutional, as Nigeria’s 1978 Land Use Act, which is enshrined in the country’s constitution, nationalised all land.

The act intended to override customary land rights - where people have traditional rights but no legal recognition or protection of their land - in order to make land more accessible to all citizens, improve tenure security, and boost development.

Yet the act made allocating land discretionary, creating opportunities for state corruption, said Leena Koni Hoffman, an associate fellow at the London-based think-tank Chatham House.

It also made obtaining land occupancy certificates time-consuming and costly, contributing to the country’s large informal land market, found a report on land tenure in Nigeria by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

“Like all state controlled resources, the management of land in Nigeria has been plagued by corruption and poor management,” Hoffman told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The idea of grazing areas should be dismissed in favor of creating cattle ranches, to stop the Fulani from roaming and to curb violent clashes, several politicians and activists say.

“In a country where ethnic tensions are at an all-time high and where the fear of ethnic dominance is rife, there are other better and more efficient ways to start a deadly war,” said Saatah Nubari of the Nigerian Nationalist Youth Movement.

“But the passing of the National Grazing Routes and Reserve Bill will be the fastest way.”

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Editor: Ganiyu Salman 08053789060 tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com

Bolt could lose Olympic gold to doping

Arsenal target, Chukwueze set for Porto deal

T

HERE are very strong indications that Nigeria U-20 star, Samuel Chukwueze will head for Portuguese giants, FC Porto after a proposed move to Arsenal may have all but collapsed.

Chukwueze was to have joined Arsenal along with Flying Eagles skipper, Kelechi Nwakali, but it now seems the deal fell through.

And now the most likely destination for the former Nigeria U-17 star forward is Porto.

“Chukwueze has an offer from Porto and the only thing holding this up is the Flying Eagles qualification for the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Once this is achieved, he will be released to join the Portuguese club,” a source told AfricanFootball.com.

It will be recalled, that Chukwueze was also at a point close to signing for top Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg.

Access Bank Zonal Head Kaduna, Abubakar Kaita (right), UNICEF Country’s Representative, Jean Gough and traditional chiefs pose with the players of Iyatu Farms, winners of the UNICEF Cup at the on-going Access Bank UNICEF Charity Polo Tournament held at the Fifth Chukker Polo & Country Club, Kaduna.

The 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup winner has been in blistering form the Flying Eagles and has scored brace on two occasions in two straight test games involving the junior national team during the week.

The Flying Eagles under the tutelage of Emmanuel Amuneke, are preparing for the reverse fixture of the 2017 AFCON qualifier against Burundi, after a 1-0 win in Bujumbura.

Chukwueze (right) challenged by an opponent during the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

CELEBRATED sprinter, Usain Bolt could lose one of the three golds he won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Reuters report that the ‘A’ sample of one of his team-mates in the 4x100m, Nesta Carter, was found to contain the banned substance Methylhexanamine.

The news comes after the retesting of 454 samples from the 2008 Games.

Carter, who along with his agent has not replied to requests for comment, will face sanctions if his ‘B’ sample also tests positive for the substance.

The 30-year-old ran the first leg for Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team in Beijing, which also included Michael Frater, Asafa Powell and Bolt.

The team took gold in what was then a new world record of 37.10 seconds, ahead of Trinidad and Tobago and Japan.

Carter was also a member of Jamaica’s gold medal-winning relay teams at the 2011, 2013 and 2015 World Championships as well as the 2012 Olympic Games.

He has not run this season, because of a foot injury, but is expected to return to the track ahead of Jamaica’s Olympic trials from June 30 to July 3.

Methylhexanamine has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) Code prohibited list since 2004, although it was reclassified on the 2011 list as a “specified substance”, meaning one that is more susceptible to a “credible, non-doping explanation”.

2016 Access Bank-UNICEF Charity Polo:

Iyatu Farms win UNICEF Cup THE first stage of the 2016 Access Bank UNICEF Charity Shield Polo Tournament that was dominated by the Children’s Day celebration has produced its first set of winners as the prestigious event brace for its grand finale this weekend.

The debuting Iyatu Farmers who defeated Kano Titans-STL 5-41/2 in a tense UNICEF Cup final to win their first ever title in the Access Bank powered charity tournament, led other debutants to the podium as Kano BUA and Seaman team clinched the Argentine Ambassador Cup

and the British High Commissioner’s Cup respectively.

Kano BUA defeated hard fighting Ibadan Jericho 5 1/2 – 5 in another close final, just as Seaman edged the ambitious Lagos Agad 4 1/2 - 4 to cart home the glittering British High Commissioner’s Cup in an exciting final.

Children from selected schools around Kaduna and its environs displayed in special presentations watched by a discerning crowd that included the NICEF Country Representatives to Nigeria, Jean Gough, the Argentine Ambassador, Dzugala Gustavo, the British High Commissioner, Paul Arkwright as well as the envoys of Poland, Italy, Emirs of Zaria and Hadeja, among others.

Access Bank Zonal Head, Kaduna, Alhaji Abubakar Kaita was joined at the podium by the UNICEF Representative, envoys of British and Argentina, and the traditional rulers to hand out the prizes to the winners at a colourful closing ceremony .

Kaita who congratulated

the winners on their sportsmanship, described the Access Bank partnership with UNICEF and Fifth Chukker as one of the biggest charity efforts in the country that has lifted the lives of vulnerable children in the north.

“I want to specially thank Fifth Chukker Polo and Country Club and other partners for joining hands with Access Bank in supporting UNICEF‘s campaign through the Charity Shield polo platform,” Kaita added.

UNICEF Country Representative, Jean Gough who was elated by the performances and displays by the children and the 15 participating teams, commended Access Bank and other partners for being there for Nigerian children over the years.

“We are hoping to get more children needing support for instance, children orphaned

by HIV/AIDS - especially the girl child into schools,” said Gough who also made a passionate appeal to corporate and individual bodies to lend a hand by donating to the charity effort.

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Commotion as Giwa faction invades Glass House Saliu Gbadamosi-Abuja

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Serena

Roland Garros: Can Serena

break 22nd title jinx today?

As Murray, Djokovic clash in men’s final

By Ganiyu Salman SERENA Williams will attempt to break what appears to be the jinx surrounding her inability to win a 22nd Grand Slam as she faces Garbine Muguruza today in the French Open final.

The American top seed was well below her best, but beat unseeded Dutch Kiki Bertens 7-6, (9-7) 6-4 in the semifinal, while Spanish fourth seed Muguruza dismissed former finalist, Australian Sam Stosur of Australia 6-2, 6-4.

However, since July 11, 2015 when Serena won her 21st major, she has failed on two occasions to increase the tally, which would have enabled her to equal German Steffi Graff’s 22 major singles titles, and put her two behind all-time leader, Margaret Court of Australia.

Serena, first lost in the semi-final to Italian Roberta Vinci in the US Open semi-final 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Also in January this year, Serena was beaten by Angelique Kerber 6-4, 3-6,

ARELY 24 hours after a peace meeting organised by the Sports Committee of the House of Representatives, the Chris Giwa faction of the Nigeria Football Federation, on Friday afternoon invaded the Glass House to take over the offices of the soccer body.

Members of the Giwa group, including Rumson Baribote, Effiong Johnson, Sani Fema, Yahaya Adama, among others, with their supporters arrived at the secretariat located at Wuse Zone 7 in Abuja, about 2pm in convoy of vehicles.

Tribunesport learnt that members were not prevented from entering the premises by policemen stationed there since the April 8 ruling of a Federal High Court, sitting in Jos, the Plateau State capital, deciding to re-list the case

instituted by members of the Giwa group, which was struck out in 2014.

The Giwa-faction members, according to an NFF staff member, who spoke with Tribunesport on condition of anonymity, met the entrance door to the Glass House locked, adding that some of them resorted to break the door for them to gain access to the offices.

The source added that the group members and their supporters molested some staff met on duty, as some of them had gone for the Juma’at prayer as of the time the group arrived at the premises.

He alleged that some staff members, including Ademola Olajire, Head of Communication, Dr Christian Emeruwa, the National Security Officer and special assistant to the NFF General-Secretary and Tunde Aderibigbe, NFF coordinator on political affairs were

6-4 in the Australian Open women’s singles final.

Meanwhile, in the men’s final billed for Sunday (tomorrow), Andy Murray will clash again with arch rival and world number one, Novak Djokovic.

Murray had on Friday outplayed defending champion, Stan Wawrinka to become the first British man to reach a French Open final since 1937.

The Scot, seeded second, won 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 to set up a titanic battle with Djokovic who beat Austrian 13th seed Dominic Thiem 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.

Murray, 29, matches the achievement of Britain’s last feature finalist Bunny Austin - and will now hope to equal Fred Perry’s victory of 1936.

He also becomes one of only 10 men since the open era began in 1968 to have reached the final of all four Grand Slam tournaments.

“I’m extremely proud,” said Murray. “I never expected to NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER reach the final here, I always www.tribuneonlineng.com struggled on the clay. I hope 5 JUNE, 2016 I can put on a good match on thepolity Sunday,” he said.

harassed by the group.

The source further stated that this action pissed staff off, adding that this prompted them to stand up against the Giwa group, which, he said, was later dislodged from the Glass House with the help of policemen.

Tribunesport gathered that the Giwa group had earlier on Friday sent a writ of execution obtained from the Jos court to the NFF secretariat, notifying the federation of the court order to take over.

While speaking with journalists on his mission at the Glass House, faction President, Chris Giwa, stated that he and his group members were there to enforce the court order for them to take over the affairs of NFF. He informed that the group had notified the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commissioner of Police and other relevant

authorities of their intention to take over the NFF secretariat.

Giwa added that his group had a writ of execution of the court order in its possession before coming to the Glass House, saying that as law-abiding Nigerians, members of his group did not assume duties at the Glass House before Friday as they waited for the law of the land to take its effects.

He, however, submitted that the move by his group would not in any way hinder the peace move initiated by the House of Representatives, adding that the group would attend Tuesday’s meeting at the National Assembly.

Giwa had last month invaded the secretariat with a view to taking over the NFF but was later taken away by the police led by the DPO in charge of Wuse police station, CSP Sunday Irek, for discussions.

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39

sport

4 June, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Nigerian football is not moving forward —Kojo Williams

Former chairman of the then Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Mr Kojo Williams, in this concluding part of the interview conducted by Deputy Sports Editor, NIYI ALEBIOSU, believes Nigerian football is not progressing:

W

ould you have experimented this if probably your administration were allowed to stay much longer beyond 90 days?

Hmmmm, Yes of course, it was all in the blueprint, that was one of the reasons they did not want me to stay because they felt I was going to discontinue the ‘ORDER’ of the day, what they enjoyed, their status. They were very uncomfortable from the ministry down to the NFF board. So they decided that they should kick me out of the system.

Can you please throw more light on this?

Well, I don’t like talking about it, but from the director of sports in the ministry then to the people around, the minister then Damishi Sango. They did what they wanted and got their way because the system was not strong enough to checkmate them. What can you do? only one person, can you fight all of them? No, you cannot, so you just leave them alone, this is because for them it’s a do-or-die affair. I remember Dr Amos Adamu came to me and said I should hands off the national team and face the league because the ministry wanted to handle the national team then.

So, I laughed and said when the national team fails, who will be held responsible? I am in charge of football, you wanted to take the national side away. Of course, they wanted to run the national side for personal gains. I don’t want to talk about it, it is a dirty system.

If allowed to stay and with what I had in blueprint for the nation’s football, we would have gone far by now. At a recent seminar, I told the gathering that things have not changed.

Government itself will see that it does not have to put that much money down but can get multinationals to put money in those things and give them tax rebate because at the end of the day, the companies are going to get mileage for it.

But the impression being spread about you to the public then was that...

(Cuts in) That I was arrogant, (laughter), they can say anything they feel like saying, you know in Nigeria if you know what you are doing and you are convinced that what you are doing is right, then you are an arrogant person. You have to be a liar like them, you have to humble yourself to be at the same level with them, but for me, I cannot be part of such people, never, I will never change, by the grace of God I will never change. I always stand by the truth and one day that truth will come out.

The 1994 team that is the most successful team in Nigeria, I am proud and privileged to be part of the people who built that team with Clemens Westerhof. I was handling the marketing aspect. I was the first to start football marketing in Nigeria. I was the first to start designing jersies for the Eagles, getting equipment for them, that was when any time Nigeria’s national team was playing a match, the Eagles will wear a set of jersies in the first half and another new set in the second half, that had never happened. Before they used to go and buy jersies and ‘Slazenger’ boots for them at Ojuelegba (in Lagos), but I was

able to change this system. The Vice President then, the late Augustus Aikhomu and my dad backed Westerhof to give the Eagles a new lease of life. My father was the one paying the salaries of Westerhof not the Federal Government.

Really?

Yes, my father, S. B. Williams paid the salaries of Westerhof for four years and not the Federal Government (smiles) and I was very proud that we were able to do that. We got the support of the government, but then the journalists were against us. A lot of people were against us because we refused to stick to the status quo. We had looked at what we had and knew we were going to get rid of the foreign-based players and develop the local ones. That was when we were able to scout for the likes of Daniel Amokachie, Finidi George, Ben Iroha, Uche Okechukwu, all those guys we got them from different teams in Nigeria. We tried 395 players within the period of four years to get a formidable squad. The Eagles were unable to qualify for the 1990 World Cup but despite this, we were taking the Eagles on training tours, even the press was against us. The Eagles got to the final of the first Nations Cup under Westerhof in 1990, won a bronze at Senegal ‘92 and two years later became the African champions and also qualified for the 1994 World Cup for the first time in the history of Nigeria.

That was a team we built in four years, Nigeria never qualified for the World Cup until Westerhof came, so we built a solid team in a period of five years.

But you said you were in charge of marketing...

Yes, I was marketing, strategising for the team. I was the one planning all the tours of the Eagles abroad. We used to plan myself, Westerhof and others who were in charge of the team. So with the backing of the then Vice President, we were able to do it. He did a fantastic job, no matter what you want to say, that man (the late Aikhomu) did a very good job, may his soul rest in peace, that man was the driving force behind the Super Eagles success in 1994.

What about the criticisms?

Yes, we had to sideline the football federation and deal directly with the Federal Government in order to get the desired results and that was why we were successful.

I am sorry about that, but then, we just had

I am proud and privileged to be part of the people who built that team with Clemens Westerhof.

Kojo Williams

to do that then in the interest of the country and remember, that was how we got the Super Eagles rated as the fifth best team in the world in 1994. So what does anyone has to say? I am very proud to be part of that success story and that team remains the best the country has produced in the history. We can still get there but we need to get our act together.

I am always ready to serve my country anytime I am called upon. Once there is an enabling environment for me to operate, why not? It’s for the good of Nigeria.

You mean you don’t begrudge anybody over the humiliation you suffered in office?

No, I do not habour any ill-feelings against anybody. My nation comes first, I look at the future of so many promising young stars out there, it’s the future of those ones that matters. Whatever my detractors did then, they did not do anything to me, God is my strength.

If you look back, how would you assess the state of Nigerian football?

I will say Nigerian football is moving backward. Do you know that the Super Eagles then used to train for six hours a day. Two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon and two hours in the evening. I asked Alhaji Aminu Maigari the former NFF president shortly before we went to the 2014 World Cup that how many hours did Keshi train the players and he said one hour and 30 minutes a day in the morning or two hours sometimes. There and then, I told Maigari that the team was finished and that we would not go anywhere because the key factor of any Nigerian team was the strength. You need to build the power in these players because we were physically endowed, we can run, so what you need is to make them physically strong and teach these players techniques.

Technically, we were not very good because we don’t teach this from tender age. In other words, we need proper scouting, proper grassroots system. We need to train these players with standard technical manual. You can imagine when you start teaching a kid the rudiments from the early age, he is familiar with the technical aspect of the game, touch the ball the ball becomes the boy’s girlfriend, it becomes the music, the dance not to the nonsense ‘skelewu’ or the rubbish they adopt these days. Messi started at the early age. Another thing is on our women’s football team the Super Falcons. I have watched the Falcons play a couple of times, they have what it takes to win the World Cup ahead of the Super Eagles, but they lack strong techni-

cal bench that will teach them the basics.

So, we need to bring in foreign experts that will brush the Falcons up and if the right thing is done, they can win the World Cup even before the Eagles.

For instance, Germany started soccer academy 10 years before the 2010 World Cup and the average age of their players in the academy then was 12 years. Ozil, Muller, they were kids. Germany told the world that their team will get to the quarter-final at South Africa 2010 but Nigeria told the world they were going to play in the semi final and the president then said to them to bring the World Cup thinking it was ‘alamala football’ the Eagles were going for. The Germans eventually got to the semi-final and four years later in Brazil, they became the world champions.

The Spanish U-20 team came here in 1999 (FIFA U-20 World Cup, Nigeria ‘99) with the likes of Xavi, Casillas and they won the World Cup in Lagos. Five years on, they became European champions and won it back to back, they also won the World Cup. The same boys that came here in 1999, ask me, where are our boys who played at Nigeria ‘99? I mean those old men, where are they?

The majority of these players were nowhere to be found after Nigeria ‘99. I think it was Joseph Yobo who played competitive football lately before he quit.

Gbenga Okunowo still played top flight football after the 1999 U-20 World Cup, where is he now? How long did he play? We are talking of players like Xavi, Casillas who played serious professional football. Look at the length of time these Spanish players played. Even look at Mikel Obi and Lionel Messi, they played at the 2005 U-20 World Cup together but look at where Messi is today and where Mikel is? Where is Taye Taiwo?

It’s not that we do not have talents, but it’s all about planning.

What is your take on Chris Giwa and Amaju Pinnick NFF leadership tussle?

Honestly, I don’t know Giwa, I am sorry but sincerely, they are making him (Giwa) to be important. The NFF knows what to do, all they need to do is to organise a congress and suspend him and let FIFA ratify it. That is all.

Giwa as far I am concerned is inconsequential. Imagine, Ifeanyi Ubah, a club-owner headbutted a player on the pitch and what did the league organisers do? He was fined N6million, a ridiculous amount and was also given a six-week suspension. He should have been suspended for eight years. I don’t care who Giwa is, but what he is doing is not good for our football.

Concluded

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Giwa faction invades Glass House

‘Muhammad Ali’s end is near’ •Doctors tell family to prepare for the worst •His room in heaven is right next to God’s master bedroom —Friend

T

Muhammad Ali

From left, Maryum Ali, Rasheda Ali-Walsh, Khaliah Ali, Jamillah Ali-Joyce and Hana Ali, all Ali’s daughters.

HE children of boxing legend Muhammad Ali have rushed to be at his bedside as doctors treating the former heavyweight champ have told them they fear he “is near the end,” The Mirror of UK has reported.

Already four of the 74-year-old’s nine children, including daughters Laila, Hana and Maryum, are at the hospital in the Phoenix area where medics continue to fight a breathing problem picked up by the star.

The children flew in on Thursday night from around the US as doctors said the survival of the champ was “uncertain”.

Although there were discussions about transporting him to another area of the hospital, sources claimed doctors decided the move “potentially could be deadly,” and the transfer was called off.

Sources close to the star say Ali’s battle with his respiratory problem has been complicated by the Parkinson’s that he was diagnosed with in the 1980s.

“Like in the ring, Ali is a fighter on the ward,” said a source. “Doctors are working to regulate his breathing put it is being hampered by his Parkinson’s.

“His children are all extremely concerned and dropped everything to be with him. They fear the worst.

Since he was admitted sources say Ali, arguably the most recognised person in the world, has deteriorated.

Ali’s life long friend Tim Shanahan confirmed the grave news to The Mirror.

Muhammad Ali’s daughters (L-R) Maryum Ali, Rasheda Ali-Walsh, Khaliah Ali, Jamillah Ali-Joyce and Hana Ali. PHOTOS: MIRROR.CO.UK

The former medical-instruments salesman has enjoyed a 40-year friendship with the former boxer travelling the world together and being close to the boxer’s daughters.

He said: “Service to others is the rent that we pay on earth for our room in heaven, was an encryption he liked.

“He believes that God keeps tabs on each individual and that on one side are the good deeds one has done in life and on the other, the bad deeds.”

“He used to tell me ‘I want t o make sure t h a t

when I die, I have more good deeds than bad deeds’.

“Now Muhammad Ali, your room in heaven is right next to God’s master bedroom in his mansion in heaven. Thank you for giving the world the Greatest Love of All.” The former world heavyweight champion has been in hospital several times in recent years, most recently in early 2015 when he was treated for a severe urinary tract infection initially diagnosed as pneumonia.

The 1960 Olympic gold medallist had suffered a “mild case” of pneumonia in December 2014, but was discharged after a few days in hospital.

When he was released his daughter Rasheda AliWalsh said: “My daddy is a strong man. He’s so resilient and we’re all very grateful and blessed.”

Muhammad Ali during one of his outings in the 60s.

Printed and Published by the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, Imalefalafia Street, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. E mail: saturdaytribuneeditor@yahoo.com Website: www.tribuneonlineng.com MANAGING DIRECTOR / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: EDWARD DICKSON. EDITOR: LASISI OLAGUNJU. All Correspondence to P. O. Box 78, Ibadan. ISSN 2712. ABC Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation. 4/6/2016.