13th February 2016

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SATURDAY, 13 FEBRUARY, 2016

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Why Army sent 12 officers to EFCC Ex-DMIs detained

N1 billion found in colonel’s account

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Bloodbath in Osun pg4

Policemen feared killed Bank workers, customers murdered 3 robbers gunned down

Modelling firms queue for TY Bello’s transformed pg32 bread seller

•I thank God for life —Olajumoke

Why we okayed Wike, Amosun’s elections —Supreme Court

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PDP, APC fight again over verdicts

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40 years after: Murtala, Ibrahim Taiwo, Gomwalk families speak on Dimka coup pgs 6,7,8 & 9

A horse-drawn carriage conveying the remains of the late Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade I, during a funeral service for him at St Peter’s Cathedral, Aremo, Ibadan, on Friday. On the carriage is Professor Femi Lana, the eldest son of the deceased. PHOTO: TOMMY ADEGBITE

Olubadan buried amid encomiums Olunloyo says 1959 declaration still in force

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13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

I don’t feel bad when I see young actors living large

—Patrick Doyle Patrick Doyle is a popular actor and veteran broadcaster. In this interview with JOAN OMIONAWELE, he talks about his travails, and love life.

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OW would you describe your childhood?

Growing up, I was not the toughest boy in school neither was I the dullest. I was the ‘middle-of-the-road’ bad guy and I was exposed to all the vices that young men are prone to. I smoked, drank alcohol, and did dope for a while. I had my fair share of girlfriends. It is like a rite of passage for young men and you had to go through some certain things and at the appropriate time you stop them.

When I was in St. Finbarr’s College, I had a reputation because I was blessed with the gift of the gab. I was very popular in Lagos at the time because then Lagos was quite small. I was well known because I was a part of the literary and debate society in my school. I was the chief speaker for my school for three years which is a record because it was a form one to five school. I was able to set the record because I became the chief speaker in form four then I repeated the class before I went on to form five, so for three years I was

the chief speaker. It made me popular. Aside from that, I was like any other young boy who went through the rite of passage by learning how to smoke and drink.

Reports have it that your father died few months to your birth, how was life without a father?

What you don’t have you cannot miss. I just noticed that some of my friends had fathers. I don’t recall ever being jealous of my friends who had fathers, all I remember was that I was tired of people always asking me about my father.

Because of that I invented a story to tell people after I heard one of my friends tell someone that his father was on a business tour. Whenever I was asked about my father all I said was that my father was on tour. I was about ten years old then. With that I did not need to explain to people about the whereabouts of my father.

My mother, on the other hand, was a very wonderful woman. She did not make me feel the loss of my father and she

is probably the strongest woman that I know. I owe a lot to her. My mother did not have the benefit of going to secondary school; however, I have never heard anyone speak English as good and fluent as my mother. I say this anytime. I have never seen anybody speak English or read as voraciously as my late mother. I owe her everything because she was my mother and father and she was a very strong woman.

Did your mum ever remarry?

No, she did not. I think she attempted to remarry on a number of occasions but it never worked out. She was a strong woman.

How did you become a broadcaster?

I was already a public speaker as a teenager in secondary school, so becoming a broadcaster was a natural progression for me. It was not something that I did consciously.

Continues on pg30

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13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

for love, only the best will do

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news

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Bloodbath as robbers invade Osun

•Policemen feared killed •Bank workers, customers murdered •3 robbers gunned down Oluwole Ige - Osogbo

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AREDEVIL armed robbers on Friday stormed commercial banks in Ikirun town in Ifelodun Local Government area of Osun State, with no fewer than four policemen and six civilians feared killed in the operations they carried out.

Saturday Tribune authoritatively gathered that the incident, which took place in the afternoon, caused confusion in the town as residents and shop owners scampered for safety while the siege lasted.

According to a source

in one of the banks, the robbers stormed that particular bank around 3pm and ordered everybody to lie face down. They were said to have succeeded in carting away a large sum of money from the bank.

It was also gathered that the banks, late on Friday, were still trying to ascertain the extent of their losses in monetary terms.

A resident of the town who witnessed the incident, described it as “a war.”

Another credible source informed Saturday Tribune that the armed robbers, who invaded the town in about four vehicles, used explosives to break security doors of three com-

Why army sent 12 officers to EFCC

N1bn found in Colonel’s account Chris Agbambu and Saliu Gbadamosi - Abuja THE need to support the war against corruption being wagged on all fronts by the Muhammadu Buhari administration is the main reason why the Nigerian Army sent 12 of its officers to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

A source in the military informed Saturday Tribune on Friday that given the large scale heist in the ongoing arms procurement scandal, Army authorities promptly moved to purge the force of elements within it allegedly involved in the scam so as not to be seen as condoning corruption.

“President Buhari minced no words when he said that we all have to kill corruption before it kills Nigeria. This is a fact that everyone knows.

The Nigerian Army is not left out in this war against corruption. The Army has given EFCC its best assurances that it is in support of the fight we are wagging against corruption as a people,” the source told Saturday Tribune.

This, he added, was behind the Nigerian Army’s decision to hand over the 12 indicted officers to the commission for investigation, saying that EFCC had promptly moved to investigate the officers.

The Army on Thursday handed 12 officers, including three Brigadier-Generals, four Colonels and one Lieutenant-Colonel, who were alleged to be involved in the $2.1billion arms scam, to the anti-corruption commission.

The Nigerian Army on Thursday night, while confirming the arrest of the officers, said that those in-

volved included three serving Major Generals, and one retired, three BrigadierGenerals, four Colonels and one Lieutenant-Colonel.

According to Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, who is the acting director in charge of Army Public Relations, at the end of EFCC’s investigations, those found culpable in the arms scandal would still be tried by a military Court Martial.

Saturday Tribune gathered that some of the officers handed over to the commission were being detained at EFCC office in Abuja, while the senior ones were being held under house arrest at the Mogadishu Cantonment, also known as Abacha Barracks in Abuja.

Meanwhile, Major-General A. A. Tarfa has since been named as the acting Director, Military Intelligence to replace Brigadier-General Sa’ad.

Among the officers, Saturday Tribune learnt, were two former Directors of Military Intelligence (DMI), a former Commandant of the Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, Oshodi and a former Director-General, Defence Industry Cooperation of Nigeria (DICON).

The Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan, Colonel Ojogbane Adegbe, who was arrested on Wednesday in Lagos and brought to Abuja and Colonel Achieze, who is the Military Assistant to former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd), are also on the list of the arrested officers.

It was further learnt that N1billion was allegedly traced to the account of a Colonel.

mercial banks located in the heart of the town, just as they shot sporadically into the air to create panic among the people.

Saturday Tribune correspondent learnt that riot policemen who responded to distress calls engaged the hoodlums in a shootout that lasted more than 45 minutes and in the process killed two of the armed robbers, injured

one, while one was caught.

According to the source, “the riot policemen barricaded all the the entry points into Ikirun, thus making it difficult for the armed robbers to escape.

But when the robbers took on the policemen, they realised that they had been trapped. They started shooting indiscriminately and an unspecified number of people were killed

and seriously wounded.”

“Before the arrival of riot policemen, the robbers had killed about four policemen who were mounting security at two of the banks. At least two bank staff and two customers of the banks were also killed with many sustaining varying degrees of injuries during the robbery operation,” the source added.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Osun Police Command, Mrs Folasade Odoro, confirmed the incident, but said only one policeman was killed in the robbery attacks, disclosing that three of the armed robbers were gunned down by the riot policemen during a shootout. She did not speak on the other reported casualties.

PDP, APC fight again over S/Court judgement on Akwa Ibom election Dapo Falade-Port Harcourt and Kolawole Daniel - Abuja AKWA Ibom State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the Supreme Court verdict which upheld Emmanuel Udom of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the duly elected governor of the state.

But the PDP also fired back, describing the position of the APC as irresponsible.

Rising from its one-day meeting, held in Uyo, on Thursday, the APC elders, members and stakeholders of the party called for a probe of the judgement.

They alleged that the judgement was procured and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to institute an inquiry into the circumstances of the verdict.

The party made its position known in a communique signed by Dr Amadu Attai and Chief Effiong Etuk, chairman and secretary, respectively and made available to Saturday Tribune.

The APC chieftains described the judgement, delivered Wednesday last week as “obnoxious and objectionable”, adding that they wanted to put on record their utter rejection of the verdict.

They also averred that the judgement, which upturned the petition of the party and its governorship candidate, Umana Okon Umana, was devoid of reason, logic and depth.

“The Supreme Court judgment is a dangerous act of political advocacy that completely ignores the uncontested and overwhelming evidence of the petitioners at the tribunal which had held that the petitioner had proved that there was no valid election in 18 of the 31 location government areas in the state.

“The Supreme Court equally rejected the findings of the Court of Appeal that established, based on over 340 documentary evidences and 50 witnesses, that there was no valid governorship election in all of the 31 local government areas in Akwa Ibom State on 11 April 2015.

“Some of the evidences tendered by the petitioners, on which the Tribunal and Appeal Court based their decisions include: mutilation of ballot papers and result sheets; lack of collation; over voting; signing of multiple result sheets by one agent and result sheets signed by people who were not agents.

“In addition to these evidences, our candidate and party had also tendered the reports of the United States Embassy; European Union; Nigerian civil society organisations and the Nigerian Security & Civil Defence Corp which stated that the governorship election in Akwa Ibom State was marred by widespread irregularities and violence.

“Alluding to these evidences of violence and irregularities, the Honourable Justice Oludotun Adebola AdefopeOkojie, in her lead judgment at the Court of Appeal’ had stated emphatically: ‘I chip in a word of warning. May this country never again experience the violence and thuggery found to have taken place in Akwa Ibom State during the Governorship election held on 11th April 2015.

“Politics should never be so desperate that lives and decorum are sacrificed on the altar of winning at all costs. The descent into almost anarchy as occurred in this case must never again be allowed to take place. The supervising body, INEC, is charged at all times to remain on the side of truth and never be complicit in any subversion of due process.’”, the communique read.

Akwa Ibom APC also recalled that “the case of signing of result sheets in many wards by one person was also well established by the Court of Appeal, based on evidence.”

In Mkpat Enin Local Government Area for instance, it alleged that one Jerry Akpan signed the result sheets in all the 14 wards of the local government area.

“As rightly held by the Court of Appeal, Jerry Akpan couldn’t have been at all the wards simultaneously

to sign these documents, a clear evidence that there was no collation at the wards, as we had also presented unchallenged evidence that there was no collation at the state level.

“In the light of the facts of our case and the overwhelming evidence as upheld by both the Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, we find the judgment of the Supreme Court to be weird, arbitrary and an inexplicable endorsement of violence and electoral fraud.

“Nigerians should then ask the Supreme Court how it reached its findings that Udom Emmanuel was lawfully returned in spite of this glaring evidence of overvoting and other mind-boggling irregularities.

“We are therefore calling on the President and Commander-in-Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari, to probe the judgement of the Akwa Ibom State Governorship Election Appeal at the Supreme Court.”

Meanwhile, the PDP last night described the position of the APC as irresponsible.

A statement issued by leaders of the party in Akwa Ibom said the APC and its leaders believed their own propaganda that they were going to take over both Rivers and Akwa Ibom, hence their frustration at the position of the Supreme Court on the red cases.

“We have watched with utter disbelief and dismay, the cacophonous utterances bordering on irresponsibility by leaders of the All Progressives Congress since they and their candidates woefully lost their ill advised gambit to illicitly emasculate and trample upon the will of the people expressed through the ballot.

While one may be tempted to dismiss their utterances as the sour grapes of a bad loser, their actions, especially in denigrating the sacred pillars of our country, calls into question their understanding of the foundations of Nigeria.

“The APC leaders’ display of irresponsibility started well before the Supreme Court judgements. After the Appeal court nullified

the elections in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, Chief John Oyegun, the chairman of the party declared that the party will take over the two states at all cost. He was so emphatic about Akwa Ibom State: ‘I am more than confident of winning Akwa Ibom than any other state in the South-South. We are going to win, that is almost a certainty.’

“At this point, the Supreme Court, the final arbiter in the matter of electoral disputes was yet to reach a determination on the case. It is either Chief Oyegun wanted to intimidate the apex court or believed such inconsiderate pressure will steer and tilt towards a weighting of the decision of the court in their favour. If the former was the case, it is a pathetic commentary on the values of those running the country that they see no institution as too sacred to be debased in their inordinate greed for power. If the latter was the case, it may explain why the Appeal Court nullified the election in the two states, against the run of commonsense and the law.

“It is also possible that the APC leader committed the fatal flaw of believing his own propaganda. Having marketed the lie that there was no election in Akwa Ibom State, and even when they contradicted themselves by claiming there was no election and alleging at the same time that there was over voting, they still believed their lie that they had a case. Unfortunately for him, the courts (especially the Supreme Court) are not theatres of sentiments or propaganda. They are theatres for determining objective reality and that reality was that elections held in Akwa Ibom State and Udom Emmanuel was the winner.”

Those who signed the statement on behalf of Akwa Ibom Leaders caucus of the party are Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga, Senator Anietie Okon,Senator Emmanuel Ibokessien, Senator Effiong Bob, Rt. Hon Ndueso Essien, Rt. Hon Dr Esio OquongUdoh, Chief Okon Essang, Obong Paul Ekpo and Offiong Akpabio (Obong).

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news

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Buhari, Osinbajo, govs, ministers, others bid Olubadan farewell

By Tunde Ogunesan

•As cleric urges Buhari to name looters •Olubadan left a great legacy —Buhari

Oyo State governor, Sentor Abiola Ajimobi (left) with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, at the late Olubadan’s funeral service, held at St. Peter’s cathedral, Aremo, Ibadan, on Friday. PHOTO:TOMMY ADEGBITE.

Why we affirmed Wike, Amosun’s elections —Supreme Court Sunday Ejike - Abuja

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HE Supreme Court on Friday gave its reasons for affirming Barrister Nyesom Wike and Senator Ibikunle Amosun as the validity elected governor of Rivers and Ogun State respectively in the April 11, 2015 governorship election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the two states.

The apex court had on January 27, 2015 upheld the election of the two Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, having dismissed all the appeals challenging their victory at the polls.

The seven-member panel of justices of the apex court, presided by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed. In a unanimous judgement delivered by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, set aside the judgements of the Court of Appeal and that of the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, delivered on December 16 and 24 October, 2015 respectively.

The tribunal and the Court of Appeal had cancelled the election that produced Wike as governor and ordered a rerun.

In the same vein, the apex court also upheld the election of Senator Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State.

In a unanimous judgement, the apex court dismissed the appeal of Nasir Adegboyega Isiaka and his party for lacking in merit and upheld Amosun’s election.

The court slated on Friday to give reasons for its decision.

The Supreme Court, in its reasons for for upholding the election of the two PDP governors, read by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, said the intention of the constitution is that where a panel of justices hears a matter, each of them must express and deliver his opinion in writing.

The written opinion, she added, may be delivered by any other justice ‘present’ during the hearing, if the writer of the opinion is unavoidably absent.

“There is no doubt that Justice Suleiman Ambrosa, in the case of Rivers appeal, couldn’t have formed the opinion of learned counsel, which he did not hear.

Mrs. Kekere-Ekun stated that the inability of the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal to be properly constituted during the determination of the matter, amounted to lack of fair hearing of the appellant’s case.

She further said the action of the tribunal was on a good ground to set aside the entire proceedings before it, but since it was an election matter which was time-bound, according to section 289 (6) and (7) of the constitution, she therefore deemed it necessary to consider the appeal according to its merits.

Regarding other sections of the applications on the alleged violation of documents tendered at the tribunal and the lower court, the Supreme Court held that the function of the card reader, though quite commendable in the conduct of the 2015 elections, is solely to authenticate the owner of the voter card and prevent multiple voting by a single voter, adding that, its function, according to the constitution, cannot replace the voters register, the court ruled.

Justice Kekere-Ekun further said PW49, an Assistant Director of Information Communication and Technology, acknowledged that the report she had testified to was prepared by one Mrs. Nnena, a staff of her unit.

She added that PW49 also told the tribunal during cross-examination that she was not in Rivers State during the election and did not examine the card reader after the election.

The court then ruled that since the witness did not

partake in any stage of the accreditation of voters, she was not in any position to testify as to how the card reader functioned during the election.

“Where the maker of a document is not called to testify, the document should not be accorded probative value, not withstanding its status as a certified copy document,” Justice Kekere-Ekun said and further stated that the testimony of PW49 is evidence to the fact that exhibit A9 cannot be a conclusive proof of the number of accredited voters at the election.

Kekere-Ekun said witnesses at the tribunal had testified that where the card reader failed to read a voter’s PVC, incident forms were used, but that none of such forms were tendered by the first and second respondent.

She also noted that of the voters registers tendered from 11 out of the 23 local government areas, no attempt was made to link them to exhibits A9, which contained the number of accredited voters.

Kekere-Ekun added that documents before the court proved that the number of accredited voters stated in forms ECA8 were different from the number stated, in exhibit A9.

This, she said was grossly inadequate in proving non compliance, which is expected to have been done, polling units by polling units, according to the provision of the constitution.

“Section 139 of the constitution states that where a petitioner complains of non compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, he has an onerous task of proving it, polling unit, by polling unit; ward by ward and the standard of prove is on a balance of probabilities,” she stated.

The court held that where the allegation of commission of a crime by a party to a proceeding is directly an issue in any proceeding, civil or

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has affirmed that the late Olubadan, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade I left a great and enduring legacy for the unborn generation of Ibadan indigenes and Nigerians.

The president, who was represented by the vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, at the burial service for Oba Odulana held at St Peters Cathedral, Aremo, Ibadan, on Friday.

The vice president, who came through the Ibadan airport, arrived at the church around 11.30am and was accompanied by the host governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and the Special Adviser to President Buhari of Politics, Senator Femi Ojudu.

The presidents’s representative was joined by the Ministers of Health and Communications, Professor Isaac Adewole and Adebayo Shittu, three state governors — Akinwumi Ambode, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and Rauf Aregbesola of Lagos, Ogun and Osun states respectively and the deputy governor of Anambra State, Nkem Okeke, to bid farewell to the 40th Olubadan.

Others are former governors of Oyo State, General David Jemibewon (retd), Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala and his wife, Olukemi, Chief (Mrs) Mutiat Ladoja, former Inspector General of Police, Musiliu Smith, Emeritus Professor Olu Akinkugbe, Chief Kola Daisi, Chief Adebayo Akande, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, Chief (Mrs) Florence Ajimobi, Honourable Saheed Fijabi, Alhaji Sharafadeen Alli, Richard Ogunwole, SAN, among others.

In his address, Professor Osinbajo who rendered a song — “Ope lo ye O” — before his speech, said Nigerians must learn to live a ‘stainless’ life without any blemish and save a better future for the Nigerian child.

His words: “People from the whole of this nation, not just Ibadan, is proud to have a monarch such as late Olubadan.

We’re proud to have such a person and he showed us all that it’s possible to live with forthrightness, even in this land, to live with honesty.

“It is possible to live without soiling our hands because at the end of the day and of our time, we must be in a position to be celebrated in the way that we celebrate Baba, the Olubadan, today.

“We should leave to our children and grandchildren a great legacy and a great nation. I think Baba has left for us great legacy indeed. And we’re exceedingly proud of it and we pray that Almighty God will enable his name to live in our midst for ever and that his children and all that have one thing or the other benefit from this incredible legacy he has left,” Osinbajo said.

In his message, the Diocesan/Archbishop of Ibadan, The Most Reverend Segun Okubadejo, in his sermon which centred on people’s life and death, called on President Buhari to name looters in the country to shame them.

Describing Oba Odulana as “a king that knew a God and served him,” saying he died after serving his generation. He said as Christians, there are two types of death; physical and everlasting death, noting that the first death is compulsory, inescapable, “since God mandated it after Man was sent out of the garden of Eden.” He said second death is an everlasting death, which every man must ensure he escapes.

He said in order not to die again, people must be ready to leave their misdeeds, shun corruption, show love to their neighbours, shun bribe. He admonished the congregation not to waste time in this regard because time is already ticking.

criminal, it must be proven beyond reasonable doubt and added that the documents before the court, however, proved that apart from over a hundred pages of the petition that were struck out by the tribunal, an order was given not to allow police officers and security operatives testify before it.

She said the tribunal wrongly relied on random testimonies of mobile police men and operatives of the State Security Services (SSS), saying out of the 4, 442 polling units testified to have existed by the state collation agent who spoke at the tribunal, alongside 1, 350 voting points; 53 witnesses were called to testify with only 18 of them as polling agents and their evidence was unconnected to any tendered exhibit.

Justice Kekere-Ekun said the testimony of PW 40, head of election and party monitoring department, who described the election as a sham, warfare, among others, revealed that he visited only 8 out of 23 local government areas, while members of his team visited an additional seven.

The witness however stated during cross examination that he did not personally visit all the local government areas.

He also admitted before the tribunal that although his team members reported that election materials were hijacked, he did not witness any such case.

The court also noted its disagreement with the evidence of PW54, which was said to have sparked the entire petition.

According to Kekere-Ekun, the witness testified that he never left his LGA throughout the election, but was informed through his agents and other sources.

While stressing that the guidelines of INEC cannot be evaluated above the provisions of the Electoral Act, KekereEkun stated thus: “Section 49 (1) and (2) of the Electoral Act which provides for manual accreditation is extant and remains a vital part of the electoral law.”

She added that until INEC takes the step to ensure that the card reader is duly entrenched in the constitution, the court

will accord manual accreditation its place in the law In its reasons for affirming Senator Amosun’s election, the apex court held that the Tribunal and the Court of Appeal made concurrent findings in their decisions, which were not appealed against by the appellant.

Justice Kumai Bayang Akaahs, who read the unanimous reasons said the appellants did no show that the concurrent findings of the two lower courts were perverse for the Supreme Court to set aside.

According to the apex court, the appellants failed to proove the allegations of electoral malpractices, corruption and violation of Electoral Act to warrant the apex court to set aside the judgments of the two lower courts.

Akaahs said the evidence of PW9 and the exhibits tendered through him were worthless and agreed with the two courts below that the evidence of the witness was based on personal interest.

“It is on this account that the appeal brought before this court on January 27, 2016 was dismissed for lacking in merit. Parties should bear their cost”, Justice Akaahs held.

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interview

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

40 years after Murtala Mohammed’s death

The Mercedes Benz in which General Murtala Mohammed was killed on February 13, 1976.

It was very difficult. My mum was very young then and she was left with six young children to cater for. It was really tough for her.

My dad was murdered on Friday but I didn’t know until Sunday —Aisha, Murtala Mohammed’s eldest child

Forty years ago, a military officer from Kano, aged 37, was Nigeria’s Head of State. But on Friday, 13 February, 1976, on his way to the office, he was killed in a coup. That young officer was General Murtala Mohammed. In this interview by SYLVESTER OKORUWA, his eldest child, Mrs Aisha Mohammed Oyebode, Chief Executive Officer, Murtala Mohammed Foundation, recounts the ordeal of a young family without the breadwinner.

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HAT are those fond memories you have of your dad?

He was a man who made it a point of duty to be close to his family at all times.

He took us out to Federal Palace Hotel every Sunday to play and have fun. He was very good to his children. My dad was a very nice man. Although I was closer to my mum as a girl, my dad imparted discipline to my life.

From left, Director-General, Centre for Black African Arts and Civilisation, Dr Ferdinand Anikwe, representing the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Executive Secretary, Ikoyi-Obalende, Eti Osa Local Council Development Area, Toyin Caxton-Martins; the late Murtala Mohammed’s daughters, Mrs Fatimah Mohammed Yesufu, Mrs Aisha Mohammed Oyebode and the Director-General, National Commission for Museum and Monuments, Yusuf Abdallah Usam, at an exhibition and visit to Mohammed’s cenotaph, organised by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments to mark the 40th year of General Mohammed’s death, on Friday, in Lagos. PHOTO: SYLVESTER OKORUWA.

How was life after his death?

It was very difficult. My mum was very young then and she was left with six young children to cater for. It was really tough for her. But as a young and industrious woman, she started selling jewellery and some other things to train us and to survive.

day. My mother was not around when my father was killed and that was the reason we did not get the information on time. When we heard of his death, the whole family was devastated. The youngest of us, Jummai, was just crying.

It was a tough period for the family but we thank God that we were able to pull through.

What was your reaction when you heard of your father’s sudden death?

I was 12 years old then. My brother, Zakari, now late, was 10. Fatimah was eight. Risque Abba was seven. Zeliha was three and the last born, Jummai, two years old. I was in Queens College then. Our teachers took me home. I did not hear of my father’s death until two days later, on Sun-

Was there any support from family members and your dad’s friends?

To be honest with you, my father’s friends and family members rallied round the family in our darkest period to support us in one way or another.

How are your siblings doing now?

By the grace of God, I am the Chief Executive Officer of

Murtala Mohammed Foundation and my siblings are all graduates and are doing well in various fields of human endeavour. The family was again in sorrow when the second born of the family, Zakari, died in 1993.

Your father fought corruption while he was head of state, what is your take on the present level of corruption in the country?

It is very sad, the present level of corruption in this country. People are dying daily because of it. Schools and hospitals are in bad shapes. My dad fought corruption because he knew the implications. I urge the present crop of leaders to emulate my dad by resisting corruption so that the country can return to where it belongs in the comity of nations.

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interview

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

At school, our colleagues taunted us with pictures of our father tied to the stake —Dungka Gomwalk

Pastor Dungka Gomwalk is the son of Joseph Dechi Gomwalk, a former police commissioner and the first military governor of Benue-Plateau State, who was executed by firing squad due to his connections to Buka Suka Dimka’s attempted coup against the government of the then Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed. In this interview by ISAAC SHOBAYO, Pastor Gomwalk speaks on the turn of events owing to the circumstances of the death of his father. Excerpts:

It was both tragic and dishonourable for somebody to be killed the way our father was. So, you have double tragedy... If you are talking of stigma, of course, there was stigma: for somebody to be killed like that and the pictures being all over the place... Till now, if I see those pictures, they do something to me.

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OW has the family been coping since the death of your father 40 years ago?

Initially, it was not easy. We had a hard time. But hard times don’t kill; they strengthen you. The disappointment that our father had not been around to give us advice at the different stages of our lives is there. My mother and stepmother had to go back to their jobs, teaching and nursing, respectively.

Growing up was very rough but God has been kind to us. We all have our careers now.

How old were you and your siblings when the unfortunate incident occurred?

I am the third child in the family. My stepbrother is six weeks older than me. I was eight years old and our sister was 10 when our father died. My sister is now late. We were all very young then. The last child of the family was just a few days old before the coup. Every one of us had been born. The oldest of us was just 10 years old, so, our memory of the incident is very faint. We did not understand what actually happened. We were just called from school and then taken to the family house in Pankshin. When we got there, we saw a lot of people and we asked what was happening. They took us to a room and told us that our daddy was no more. At the age of eight, I could not conceptualize death, so I asked them what they meant by our daddy was no more. We got to know the whole story later. There were hundreds of people in the house wailing. It was horrible.

What were your experiences then?

Our father was supposed to be our role model, our mentor. He was supposed to raise us and be there for

us at various stages of our lives. So, not having a father was traumatic, especially for me. I should speak for myself. Our mothers struggled to take care of the family. It was difficult not having our father to fend for us but I thank my mother and my stepmother. We always felt the effects of our father not being there but God has a way of bringing good things out of bad things. When I look at it now, I feel that the situation caused me to develop survival instinct. Even though I am not happy that I lost my father at a tender age, I think what I have become today is as a result of not being pampered. It taught me how to handle life.

how would you describe him?

From what I dug out from history, I find out who our father really was. Our family never travelled abroad when he was alive. It was in 2004 that I travelled out of the country for the first time in my life. He never took us abroad. My father was a disciplined man, who lived a life of sacrifice. To me, there is a disparity between what they said led to his being put to death and what I see. Somebody who handled about four states together at that time must be a disciplined man. His works can still be seen today. No one is perfect but he was a leader and I am extremely proud of him.

Did you experience any form of stigmatization as you grew up because of the circumstances surrounding your father’s death?

Of course, there was stigmatization. It was both tragic and dishonourable for somebody to be killed the way our father was. So, you have double tragedy. We were in boarding school. When we got back to school after the incident, everybody was pointing at us, calling us children of a coup plotter. In secondary school, our colleagues carried pictures of our father tied to the stake. It was traumatic but we cherish who our father was within the short period that we knew him. But if you are talking of stigma, of course, there was stigma: for somebody to be killed like that and the pictures being all over the place and, of course, there is history. So, till now, if I see those pictures, they do something to me.

What is your view regarding that fact that he was tried twice and was exonerated before being tried a third time and found guilty and consequently killed?

Based on his achievements which still dot the present-day Plateau, Nasarawa and Benue states,

‘Injustice’ is the word that comes to my mind. Why would they exonerate him twice and then have a kangaroo court indict him. I doubt if the truth about the incident will ever come out. There was foul play somewhere. He was hastily executed. There must be foul play somewhere.

Are you satisfied with the recognition accorded him after his death, especially in Plateau, Nasarawa and Benue states, including parts of Taraba State?

My father’s achievements are glaring and can be touched till date. No one can deny what he did while alive.

8 interview

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

1976 coup: How my father’s death affected our lives —Ahmed Taiwo, son of assassinated Col. Ibrahim Taiwo

Colonel Ahmed Taiwo, son of Colonel Ibrahim Taiwo, military governor of Kwara State from July 1975 to February 1976 during the regime of the then Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed, who was murdered 40 years ago today (3 February, 1976) during a failed coup, in this interview by BIOLA AZEEZ, shares the story of the events that attended the death of his father.

W

HAT programmes have you lined up to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the death of your late father?

The thought towards commemorating his 40th death anniversary started about this time last year, because we’ve never had something like that. We, as a family, had always been underground. We didn’t bring ourselves out for people to see. In fact, many don’t even realise he still has a family, siblings and kids. I think that’s just because of the way the Taiwo family has been led by my uncle, Mr Sunday Taiwo, who took care of us after our father died till we all became grown-ups. He raised us like his own children. He did not spare any measure. If you misbehaved, he would give you five strokes of the cane. If his son misbehaved, it was the same five strokes. For us all, there was no preferential treatment. If you performed, you got praised in equal pattern. Uncle Sunday ended being the only male left. His sisters were there forming a large supporting network for him. We were brought up very well. We didn’t lack. We thank God. On my father’s mother’s side, they did so much, too. They did not make us depend on anyone. The prayer is that when you die, you leave behind siblings who would be able to raise your children the way you would have raised them.

he unleashed on you, that was the end. And that’s what you like about the army. In the army, if you have somebody who shouts at you, they say it’s better than someone who keeps you in his mind and internalises the issue until one day he comes and takes it out on you.

How’s your mother doing?

I would rather say my mothers. My mother, Margaret Taiwo, lives in the United States. She has to stay there for health reasons but she comes home from time to time. She was supposed to come for this one, but..... (gestures with his fingers to indicate cash crunch). My stepmother, Mrs Bunmi Taiwo, who died in 2004, also showed us much love. In fact, I was closer to her than my mum. She was a lovely soul, very accommodating.

What about your siblings?

I am the third child. My elder sister, Adenike, I just spoke with her. Now Mrs Olujembola, she has three boys. She lives in Lagos. She even studied in the University of Ilorin. She is doing very well. My immediate elder brother, Adebayo Taiwo, died in 2007. He had two kids, a boy and a girl, Adeyemo and Yetunde. I have no choice but to take care of them. Yetunde is in Navy Secondary School here.

I am expecting her on Friday. I have three kids, all boys. I nearly entered menopause before I got married. My kid brother, Abdulazeez Taiwo, is married and has a son. We are both looking for daughters!

As far as my father’s siblings go, there are only two left, Uncle Sunday and Auntie Deborah.

How old were you on February 13, 1976 when your dad died?

I was six. I was a small boy.

What was the effect of the death on you?

It won’t dawn on you immediately but you would know that something bad has happened, because I recall my mother being depressed. I remember that we viewed the body when we went for the burial. Just recently, I was trying to match some things I picked then with my uncle, and he said that one of us asked, ‘what’s daddy doing in the hole there?’ You know, that kind of thing was what we picked up. But it was not easy, especially for my mother, Margaret Taiwo. When my father died, she was barely 24 years old and he was like the leading light of the family.

So, the family really took a hit. But luckily for them, their parents taught them not to be dependent on somebody else. Each of them was independent.

What are the programmes for the anniversary like?

We are going to have prayer and remembrance drill/ parade at the grave side. The Kwara State governor is expected to grace the occasion. I must say here that Kwara people in particular have shown us much love. I think they liked my father a lot. Once they know who you are, having been identified as his child, they show you so much love.

In fact, we started the planning with the government, but things are financially difficult in the state now, so, we have to bear the burden. I know they could have done much more. The army is giving him full remembrance ceremony. From there, we’ll have the reception at Nest Hotel Hall, Ogbomoso. The next day, we’ll have a golf tournament in Ilorin, and that’s because he actually founded the golf course in Ilorin. It’s no coincidence that it’s next to the government house. And from a story I have heard, he designed and supervised the construction until his death.

So, that would be almost like a founder’s day celebration at the Golf Club in Ilorin. It will be quite a big one because we’ve invited golfers from all around. My father was an avid golfer.

We’ll also be looking at what we can do for education growth because that’s one of his areas of interest. Already, we’ve given scholarships in his name. We may make it more official. That’s what we are thinking, nothing too loud. The profession, again, doesn’t call for anything loud.

What impression do you think he had on people?

He had a good sense of humour. He was very intelligent.

In fact, it became a benchmark for me because there was nothing I seem to do that will meet what he had done. I was often compared with him in my earlier days. ‘See you!

You’ve come third. Your father would have come first.’ I

Late Col. Ibrahim Taiwo

am sure even if you came first, maybe with 80 or 70 per cent mark, they’d say, ‘your father would have scored 90.’

There’s always a high expectation, a comparison. Many senior officers, his mates, it’s normal that they will only say the good things about him. I remember when I took the invitation card for the ceremony to General [Olagunsoye] Oyinlola. He told me stories of his personal encounters with my father when he (Oyinlola) was a young officer, you know, funny stories and all. From what I heard, my father was not somebody who kept people inside over matters. If

The major challenge is government’s negligence of private institutions in the country, especially in the area of finance.

In Nigeria, private universities are denied access to certain funds meant for educational development.

Would you say your decision to join the army was influenced by your father’s profession?

The irony of it is that nobody wanted me to join the army, and you can’t blame them. They kicked against it. Let’s even start from my mum. You know where she stands. The opposition started from my mother, my uncle and my grandmother.

In fact, when I was in the Defence Academy, my grandmother said I should not wear my uniform when coming home, to Ogbomoso. She said that it reminded her of her son. In fact, my stepmother put up a great opposition. I won’t call it quarrel; it was mother’s love. It was because I was very close to her. We didn’t talk until I was graduating but we picked up our relationship from where we left off.

She had ensured that I went to the University of Ilorin like my elder sister. I was already there as an undergraduate of Political Science when I just decided that I was going to join the army. I told her that because somebody drowned while swimming did not mean that the rest of us should not take a bath. I said because somebody fell down the hill did not mean we should not climb the staircase again. So, anything that will happen will happen.

Were you given any preferential treatment in the army?

Never! That’s one thing many people don’t know about the army. I wasn’t the only one bearing Taiwo. I would say it was even more difficult. I remember that when Colonel Usendihiah saw me one day driving in my car without head dressing, he gave me a 30-minute lecture on how my father would never have done that. Imagine all that for a simple wrongdoing. When you realise that everyone is looking at you like that, it’s more difficult. So, there was no preferential treatment at all.

But people like General Wushishi, Mamman Vatsa, Abdullahi Mohd, Aduloju, Akinrinade took particular care of us and General Duba, who was more or less a father figure. He would want to know where you were at every point in time and gave advice that only your father would give. I really appreciate that. He was the chairman at my Continues pg9

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interview

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

‘When we left the Government House, there was nowhere to stay’ Continued from pg8

wedding ceremony. When he made his speech at the event, without preparing for the role, no one was in doubt that he was like a father to me. He was there the day my father met my mother. He was there the day I was born. When my father was killed, he was in Ibadan, and he was the person they ran to. They (my father and General Duba) were in same school together. He was my commandant. He was always there. I felt comfortable with him.

What comes from there is that the future is not far. So, if you have a friend that died, don’t ever forget the family he left behind even if it is inconvenient. Just thank God that you can even be inconvenienced. And if you can provide, thank God that you can, because that one naira or that one kobo that you provide, the children will never forget. And General Abdulsalami, not many could be like that.

Is there any of your boys showing interest in the army?

Don’t mind the baggas! They are all showing interest.

But just as we were never prevented from pursuing a career or marrying from any section of the country, I won’t prevent them. This is because I have learnt that when you force somebody to do something like that, it doesn’t end well.

How was it moving from the Government House to Olodi Apapa, Lagos, where you lived with your uncle?

When we left the Government House, there was nowhere to stay. The first few weeks after the incident, the Soun of Ogbomoso graciously gave us his personal residence in Ogbomoso. Kabiyesi stood by us. It took the intervention of General Olusegun Obasanjo, because he really couldn’t believe it, and General Danjuma. He gave us a two-bedroom apartment at Queens Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos where we stayed.

Then in 1983 or thereabouts, we were kicked out. That was how we moved to Olodi Apapa. That is where I grew, up, 111, Osho Drive, Olodi Apapa, Lagos. It was nothing aje butter

or butty at all. That was how we were. So, to that extent, it was not rosy at all. General Mamman Vatsa was helpful.

Also, nothing was forthcoming till today on a plot of land in Ilorin. The government said they would build a factory around where he died, on Ajase Ipo/Offa Road. We said okay, allow the family to build a factory there, but nothing was done about that. We are not complaining though.

We even thank God for many things. One, my father died on the good side of the law. Do you know the kind of life the children of people that died on the wrong side of law have led? It could have been a bad story. Imagine yourself suffering from something you don’t even know anything about. Because if that could be done to those people who even died on the right side of the law. You can imagine what could have happened to the children of those on the wrong side of the law. Life dislocated! We just thank God. It is a life story. When you are there, you are there. I was just about 10 years old when we were ejected from the Ikoyi house. The man didn’t even bother to know where we could go. It was so painful.

I took Dimka to Spain and he planned a coup from there —Alabi Isama Retd General Alabi Isama in an interview told BIOLA AZEEZ, how Col B.S. Dimka announced a coup after he took him to Spain. Excerpt: WHAT can you remember of the events of February 13, 1976?

It’s a very emotional point from where you have started now because many of my friends were involved. First, I

Alabi Isama

took [Bukar Sukar] Dimka to a meeting in Madrid, Spain.

And it was from there he planned the coup. I was lucky, because he lost my camera. My mother always wanted me to bring pictures of places I went, that is why I have 450 pictures in my book of the civil war, titled, ‘The Tragedy of Victory.’ But Dimka was playing with my camera and taking pictures in Madrid and forgot it in the taxi that we were in. I told him not to talk to me again because he boasted to me that he was going to buy me another one. He went all over the market and shops in Madrid but he could not get the 1.2 canon lens which was just the new camera in the market. When we got to Nigeria, for two weeks I did not get his report. He was my secretary to the meeting in Madrid. So I sent Sasaenia Oresanya, his deputy secretary who later became the governor of Oyo State, I said go and tell Dimka, if by Friday he failed to give me the report of the meeting, he should consider himself under house arrest. That Friday morning, Dimka was announcing a military coup, dusk to dawn, dawn to dusk and he was making his lousy mistake. We had to stop that coup. It was the second coup after the civil war, because Murtala had organised his own coup against Gowon and the Dimka one was the one against Murtala and we were just coming back from the civil war. We were ready to face any bullet. So, [General Alani] Akinrinade and I put in all the efforts to stop the coup.

There is a British intelligence report on this subject on how it went. Why it is emotional for me is because many of my friends were killed. Many of the boys who organised the coup were military students and I was their instructor at the military school. So when I got

to Bonny camp, I ordered that they should put down their weapons, they obeyed me. The report of British Intelligence also proved that they obeyed my instructions and they did not obey Danjuma’s instructions, when Danjuma wanted to take over and they refused.

But when I got there, I was able to take over. It is just like your principal in your secondary school, even if you were head of state, the day you see him, you will still say sir. They downed their weapons — all of them were shot because they took part in a coup. So people like Ibrahim Taiwo in Kwara state who was governor then was among those that were killed by the coup planners. But fortunately for us, in Kwara State, Taiwo left his mark on the sand of time. Within that short period, the golf course we have in Ilorin today was put there by Taiwo. And all these we had discussed when he became governor. He did not serve with me directly. Because he was of the Supply and Transport of the Army. He was in the logistics and I was in pure Infantry, supported by logistics. But I knew Taiwo very well and I mean very well.

Very close. One thing about Taiwo as an officer was that he was more than an average officer. People who plan coups are usually not too intelligent. Many of them were just with exuberance, who wanted changes and things like that. You won’t credit them as an A time officer. Not many of them around the world. A coup of that February 13, 1976, was an unfortunate one and it was because we didn’t learn from our past mistakes. Anybody, any community, any state, any nation that fails to learn from past mistakes will repeat it. And when you repeat it, that’s when you are an idiot.

How I escaped Dimka’s bullets —Jemibewon Ayodele Adesanmi - Abuja

GENERAL David Jemibewon was in 1976, the military governor of Western State which has today been divided into Ondo, Ekiti, Osun,Ogun and Oyo states. He told Saturday Tribune he had no feeling or premonition of danger on February 13, 1976. He, therefore woke up very early in the morning and moved to the office. So many things preoccupied his mind as his official vehicle was descending the overhead bridge that linked the office and the Government House. He had some files which required urgent attention and his plan was to attend to them as soon as he got to the office. Besides that, going to the office very early in the morning was part of him. Before he got to the office, the radio was on and he tuned to Radio Nigeria, Ibadan. Hardly had he settled down in the office than he heard the voice of Lt. Col. Bukar Sukar Dimka announcing the change of government through a coup d’état. This was followed by martial music being played intermittently. Martial music is a military music you don’t play when things are in good order in a country. He said: “The first

thing l did was to listen carefully” as he was confused. He later pulled himself together and thought of what to do and what came to his mind was to take cover, “I took cover,” he said. Where that was he did not disclose.

However when Saturday Tribune met him he said: “You know in the military, when you are in such a situation, you take cover. l moved away from the office and l took cover.” He added: “ l have to thank God that we are today talking about a coup that took place forty years ago because l still remain alive.” Some kind-hearted people that God used came and assisted to take me away.”

He did not mention where he was taken to.

Jemibewon, however, mentioned Chief S.P.A Ajibade who he said was a commissioner in his cabinet. He also mentioned Sir Dele Ige, a businessman in lbadan and a brother to Chief Bola Ige, the murdered Attorney General of the Federation, though he was not in government. He also named the British Deputy High Commissioner who had an office in Ibadan then. “These people were the messiah who saved me.”

Jemibewon

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13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

08050498504 toluwaniforever@yahoo.com

Y

Amala and egusi soup.

Do you dress more in Nigerian attire or Togolese?

It’s a mixture of both.

As a director in the University of Ilorin, what has been your experience working with students?

As the Acting Director of the Linguistic Immersion Centre where English, French, Arabic and German languages are taught to students of various nationalities, my experience working with students has been a sort of exposure to different issues of life-academic, cultural, psychological and spiritual. I’m daily exposed to the challenges faced by the youth, while I also learn how to solve most of their problems as a child of God, a mother and as an instructor. It has been a wonderful experience because, as I invest in their lives, I also learn a lot of things from them through their behaviour and thinking. Dealing with students in all ramifications of their lives helps me to be more passionate about them and my job.

ou are a Togolese turned Nigerian, what brought you to Nigeria, when did you come and at what age?

I came to Nigeria in 1981 through marriage at the age of 22.

What did you find strange about Nigeria in your early days here?

The greetings. Nigerians greet for every occasion. I also found the practice of the female kneeling down to greet and the male, prostrating, even in the street strange.

Looking at the lifestyle of the Togolese and Nigerians, what do both have in common and where do they differ?

As Africans, we have the same colour, the same food stock but different culture and different educational system.

In Togo, we don’t kneel down to greet, we slightly bend down and it is done mostly in villages. We also embrace and or kiss people.

Nigerian dishes and dressing modes are different from the ones from Togo. In Togo, marriages, birthdays, naming ceremonies and funerals are modestly done while in Nigeria some people spend to the point of being indebted after these events.

Again, Nigerians are very religious. We see the simple and the extreme ways of worshiping God in Nigeria unlike in Togo where adherents just worship God in a simple way without exaggerating some things.

The educational system is quite different.

For example, in Nigeria you can enter the university with your O’level certificate while in Togo, A’level, certificate is compulsory for admission into the university. In Togo, we have a national examination in between the O’level and A’level, which means you must pass through three national examinations before being qualified to enter the university.

In the case of evaluation of results, an overall pass mark of 50 per cent (the total of all courses even if the student fails any course) enables a student to enter the university in Togo while in Nigeria, Mathematics and English Language are compulsory courses for admission into the university.

Apart from school education, in Togo, boys and girls are trained to live together without any prejudice while in Nigeria once a male and female are very close people think otherwise about them.

What I found strange about Nigerians —Naturalised Nigerian

As a young Togolese, her desire was to come to Nigeria. This dream was realised when she got married to her Beninoise husband, who was based in the southwestern part of Nigeria. Having lived in Nigeria with her family for 35 years and has naturalised, Dr (Mrs) Elisabeth De Campos, the Acting Director, Linguistic Immersion Centre, University of Ilorin and a lecturer in the Department of French of the institution, in this interview with TOLUWANI OLAMITOKE, speaks on her experience, job, marriage and draws a comparison between life in Nigeria and Togo.

How easy was it learning the Nigerian languages and which of them have you mastered or do you speak fluently?

Being someone who loves languages, I did not find it difficult to learn the language of the environment I spent most of my time in Nigeria, that is, the Yoruba Language. It is just a matter of mixing up with people at work, in the church and especially in the market where most people do not speak English.

From your experience, how will you describe a typical Nigerian?

A typical Nigerian is very intelligent, nice, accommodating but very unfriendly once he does not get what he wants from you even if he has a wrong motive. Actually these attributes are common all over the world and I thank God for the global revival of transformation that is going on nowadays.

You are married to a Beninoise, apart from the fact that both of you are from French-speaking countries, what was the attraction?

I met him when he came for a French Teachers Training Course in Lomé, Togo.

The attraction was the fact that he took me as his daughter during our courtship and he was working in Nigeria, a country I had wanted to know because of the Anglophone background. I used to score the best mark in English in my secondary school and I used to dream of going to any English-speaking country to practise the language and master it.

In Nigeria, the parents’ approval to a child’s choice of marriage partner is important, is it also the same in Togo?

Yes, it is.

What do you love most about your spouse?

I love everything about him. Even his negative attitudes used to teach me many

lessons that are useful to me and my children today.

How old is your marriage?

Thirty-five years.

What, from your experience, has made your marriage work?

The love of God, the mutual understanding and especially having Jesus as the cornerstone of our lives, the author and the finisher of our faith.

Why did you decide to naturalise?

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. Since the Lord Jesus Christ lives in me, wherever I find myself in this world is my home.

What is your best Nigerian dish?

And who do you consider a better student, the male or female?

I consider the male as better students because most of them always prove a sense of responsibility through their outstanding performances in academics and constant readiness to serve the centre’s interest in other capacities while they are in the centre and after they are promoted to their various departments. In fact, one of them recently received a special award during the ceremony of proficiency certificate award to the 2014/2015 academic session’ students.

Female bosses are believed to be highhanded, what’s your view on this?

As for me, female bosses only try to demonstrate their God-given nature of efficiency, thoroughness and hard work just like the virtuous woman in Proverbs chapter 31.

The most important thing in life is to do what is right before God when one is given a leadership post, knowing well that our service is unto God. What do you find most interesting about your job?

That’s my service unto humanity which is part of my calling—being light to all nations.

And the challenges?

The challenges are many. They arise from the combination of administrative works with teaching, counselling and research works. But I thank God for His Grace which is seeing me through.

These challenges help me to go deeper in the knowledge of various issues of life and by so doing, I become stronger and scale higher in my endeavours.

Can you tell us your hobby?

Reading, teaching, singing and dancing.

Wh a t ’ s y o u r p e r ception of the Valentine’s Day? To me, every day of our lives should be Valentine’S Day. It should be a continuous demonstration of Agape love to our Creator by extending our love to everyone that comes our way through giving, sharing the burden of one another and making people happy anytime and anywhere we are.

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13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune BLESSING EKUM ekumblessing@gmail.com 08116954639

food&drink Make it a heartinspired feast this Val V

Valentine fruit salad

Valentine breakfast a

b

k

ALENTINE’S Day is here again and one thing we love about Val’s Day is the fact that we are permitted to indulge and have the best of chomps and treats. But you don’t always have to go out to dinner with that special one; you can mark the day with delicious, homecooked, heart-shaped inspired foods for every meal. What makes this more exciting is that you can enjoy your everyday foods but with a visually exciting appeal that reminds you of the day being celebrated.

Valentine breakfast: Begin the day with a Val-inspired plate of your favourite breakfast choices. This could be toast and eggs (a), sweet potato pancakes (b), plantain puffs (c).

Valentine lunch: Now you can go all out and prepare a feast. Creativity, as always, is key. You could have fried rice (d), bitterleaf soup and pounded yam (e), seafood okra soup and eba (f), boiled yam and sauce (g).

Valentine supper: Ideally, supper should be light, but it doesn’t stop you from incorporating Valentine to it. Cold pap (eko) and pepper soup (h), moin moin and veggie sauce (i) are good choices.

Appetisers: Valentine’s Day doesn’t stop you from eating healthy. You can enjoy a side dish or appetiser of salads but with a twist. Get creative with fruits and cutters and give your plate a colourful array of sumptuous treats. Whether from fruits such as watermelon, tomatoes, oranges and grapes (j) or others such as pawpaw, watermelon, cucumber (k), you are in for a healthy Val treat.

Dessert: You can never go wrong with cupcakes for Valentine! Step out from the norm and get creative with designs and flavours.

Valentine cupcakes

j

Valentine lunch d

e

f

c

Valentine supper h

i

g

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13 February, 2016

conversewithyemisi I have been bleeding since I was deflowered!

Dear Yemisi, I am 20 years old and my boyfriend is 24. We have been dating for five years now. He always disturbed me that we should have sex, but I always told him that I was not ready because I wanted to remain a virgin, until my friend advised me to give in to his request.

I did not want to carry an unwanted pregnancy, but my boyfriend’s incessant pressure made me to consult one of my friends, who in turn advised me to accede to his demand for sex, as nothing would happen to me.

To satisfy him, I agreed to have sex for the first time. But now, what has followed the experience is baffling. I am afraid because I bleed everyday.

Dear Yemisi, what do you think is responsible for this bleeding? I hope I am not pregnant?

Adepeju, Oyo, 08********4.

Dear Adepeju, You are not a girl to be trusted

with your decision! You were only fooling yourself initially by denying your boyfriend sexual intercourse only to be convinced by a friend that nothing untoward would happen to you.

To my understanding, you had already been interested in having sex with your boyfriend, but only pretended that you were not ready for such. You were only waiting for a friend to approve of this.

Now that you are bleeding, is your friend, the counsellor, also bleeding? The chips are now down and you have been left to bear the brunt of your waywardness. Must you join the multitude to do evil?

Since you have sold your virtue so cheaply, all I can advise you to do is to visit a doctor to examine the state of your health.

Adepeju, I am not in a position to give you any clean bill of health because I am not trained for such.

Your situation is not one that you

can delay because of the urgency it requires.

To prevent swimming in troubled waters, you must take charge of your life and never allow friends to dictate to you what you should do.

You have been dating each other for over five years without sex, have you taken time to count what you have gained and lost for not sleeping around?

I am sure you have created unnecessary fears and tension for yourself. The decision to delay sex till later was the best. You should know better now that you have not allowed a good sense of reasoning to prevail.

What you are experiencing might just be psychological in nature, but the bottom line is that you must be able to defend your stand on every issue of life.

Be wise please. Dating is not all about sex.

Her response to my request is confusing

08055001741 (sms only) yemiaofolaju@yahoo.com

For him

Wale, 35, from Osun State, Lagos -based, single, working class, Christian, needs a responsible, single, working class lady aged between 28 and 34 for a relationship. Call 08183865517.

Ebube, 25, from Delta State, needs a responsible, caring, God-fearing lady for a relationship. Call 09038730336.

Adeoba, 43, needs a woman aged between 28 and 44 for marriage. Call 08031104525.

Samuel, 32, single, self-employed, from Ogun State, needs a God-fearing lady for a relationship. Call 08184300483.

Wale, 38, single, M.Sc holder, Sagamu, Ogun State-based, loves to meet a responsible, serious lady for courtship. Call 09028672548.

Adekunle, 55, widower, Lagos-based, needs a lady, aged between 28 and 54, for a relationship. Call 08169149384.

Austin, 38, lives in Lagos, businessman, needs a God-fearing lady for marriage. Call 09034125585.

Olanipekun, 42, graduate, accountant, single from Ekiti State, Lagos-based, needs a working class lady for a relationship. Contact 08120300227.

D

ear Yemisi, I really appreciate what you are doing.

I am a 24-year-old man. I am in the second year in a higher institution.

I am in love with a girl who told me that she is equally in love with me.

Anytime I call her on phone to tell her that ‘I love her’, she always tells me not to hurt myself. This response of hers gets me confused anytime she says so.

What do you advise me to do?

Tony needs a caring, educated, Godfearing Christian lady as wife. Call 08106322096.

Feranmi Bamidele, 34, Ogun State based civil servant, needs a lady, aged between 27 and 33. Call 08144066243.

For her

Laide, 28, from Ogun State, 5.4 feet tall, fair-skinned, needs a God-fearing man, aged from 35 to 46, for marriage. Call 08140487786.

Bola, 32, Abuja-based, needs a caring, responsible and employed man for a serious relationship. Call 08168247081.

Anonymous, 081******6.

Dear Anonymous, As long as the lady keeps telling you not to hurt yourself, you had better take a break to actually find out what she means.

She might just be pulling your legs to measure the level of your seriousness and commitment to your claim. Have you taken time to ask her what she means? She might mean every word.

Is she in another relationship? Is she not prepared to date you? Has she been dumped by a former date?

You will have to work on these posers so as to put the record straight.

It might not be enough for you to keep assuming that she is not attached.

You don’t have to be confused; It is not a matter of life and death.

If your feelings towards her are not meeting your aspiration, I

Saturday Tribune

think it is better you forget thinking of her and be prepared to approach someone else who will care for your feelings and return your love.

It is sheer waste of time to force your feelings or emotions on an

unwilling lady. But you must explore all the leads to ensure that you have satisfied your conscience. Even if you call it quits tomorrow it will be on record that the lady caused it all.

I wish you the very best.

My home is on fire!

Dear Yemisi, I have been married for 22 years without a child. I have lost all hope as different pastors’ prophecies in time past have overruled my ability to father a child.

I decided to let my wife know of my plan to try other means outside our matrimony. God answered me with a male child.

For almost a year now, my wife has set my home on fire. Distrust, jealousy, ill feelings, among other bad attitudes have taken over.

Please, help me.

What do I do?

Worried Man, 08****3**9*.

Dear readers, Worried Man needs your candid counsel on what to do to salvage his home that is on the verge of collapse. Kindly send your pieces of intervention through text messages to 08055001741 or yemiaofolaju@yahoo.com. Thanks for being there always.

Lola, 20, tall, dark-skinned, God-fearing needs a serious man aged between 38 and 55 for a relationship. Call 08108367799.

Lolade, 51, mother of three, needs a man in her life. Call 08177329711.

Tola, 27, master’s degree student, honest, romantic, single, needs a caring, loving, honest man aged between 34 and 49 for a relationship. Call 08136610443.

Joy, 24, needs a God-fearing man aged between 25 and 30. Contact 09090785773.

Bimpe, 33, Abuja-based, needs a caring, responsible, God-fearing employed man for a relationship. Call 08106685905.

Arike, 38, dark-skinned, neat, averagely built, friendly, Lagos-based, needs a mature, neat widower/divorce, aged between 50 and 70 for friendship. Call 09093505393.

13

13 February, 2016

intimacy

Saturday Tribune

With Bosede Ola-Samuel 08112658560 bosedeola_samuel@yahoo.com

STRICTLY FOR ADULTS

Make it hot this Val with these moves

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decided to write on best sex position today because a reader of this column called in to know various sex styles available for sexual enjoyment. Let me state here again that there is no wrong or right position for sex. As long as you get pleasure from a sex position agreeable to you and your spouse, it is alright for you. So, every couple has to experiment to discover what gives them maximum pleasure in bed. This discovery is a learning process that takes time, courage, and willingness on the part of each couple.

Communication is a key to discovering the best way to give each other sexual pleasure. Each couple must therefore freely communicate on what gives them great pleasure, turns him/her off, when to change position and try new styles in sex.

Before I state what the best sex position is, permit me to mention here some of the sex positions available from which a couple can discover which works best for them.

Of course there are more than enough positions that are available to couples. So, don’t expect to read about all sex positions here. Rather, you will only have something to serve as a guide to help you discover more positions as you engage in sex. That means you will have to have sex frequently in order to make great discoveries along this line.

Husband-on-top/ missionary position This is the most commonly used sex position of all ages. It’s like the starter in the sex experience of humanity. Even, a novice in the game will most likely be familiar with this style. According to sex and marriage counsellors, Tim and Beverly Lahaye, “our research indicates that 91 per cent of couples use the man above position all of the time, or most of the time.”

Wife-on-top position This position puts the wife in the driver’s seat which allows the husband to relax so as to last longer in the act. This style gives the wife the advantage of being in control and setting the pace for having the greatest pleasure in bed. A big framed husband with a small framed wife should find this position most convenient.

C.A.T. position C.A.T stands for Coital Adjusted Technique. This is basically a face-to-face position just like in the missionary position. The difference between the two positions is that the man shifts higher here in such a way that his shoulder and head are about six inches higher up the bed than in the missionary position. In

this position, the man does not penetrate her, but the stem or root of the manhood is pulled hard against the clitoris so as to produce great sensations in that allimportant tiny organ.

Reverse cowgirl position This is simply a reverse variation of the woman-on-top position. The man lies on his back, while the woman faces the other way and sits on his manhood. Then in her own time, she gradually lowers herself so that with his manhood inside her, her back is lying fully outstretched on the front of his body.

Pinner/hold down position The woman lies flat on her front and the man lies faces

There is no wrong or right position for sex. As long as you get pleasure from a sex position agreeable to you and your spouse, it is alright for you.

down on top of her. He then penetrates her from behind.

Spoon position This is the position where the woman lies on her side and the man lies curled up round her bottom (like spoons in a drawer) and penetrates her from behind.

Doggie position This is another great rear entry position that allows him to be in control of actions, allowing him to dictate the pace that best suits him. The rear entry here can be while she is kneeling on the bed, or holding the edge of the bed from any side, or it can be on the floor if clean enough.

Standing position This standing position is one that is suitable for that “I must have you now’’ sex that will make him feel irresistible. Whether it is standing against the wall, or settee or kitchen table, it’s a perfect one for a spontaneous quickie.

Husband seated/face to face lapping position In this position, the husband sits on a chair or low couch, the wife sits on his lap face to face, lowering herself on his manhood at her pace, especially if she wants to avoid painful entry.

Like I stated earlier, this is just a guide for you to experiment with in order to discover others. Talking about the best sex position, I believe the best sex position is what gives each couple the maximum sexual satisfaction in bed. So, work around the sex positions to discover what gives you the maximum pleasure and enjoy yourself. This Valentine period provides a perfect opportunity to try out more positions and get more pleasure from each other. You can have great fun this Valentine by trying out some new sex position, and it will surprise you what great discovery awaits you.

Happy Valentine!

In response to my readers’ request, I have packaged some of my previous articles into a book with the title: ENJOYING GREAT SEXLIFE. You can call me on 08112658560 for the book. Also watch out for couples’ day out with Bosede Ola-Samuel in March.

14

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

With Aunty Yemi 08056834515 ojeleyeoyeyemi@yahoo.com

How our parents show

love to each other

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Respondents are pupils of Adelayo Academy, Wakajaye, Iyana Church, Ibadan and students of Funmilayo Comprehensive College, Owode-Apata, Ibadan, Oyo State.

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1. Akere Toluwanimi, 8 yrs old My parents go to recreation centres without taking any of us along. Shopping is also something they like to do together. Dad and mum exchange gifts on their wedding anniversary and birthdays and even Valentine’s Day.

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2. Ayomide Ajiferuku, 9 yrs old My parents show love to each other by eating and playing together and hugging each other. I have never seen them quarrel or fight like some couples do.

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3. Jumia Amoo, 9 yrs old My mum and dad stay in the same room, play and go out together. Hugging each other is one of the usual ways they express love to each other.

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Valentine’s Day gifts idea

4. Darasimi Oyediji, 10 yrs old My father and mother show they love and care for each in different ways. They hug, spend time with each other even in the kitchen.

5. Esther Akanmu, 7 yrs old My father lends my mother a helping hand in the kitchen, especially if there is something calling for her urgent attention. Occasionally, when dad does this, she appreciates him by saying “thank you.” Likewise, my parents play and crack jokes and eat together. W 6. Ibrahim Dada, 8 yrs old I feel happy each time I see my mummy and daddy eat together. During such time, they discuss issues bothering their minds. In addition to this, they attend occasions in the same attire.

7. Dunsin Adunola, 7 yrs old I know my parents love each because I see them wear same attire whenever they are going out. They also pray together every time.

Who is your Val?

1. Doris Omokhoje, 13 yrs old I have many people who are important to me, who have impacted my life positively. They are my parents, siblings and friends. I’ll present earrings and bracelet to my mum, while dad will be given a wristwatch. I will give my brothers and friends sunglasses, handkerchief, hand band and Valentine cards.

2. Tolulope Sanni, 12 yrs old No other person fits being called my Valentine this year than my mother because she showers me with love in diverse ways. I will make her happy with her favourite type of jewellery, bead. My cultural and creative arts teacher taught the class how to make it. I told her to help me buy the materials I’ll need so I can make a complete webwing-patterned bead for her; she doesn’t have that type.

3. Joy Adebo, 15 yrs old My mum will be my Valentine this year. She always makes me happy. She also rebukes me when I make a mistake.

This is the time to also make her happy and to express my gratitude to her for being there for me. Her Valentine’s

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1 Day gift is a pair of beautiful slippers.

4. Nathaniel Anthony, 11 yrs old My Valentine is my best friend. I won’t give him anything perishable. I have decided to give him beautiful drawing of a heart with this inscription “You are my best friend.”

This will go a long way in strengthening our relationship even after Valentine’s Day. 5. Marvellous Ilori, 15 yrs old I don’t have a partner to call my Valentine because I’m still young. But I will like to reciprocate my parents’

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love by choosing them as my Valentine. They have done a great job in my life. In order to show them they are the most important persons in my life now, I have requested an artist to make a special card for them with these words: “Valentine, a special day to show love and appreciation. As your first fruit, I appreciate you for being there for me. Almighty God will bless and reward you. Happy Valentine.”

6. Tosin Agboola, 13 yrs old I have already made a bead, blue and white necklace and a bag to match, for my Valentine, my mum. I chose these colours because they are her favourite. I know she will be surprised and appreciate them, being a fashionable woman.

7. Opeyemi Ogunsanya, 15 yrs old This year’s Valentine’s Day will be the best time to show my friend how much I love her. She’s been such a wonderful girl. I’m planning to give her a wristwatch, deodorant and a novel entitled Castle of Otranto.

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8. Favour Oni, 15 yrs old My Vals are my mum, big sister, orphans, the physically challenged and my best friend. I have a plan for all of them.

15

13 February, 2016

health&fitness

Saturday Tribune BLESSING EKUM

ekumblessing@gmail.com 08116954639

Why you should give, not just grab, this Valentine

By Blessing Ekum

I

T’S Valentine’s Day tomorrow and what majority look forward to is giving and receiving gifts (though with a larger proportion hoping to be on the receiving end). Most religions support the virtue of giving as in Christian circles, the biblical injunction is to give as it says “it is better to give than receive,” and in Islam, the Prophet also enjoins believers to give as “the upper hand is better than the lower hand (he who gives is better than who takes)” but there is more to the act of giving than for spiritual benefits. Science has now shown that giving provides tremendous health benefits; moreso to the giver than the receiver.

Mr Kayode Adedeji, a psychologist, says the benefit of giving is especially profound for mental well-being. “Giving does have benefits on health especially mental health.

There is a sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing you have met someone else’s’ need and made the person happy. When such acts are carried out, the reward centres in the brain are stimulated and this releases chemicals that create positive feelings which improve your mood.

Also, when you give, especially of your time in service, you derive a sense of purpose and belonging. Spending time in service also improves your relationships with those you are serving. All of these improve mental health and should be the focus of Valentine’s Day. It shouldn’t just be about hoping to receive gifts. One should go out of the way to give especially to those that can’t pay back.

It’s more rewarding, spiritually and mental health wise,” he explains. More benefits that follow being open-handed as expounded by experts include: Your happiness depends on it Helping others, especially at work, could boost your happiness according to research out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The study, published in the journal American Review of Public Administration, showed that being altruistic not only improves well-being

at work, but also makes people feel more committed to their work and less likely to quit. “More and more research illustrates the power of altruism,” study researcher Donald Moynihan, a professor in the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the university, said in a statement. “Our findings make a simple but profound point about altruism: Helping others makes us happier. Altruism is not a form of martyrdom, but operates for many as part of a healthy psychological reward system.”

It will keep stress in check Being stingy is linked with higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, according to a study from social psychologist Liz Dunn. The journal Scientific American reported on the findings of the study, which examined cortisol levels in response to giving away money and choosing to keep more money for oneself. The more money people chose to keep in the experiment, the greater shame they felt -- and the higher their cortisol levels were. While some stress is good, chronically high levels of stress have been linked to a number of health ills.

You’ll enjoy more years of life Researchers from the University of Buffalo found a link between giving and unselfishness and having a lower risk of early death. Published in the American Journal of Public Health, the findings show that helping others -- whether by helping to run errands, watching their children or giving them a lift somewhere — is linked with a decreased mortality risk. “Our conclusion is that helping others reduced mortality specifically by buffering the association between stress and mortality,” study researcher Michael J. Poulin, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at the University at Buffalo, said.

It’s beneficial to the greater good Generosity trumps selfishness when it comes to success in the long run, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. University of

Pennsylvania researchers found that in a strategic game involving multiple people, being generous -- where there is cooperation and everyone benefits from working together -- led to more success than being selfish -- where one person dominates the other, forcing them to receive a lower payoff. “You might think being generous would be a stupid thing to do, and it is if there are only two players in the game,” study researcher Alexander Stewart explained in a statement. “But, if there are many players and they all play generously, they all benefit from each other’s generosity.”

Your relationship will be stronger Generosity is one of the key factors for a happy relationship and marriage, according to a 2011 report from the National Marriage Project. Elizabeth Marquardt, the associate editor of the report said that people “are happier in their marriages when they make a regular effort to serve their spouse in small ways -- from making them a cup of coffee, to giving them a back rub after a long day, to going out of their way to be affectionate or forgiving.”

It promotes mental health Recently, a huge review of 40 studies on the effect of volunteering on general health and happiness was published in the journal BMC Public Health. The results showed that volunteering not only improves well-being and life satisfaction, but it’s also linked with decreased depression and a lower risk of dying early. “Since people reporting stronger social relationships have a reduced risk of mortality, the social aspects of volunteering may contribute to the observed survival differences,” the researchers wrote in the review. “Taken together, this review suggests that bio-social and cultural factors may influence both a willingness to engage in volunteering, as well as the benefits that might accrue.”

So what are you waiting for, make plans to give this Valentine and enjoy tremendous health benefits.

Additional information from healthyliving.com

16 healthandfitness

13 February, 2016

Allergic to condoms

Dr. Wale Okediran

MY wife and I are allergic to condoms. We also don’t want to use the monthly pills or its injectable type due to their likely complications. Kindly suggest an alternative form of family planning for us preferably an occasional type since our sexual frequency is rather low.

Goriola (by SMS) There is no family planning method that is 100% effective and without side effects, therefore, you will need to make some sacrifices if you want to practise a good family planning routine. Apart

waleokediran@yahoo.co.uk

08055069356 (sms only)

Is this HIV/AIDS?

from the Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD), your other alternative is the ‘Morning After Pill’ Both have

their shortcomings as would be explained to you by family planning officials at your nearest health centre.

My mother’s bleeding problem

I am a handsome young man who is quite popular with ladies. I noticed that I am losing weight with night sweats and cough.

I have done quite a bit of unprotected sex in the last few years and I am now worried if what I have is HIV/AIDS. Kindly advise me on what to do.

Handsome Bobo (by SMS) Your best bet is to go for a HIV test after the appro-

priate counselling session.

Most HIV tests, especially those carried out in government health facilities, are free of charge. In addition, a proper medical examination by a qualified medical doctor will certainly rule out other possibilities such as tuberculosis and pneumonia. Finally, you should immediately stop the bad and dangerous habit of unprotected and indiscriminate sex if you want to live long.

Can I still get pregnant?

AT 60 years, my mother should be in menopause by now. Unfortunately, she is still spotting, though irregularly. Please what can this be and what should we do?

Grace (by SMS)

M

Saturday Tribune

I agree with you that most 60 year olds should have stopped seeing their menses by now. It is very important to let your mother see a gynaecologist (a doctor who specialises in the diseases of women). The doctor will, among other

ANY Nigerians now know that heart disease and cancer can be silent killers and understand that monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol and having regular mammograms are critical to protecting their health. Very few realise that chronic kidney disease (CKD) is another common, life-threatening illness that often goes undetected until very advance when it could be diagnosed early through simple tests.

Recent studies report that 26 million Americans suffer from CKD and millions more are at risk. Worse still, the epidemics of hypertension, diabetes and obesity could contribute to even higher rates of CKD in the future. Undiagnosed and untreated CKD can lead to serious health problems, including kidney failure (end-stage renal disease). In Nigeria, based on hospital data (attendance), about 21million people have CKD with a high prevalence of risk factors for CKD observed in various studies among different groups. The early stages of CKD are generally asymptomatic; therefore, the burden of the disease at these early stages goes largely undetected. By the time people present with symptoms, more than 50% of the kidney has been damaged. Prevention and early detection of kidney problem is the best.

As elucidated last week, hypertension can lead to chronic kidney disease and vice versa. Chronic kidney disease can precipitate heart attack, heart failure, stroke, bone diseases and death at the extreme. Call on your physician today and know the current status of your kidney.

How to reduce your risk of chronic kidney disease •Control your blood pressure. The best is to prevent hypertension, but if you are already hypertensive, kindly comply with your medication. Good blood control has been shown to slow down progression to kidney failure and reduce cardiovascular deaths. The ideal blood pressure should be less than 120/80mmHg for all patients with CKD and less than 125/75mmHg for those losing

things, test your mother’s blood for any clotting problems. In addition, samples of your mother’s womb scrapings will be sent for pathological examination.

This way, the possibility of a cancer of the womb would be ruled out.

I recently remarried after many years as a widow. Although I am 52 years old and have stopped seeing my menses, I still want to get pregnant for my new husband who I love very much. Kindly let me know how to achieve my desire.

Ngozi (by SMS) From available statistical data, your chances of having a baby at your age is very low since your body no longer produces eggs which can be fertilised into babies. However, modern

medicine can still give you some rays of hope through the use of fertility drugs which may stimulate the production of eggs from your body. This approach, unfortunately, has some potential dangers to you and your baby because of your age. Your best bet in the circumstance is to adopt a baby whom you can bring up as your own.

I sneeze a lot I noticed that I sneeze a lot, especially anytime the weather becomes cold.

I have used a lot of tablets and nose drops to no avail. Kindly help me as the sneezing is making life unbearable for me.

Bala (by email) You are most likely allergic to some offending objects either in the air or in your house. These objects range from pollen dust to smoke or the fur of domestic animals such as cats and dogs. You should carefully observe what you are allergic to and avoid them. In addition, doctors in a specialist or teaching hospital nearest to you can expose you to a series of potential allergens in order to know which one you are allergic to.

Dr. Abiodun Adeoye adeoyemoshood@yahoo.com

08056564360, 08072000017 (sms only)

Prevention of kidney diseases more than one gram of protein in the urine per day.

•Control your blood sugar. Tight control of blood glucose levels (A1C less than 7 percent) helps to prevent kidney damage. Ask your doctor for the test that is specific for blood glucose control (HbAIC). The regular blood sugar test with glucometer will not show the way the blood sugar behaved over a week, especially if one is diabetic.

•Control of lipids/cholesterol: LDL (“bad”) cholesterol should be less than 100 mg/dl, HDL (“good”) cholesterol should be above 50 mg/dl and triglycerides should be less than 150 mg/dl • Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For healthy adults, that means no more than one drink a day for women of all ages and men older than 65, and no more than two drinks a day for men 65 and younger. Because of other complication of alcohol, if you can do away with it the better for prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

• Follow instructions on over-the-counter medications. When using nonprescription pain relievers, such as aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen, follow the instructions on the package. Taking too many pain relievers could lead to kidney damage and generally should be avoided if you have kidney disease. Ask your doctor whether these drugs are safe for you.

• Maintain a healthy weight. If you’re at a healthy weight, work to maintain it by being physically active most days of the week. If you need to lose weight, talk with your doctor about strategies for healthy weight loss.

Often, this involves increasing daily physical activity and reducing calories. choose fruits, vegetables, grains and low-fat dairy foods. limit your daily sodium(salt) intake.

•Don’t smoke. If you’re a smoker, talk to your doctor about strategies for quitting smoking. Support groups, counselling and medications can all help you to stop.

• Limit caffeine intake • Have regular kidney specific test done.

Urine Test: You could help save your kidneys with a simple urine test. Ask your doctor about Albumin Creatinine Ratio (ACR) which estimates the amount of a type of protein, albumin that is in your urine.

Blood Test: The Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) tells how well your kidneys are working to remove wastes from your blood. It is the best way to check kidney function. Over 90 is good, 60-89 should be monitored, less than 60 for three months indicates kidney disease.

In conclusion, prevention is still a form of management of any disease. Healthy lifestyle makes your heart and kidneys healthy, while not join the healthy people today.

Next week is another time on healthy heart, till then, happy weekend.

17

13 February, 2016

The South-West Editor Wole Efunnuga | 08111813056

Monument/seal of Aladeselu, the first settler in Ikere

Saturday Tribune crew sari n Tu de B9u3530 081275 ndare nga - Ogu Yejide G8b1e16706853 0 unesan Tunde O9g54634 08116 t:

r us; contac Got news fo bune@yahoo. ttri es hw ut so bune@ uthwesttri co.uk or so ail.com gm

Ikere-Ekiti: Royal rumble in the Fountain of Knowledge

All is not well in Ikere Ekiti, Ekiti State, as two royal fathers, the Ogaga and the Olukere have, for long, been at each other’s throat over who is supreme, just as the state government is being alleged to have a preferred candidate. SAM NWAOKO reports.

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kere-Ekiti is on a kind of edge, although many people in Ekiti State did not know or believe this until mid this week when there were reports of protests over destroyed billboards in this town.

The town, said to be the second largest in Ekiti State, is having issues with its traditional institution, but it is not the usual ascension squabbles that are common in many towns in Yorubaland.

For Ikere-Ekiti, the issues are around two traditional thrones. One of them is duly recognised by government and accorded all the rights and privileges while the other is not.

And the one that is not recognised by government is vigorously laying claim to being the aborigine in the community.

The Olukere of Ikere and the Ogoga of Ikere don’t see except only once in a year; during the celebration of the Olosunta festival.

That annual meeting may even be forlorn now that it seems that the two traditional institutions are at daggers drawn.

Recently, the Ekiti State government announced publicly that it knew only one monarch in Ikere and that the throne was that of the Ogoga. The deputy governor of the state, Dr Kolapo Olubunmi Olusola, who happens to be an indigene of the town, made the pronouncement on behalf of Governor Ayodele Fayose, while speaking at the

inauguration of the new palace of the new Ogoga Ikere, Oba Samuel Adejimi Adu, on Saturday, January 23.

Dr Olusola had told Ogoga Adejimi Adu on the occasion: “Ikere has one monarch and the Ogoga is the head of the kingdom.

We recognise you as the only king in Ikere; we recognise you as the only paramount ruler in Ikere and there is no other king in Ikere. This government, under the leadership of Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose, will continue to recognise you as such.”

The government had made the declaration before prominent Ikere indigenes such as a former Governor of old Ondo State, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua; chairman, Ikere Local government, Mr. Sola Alonge; House of Assembly member representing Ikere II Constituncy, Mr Sunday Akinniyi; Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, the Most Reverend Felix Ajakaye; retired Anglican Bishop of Akure Diocese, the Right Reverend Michael Ipinmoye, among other dignitaries.

However, rather than lay it to rest, the government declaration rekindled the fire in the age-long kingship rivalry in Ikere Ekiti. The Olukere, Oba Ayodele Ganiyu Obasoyin reacted to the government declaration on behalf of his throne and the people adherent to it. On Tuesday, January 26, he addressed newsmen in his palace at Odo Oja Ikere, and

raised a number of questions and issues surrounding his throne.

Olukere’s accusations Here are the excerpts from what the Olukere, Oba Obasoyin, who could not veil his displeasure at the government pronouncement, said at the news conference: “I think it’s because the governor of the state has a personal issue with me as a person because I recall that before I became a king, during the governorship election, soldiers and SSS people bombarded my house in Ado Ekiti, saying that I have sympathy for the other political party. The person who brought them to my house is an aide of the governor today. They had accused me of having sympathy for the other party. So, I have called you to help me beg the government not to mix the traditional issue of Ikere Ekiti with politics, so that they will not put a serious calamity on the community.

“The people are here in my palace and they are very annoyed. They’re not happy with what happened at the Ogoga palace because it is impossible for somebody to tell you on your land that he’s now the owner of your land. An Ikere-Ekiti intelligent report written by ‘oyibo’ people after colonising us and giving us independence, clearly stated that the Olukere founded this town called

Ikere and that the Olukere made boundaries. It is only Oba that makes boundaries in Yorubaland. The intelligence report will tell you that we made boundaries with the Itajis, with the Oruns, with the Akures when this place was established. And I want to put it to you that in 1836, the Ogoga was a king in Akure, he was the Ogoga of Akure and Ikere Ekiti had been in existence as of that time hundreds of years. Go to your records and check them out. The Ogoga left Akure to go to Agama, and all this time, Ikere Ekiti had been in existence under the rulership of the Olukere of Ikere Ekiti. ‘‘There is nowhere in Yorubaland where you see the Olu of that town coming second to any other person in that town. If you have an example please, give it to me.

“The motive of the press conference is to beg the world to beg the governor of the state not to cause trouble in Ikere. We have papers with the ministry which the government can treat. Are they pre-empting the reports of the papers we filed by going to the media to tell the world that there is only one king in Ikere? A few people should not stay outside Ikere to destroy Ikere because they have money. If there was no Ikere, they wouldn’t be what they are today. ‘‘The name of this town was given by my Continues on pg23

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13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

crimeandcourt

She values her BlackBerry phone more than family, husband tells court He starved me of sex for 3 years, made my life miserable —Wife Stories by Ayomide Owonibi with Agency Reports

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man, Felix Obasere, has told an Igando customary court in Lagos State, that his wife cherished her Blackberry phone more than her family.

Obasere is the respondent in a suit filed by his estranged spouse, Sandra, asking the court to grant her permission to have access to their four children.

The respondent told the court that trouble began when his live-in lover started using a Blackberry phone.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the couple had co-habited for about nine years without formalising their relationship, which had produced four children.

Sandra had gone to court complaining of denial of access to their children by Obasere, sexual starvation for three years and threats to her life.

All the claims were, however, denied by the respondent.

“I cannot deny her access to our children, after all, they did not fall from heaven, but she goes to their school to discuss our issues with the children’s teacher.

“I was embarrassed, so I changed their school after she packed out, using a flimsy excuse. Afterall, she does nothing but to fiddle with her phone all day.

“The whole thing started when she started using a Blackberry phone. She no longer had time for me and the children anymore.

“She was always with her Blackberry, chatting and pinging.

“When she came to pack her things, she was throwing stones at me,” Felix told the court.

The plaintiff also told the court that her partner was in the habit of beating her at the slightest provocation.

“He beat me at will, for three years, he denied me sex and made my life miserable, for no just reason.

“Whenever I buy things for our children and I pass them through their godfather, it’s always a tug of war before he will allow them to collect those things from me,” Sandra said.

President of the court, Adegboyega Omilola, ordered the couple to come for an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) meeting on February 18.

He urged the couple to each come along with three members of their families to the meeting.

The case was adjourned till February 22, for continuation of hearing.

She invited armed gangs to kill me, rob my junior wife — Husband Her conversation on phone must have attracted the robbers —Wife A middle-aged man, Lateef Komolafe, has told an Igando Customary court in Lagos State that his estranged wife, Tawakalitu, invited armed robbers to rob his junior wife.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Komolafe had approached the court seeking dissolution of his 24-year-old marriage to Tawakalitu over allegations of threat to life, frequent fighting, involvement in fetish practices and lack of love.

The marriage is blessed with four children aged between 18 years and 24 years.

Komolafe said: “She invited robbers to attack my junior wife; she has questionable character; on several occasions her family has come to plead with me on her behalf.

“She even hired assassins to kill me, but they failed.

“When she was confronted she said she only wanted them to beat me in order to teach me a lesson.

“There is no herbalist my wife does not know, I fear for my life, I see all sorts of charms with her, what she does with them I don’t know.”

Tawakalitu, however, denied the allegations.

She said that the actions of the other wife mate must have

attracted the armed robbers to their house.

“A friend of mine is fond of talking loud on the phone about large sums of money outside; this must have attracted the robbers, I don’t know anything about the robbery.

“They (robbers) entered my room first, I tried to call my husband to inform him, but he did not pick my calls, because for 10 years now we are not on talking terms.

“I don’t know anything about the alleged assassination plot; my husband is a contractor involved in all sorts of

deals; there was never a time that I confessed to anything.

“I am a practising Muslim, I don’t know any herbalist as he claims, I have never seen or done any juju,” she said.

Tawakalitu said that she and her husband had a peaceful home before he married another wife.

President of the court, Adegboyega Omilola, ordered the couple to come with three members of their families each for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) on February 18 and adjourned the case till February 22 for hearing.

‘He has abandoned his responsibilities to his family’ AN Osogbo customary court in Osun State has dissolved the eight-year-old marriage between Kadijat and her estranged husband, Sikiru Olawale, over alleged battering.

Kadijat told the court that her husband, a photographer, usually beat her whenever he was drunk, adding that he does not care for their children.

Kadijat, a businesswoman, also alleged that her estranged husband had abandoned his responsibilities to his family.

She said that she was the one taking care of the children

and paying their school fees.

“My husband used to beat me and my children whenever he is drunk.

“I pay the school fees of our kids and feed the family but that is not enough reason for him not to beat me,” she said.

The defendant did not make appearance in court.

In her ruling, the president of the court, Bolarinwa Popoola, dissolved the marriage.

She said that the dissolution was with immediate effect.

Saturday Tribune

He was the one who asked me to quit —Wife She was already planning to leave —Husband A woman, Deborah Akeju, has asked an Agboyi/Ketu customary court in Lagos State, to dissolve her marriage because her husband, Tunde Akeju, is violent.

Deborah had approached the court to dissolve the union between her and her husband on the grounds of violence, drunkenness, threats to life, lack of care and lack of love.

Deborah, who sells cooked food, said that her husband is too violent and always returns home drunk, and whenever he is drunk, he beats her even in public and accuses her of promiscuity.

According to her, one day when she was closing her shop at night, sometimes in February 2014, she was talking to one male customer in front of her shop at the bus stop and all of a sudden, she saw her husband and he started accusing her of dating the man and they started arguing and he beat her up in the public and was going to use a big stick to hit her on the head when a passer-by intervened and people gathered around and rescued her from him.

“When I got home that night, he continued and he told me to pack out of his house otherwise he would kill me. He later sent me out, took one of our four kids to his mother in Akoko in Ondo State, took the other two and left me with one of the kids.

Despite the fact that they are not staying with me, I am still the one providing for all the needs of the kids and each time he sees me on the road, he hurls all kinds of abuse at me.”

She asked the court to dissolve the union, grant her custody of the kids and that Akeju should care for the kids and any other matter the court deems fit.

The court asked Akeju to respond to the accusations made against him by his wife. He said she was lying and that no iota of truth was in her allegations.

“She is lying. I don’t beat her in public places, even the one she narrated was a lie, I only shouted at her and beat her when we got home. I got angry when I noticed that there is number that always calls her and whenever she received the call, her attitude would change immediately. The next thing she would do was to cook, and put it in the cooler and carry it out. So, I took her phone when she was not looking and copied the number.

The day I saw her with the man at the bus stop near her shop, I quickly dialled the number to know if that’s the man that always called her. And as soon as I dialled the number, the man’s phone rang, that was when I now discovered that she was dating the man. When we got home, I brought out a bible and told her to swear that the man she was standing with was not her boyfriend and she threw the bible away and that was when I concluded that the man was her boyfriend,” he told the court.

He added:“I told her to leave my house out of annoyance, not knowing that she would pack out and she immediately moved into the man’s house as soon as she left mine and took one of our daughters with her.

“The man she is living with now started to threaten me. He said he would kill me if he sees me and I kept telling her to stop the man to stop threatening me and I had to report at the Alapere police station,” he said.

Akeju also said their daughter that is living with her and the boyfriend came to him crying that the man beats her for no

He always beat me and once attempted to murder me—Wife I’ve stopped beating her since —Husband A housewife, Mrs Mukaila Kafilat, has asked an Osogbo customary court in Osun State to dissolve her marriage to her husband, Mr Mukaila Olaoye, over allegation that her husband attempted to kill her, which she narrowly escaped.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Kafilat told the court that, “I was sleeping one day when I felt hands around my neck and discovered my husband was trying to strangle me to death.

“But for the intervention of our neighbours, I would have been dead by now,”she told the court with tears streaming down her face.

She also accused her husband of lack of interest in her and that he does not love her any more , which is the reason he had stopped caring for her and their children.

She told the court that he also doesn’t give her peace of mind in the house, as he is always monitoring her movements and does not allow her to have friends and beats her

31

whenever he sees her with the opposite sex.

Kafilat therefore urged the court to dissolve the marriage between them so she could have peace of mind and move on with her life as she believes that her marriage has failed already.

Her husband, Olaoye, however, denied the allegations and said he has since stopped beating Kafilat since last year.

He said he still loves his wife and insisted that he is not guilty of any allegation levelled against him, stressing that he was not ready to divorce his wife.

A friend to the husband, Mr Ajibade Kolawole who was also present in court, appealed to the court not to dissolve the marriage as it would greatly affect their two kids.

President of the court, Chief N. L Odelola, adjourned the case till February 23 and urged the couple to try and settle the matter before the next adjournment date.

reason. He said that he will not release the other kids to her as the only one with her is not well taken care of.

But the wife countered her husband by accusing him of falsehood saying that the man was not calling him, but that it is the other people that he annoyed that were threatening him.

President of court, Mr O.T Williams asked Deborah to react to her husband’s accusation of infidelity. She did not deny but said the man was a member of her church.

She was also asked if her boyfriend beats up her daughter, but she didn’t respond.

The president of the court said he was unhappy with the couple and that he could see that they were both lying and were gradually destroying the children and making them take sides. He told them to go home and decide how they will settle their kids and how they plan to make the lives of the four kids better, that the court wants to ensure that the children are well taken care of.

The president adjourned the case till 16 February.

Court frees man after 9 years in prison for want of evidence AN Enugu High Court in Enugu State, presided over by Justice Catherine Nwobodo has freed one Kingsley Udenu who spent nine years in prison awaiting trial.

Udenu was freed for what the judge called discrepancies in witnesses’ testimonies.

The suspect was arraigned for armed robbery and illegal possession of firearms in September 2007 and remanded at the Enugu prisons.

The victims claimed that the suspect and his gang robbed them of their phones, money, shirts, fez-cap and other valuables, adding that it was when the suspect was arrested that a live cartridge fell from his pocket.

One of the victims in his testimony told the court that a gang of four men attacked them at 20-B Umunebo Street, Ogui, in Enugu around 2 a.m. robbing them of their belongings.

He also claimed that the suspect was arrested in the morning and handed over to a traditional ruler while the stolen items were recovered from him.

Another victim also said that the suspect was among the three-man robbery gang that attacked him on the same day and carted their belongings.

He alleged that the accused was traced to his house and arrested by the police.

The judge held that given the conflicting evidence by the witnesses, one could not ascertain if the suspect was among the people that robbed the plaintiffs.

Justice Nwobodo, therefore, discharged the suspect for want of evidence.

Reacting to the judgement, Udenu thanked God for seeing him through the traumatic experience.

He said he was preparing to go for his mandatory one year youth corps service when he was arrested.

Police arrest man for allegedly killing his father THE Akwa Ibom Police Command has arrested a 25-yearold man, Mfreke Archibong, for allegedly killing his father, Mr Aniefiok Archibong.

Akwa Ibom State Police Commissioner, Murtala Mani, told journalists in Uyo that the accused committed the offence on Monday, February 8.

The commissioner said that the accused used a log of wood to hit his father on his head which led to his death.

Mani said that Mfreke, who hails from Ikot Udo Nkan in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of the state, confessed to have committed the offence.

“This young man murdered his father by using a log of wood to hit him on the head, the young man will be charged to court after investigation,” the commissioner said.

Confessing to the crime, the suspect said he came back from work and met his parents quarrelling and asked what happened.

According to him, his father, on hearing his voice came out of the room, threw a bottle at him and used a log of wood to hit him.

The suspect explained that in his anger, he collected the log of wood and hit his father in the hand and wondered why he should die because of that.

19 commentary

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Ibadan 1959 declaration still in force —Olunloyo •Says Seriki line failed to seek enforcement of judgment Continued from yesterday

By Omololu Olunloyo

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S of today, the litigation continued until the consent judgment reached the Supreme Court. The Governors of Oyo State, for their own part, have not completed the processes. No one can blame or should blame any of the Governors because of the nature of the judgment of the Supreme Court. This is my own personal opinion and I think it is an informed one.

At this juncture, we come to an almost surrealist but definitely transcendental part of my treatment of the recondite problem now facing Ibadan as to Seriki line’s claims of various kinds. Certainly, promotions had been frozen for a good while and yet Oba Asanike I was one of the most popular Olubadan who reigned in or ruled Ibadan.

Oba Asanike kept strictly to the tenets of justice, fair play and equity. He was a jolly good fellow, a fine gentleman of the finest calibre if ever there was one. I remember vividly his stand-off with Chief Yinusa Ogundipe (as he then was) over the promotion of Balogun-elect Akere. This was before the chicken came home to roost. We all know the subsequent fate of Ogundipe. God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform. The substance of this part of the write-up is the terse, almost entirely logically accurate, unexceptionable and nearly flawless points made by Chief Olalekan Adisa Fakunle on behalf of the Seriki line.

The advertorial was titled “The Bases of Claim of the Seriki chiefs to produce the next Olubadan of Ibadan after the death of HRM Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade I.” I read this advertorial nearly five times before picking the subtle holes embedded in it. It was on page 46 of the “Saturday Tribune” of 30 January, 2016. Before going into the crafty nitty-gritty of the write-up, I must pontificate that no chieftaincy line and a fortiori no one can make an Olubadan of himself. That would be akin to Napoleon Bonaparte which Ibadan’s republican, egalitarian and cosmopolitan republic of warriors, indeed founded by a composite band of marauders, would tolerate. Chief Fakunle’s advertorial was skilfully put together. There are two major parts, Section 1 was the historical leg which is more or less flawless because before 1946 ONLY the Balogun line used to occupy the headship of the town, Bale or by whatever name called, e.g. Bashorun, Are-Ona Kakanfo, etc etc.

Fakunle’s historical leg is absolutely almost unexceptionable. The Section 2 is the controversial legal leg concerning Suit No I/313/88 (Seriki vs Olubadan etc) in Ibadan in 1988 and here I would stick out my neck. The terms of settlement (out of court) was prepared and signed by the Olubadan, Balogun and the Otun Olubadan representing all the traditional chiefs in Ibadan and their counsel.

These terms of settlement were filed in court on December 1, 1989 and to cut a long story short, adopted as judgment of the High Court. We need not haggle over the terms, for instance, as to how mutually equitable they were vis-a-vis the interest of both sides. Suffice it to say they were signed as agreed to.

The first suspect statement in Fakunle’s submission is that the original and now notorious double vacancy clause in the Akinyele 1959 Declaration has been amended by clauses I and II of the consent judgment. Fakunle thereafter contrives to quote that the Oyo State of Nigeria Gazette No 24, Vol 3 of the 8th June 1978, though retrospective, still governs the composition of Olubadan, Balogun and Otun Olubadan as the Chieftaincy Committee of Ibadan Local Government of the IMG. This Fakunle assertion presumes that the IMG was still the competent council designated for the Olubadan chieftaincy. There lies a small catch, rectifiable today for instance, as it might not be valid. Fakunle then uses the phrase “deemed to have been amended” in respect of the Seriki declaration of 1959. Fakunle used other arguments such as “And since it is their duty to prepare a formal amendment to the 1959 Declaration and present the same to the Governor of Oyo State for his approval and having failed to do so, they cannot hide under their failure to do their duty to contend that the 1959 Akinyele Seriki Declaration was never amended.” Fakunle, in a very desperately plaintive tone takes refuge under a maxim that as far as the law is concerned that a person will not be allowed to take refuge under his own malfeasance to contend that what he ought to have done was never done.

The law, Fakunle contends that the law will tell him, since it is your duty to do it and you have failed to do it, the law

Olunloyo will act on the presumption that you have done it and proceed from there.

In my own humble logical opinion (not necessarily legal!), this is a very clear but either weak or inappropriate maxim. Suppose it involves material things such as payment of money, release of land, it seems overt steps to complete the actualisation of the fruits of the judgment to the judgment-creditor. Fakunle cites various authorities which are not really persuasive to a mathematical legally inclined mind. Why do I say this? He resorts to equity but I think it is to little avail. The principles of equity and regarding the court, any court (High, Appeal, Supreme) is inherently a court of equity does not quite catch this slippery rambling game in the legal forest! He ends his valiant write-up, more by way of sentiments as to relative positions of various chiefs on incomparable lines. By sheer Aristotelian logic (see e.g. Organon or Nichomachean Ethics), it is invidious to compare incomparables. If you take Otun line and Balogun line and the rate of mortality on one line is double or triple that on the other, someone who was once very far relatively to another may come to be senior to another.

He ended with a fatally hideous argument jumping a wide legal chasm to conclude as if exhausted that it is the turn of Seriki chiefs to produce the next Olubadan, in line with the consent judgment. This is shockingly and pitifully vacuous type of argument. Let us start from the end. The consent judgment does not pronounce or imply anything about when and how Seriki chiefs would or could produce the “next Olubadan.” Pitifully, it is pity, because it only pronounces as to how a Seriki can travel the next leg of his journey to the top from one of the Ekerins. Ogunwusi in 1964 did not complete the second leg of that arduous journey. He died six months later. There is even now no Seriki as such but the undisputed head of the dormant (but not moribund) Seriki line. Assuming the dexterous use of the principle of equity, how do we calculate where Seriki Oyediji would be located now on one of the Olubadan ladders and which of the ladders in the partly ambiguous consent judgment? Fakunle’s argument does not today quite clinch this Olubadan stool for anyone on the Seriki line, since it does not do so unfortunately for Chief Oyediji. It is nearly absolute nonsense to set up a parallel Olubadan as one newspaper said last week. There are several fatal flaws

in Chief Fakunle’s arguments. He concentrates on the trio of the highest chiefs who constitute the declaration making committee. Assuming they make a new declaration absolutely in line with the adopted consent judgment, what about the Governor? Can he sign an amended declaration which has not been made or forwarded to him? Can any such amputated document have the force of law without the Governor’s signature?

We enter the deep end of the treacherous waters of the jurisprudence of this matter. To explain this, we must pay tribute to Aare Afe Babalola, OFR, SAN, FNIALS, FCIArb, LLD, LLB (Hons), B.Sc (Econs) Lond, B.L of Lincoln’s Inn London and Supreme Court of Nigeria He has penned a book, the subject matter of which is hardly taught in our universities nor given the pride of place it deserves in law schools in Nigeria and England. It is the dry and difficult subject of the Enforcement of Judgements. Kudos to Aare Babalola who wrote the book: “Enforcement of Judgements” which contains an inimitable, lucid and very felicitous foreword as bright as the morning star by Hon Justice M. O. Onalaja when he was Justice of Appeal Court, Lagos.

What is difficult for one mind to comprehend may be easiest for another. Jurisprudence, Theory of Law, Philosophy of Law, Canons of Statutory Interpretation and Drafting have so many similarities with Pure Mathematics and Logic and so become a piece of cake for a mathematician studying the basic underpinning of Law. Chief Fakunle’s advertorial has a discernible pattern.

The argument in the legal leg becomes weaker and weaker as it crawls inexorably to its pathetic failure of an end.

The weakest part is that the Governor who must sign this amendment to the 1959 Declaration has not been presented with it since the judgment was delivered in 1989.

It has not reached the table of all the Governors, military or civilian. One corollary is that the 1959 subsidiary legislation subsists and save for the obstacles in the principal legislation Cap 20 Section 14 (2) and those in the Olubadan Declaration of 1959, High Chief Balogun Saliu Adetunji has cleared all the hurdles in the declaration. It remains for the government to clear him and without let or hindrance, importing no non-constitutional process into the process. He is as good as home in the race.

There are a few comments that can be gained from closely reading Aare Afe Babalola’s “Enforcement of Judgements.” The Supreme Court consent judgment is probably a pathological case of a judgement that is merely declaratory, incomplete or outright unenforceable.

“Every judgement of the court must be obeyed and is effective from the date of its delivery or from such a date as the judgement itself appoints. The judgement is meant to be obeyed without demand and if there is default in obedience, after a period of grace which can be between three to fourteen days as the rule may prescribe, the judgment creditor is entitled to commence enforcement proceedings.” Now that is vintage Afe Babalola on enforceable judgments.

Chief Fakunle’s case seems to involve an unenforceable per se. The Governor is not a party and there is nothing he can do if no amendment is forwarded to him. It is somehow dormant. Afe says a declaratory judgment may however be enforced by an action. Thus the party who obtains a declaratory judgement or order may go back to court and seek an order to enforce it. Aare Afe Babalola then explains what Karibi Whyte JSC advises anyone who finds a dormant judgement on his plate to do. Does Chief Fakunle not think that since 1989 proceedings ought to have been taken to protect the threat of violation of the rights so declared in the judgement or order coercive powers of the court in the enforcement of the judgement?

Is the judgement Seriki line obtained in 1989 at the Supreme Court a mere paper judgement? Have the Seriki people taken the ultimate final step of translating their paper judgement into reality? I think not.

Now for an anticlimax, calculating statistically, I told High Chief Saliu Adetunji thrice in the last six years that he would be the next Olubadan! He would confirm that to you all. He should do two things to prune lines which have unilaterally increased rungs on them. He should also defreeze the promotion on the Seriki line. The Seriki and Iyalode are the unique representatives on the list of Kingmakers of Ibadan as listed in the 1959 Declaration for the Olubadan of Ibadan Chieftaincy. The gridlock is smashed. The Gordian knot is untied. The government is lucky. Saliu Adetunji is the victor of the day.

20

Saturday Tribune

13 February, 2016

With Tommy Adegbite 0811 695 4631 tommyabijo@yahoo.com

From left, General Manager, West African Markets, British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN), Laurent Meffre; Chairman, BATN Foundation, Chief Kola Jamodu; special guest of honour and former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and the Managing Director, BATN, Chris McAllister, during the formal opening of BAT’s West Africa head office in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Tuesday.

From left, President, Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy, Mr Taiwo Oyewunmi; physiotherapist, Dr T. A. Oshin; President, National Postgraduate Physiotherapy College of Nigeria (NPPCN), Professor M. O. B. Olaogun; special guest, Dr Wole Lawal and the chairman on the occasion, Professor O. G. Ajao, during the training the trainers workshop organised by the NPPCN, at the University of Ibadan Centre for Sustainable Development, Awolowo Avenue, Bodija, Ibadan, on Wednesday. PHOTO: TOMMY ADEGBITE.

life&living

The Aare Alaasa Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Lekan Alabi (second left), presenting a copy of his latest book to the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, during a courtesy visit to the monarch. With them is Alhaji Muktahr Gbadeyanka.

Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, with newlyweds, Mr and Mrs Ayo Quadri, during the church service held at the New Covenant Church, Gamo village, Abuja, recently.

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14 FEBRUARY, 2016 Mr Sesan Azeez Akinwumi (right) and Mr Faniran Felix Keji of the Department of Languages and Linguistics, Osun State University, Ikire campus, during the university’s 2014/2015 matriculation ceremony, on Wednesday.

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From right, Mr Oba Jegede, Alhaji Akande, Mr Salisu Hammed, Honourable Saheed Akinade-Fijabi, Elder Joseph Adeyemi and wife, Ayo and Mr Wasiu Olatunbosun, during the annual get-together of Ologuneru community, Ibadan, recently.

Why ladies should moisturise, tone their skins —Fasanu The Richard Akinjide Inteview

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Children of Mrs Deborah Olanrewaju Ogunkoya during the burial ceremony of their mother held at St. Anne’s Church, Molete, Ibadan, recently. PHOTO: YEMI FUNSO-OKE

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21 features

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Nigeria’s Boko Haram and Suicide Bombers

Nigerian army to shut markets where Boko Haram trades

By John Campbell

O

n February 9, two female suicide bombers killed at least sixty people in a camp for internally displaced persons (IDP) about fifty miles from Maiduguri, Borno state’s capital. The Nigerian media reports that a third bomber did not detonate her explosives after seeing family members in the camp.

As is the usual practice now, no group has claimed responsibility, but there is unanimity that it was Boko Haram, the radical Islamist movement that seeks to destroy the Nigerian secular state. There have been suicide bomber attacks on other IDP camps, though this is apparently the first occurence in Borno state, where Boko Haram has its origins.

Conventional wisdom holds that as the Nigerian military has driven Boko Haram out of the territories it once occupied, it has returned to its earlier tactic of attacks on soft targets, such as markets and mosques. Adding IDP camps is a logical extension of the target list.

Suicide bombing has become so frequent that commentators take it for granted. In fact, it is quite new. Unlike in the Middle East, until recently there was no tradition of suicide attacks for political purposes in West Africa. In fact, suicide was a major social taboo. The first instance of suicide bombing in Nigeria occurred only in 2011. Who introduced the tactic is unclear. One hypothesis is that it was first used by Ansaru, a radical offshoot of Boko Haram that has since disappeared. Ansaru was allegedly close to alQaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), and the former may have copied the latter’s behavior.

Boko Haram’s association with suicide bombing antedates its “oath of allegiance” to the self-proclaimed Islamic State in March 2015.

It is widely held that Boko Haram coerces women and children into becoming suicide bombers. No doubt that is true in some cases. However, suicide

bombers in Iraq, Syria, or Afghanistan have sometimes been motivated by a desire for revenge for the deaths of loved ones at the hands of the military and security services.

That may also be true in northeast Nigeria.

Nigerian Army to Shut Markets Where Boko Haram Trades In a February 9 statement, acting Director of Army Public Relations Sani Usman said that the military will be shutting markets in Yobe and Borno states where traders “have clandestinely been aiding the terrorists (Boko Haram) with logistics and other supplies through smuggling and other forms of illicit trading, thus sustaining them while the merchants of death make money out of it.” Hence, “from now on, some markets identified to be engaging in this illegal trade with the adversary in Borno and Yobe states will be closed.” He also said that the traders were “sabotaging the successes… against the Boko Haram insurgency.”

The remainder of Sani Usman’s statement chronicled

recent military successes against Boko Haram, which included the arrest of two soldiers in possession of “unauthorized military equipment,” perhaps intended for Boko Haram.

Markets are at the center of daily life in northeast Nigeria, and they have been the venue for Boko Haram attacks.

Some are a thousand years old, others emerging spontaneously and informally.

In a country where few pay taxes of any kind, market fees can be an important source of revenue for local authorities.

Closing even some markets is a significant step.

Northeastern Nigeria has been a center of smuggling since pre-colonial times.

The region is adjacent to Chad, Niger, and Cameroon and athwart the major east-west trading routes from Khartoum to Dakar. In a region that even absent strife is very poor, such fortunes that have been made are often based on trading and smuggling. National boundaries were drawn by the British, French, and Germans in the late nineteenth century and do not correspond to ethnic or logistical boundaries. Border control is minimal, and the line between trade and smuggling can be very thin.

The military’s move to shut-down trading venues from which Boko Haram benefits is a sign of how deeply the latter is embedded in at least some parts of northeast Nigeria, and why Boko Haram operations continue despite the litany of military successes against it.

Campbell is a former US Ambassador to Nigeria. He posted this on cfr.org

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13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

It is every bride’s dream to be the cynosure of all eyes as she walks down the aisle. For centuries, brides have worn impeccable white dresses as they take this life-defining walk but recently, some brides are daring to ditch the traditional Queen Victorian white. VERA ONANA writes on this emerging colour wedding dress trend.

Saturday Tribune

27

valentinespecial Bridal fashion:Ditching the

traditional white

A

s little girls, most women have had this dream. The pretty dream in which they are adorned in the most beautiful gown ever made, walking down the aisle with a smile that could stop the earth from spinning on its axis. A dream about that big day, when they alone, will be the cynosure of all eyes and no one else in the world would matter. In that dream, all other things could seem hazy, even the face of the man waiting at the end of the aisle, but one thing attains vivid imagery and lingers in their memories, hours after the reverie fades and reality kicks in – the white wedding dress.

For centuries, brides have been adorned in flawless white dresses with a stunning trail of veil to mark a day that is considered to be the happiest day of a woman’s life. This tradition began over a hundred years ago when Queen Victoria introduced a new era of bridal standards by choosing to walk down the aisle in a white silk-satin, a choice that was iconoclastic and shaped the future of weddings in the West.

But this Western tradition was soon inculcated by several non-Westerns due to colonialism by the British and thus the concept of white weddings became a force to be reckoned with in black Africa, Nigeria inclusive.

In Nigeria, brides, over the years have been known to lapse into a phase of frantic foraging and some kind of irascibility after the date for the big day has been set. They fuss, whine and their blood pressures shoot up all to find the perfect white wedding dress which has since the 19th century been considered to be traditional wedding colour partly because it stands for purity, innocence as well as cleanliness and also because Queen Victoria set the precedent.

However, the 21st century bride is gradually becoming really bold with her choice of colour and may not necessarily share the thriftiness of the 19th century bride. Some modern-day brides have been observed to ditch the traditional white wedding dress for other more seemingly suitable colours and it is assumed that more brides are likely to follow in the trend of eschewing the white wedding dress.

On why coloured wedding dresses are trending in the 21st century, brides and wedding dress designers came up with an array of reasons.

I couldn’t pull off white because of my skin tone “My mom frantically disapproved,” a recent bride began “but it was going to be my big day and I deserved to be happy,” she continued while speaking on why she chose a cream coloured wedding dress as opposed to the white dress. “I am really dark-skinned and white has never been my favourite colour. I was in constant dilemma from the moment we set the wedding date. All the white dresses I tried just looked wrong. I was like a badly burnt toast sitting on white china and then I realised that I couldn’t pull white off because of my skin tone if I wanted to be a satisfied

for other colours

bride, I would have to do the unconventional. I didn’t wear white when I got married simply because white doesn’t look good on me! Obviously I wanted to look my best so I wore cream, which is flattering on me.”

I wasn’t a virgin “I tried on white wedding dresses and I thought, ‘who am I kidding? I’m no virgin so let’s quit with farce.’ My mother had visions of me in Cinderella white tulle and spun sugar fluff so she was very disappointed. I wore my perfect dress in hydrangea blue and looked beautiful.”

Gold is my favourite colour “Gold is my favourite colour so that’s what I wore on my wedding day — a gold-sequinned, boat neck sheath. My husband was blown away when he saw me walking the aisle toward him.”

It was my second wedding Another bride said “It was my second wedding so I thought, what is the fuss all about? Really, I used to think that white signified purity and innocence. I also imagined that walking down the aisle in a white dress would bring me marital bliss but I did and ended up being bashed, kicked and almost disfigured so I decided to do something else. Besides, I didn’t want to remember anything about my first marriage and the white dresses kept reminding me of it. So, I decided to get married in black and my daughter was my best lady.”

I was a raging feminist This bride simply said “I was a 35-year-old raging feminist humour writer getting married to a TV/film writer. A lot of people thought I would never get married so I wanted to wear any colour but white. It was a casual civil ceremony and I was adorned in an emerald wedding dress.

Walking down the aisle in that dress was one of the greatest moments of my life.”

White connotes wealth, not purity Though wearing the white wedding dress is considered traditional in the Western culture and by extension, in other wedding cultures, like in Nigeria, one might ask what exactly the white dress symbolises. Contrary to general conception, the tradition of whites wearing white has never symbolised virginity or purity. Astonishingly, it turns out that the white bridal gowns’ primary function was ostentatiousness.

According to British curator, Edwina Ehrman, “the connotation of purity was not important,” he stated. “It was about wealth. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, women who could afford it got married in white.” In the days when washing was done painstakingly by hand with a washboard, a white dress was almost impossible to clean thoroughly. “It was a garment you just

wore once, so it was only for the very wealthy.”

The white (or ivory) wedding dress – popularised by Queen Victoria, who wore one at her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840 – has certainly endured. There’s no denying its totemic power.

So quintessentially bridal has the white dress become that now when a bride chooses to tie the knot wearing another colour, it’s considered daring and rebellious,” Ehrman added.

Bridal dress designers’ view Designer Jenny Packham, a designer said, “the most memorable wedding outfits for me are those that define an era from a fashion perspective,” she said while adding her perspective on how she predicts the wedding dress will evolve, she stated “the bridal dress must stand out as a piece of clothing… At the moment there is a comfortable stand-off between the red carpet and the aisle.

Neither wants to look like the other.”

It’s all in the detail, agrees Gareth Pugh, who has created several stage dresses and wedding dresses. “For most, a wedding is perhaps the one day where they are allowed free rein to really go to town. There will always be a niche market for the traditional white meringue, but I like the idea of the dress being a little more personal – something that is made with love and care, something that takes time and patience - a lot like the marriage itself.”

Clerics’ opinions Speaking on the trend, Reverend Father Felix Adedigba, Director of Communications of the Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan, reiterated the stand of the Catholic Church on wedding proceedings. “The Catholic Church teaches that marriage, as a divine institution and noble vocation, is a sacrament, a means by which the grace of God comes to those who enter into marriage.

This grace is what helps them in their roles as Christian husband, and wives and above all as Christian parents.” Speaking on the preferred mode of dressing, Adedigba added that “the mode of dressing at wedding is important. Our church

Photos: Internet treat this as a matter of conscience; nobody forces anyone to wear a particular colour of dress. No one should therefore discriminate against anyone on the basis of the colour of dress she wears.”

“Above all, the Catholic Church in Nigeria advocates that traditional wears should be considered for church weddings as done for engagement ceremonies as a way of promoting the African culture,” he concluded.

maintains the use of conventional dresses of white gown and suit for bride and the groom respectively. That is why the ceremony is called white wedding. However, our church continues to encourage that these dresses should be decent and the entire ceremony economically moderate.

No one is forced to wear a particular colour of dress – Rev. Adedigba On the issue of wedding gown colours, which is the crux of the matter, Adedigba expressly said “Some brides prefer the use of off-white or cream for some obvious reasons. We

with the wedding.”

White is the tradition for the Anglican Church —Bishop Speaking also on the trend, Bishop Afolabi Popoola of the Osun State Anglican Diocese said, “the Anglican tradition is white and white is a colour that indicates the purity of the bride.

We don’t take other colours at all for weddings in the Anglican Church. If a bride shows up wearing any colour other than white, we won’t proceed

Evolution of the wedding dress Like marriage itself, the wedding dress has continued to evolve and according to Edwina Ehrman, “there is definitely a spirit of competitiveness around weddings now – the bridezilla or groomzilla phenomenon is real and the alternative-wedding bridezilla who wishes to make a conscious statement through her wedding can be just as competitive – in fact, some are ditching the white wedding dress to make a point about gender politics. However, when it comes to the modern bridal wear, we are just incredibly lucky to have such a diversity of choice,” he said.

23 thesouth-west

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Ogoga, Olukere in supremacy battle

Ogoga

Olukere Continues from pg17

forefather through the plant they cultivated when they founded this town. My fathers cultivated a seed called “Ukerekere” that was how Ikere came to be. Through that plant, my father was called “Baba oni Ukerekere” which was later shortened to “Baba oni Ukere”. Now, ask the government if Ikere had been in existence before the Ogoga arrived? Was it a jungle? Ask them why the Ogoga took refuge in my palace when he arrived in Ikere, was it being presided over by nobody? Ikere has history, Ikere has tradition and Ikere has facts. Every oba in Yorubaland has a traditional function he performs, please ask the Ogoga what is his traditional function in Ikere Ekiti? Obas were not going out in those days and that’s why I took him as a messenger and sent him errands. That’s what history says. ‘‘So, I beg the Ekiti State government to please not make the issue a personal issue.

The governor told me that he installed the Ogoga and that I should not try to disturb him.

I can’t be a government to myself. I’ve sent the government memos. I am expecting the government to act on memos I sent to them, to either call for a consultative forum of a kind, or a special forum for Ikere people so that they can discuss the issue of Ikere and it can be sorted out in a peaceful manner. That’s why I’ve been going through the legal means. I have been doing that, but maybe, like I said, the governor has a personal issue with me. So, I’m begging him not to involve the issue of the community so that the community will not get burnt. They should act on the memos I sent to them instead of creating an unhealthy atmosphere in the community by going on air to say that we have one Oba in Ikere, when the government even has it

on its website that we have two obas in Ikere and even one is superior to the other.

Ogoga responds But the camp of Oba Adejimi Adu refused to be drawn into the renewed rivalry, with the Ogoga’s palace sources saying “Oba Adejimi Adu does want to respond to the allegations.” The Ogoga palace pointed out that it was the Olukere and the government that had issues and not the Ogoga and the Olukere.

However, the Sao of Ikere, High Chief J.K.M. Omotosho, signed a statement entitled: “A press release by all Ikere-Ekiti Chiefs on the rankings of Ganiyu Obasoyin, the Aworo (Chief Priest) of Olosunta, Ikere-Ekiti,” which was made available to journalists in Ado Ekiti, in response to the Olukere. In the statement, they reacted to the Olukere and stated thus: “We state here without equivocation as follows:

“There is only one Oba (monarch) in Ikere-Ekiti. Oba Samuel Adejimi Adu Alagbado, Ogbenuotesoro Agirilala II, the Ogoga of Ikere, the paramount ruler of Ikere and the prescribed authority of Ikere kingdom.

“That all Ikere chiefs owe their allegiance to the Ogoga of Ikere without exception.

Our loyalty to Ogoga is total.

“That Olukere lineage has no history or pedigree in Ikere monarchial heritage since the foundation of the world.

“That no government or constituted authority has accorded his lineage such respect or recognition as pertains to a king in the history of Yoruba race.

“That Olukere as a priest from the time past to now has no single chief! He does not confer any title on anyone and no single Ikere chief reports to him. A king should have a kingdom..

“That Olukere has no political and administrative functions in Ikere kingdom.

“That the state government pronouncement that Ogoga is the only monarch

He should apply to the state’s Bureau of Chieftaincy Affairs and exercise patience and should not take laws into his hands. He should at best be appealing to the government and not to create any kind of rancour between him and the government.

as far as issue of obaship is concerned in Ikere is in tandem with the tradition of the town.

“That the respect the past holders of the Priesthood position enjoyed is derived from the spirituality Ikere attach to Olosunta and approval of the Ogoga the priesthood authority.

“The general public should take note of Ganiyu Obasoyin calling for war, even when he has no kingdom. Therefore his act of thuggery which is becoming a nuisance in the media should have due attention of security agents. For the record and avoidance of doubt, historically, Oloje the first to be called Olukere came from Ilodi Quarters in Ile Ife to Ikere through Ise-Ekiti. He met people of Ikere and first settled at Ile Olowu Oke’kere, then Odopetu/Edemo compound at Oke’kere quarter before he was finally settled at Odo Ile in Odo Oja quarter by Aladeselu.

“Aladeselu is the recognised founder of Ikere. Olukere has never come out in daylight or mix with people for historical reasons. He only comes out during Olosunta festival, this festival cannot start without the prior approval and blessings of the Oba Ogoga at Ujero rite.

“We will like the public to take note that the actions and utterances of Ganiyu Obasoyin in arrogating to himself a non-existent obaship title without the approval of the state executive council is contrary to our law which is a criminal offence in the face of an express provision of our Chiefs law which in clear terms provide in section 12 to the effect that: “Any person who installs or purports to install a person as recognised chief other than the person approved by the executive council in accordance with this part and who, not being the person approved as recognised chief by the executive council in accordance with this part, permits himself to be installed in such a chief shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for three years.

What does the government say?

The state’s Commissioner for Information, Youth and Sports, Mr. Lanre Ogunsuyi, spoke on behalf of the government on the development. He called for patience on the part of the Olukere and charged him to ensure that he stayed away from creating problem in the community.

Ogunsuyi said it was better the Olukere remained patient and “avoid precipitating crisis in the community.”

According to Ogunsuyi, “he should just take the advice and ensure that he doesn’t test the will of government.”

Ogunsuyi said: “Government advised him in good faith. It is a piece of a sound advice that he should not disturb the Ogoga of Ikere or any other citizen of the town or the state for that matter. The Ogoga has been the recognised monarch for ages and if he or anybody else wants himself to be recognised, he should channel his complaints properly.

“He should apply to the state’s Bureau of Chieftaincy Affairs and exercise patience and should not take laws into his hands. He should at best be appealing to the government and not to create any kind of rancour between him and the government.

“On the agitation of his people, we shall advise him to appeal to them to be calm.

He shouldn’t test the will of government.

He shouldn’t precipitate any crisis because once there’s a breakdown of law and order, we know who to hold.’’

24

Saturday Tribune

13 February, 2016

style

Paint the town red on Valentine’s Day

Saturday Tribune With Kate Ani 08071080888 anikate92@yahoo.com

... if you don’t want to wear red

V

alentine’s Day has rolled around yet again, so it’s time to plan your wardrobe for this Lover’s Day celebration. From a fashion point of view, it’s a great day to wear the colour of romance and passion, which is red.

Regardless of if you are celebrating with your man, going out with your girlfriends to attract a new boyfriend or just pampering yourself on Valentine’s Day, a red sexy number will make you feel seductive, appealing and confident. Since red is such a powerful colour, you might think it’s not for you. If so, try red in a small dose, such as with an accessory.

25

However, if you want to break free from this Valentine’s Day red style cliché and make a standout statement, there are other stylish ways to pull off a romantic, feminine look without having to go for a scarlet or fuchsia number. You can draw inspirations from these fashionistas.

Tinuola Ayanniyi tayanniyi@yahoo.com 08055069379

Do-it-yourself

Shirt turned bracelet

26

13 February, 2016

outofthisworld In a Bolivian village, in order to get Good Luck, you must fight to the finish!

I

N a village in Bolivia, the villagers are of the belief that in order to achieve good luck, either during harvest or at work, they must come out once a year and engage in a fight to the finish that involves spilling as much blood as possible.

The ‘mass street fight’ takes place in a village called Masha in the Aades mountain area of Bolivia. In this village, men and women, dressed in colourful attires, engage in serious fisticuffs and anyone who floors and draws blood from his or her opponent is said to get the good luck for the year.

According to en.infobolivia.com, though no kicking is allowed, the villagers are expected to use their bare hands to slug it out and subdue their opponents.

When the opponent is floored, the winner has automatically achieved good luck for the year.

The villagers in mass battle.

Two men in serious battle.

Another fight to the finish session.

Women too searching for good luck.

Floored subdued, a case of bad luck.

Drawing blood from opponent.

Saturday Tribune WITH FEMI OSINUSI

osfem2@yahoo.com 08055069292

28

13 February, 2016

businessextra

Saturday Tribune

Edited by Sulaimon Olanrewaju

lanresulaiman123@gmail.com 0805 500 1708

Despite innovations, many Nigerians still bank with tears Akin Adewakun - Lagos

G

ODWIN had tried to transfer some funds to a friend who had earlier solicited for financial support from him. The friend, who was in dire need of funds, had insisted that he was not putting a tag on the support since any amount would be highly welcome. Looking at his lean purse and the inclement financial weather that pervaded the entire landscape, Godwin decided to do something to help his needy friend by sending his ‘widow’s mite.’

After frantic efforts at transferring the sum of N5,000 via his mobile phone, he eventually succeeded in doing that at the third attempt. Hardly had he heaved a sigh of relief that the task had been accomplished than his handset started buzzing. His account had been debited three times, despite making one successful transaction.

The much-touted online banking had gone awry. He had been made to send the sum of the N15,000 when he had originally planned to send N5,000.

“I was so upset that even the generous appreciation of this friend of mine could not assuage my feelings. Due to online banking malfunctioning, I had been made to cough up triple the amount I had intended to send. And in this case, there was no way I could ask this friend of mine to refund the balance, because the implications could be grave. This development nearly made me change my attitude towards online banking. Honestly, we still bank with tears in this part of the globe! There is really that need for something to be done,” he lamented.

Though Mrs. Suleyman, an Ikeja-based entrepreneur, was able to get her funds back, it was also a case of online banking gone berserk. She had thought she was sending a sum of N50,000 to a customer to defray a debt when she was suddenly alerted that the sum of N100,000 had been deducted from her account. On inquiry, she discovered that her first attempt at sending the money was deducted from her account despite the fact that the transfer process was never completed.

The above scenarios succinctly capture the pains and frustrations of many Nigerians, regarding banking in Nigeria, a tacit confirmation that Nigerians still bank with tears.

No doubt, the practice of banking has come of age in this part of the globe, especially with the increasing innovations in that sector which have gone a long way in changing the face of the practice in the country.

For instance, the introduction of the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and online banking are some of those innovations that many Nigerians would not like to forget in a hurry.

But curiously, as transformed as the nation’s financial landscape seems today, not a few Nigerians still believe that it is not yet uhuru, as evident in the travails of Godwin and Mrs. Suleyman. Some innovations that ordinarily should have further eased banking transactions among Nigerians are fast becoming a pain in the neck.

Unfortunately, another controversy was stirred in the sector, recently, with the introduction of the Stamp Duties policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

In a bid to shore up its revenue base, the Federal Government, through the apex bank, had mandated that any beneficiary of any funds be charged N50 for receiving a transfer of over N1,000 electronically or via a bank teller. According to the apex bank, its intention is to cash out Stamp Duty collections every month from Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and other financial institutions.

But since its introduction, not a few bank customers see this as another disincentive to the banking public. While acknowledging the imperative for the government to look for other means of shoring up the nation’s revenue base apart from oil, some of those who spoke with Saturday Tribune however believe that paying for receiving funds via online platform may slow down whatever progress the apex bank must have recorded in the area of cashless policy.

It is only in Nigeria that after spending some time on the queue, you insert your card into the machine and the machine does not dispense, yet your account is debited and it takes you some time to recover your funds

“We believe this Stamp Duty policy is ill-conceived. It may further impoverish Nigerians when you add this to the number of charges that bank customers are being made to pay by their banks on a regular basis,” said Dr Frank Jacobs, President of the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN)), in his response to the policy at a media chat recently.

Toeing the MAN’s boss line, a bank customer, Mr. Ayodeji Thomas, would have not seen anything wrong in the move, but for the plethora of levies bank customers had already been paying before the introduction of the Stamp Duty policy. ‘‘It is like adding to the burden of the banking public in Nigeria. The average bank customer pays for almost everything ranging from alert costs to interbank charges, deducted on both online and ATM transactions. If this is added, it may become too much of a burden for many bank customers to carry,” Thomas added.

“I think it’s been long we have been banking with tears despite the advent of all these technologies. The nation’s financial sector remains one of the many market segments where customers are not likely to get value for their money.

You just take your time to study the huge number of complaints recorded in that sector and you will know it is with tears that we bank in the country,” said Olu Omotosho.

According to Omotosho, “it is only in Nigeria that after spending some time on the queue, you insert your card into the machine and the machine does not dispense, yet your account is debited and it takes you some time to recover your funds.”

But Stephen Uwadiae, a marketing communication practitioner, believes this impression is being created about the Nigerian banks because there are not enough communication materials, explaining some of these policies to the public.

“While I agree that we still need to enhance Nigerians’ banking experience in this part of the globe, we must also realise that the nation’s banking space has evolved. But I think what is lacking now is good and effective communication, especially from the policy formulators to the banking public. Why this is imperative is that there is no way any government would come up with a policy designed to punish the people. Sometimes, it might look punitive, but what is important is for these formulators to highlight the benefits of such policies,” he stated.

But whether effective communication would make Nigerians understand the reasons they are being made to pay some levies, the mood within the banking space now is that of people still banking with tears.

29

13 February, 2016

ntertainment Society Gist

News

—p33

Praiz drops another single —p33

‘76’ movie starring Ramsey Nouah, Rita Dominic, Chidi Mokeme premieres July —p32

Modelling firms jostle for —p32

with Joan Omionawele and

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

Celebrity Interviews

My greatest regret —Ayefele

transformed breadseller

Saturday Tribune

30 entertainment

13 February, 2016

There is nothing I can do to change what has happened. I tried to start up a foundation to help people with sickle cell anemia but I could not bring myself to do it. Anytime I try to, I just remember my young 17-year-old son. I have not gotten over their death, especially that of my son. It is very difficult; I need to sponge that feeling before I am able to establish the foundation. I attempted to start the foundation but it was too emotional for me so I stopped. I fully intend to advocate about sickle cell. It has been seven years since he died but it is very fresh in my memory. I know that with time that would pass.

Continues from pg2

It was my mother that took the decision for me. I was at my worst as a bad boy immediately after secondary school and when other people were thinking of writing and rewriting their JAMB exam, I was busy being a truant. My mother decided to talk to a family friend who worked with Radio Nigeria. They had already worked things out so my mother just asked me to meet my uncle.

I felt that she had reported me to the man over something I must have done wrong and I was prepared for the scolding and apologise afterwards. As soon as I got to his office he just took me to his colleague’s office and left me there. I thought I was in serious trouble. At the time I only knew the man by reputation, I did not really know the man. He was very sternlooking and his name was Martin Okos, a legendary broadcaster. He asked me to read something out loud and when he heard me he said I was good enough and instructed me on when to resume at the training school. I went back to my uncle and he told me that I should report at the training school. That was it. I looked forward to it because my friends were already working at the radio station. For instance, JAJ was working in Radio Nigeria and he was already popular at the time same; with another friend of mine, Osazie Iyamo.

I was eager to resume work because I would be among my friends. That was how I became a broadcaster.

If your mother had not taken that step what do you think you would have become today?

I think I would have retraced my steps and gone back to school. I don’t think I would have studied mass communication; I think I would have studied law. I am sure that at some point I would have got tired of rascality and I would have gone to school. I would have continued with rascality for a while but as they say, no condition is permanent, so I would have gone back to school. Many of my friends were moving on with life and the pool of my rascal friends kept depleting every year.

Every year some of them would leave to face their life and I know that at some point I would have taken my life seriously.

We learnt that you have celebrated your birthday just twice in life, how true is that?

The first birthday I celebrated in my life was when I was ten years old and the reason, I remember, because I saw some of my birthday pictures. It was a party and it was organised by my mother. The other time I celebrated my birthday was when I turned 50. I salute the people that throw parties every day.

I am not your typical celebrity and a lot of my friends who are celebrities do not like me because I demystify the celebrity status. I am the type of celebrity that goes to Shitta to eat amala. I am the guy who area boys don’t even bother because they know that a kobo of my money would not get to their hands simply because I consider myself one of them. In fact, if they are not careful they would be the one to give me money. I am the antithesis of celebrities.

It is not like I set out to demystify celebrities but one of my favourite scripture is the one that says, “do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to.” Nobody owes me anything and if you give me respect I appreciate it. If you decide not to respect me, it is okay, it is your choice.

At what point did you delve into acting?

I am not a professional actor and I would be insulting actors if I call myself one. It is like a doctor who can drive, that does not mean he is a chauffeur. I am a broadcaster who had the privilege of being allowed to act with professional actors. In NTA back then, as a continuity announcer you have to get to work early to prepare for your shift. I had a cousin, Rolland Henshaw, who was a drama director. He was working as a producer director of drama and I used to hang out in his office whenever I resumed my shift. Actors normally rehearsed in his office and one day I asked him to let me rehearse with them. He agreed, gave me a script and a role. I did it very well. I did not consider acting then till the movie industry sprouted up and they were gracious enough to give me roles.

It later evolved to the point where I began to produce and direct movies under the tutelage of Danladi Bako, who is now a traditional chief in Sokoto. At the time he was my best friend and also a senior producer in NTA. He produced Second Chance and Spark. Because I was his friend and I was always with him while he was working, I subconsciously began to imbibe the skills of a producer and director for drama. Just being with him, it was like an apprenticeship programme.

On one occasion, someone needed him to do an advert for a soap opera but he was not around so I volunteered to do it for them. I did the job and the person was very impressed. That was when I realised that I could do the job. That was how I became a producer and director, all thanks to Danladi Bako.

The first ever privately syndicated television drama series in Nigeria was created, written, directed and produced by me and it was called, Jaded Option. Others were normally sponsored by various companies. The programme was very well and it was critically acclaimed. I have Danladi to thank for it because he was my tutor.

Saturday Tribune

What triggered your son’s attack?

The young boy had only two attacks in his lifetime. The first one he had was when his mother died. His mother died in 1999 and he was just seven years old. He did not have another attack for about ten years. I don’t know what could have triggered his attack. His mother, for instance, had several attacks for the ten years we married and she always pulled through. I was almost certain that he would also pull through but he did not. It is sad.

Why I don’t celebrate birthdays —Doyle I am not your typical celebrity and a lot of my friends who are celebrities do not like me because I demystify the celebrity status.

At 22 you had already become popular, how were you able to handle the fame?

When I started out, there was no money in this job. It is just now that the new crops of actors are making money from moviemaking. Do I feel bad when I see younger people living large? The answer is no. I feel proud. I am very proud that I pioneered something that young men and women are making money from. I feel like a proud father because a father is only proud when his son does better than him in life.

I am not a ladies’ man in the classic sense. Now, ladies that I knew back then tell me that I was very good-looking as a young man and they had a crush on me. I am always amazed and tell them that why didn’t they inform me. I did not rightly estimate my asset at the time. Maybe if I did I could have derailed in life. I do not think I was popular with the women back then. Judging myself I would say I tried because my wife is a very beautiful woman. I have not done badly ultimately.

How did you feel when you lost your first wife and teenage son to sickle cell anemia?

It was a very trying time for me. I have not yet come to terms with my loss. My Christian faith allows me to give thanks to God in all things. To be honest, it is difficult to give thanks because I always ask God why such happened to me twice, but the truth about it is that there is nothing I can do about it. I feel God has consoled me because I have a wonderful wife and lovely daughters. I have the respect of my peers, I am grateful to God and I can’t complain.

But during marriage counselling, couples are normally advised on issues like this…

I am a Christian and I cannot say I would not marry somebody that I am in love with because of health issues.

Besides, during that time, we did not have anything like marriage counsellor and even if we did, it would not have deterred me from marrying someone over health issues. I don’t think that affairs of the heart are governed by medical reports. If you are getting married to somebody, you do not marry them because of their health or for procreation reasons. You marry the person because she is your soulmate and it transcends any medical report. I feel it is silly to base matter of the heart on medical ground, especially now that there are technologies that can eliminate possibilities of any of the offspring to have sickle cell. The argument did not hold water to me then because it did not make sense to me and I could not phantom why I had to base the judgement of who I wanted to marry on a medical report.

How did you meet your wife, Ireti Doyle?

The first time I saw my wife was at an audition for Jaded Option. I called for a reading and I believe it was Nduka Irabor that was her friend. He knew some of my partners and told one of them about the young lady that wanted to be a part of the audition. We asked him to call for her and when she came she looked like a very competent person. She did well and got a part in the flick. That was the first time I ever saw her.

On one occasion I decided to test her and asked her to help me write the dialogue for a scene in the drama series. She did it well and I realised she was very intelligent. At some point she was my protégé. She came as an actor and I found out she could write well so I normally made her write the dialogue of various scenarios and she did it very well.

At a point she took on the role of a production manager, carrying cameras and lighting equipment. Before long, she was like one of the boys. I am not kidding about that. When my crew member and I were cracking jokes that were at the expense of women, she was always laughing with us and none of us saw her as a woman. We just saw her as one of us. She was like a tomboy because she was always wearing shirt and jeans. It was not a big deal until shortly before my wife died. She took a different role and was very supportive during that period. She saw what I was going through and she was very supportive of me. Then some of my friends like Tony Okoroji teased me that she is a very fine girl and I should be careful around her. Then he would say that if he was not married he would have wooed her and I always asked ‘who is the fine girl?’. It is because she was always dressed in a pair of jeans trouser. It was people like Tony that made me realise that she was very beautiful. After my wife passed on, I was totally disgruntled but she was there for me. She supported me all through that period and that is why I said that in everything God has really consoled me because I have a very beautiful and supportive wife. I discovered a very beautiful wife in the midst of the crisis. I am a consoled and very happy man.

What influenced your decision to become a born again Christian?

I guess everybody’s conversion story is spectacular according to them. In reality, like my young person I began to question the reason for my existence. I took a stock of my life and I was not very happy with where I was at that point. I saw that with the way I was going if I did not make certain changes things may not go well with me in the future. It was a time of stock taking and in the middle of that I did a comparative analysis of me and some of my friends who had become religious and I saw that their lives appeared to be better than mine. They seemed to be happier. I began to question God and asked Him to prove Himself to me. One fine day, He proved Himself to me that he was real. He spoke to me and proved that He was real and since then I have never regretted my decision.

32 entertainment

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Modelling firms queue for TY Bello’s transformed bread seller model

StoriesbyNewton-RayUkwuoma

T

WENTY-SEVENYEAR-OLD Olajumoke Orisaguna, a former bread seller, is on her way to stardom as prime model companies are taking positions to sign on the TY Bello transformed bread seller model.

From street hawking to public limelight, like a dream — All she could say were words of gratitude to God. The bread seller turned celebrity model is already on social media. There are, in fact, two Facebook accounts in her name, one of which is linked to Few Models, the company managing her. On that Facebook account she posted on Thursday afternoon.” I thank God for life.”

She couldn’t have said anything less…

The photo of Olajumoke, who accidentally walked into a photoshoot of American musician Tinie Tempah by TY Bello while hawking bread along the street of Yaba, went viral last week on social media.

The mother of two was found during the week and

I thank God for life —Olajumoke

got linked to ace singer and photographer, TY Bello, who promised to transform her.

Within days of meeting TY Bello, Olajumoke inked her first big magazine cover for Thisday Style. She has landed a lucrative deal with an online company, Payporte, as well as a deal with a start-up company April By Kunbi.

Inspired by her grassto-grace story, Olakunbi Oyelese, who runs favourite celebrity label, April By Kunbil, openly offered Olajumoke a deal to model her

Spring/Summer 2016 collection campaign, InTUXicated.

She took to her social media page where she made a vow to have the former bread seller strut her famous designs on the runway.

Olajumoke has also signed to Few Model Management, a modeling agency owned by Bolajo Fawehinmi.

Also, a Lagos-based hair saloon has offered free training to the beautiful mother who only relocated to Lagos from Iree in Osun State.

Kunle Afolayan’s ‘The CEO’ applauded on YouTube KUNLE Afolayan’s highly publicised movie, ‘The CEO,’ has been receiving loads of nods and great reviews since the award-winning producer released the trailer on YouTube.

The two and half minutes movie trailer hit a million views within days of hosting on YouTube and has been attracting positive comments from fans across the continent.

Jimmy Jean Louis of Phat Girlz and a member of the cast also said ‘The CEO’ has the potential of becoming a great movie from the African continent.

He said, “We’ve been trying to work together for a long time and this is the

project that brought us together. This movie has the potential to become one of the best movies coming from Nigeria and Africa, with African directors, African producers and African talents. If this movie crosses over, then it will open the door for other

African movies, which will help in telling the right story about Africa.”

‘The CEO’ boasts of a cast of heavyweights in Africa’s entertainment industry, including Beninese multiple award winner, Angelique Kidjo, singer Jimmy JeanLouis, Wale Ojo and Kemi Lala-Akindoju.

A part funding of N50 million loaned from Bank of Industry (BOI’s) NollyFund, the movie revolves around the mysterious death of top executives across Africa dispatched on a week leadership retreat by a multinational telecommunication firm to determine the best executive to be appointed the firm’s new CEO.

Ramsey Nouah, Rita Dominic, Chidi Mokeme-featured ‘76’

movie premieres July AFRICA Magic has announced the premiere of its new movie, entitled ‘76’, a tale of love, trust, faith and family, setting date for maiden screening in July 2016.

The movie was produced by Africa Magic, in conjunction with Adonis Productions and Princewill’s Trust and features a 400-member cast among which are top Nollywood names like Rita Dominic, Ramsey Nouah, Chidi Mokeme, Ibinabo Fiberesinma. Others are Ada Ofoegbu, Daniel K. Daniel, Memry Savanhu and Nelly Ekwereogu.

Speaking about the movie at a press conference during the week, the Director,

halted many activities in the entertainment industry. However, the event will be held on Sunday,

February 28, 2016 and will also see the return of some of the pioneers of Nigerian pop music who will be joining other new generation artistes.

These include veteran reggae musician, Blackky, Weird MC, Jazzman Olofin and revamped RnB group, Styl Plus.

American celebrity, Kim Kardashian, made a cameo appearance at the second season of LLAM held in 2014 which was rated as successful.

FANS across the country have joined in felicitating with Nollywood actress, Ini Edo, who last week received a political appointment by Akwa Ibom State governor, Emmanuel Udom.

Congratulatory comments and support messages followed Ini Edo’s acceptance of her new office as the special adviser to the governor on tourism in an Instagram post.

The Glo ambassador used the post to thank the gov-

their support.

She wrote: “To be called to serve is an honour. I give God the glory. [I] am grateful to my state, my governor, every one of you with your constant prayers and support… God bless [yo]u”.

The fashionable celebrity will be saddled, among other things, with the responsibility of generating new and innovative ideas on tourism development and enhancement of the state.

sumers who make purchases of cakes from ‘Cakes and Cream’ for less than N5,000 will qualify for a 40 percent instant discount; while purchases of N7,000 and above will attract a free bottle instantly.

St Lauren non alcoholic

fruit drink will be on display at all outlets of Cake and Cream in Lagos (Opebi, Victoria Island and Surulere) simultaneously to serve over 2,000 consumers. The promotion will run while stock lasts between the hours of 8am to 5pm that day.

Ini Edo becomes special adviser to A/Ibom gov ernor, her state and fans for

Ciara headlines Darey Art Alade’s LLAM GRAMMY award-winning American singer, Ciara Princess Harries, popularly known as Ciara, has been billed to headline Darey Art Alade’s Love Like A Movie (LLAM) music concert.

The Texas-born songwriter, music producer and occasional actor, will be doling all-time hits at the event alongside some Nigerian acts.

The third edition of the annual event was cancelled last year due to the general elections which

M-Net West Africa, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, described the movie as “an adventurous foray into filmmaking in Nigeria.”

She said, “It’s an exciting, compelling storyline that many Nigerians and indeed Africans will relate with.

We at Africa Magic are indeed excited to partner

with Adonis Productions and Princewill’s trust in bringing this movie to viewers across Africa.”

‘76’ was inspired by events which led to the bungled 1976 coup d’etat, and features real life, archived, actual footage that contributes to the movie’s overall authenticity. It also re-enacts the story of Nigeria’s post-civil war era and the process of national healing in soothing ambience of love and faith.

The movie will be premiered exactly about 40 years after the actual events and follows a four-year work by award-winning director, Izu Ojukwu, with approval and support from the Nigerian Army.

St Lauren to pamper lovers on Valentine’s Day

ST Lauren, from the stable of Grand Oak Limited, in collaboration with popular cake shop, ‘Cakes and Cream’, will be delighting consumers with free bottles of St Lauren on Valentine’s Day. As part of activities lined up for the special day, con-

33 entertainment

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Somebody once offered us N500 for a show, now it’s different —Adeoye, CEO, Testifier dancers Who inspires you?

Our parents are great source of inspiration, our mothers especially and the Expandables Dance crew.

Young talented dancer, Tunmise Adeoye is the CEO of Testifier Dance crew based in Ibadan.

In an interview with OMODASOLA SMITH, he talks about the challenges of the crew and his achievement so far. Excerpts:

H

Where do you get your inspiration when learning dancing steps?

The music itself is an inspiration, the way I am talking and demonstrating is a step, foreign videos also also inspire us.

AS it always been your dream to dance?

Yes, sure I had always wanted to dance since I was a kid.

What spurred the vision of starting a dance academy?

Passion, that is what I will call it. When I was a kid, I used to see a lot of dancing steps on the television, in churches, even on the streets, it was something I love doing, I do it with ease. I remember I watched a dance video when I was younger and I always tried to do what the dancer did, especially the Chris Brown song.

When did you start dancing?

I started in 2010, but I went professional in September 2012.

What are the challenges you faced at the initial stage?

We faced a lot of challenges. Back then, we usually went for shows without costumes. Also, transportation was something else; sometimes we did not have money for transportation and we would have to trek down to the venue of the shows. We didn’t even have money to eat at times, we would soak garri and fried fish and save our money to buy costume.

In terms of money, how rewarding is it?

Though we are getting a lot of money, it is never enough.

When we started we went for free shows and lots of people did not know us then, so we had to do a lot of free shows in order to be known. I can never forget a day someone called us for a show and said he was going to offer us N500, it was so funny. It got to a stage when a lot of people got to know us and we got real money. We are doing it because of our passion for dancing.

How did you select your crew members?

When we started we were about 20, some joined for fame, some, because of girls we had among us. Having a lot of people in the group was a problem because we had different people with different characters and different mindset. Some started leaving due to the fact that they were not committed, some came and stole dancing steps and formed their own group. I almost got discouraged but my mum usually told me something, that destiny can never be truncated, it can only be delayed and that if am destined to become a dancer, then nobody or anything would stop me. For now, we are two. I select based on understanding and commitment.

Can you recall the most memorable but not so pleasant times in your profession?

A Yoruba adage says “if you want to enjoy the honey inside a mountain then you must not be afraid of the striking edge of an axe.” There have been so many unpleasant times in our profession. There was a time Anointed Mallam invited us for a show and we had a similar costume to the dance crew that performed before us and when it was our turn to perform, the MC anchoring the programme ushered us out of the stage saying we had performed earlier. We tried to explain to him but he did not listen. It was indeed a big embarrassment but there is nothing we could do. You have to pay a price to get a prize.

How did your parents and siblings react when you told them of your interest to be a professional dancer?

When I told them, at first they almost disagreed considering the risks and dangers involved but later they had no choice but to concur and support me.

Apart from dancing, what else do you have going on?

Aside our education, I personally do graphics designing and my partner plays instruments.

How do you balance it with your school activities?

That is not a problem at all, it is all about seriousness, as long as you know what you are doing, it is 50\50, because we have time to dance and time for school and whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well, we do night dance rehearsal just like we do night reading. We make a time table and everything works out fine.

Testifier dancers on stage Do you feature in musical videos, gospel or circular songs?

If we get the opportunity we would feature. We have featured in the video of a gospel video entitled “U too dey bless” by Choir Boy.

After school, what level do you intend to take dancing to?

It is dance business, we started it and we are going to end it. We are taking it worldwide. Just expect something you have not seen before. It’s gonna blow your mind.

Do you have any regrets?

We don’t have any regrets because the interesting times are more than sad times.

My greatest regret —Ayefele Stories by Joan Omionawele

POPULAR gospel musician, Yinka Ayefele is one of the finest music exports from Nigeria who has continued to push Nigerian music beyond boundaries. The singer who survived a ghastly auto crash some years ago that damaged his spinal cord and has confined him to the wheelchair shared his greatest regret during his performance at the recently held #LifeAsISeeIt mega concert in Lagos.

According to Entertainment Rave, an online entertainment magazine, Ayefele said “Sometimes, there are some things we appreciate we have in life

Yinka Ayefele

and some other we also regret not having. How I wish I had another chance at life and I can stand on both feet the same way Julius Agwu and everyone in the hall is standing right now.” A multiple award-winning artiste, Yinka Ayefele has over 18

albums to his credit since his debut ‘Bitter Experience’ in 1998.

He had a brief stint at Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Ibadan where he worked as an independent producer before his life-defining automobile accident.

X3M Music superstar Praiz drops another single RECORDED alongside Ghanaian Afropop, dance all and reggae artiste Stonebwoy and one of Nigeria’s finest rap musician, Jesse Jagz, Praiz and Stonebwoy in this beautiful piece of dance hall music, lends electrifying dance hall melody as Jesse Jagz drops hot rap lines to make the track a bang for the enjoyment of all.

The talented singer who recently released the video of ‘Harder’ which features dance hall artiste Patoranking, keeps asserting his ability to diversity in this latest track ‘Body Hot’. Little wonder he held six nominations at the recent Headies awards, won the 2015 NEA award for RnB Artiste of the Year, Africa Youth Choice Award 2015 for Best RnB/Pop Artist of the Year, as well as the Best Artiste in Africa (RnB and Soul) at AFRIMA 2015.

Praiz, who combines strikingly original music with euphoric live performances, is one of the most captivating artistes in Nigeria and conveniently competes with various international artistes, because of his ability to hit high notes close to the dreaded whistle register.

Mofe-Damijo, Zack Orji, Victor Olaotan in ‘The Three Wise Men’

NOLLYWOOD veteransRichard Mofe-Damijo, Zack Orji and Victor Olaotan are featuring in a latest hilarious blockbuster entitled, ‘The Three Wise Men,’ produced by Opa Williams, ace filmmaker and comedy entrepreneur.

A statement by Williams obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja said the movie which would be released soon is the latest in a series of movies funded by Bank of Industry (BOT) under its one billion naira loan scheme.

Williams said the movie is a dramatic comedy that humorously presents the follies of three aged men in their mid/late 60s who struggle to relive their lost youth.

Williams, who gave the synopsis of the film said, “After many years of service in different government parastal agencies the three aged men are retired and they all settled in a suburb to enjoy their retirement benefits.

“How they decide to spend this retirement money remains highly humorous and dramatic.”

The film, directed by Patience Oghre Imobhio and currently being shot in Parafa, Ikorodu, an outskirt of Lagos, also stars actresses Tina Mba and Ebele Okaro.

Mofe-Damijo, popularly known as RMD, started acting in the late 80s and is known for films like ‘Checkmate’, ‘Violation’ ‘Hostages’, ‘30 Days in Atlanta’, ‘Oloibiri’ and ‘The Mayors’.

Victor Olaotan, who started acting at 15 years of age, became more popular in 2013 after his leading role in a Nigerian soap opera, ‘Tinsel.’

34 feature

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Ibadan’s clash of

gold and rust

THE grandeur of nature, accentuated by the horticultural masterpiece, welcomes a visitor to Ibadan through the toll gate connecting the city to the Lagos expressway . The first impression created in the visitor turns into a clash of appearance and reality as he moves inwards to explore the city. Ibadan, a town originally built on hills, combines the puzzling character of duality—the humane and the human. DIPO OGUNSOLA speaks with Ibadan residents who though are basking in the age-long hospitality associated with the city yet believe the environment can be better, the massive population notwithstanding.

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HE story of Nigeria portends unpredictable consequences when mobilising the citizenry to confront the menace of filth. If one decides to use President Muhammadu Buhari as a case study, witnesses of mid 80 Nigeria will attest to the fact that one of the issues that pitted the country’s number one citizen against certain Nigerians was an attempt by his federal military government to rid the country of filth and stench.

In the month of March 1984, the military government in Nigeria launched a War Against Indiscipline, (WAI) programme.

The motives behind WAI, as enunciated by the legislation setting it up, were, among others, to enhance a sense of nationalism, promote public and social order, improve morality and accountability and stem official corruption.

In July 1985, the Buhari military administration launched the fifth phase of WAI which stipulated compulsory national environmental sanitation exercise on the last Saturday of every month.

As awesome as the regime was, this policy drew the ire of Nigerians who would have nothing to do with a legislation that tampered with their bubbly weekends.

The government’s henchmen, known as WAI Brigades met the reluctance of people with brute force and the programme WAI was soon after scorned, vilified and later tagged WHY; in defiance to the superfluous attitude of the policy enforcers. It is on record that the controversial environmental sanitation exercise was the last of the phases of the War Against Indiscipline (WAI) policy in Nigeria.

Some states of the federation decided to sustain the programme but with a reduced duration of 7 to 9am on a particular Saturday of a month.

Even at that, compliance with environmental laws in Nigeria remains unsatisfactory, whether under the military or the civilian rule due to the big Nigerian factor.

Ibadan, is regarded as the largest geographical region in Nigeria with a population of over 7 million (still counting?) and, as such, is expected to generate heaps of refuse.

For this, the Oyo State government is thinking of a waste-to wealth programme for the benefit of the teeming

Titus

Ekwuilo

population and instituted a Solid Waste Management agency, named OYWMA. On Thursdays, the state holds environmental sanitation exercises at major markets between 7 and 10 am.

During his second inauguration speech delivered at the Obafemi Awolowo stadium on 29 May, 2015, the state’s governor Abiola Ajimobi had noted that an unclean environment was a drawback to an aspiring economy, pledging to build a nexus between development and environment in order to enhance the state’s urban renewal initiative.

However, Ajimobi is not smiling on the environmental condition of Ibadan. The garbage is not being collected for the waste-to-wealth programme. It is left to litter the major streets of the city.

“This is embarrassing,’ said the governor while on tour of major streets of Ibadan, recently.

He continued: “We are prepared to sanction people for inefficiency. The whole place is dirty. It’s a disgrace. From now on we will clean Oyo State again. We are going to engage more youths to enforce sanitation laws. We will fortify the environmental officers and bring in more people.”

A patron of South West Non-indigenes Forum-Ndigbo and Niger Deltans, Oyo State chapter, Nze Kenneth Ekwuilo believes the city of Ibadan is too massive for the entire work force of sanitary inspectors to police.

Ekwuilo who has been living in Ibadan in the last 20 years said: “The way the sanitary inspectors address us is very commendable, but they could only do so much on the major streets of Ibadan. Going into the interior, there are a lot of houses without bathroom and toilets.

Ekwuilo also disagrees with the manner some residents load their waste on the truck of the collectors.

“Some people carelessly fling faeces at them (sanitary

officials) as they load as if they were not human beings.

That is why you still see some excreta around even after the carriers must have gone.”

Members of Eagle Chaplain Corps (ECC), are sometimes seen along the Obafemi Awolowo-Oke Bola streets embarking on sanitation services . On a Thursday, they were also spotted along Lekan Salami Stadium undertaking general cleaning exercise. Dressed in thick green khaki uniform, state Commandant of the Corps Mario Titus said his members were only carrying out their civic duties.

“The Eagle Chaplain Corps is legally registered to provide assistance to government in terms of security, social training, civil order and others but where we feel we can help in Oyo State is the area of cleanliness. Though, there is nothing official yet from Oyo State government, we just have to help, the recognition will come later.”

Titus called on other para-military agencies to help out.

“Environmental sanitation is the responsibility of everybody but Nigerians tend to respect people more when law enforcers appear in good uniforms and such group maintain discipline in their ranks.’

Titus recalls that Minna, the capital of Niger state was in a worse sanitation condition than Ibadan years ago.

“The Niger State government empowered voluntary organisations who handed over offenders to the Alkali (local judge) who speedily dispensed justice and collected heavy fines or issued jail terms. They didn’t care a hoot: if a family was caught four times, the family would be tried four times.

Today Minna is one of the cleanest towns in Nigeria.”

Anthony Wetife, who is the Secretary General of a socio-political group, Igbo United, told Saturday Tribune that though the present government has tried to improve the city nature of Ibadan, there is still a long way to go.

“I have travelled round the six geographical zones of Nigeria but what I see from professional observation, I can tell you that the government still has a lot to do.

“This is a city where a large expanse of land will lie fallow, where nobody cares so much about abandoned or declining buildings and where such are used as toilets, robbers den, smokers, dopers’ joints.

There are too many spaces for ‘shot put’ faeces disposal in Ibadan, and many buildings spring up without approval from urban planners only for government officials to come and commit what I see as economic sabotage against the people by pulling those structures down after erection.”

An employee with a waste clearing and cleaning services provider asked the state government to intensify campaigns on the new environmental sanitation laws.

“We apprehend many offenders and hand them to law enforcers, but I must tell you that most of them were arrested in broad daylight. When they were asked why they did this, they said it was the instruction they had that they should drop their wastes by the median strips for easy pick for collectors. Some of them rightly or wrongly, are still unaware of the policy of ‘pay as you generate’ because the forms for that purpose have not been circulated widely enough.”

35

13 February, 2016

achievers

With Ronke Sanya (Winner, NMMA, Innovative Reporter of the year 2015)

— Kọ́la Olátúbọ̀sún, founder, Yorubaname.com

Extremely proud of his roots and cultural heritage, Kọ́láwọlé Olúgbémiró Olátúbọ̀sún, in this interview with RONKE SANYA , narrates how he is preserving his mother tongue and how it made him emerge the first African to win the Premio Ostana International Award.

F

You are very passionate about propagating your mother tongue, Yoruba.

Why the huge passion for creating awareness about your culture?

Well, I could blame my parents for this and they’d be proud of that. I was raised on Yorùbá and English with none getting a preferential treatment. Home was basically for Yorùbá but they let the school teach me English because they sent me to private schools.

My father was also a Yorùbá poet, writer, and broadcaster, whose work inspired and influenced me subconsciously. I always mention this story of when he had come to visit me in school and pretended to my colleagues who had risen up to greet him in English that he didn’t speak the language.

They all had to say “e káàrò sir” before he let them be. I was hugely embarrassed that day (I was around eight years old then), but now, as an adult, I realised it as one of the instances that burnt the importance of mother tongue use into my consciousness.

07036050161 | sanyaaderonke@gmail.com

& Oyeyemi Okunlade | 08056834515 | ojeleyeoyeyemi@yahoo.com

My immersion in culture, a tremendous asset

or the first time in the history of Premio Ostana International Award, you were the first African to win the award, how does this make you feel?

I never heard about the prize until I was nominated. The organisation had apparently decided that the prize this year would be going to an African author so they contacted a highly notable writer to nominate anyone on the continent who deserves it, due to the nature of their work and their commitment to the cause of preserving indigenous languages. This writer then wrote an effusive recommendation which I didn’t know about until shortly before the announcement. The prize is a huge incentive for my work, but it’s also a huge responsibility.

Saturday Tribune

You are first in many things. You February 21.

What were the challenges you’ve facilitated Tweet Yoruba Movement and also founded Yoruba name.com, faced in the process of propagating how did you conceive and execute your mother tongue?

I have been lucky, in that I’ve often found these ideas successfully?

The Tweet Yorùbá movement was for myself - either by serendipity or by a dia specific purpose: to pressurise Twitter vine plan, in places where my knowledge to allow us translate the application into and competence have served towards the Yorùbá for free. At the time, I had seen a purpose of enlightening an audience about piece of news that Twitter was being made language or available in French and some other languages and I asked why it couldn’t be in Yorùbá. People thought it was a joke and I was offended by that, so I got a few friends to agree to all tweets in Yorùbá on a selected date and copy each of these tweets to the people in charge of Twitter translator, asking them to let us translate it into Yorùbá as well.

Eventually, our nuisance paid off and they opened the translator platform to Yorùbá and many Adeyeye Ogunwusi volunteers have gone ahead to Olátúbọsún with the Ooni of Ife Oba Enitan about offer their translations of all the parts of the application. Hopefully, soon, the benefits of multilingualism in general.

A few years after my BA, I got the Fulbright Twitter Yorùbá will be launched and it will be thanks to that effort and those of the vol- Fellowship to teach Yorùbá in the United States for a year. It was a great experience unteer translators.

YorubaName.com, however, is an on- teaching Americans who seemed more line dictionary of names which I conceived eager to acquire the language than their as a way to document all the personal (and younger counterparts that I’d been familiar place) names in Yorùbá and later in all Nige- with in Nigeria. So the challenge was never how to convince foreigners to learn the lanrian (and maybe African) languages.

In early 2015, I decided to turn it into a guage or care about adding a new foreign public project which will benefit from the language to their repertoire. The challenge knowledge of everyone online that knows was always how to get Nigerian children the story behind their names and are will- and parents to care about their own first ing to share it with the world. We raised languages. over $5000 through a crowd funding drive Have you always shown this deep and we’ve used that over the last one year to build the web application which we will interest in Yoruba culture since you unveil on February 19 and 20 to celebrate were young?

I realised while interacting with other the International Mother Tongue Day on

teenagers while I was young that I truly had deeper immersion in the culture than everyone else.

There were words and phrases and proverbs, etc, whose meanings I knew that my mates didn’t know. This was what convinced me that I stand in a good position to make myself useful to the culture and the nation.

So, in 2009, I started KTravula.com as a way to document my experience as a Fulbright foreign language teacher in the United States. It evolved over that time into a place for my thoughts and ideas about language, culture, politics, travel, teaching, linguistics, Yorùbá, among others. It was nominated in 2015 for the CNN/Multichoice African Journalists Awards.

What’s your opinion on the negative attitude of youths of nowadays and even some elderly people towards Yoruba culture and values?

It is one of the saddest blots on this generation which will never go away unless we change. If Professor Wolé Sóyínká had thought that his generation was a wasted one, then ours is the end-result of that waste. In the time of his father, people at least still named their children Sóyínká (from Osó, the sorcerer), nowadays, they’d all have changed to Jésùyínká to risible consequences. Not only do children not know how to pronounce, spell, or write their names, the meanings are getting lost because of our nonchalance. Tone-marking, for instance, which is the result of a generation of academic work on Yorùbá orthography, is becoming a lost art, which is a shame.

There is a tonne of linguistic research that shows a direct correlation between acquisition of knowledge in the mother tongue and academic success. Your English language use is further enriched by your knowledge of your own language, as the success of C h i nua Achebe and Wolé Sóyínká’s works showed us.

All I can say is that in my experience, my immersion in, curiosity about, and understanding of my language and culture has been a tremendous asset. It is like a signpost in a confusing street. It can help you find your way much better and much faster.

Do you agree with the notion that government should adopt Yoruba language as the official language in Nigeria due to the fact that it is spoken in some foreign countries?

I certainly hope not. That would be pushing it; amounting to doing to over 500 other Nigerian languages what English did to us all over the last couple of centuries. What the government can do, at the local level, however, is to spend resources in developing every language under its care. For a start, even, let us know how many people speak each of our languages.

We don’t currently know because we never ask it on census documents, and this is very frustrating to linguists working in language documentation and preservation.

At the federal level, let us make rules that force foreign companies selling products in Nigeria to spend money on translating the product manual into at least one Nigerian language. These will achieve a couple of things: show us as a serious country that cares about its own cultural value, and provide job for local translators who will now become sought after by these foreign companies to help in their translations.

36

13 February, 2016

weekend cartoons

Saturday Tribune

Adeeko Olusegun adeeko.olusegun@yahoo.com 0811 695 4638

Just a Laffing Mata

Valentine’s Day drama

POLITICO

ONE Sunday that fell on Valentine’s Day, a pastor was visiting members of his church at home. At the home of a particular member, there were indications that the couple were at home, though no one responded to the repeated knocks on the door.

The pastor then took out a business card and wrote ‘Revelation 3:20’ at the back and pasted it on the door.

The following Sunday, the pastor found out that the card had been returned - dropped in the offering bag.

Added to it was this cryptic message: ‘Genesis 3:10.’

The pastor reached for his Bible to check out the verse and suddenly broke into a gale of laughter. Revelation 3:20 says ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock.’

Genesis 3:10 reads, ‘I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid for I was naked.’

V al ent ine gif t

A woman was taking a nap on the afternoon of a Valentine’s Day. After she woke, she told her husband, “I just dreamed that you gave me a gorgeous and expensive gold necklace for Valentine’s Day! What do you think it means?”

“You’ll know tonight,” he said.

That evening, her husband came home with a small package for her. Thrilled, she opened it and found a book titled “The Meaning of Dreams.”

FUNOLOGY

My one and only

Nineteen-year-old Segeluulu, went to buy an expensive bracelet to surprise his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day, at a jeweller’s shop in Lagos.

The jeweller inquired, “Would you like your girlfriend’s name engraved on it?”

Segeluulu thought for a moment, grinned, then answered, “No, instead engrave ‘To my one and only love.”

The jeweller smiled and said, “Yes sir, how very romantic of you.”

Segeluulu retorted with a glint in his eye, “Not exactly romantic, but very practical. This way, if we break up, I can use it again.”

Between sex and sense...

37 foreignfeature

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

No one who experienced what happened last time will ever advocate Biafra again

By Max Siollun (foreignpolicy.com)

A

T best, a revitalized Biafran secessionist movement will lead to mass bloodshed. At worst, it will trigger the country’s unraveling.

Crowds of Igbo-speaking people barricade streets across southeastern Nigeria, bringing traffic to a standstill. They wave black, green, and red secessionist flags; distribute their own currency and passports; and demand the creation of a new independent country called Biafra. It could be 1967 — or 2016.

Nearly 50 years after the same region of Nigeria seceded, sparking a devastating civil war, separatists are once again threatening the fragile national unity of Africa’s most populous country. Back in 1967, the federal government deployed a quarter million troops to quash the secessionist movement, while also imposing a land and sea blockade. Over a million civilians died in the nearly three years of fighting that followed, mostly from starvation.

Why is the southeast once again considering secession when the region’s last attempt resulted in such horrendous suffering? Part of the answer is that many Igbos, who form the majority in Nigeria’s southeast but a minority in the country as a whole, view the failure of their previous attempt at secession as the great missed opportunity of their time. For three decades after the war, military dictatorships suppressed all secessionist talk, leaving Igbos to wonder silently about what might have been. But after the country transitioned to democracy in 1999, latent separatist inclinations began to resurface once again.

The resurgence of the Biafran secessionist movement is symptomatic of a much deeper problem with the Nigerian state. The federal government’s chokehold on states and ethnic groups is fueling multiple demands for autonomy and the right to manage resources at a local level — demands that could ultimately lead to a fracturing of the country. The latent insurgency in the oil-producing Niger Delta is one example of this trend, as is the emergence of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), which has acted both as a violent vigilante group and as an advocate for the autonomy of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria.

A deep disillusionment with the Nigerian government also lies at the heart of the Biafran dream of independence. Igbos have long felt marginalized and excluded from economic and political power by the Hausa-Fulani and Yoruba ethnic groups, which have dominated national politics and the bureaucracy since 1970. Many Igbos believe that the federal government (and their fellow Nigerians) have never forgiven them for seceding in 1967, and have discriminated against them ever since.

They believe that in Biafra they will find all the things that Nigeria has failed to provide: good leadership, jobs, infrastructure, regular electricity, economic and physical security.

“Nigeria is a mess…with bad and corrupt leaders,” a Biafra supporter in her mid-20s told me recently. “We want freedom.”

Yet not everyone is willing to risk a war for independence. Younger Igbos born after the civil war tend to be more militant about Biafra in 2016 than their parents and grandparents, whose memories bear scars from the previous attempt at secession. One 72-year-old Igbo man, who was wounded during the 1967-1970 civil war and left bleeding and without food or drink for days, told me, “No one who experienced what happened last time will ever advocate Biafra again.”

But roughly two-thirds of Nigeria’s population is under 30 years old, making them too young to remember the suffering that accompanied the last civil war. These youngsters have plenty of reasons to resent the central government: Nigeria’s youth unemployment rate stands at approximately 50 percent. In the southeast, the feeling of marginalization only deepened after last year’s presidential election. Igbos voted heavily for the former president, the southerner Goodluck Jonathan, who lost to Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim from the north. As an army officer, Buhari had fought to crush the first Biafran independence movement; the most powerful jobs in his new government went to the Yoruba and to northern ethnic groups.

Now Nigeria’s new president may once again be on a collision course with separatists in the southeast. Like all previous Nigerian heads of state, Buhari regards the country’s unity as non-negotiable. He will not allow the region to secede without a fight — not least because it contains oil fields that supply three-quarters of the government’s revenue. Oil is thus an incentive for unity as well as disintegration: It gives Igbos confidence in the economic viability of an independent Biafran state, but also gives the government a powerful reason to prevent such a state from ever coming into being. If Igbos continue to agitate for independence, mass bloodshed seems inevitable.

Secession would lead to confrontation on two levels — between Igbos and the federal government, and between Igbos and other minority ethnic groups in the southeast.

The latter — such as the Efik, Ibibio, Ijaw, Esan, and

The federal government’s chokehold on states and ethnic groups is fueling multiple demands for autonomy and the right to manage resources at a local level — demands that could ultimately lead to a fracturing of the country.

Urhobo ethnic groups — do not want to exchange minority status in Nigeria for minority status in a new country dominated by Igbos. To succeed in winning their own state, therefore, Biafran separatists would need to fight both a war of independence and a second war of repression against the minority groups living in their midst.

The Nigerian government has made clear that it views the Biafra issue as a danger to national unity, and Buhari has said he regards the movement as “treasonable.”

Last October, security forces arrested Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the secessionist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement, on charges of sedition and treason, and ignored a subsequent court order to release him. The symbol of the Biafran independence movement, Kanu is regarded as a dangerous man by authorities. He is alleged to have tried to procure weapons in the United States, and once told a public gathering, “[I]f we don’t get Biafra everybody will have to die, as simple as that.” But by arresting and detaining him, the government only added fuel to the Biafra fire, causing the protests to intensify and spread across cities in the southeast over the past three months.

Even if the government calms the Biafra storm, its standard refusal to consider demands for regional autonomy all but guarantees that another insurrection will emerge somewhere else in the country. Making matters worse is the demographic time bomb that ticks faster each day in Nigeria. A dramatic “youth bulge” has turned grievances of the type felt by young Igbos into a national security risk in marginalized communities across the country. Every few years, young people from one of these communities rise up and shake the country’s unity. Ethno-regional separatist groups such as the OPC in the southwest, Boko Haram in the north, and the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta in the oil-rich deep south are notable examples.

Yet the government has no viable plan for dealing with uprisings like these beyond sending in the army. Two years ago, the former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki, revealed that Nigeria’s military was deployed in 28 out of the country’s 36 states — a fact that suggests it has become more of an internal occupation force than a defender against external aggression.

Nigerian governments have a long history of treating serious problems as molehills until they become volcanic-mountain-range problems. In 1995, the government executed Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists who had dared to call attention to economic exploitation and marginalization in the Niger Delta. The core complaints raised by the activists were never addressed, however, and soon they had given rise to an armed insurgency that reduced Nigeria’s oil output by 50 percent and cost it billions of dollars in lost revenue. In the early 2000s, the government also ignored a small religious sect in the northeast — only to watch it morph into Boko Haram.

As resentment mounts among Igbos in the southeast, the Nigerian government cannot afford to allow yet another molehill to grow into a mountain.

38

politics&policy

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune With Saheed Salawu

0811 695 4643

yinkadejavu@yahoo.com

I have never bought guns or armed youths for election —Senator Magnus Abe

Senator Magnus Abe was the chairman of the Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) in the seventh Senate. Following the nullification of the March 2015 election in Rivers South-East senatorial district by the Court of Appeal, he seeks to contest the rerun, scheduled for March 19, 2016 in the state. He speaks on issues ranging from politics in Rivers State to his ambition. DEPUTY EDITOR, DAPO FALADE, brings excerpts.

O

VER time, you have joined different political parties. Will this not affect your chances in the forthcoming senatorial election rerun?

Having moved from the then All Peoples Party (APP) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and now being in the All Progressives Congress (APC), whether that will affect my chances in the rerun election, my answer is no. All the parties I have been are registered political parties. They are legal entities and are free to admit members who want to join and people are also free to leave.

So, as long as I have been validly admitted into a party, I am a member of that party. It is for the party to decide what rights and privileges I am entitled to.

In APP, I was in a minority party. I left the party because I wanted to play politics with the national group and I saw that the parties in other parts of the country have virtually emptied out. I didn’t have any point to prove by sitting down in a place where nothing would happen. I wanted to be part of national politics. So, I went to the [Peoples Democratic Party] PDP which, at the time, had national spread and strength.

When we saw that the boat of PDP was fast heading to the precipice and that the whole engine was about to knock, we tried to call the attention of the leaders of the party, to say this thing is collapsing; let us repair this boat or turn it from where it was headed, but they refused to listen. So, we left and quickly joined other patriotic Nigerians to form a new national movement for the rebuilding of this country. That movement became the APC, of which I am today a proud member.

So, I don’t see how that would affect me or anybody else.

There was no time that I had moved away from parties in an atmosphere that I would consider unreasonable. I always moved when there were issues that demanded that I move and I moved with the other people. Politics is not tennis but football; it is a team sport. You belong to a group and you work with your group. If your group decides to go left and you stand where you are, you will stand alone.

Although there have been divisions and sub-divisions, we members of the team formed when we started politics are substantially still in the same team. We are still playing together.

What is your view on the series of violence associated with politics in the state?

A lot of people have been talking about violence and I want to look at the issue holistically, not just about this

There was no time that I had moved away from parties in an atmosphere that I would consider unreasonable. I always moved when there were issues that demanded that I move and I moved with the other people.

rerun. My position on the issue of violence has always been very clear. I stand here today to say that I have never bought and I will never, no matter the temptation, no matter whatever temporary benefit it may offer, buy guns or arm youths or ask our children to destroy one another be-

cause I want to hold a position. I have not done it. I will not do it. And I can swear by anything. I can stand anywhere and say it. I can challenge anybody who can disprove my claim to come out and do so. I hereby challenge any human being to say that I have been in any meeting where violence was planned or agreed upon as a strategy for any political gain. Such a person should come out and disgrace me.

I have always said that what I do for my children is what I would do for other children who are looking up to me.

Instead of using my money to buy guns, I have used it to pay scholarships. Instead of using my money to arm youths, I have used it to fund programmes that would make their lives better and give them the same opportunities as my own children.

All of us must realise that God knows all the things that we think we are hiding.

We cannot keep our children in very expensive private schools in the United Kingdom and set other people’s children here, because their parents are not as privileged as we are, on the path of destruction. We cannot glorify criminals and expect that children will not struggle to become criminals.

Today, if you go to some houses, where even graduates live, they cannot buy soap. It is the militants that are feeding the families. What kind of society are we building? Other politicians should have the courage to say what I am saying with the same strength and conviction. We should not just say it but we should also act it.

The time you know whether you have principles or not is when your principles conflict with your desires and you sacrifice those desires for your principles. Until you are able to do that, you cannot claim to have principles.

I want to say here clearly and proudly that, for me, absence of violence among our youths is a principle. I am not saying this because I know it will play well in the media, I am saying it because that is my life and everybody who knows me knows that I don’t just say it but I live it. And I challenge others to do the same.

Continues pg39

39 interview

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

‘My take on Supreme Court’s verdict on Wike’ So, if you accept the decision of the Supreme Court where their decision is the final, you should also accept the judgement of the Court of Appeal where its judgement is also final on National Assembly election matters. Appeal Court is the Supreme Court on such matters. So, you cannot say that you are agreeing with the decision of the Supreme Court, but the Court of Appeal short-changed you. How did that happen? It is the position of the law that we are following. These issues are based on what the law says. It is the law of Nigeria that we are following; it is the parliament who set the cap that National Assembly cases should end at the Court of Appeal and that is where it ends. So, whatever you get at the Court of Appeal, you take.

The same law set the cap for the governorship election matters to end at the Supreme Court. So, whatever you get at the Supreme Court, on matters that get to the Supreme Court, you take.

Continued from pg38

Today, Rivers State is dying. Many of the houses in Trans Amadi and many other places are empty. The MDs of the oil servicing companies that used to live in this town have all relocated out of Port Harcourt and with them have gone thousands of jobs and opportunities which we enjoyed as young people. We must recapture that Rivers State but we cannot do that without sacrifice. We cannot do that without taking ourselves away from those things that we see that are destroying the society.

But politicians have been accused of being in the habit of arming youths in times of elections...

I agree with you that politicians are arming youths for the purpose of holding positions.

I am shocked that in spite of all that we are saying to our children, in spite of the fact that we are challenging them that these people that are giving you money, let them call their own relations, their children and do that which they are asking you to do, they keep their children in expensive schools abroad and here, they give you money and say, ‘you dey.’ I am telling you, ‘you no dey at all.’

The issue of violence is something that we must face. One of the ways to face it is by supporting and encouraging the security agencies to bring down these untouchables.

Those who are benefiting from crime should be made to pay the price. Those who are stocking weapons should be made to let go of those weapons. But if we have a government that would refuse to support this kind of effort, if we have a government that continues to put criminals in political positions, then what kind of examples are we talking about? And how can we fight what we are participating in?

The other day, a top politician in the state was saying that he would not participate in any rerun because there would be bloodshed. How can we say such a thing? Is an election supposed to be something that would bring about bloodshed? What is an election? Is it not simply gathering our people to indicate their preference among the various choices that they are offered? How is that supposed to bring about bloodbath? How is that supposed to cause violence? I don’t really understand this.

So, I think we really need to work on ourselves and then the society. I agree with those who hold the political leaders accountable for the violence in this state. I also insist that law enforcement agencies should go after everybody –the sponsors and perpetrators. We should clean this state so that there can be true growth and prosperity.

What do you think can be done to ensure violence-free, credible elections in the state?

Election is a human activity. If the human beings conducting and participating in it agreed to a set of rules and we all abide by the rules, why would an election not be free and fair? If this whole election is about going there to serve the people, why do we need to kill ourselves or other people in order to serve them? If this whole fight is about the opportunity to assist the people, it is for you to tell them how you want to assist them and let us create an opportunity for them to choose the kind of help or support that they prefer at a given time. But we don’t do that. Instead, we want to hold positions by hook or by crook.

Your political party is critical of the Supreme Court judgement which upheld the election of Chief Nyesom Wike as the governor of the state.

What is your personal position on the verdict of the apex court?

As a lawyer, I am not criticising the judgement of the Supreme Court. The apex court is the final, not because it is not infallible, but it is infallible because it is final. So, if the Supreme Court takes a position, it does not necessarily mean that another position taken by any lawyer is wrong. It simply means that

The position that the Supreme Court has taken is the one that everybody should follow, whether it is right or wrong. The reason the constitution does that is to show that there must be an end to any quarrel. Whether it ends rightly or wrongly, it should end there. That is what the Supreme Court is about.

the position that the Supreme Court has taken is the one that everybody should follow, whether it is right or wrong. The reason the constitution does that is to show that there must be an end to any quarrel. Whether it ends rightly or wrongly, it should end there. That is what the Supreme Court is about.

So, people are not in the Supreme Court because they know more than anybody else; they are supreme because they are in the Supreme Court. So, it is possible that as some of the decisions of courts over the centuries have shown, the position of a high court judge may be later accepted by everybody as the correct position. It does not mean that whatever the Supreme Court has said is the only thing that is right; it simply means that, that is the one that we must follow. As citizens of this country, as lawyers, we abide by the decision of the Supreme Court.

That does not mean that the decision of the learned justices of the Court of Appeal was, in any way, wrong. In that particular case, their decision is the final decision.

Do you have confidence in the new Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state?

Let me say it clearly, that what happened in Rivers State in 2015 was not just an act

by Gesila Khan (the former Rivers REC). It was something that was done for the highest level of the then Nigerian government.

It was with the connivance and support of the presidency at that time. No REC, without the support of the president, would be able to do what Khan did in Rivers State, which has been described by the Court of Appeal as an attack on democracy, because they deviated totally from all the rules that were laid down by [the Independent National Electoral Commission] INEC for the conduct of elections across the country.

I don’t think that the new REC will do such a thing or will try to do such a thing or will even agree to do such a thing, no matter the inducement.

So, we will see. We have confidence in INEC. We believe that it will try to do its best and I want to call on all of us the actors to try and watch the new REC and see what we can come up with that will help what is actually a very tense political situation here in the state.

The constitution has given INEC the power to conduct elections and they have brought a man that they have confidence in. They know that Rivers State is a challenging terrain, so if they have so much confidence in Mr Anaedi Ikoiwak that they appointed him as the new REC, all of us should cooperate with him to see how he can make this election peaceful, free and fair.

Unlike what obtains in some other states, why is it difficult to seek reconciliation among politicians in Rivers?

Well, I believe that efforts at closing the gaps are beginning to appear. I thought so until I heard some comments a few days ago. When the Supreme Court gave judgement, the governor (Chief Nyesom Wike) made a conciliatory statement and called on his opponent, who was our own candidate and others, to join hands with him to move the state forward. I thought that was a good move. The candidate of the APC, Dr Dakuku Peterside, responded in the same manner by offering his support. He said where there is criticism, it should be viewed as being in good faith and that we should all work together to move the state forward.

But these words must be matched with actions and they must be consistent. You cannot say one thing today in a broadcast and tomorrow, in a church, say the opposite, calling yourself a lion or a tiger and all that. Nobody would want to work with a tiger. A tiger will injure you and the lion will eat you.

I think the main thing is for us to be consistent; let us say what is in our hearts. So, our words and our actions must consistently point towards the road to reconciliation, reintegration, peace, progress, togetherness, prosperity and not violence.

40

feature

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Killing of Oyesunle twin brothers: ‘We ’ll invoke orisa ibeji (god of twins) for justice’ Chukwuma Okparaocha - Lagos

L

ONG before Scottish missionary, Mary Slessor, stopped the killing of twins in what is now the modern day Cross River State, issues relating to the suffering of twins had always existed. Today, more than a century after Slessor stopped the ugly trend, every misfortune that befalls twins, often tends to draw more ire from people than non-twins’.

Thus, the sad and brutal killing of the Oyesunle twins whose promising lives were brutally cut short by a trigger-happy police officer, who later turned his own gun on himself, has again reared its head.

Many weeks after the death of Taye and Kehinde Oyesunle, who were killed on December 26, 2015, at Ketu area of Lagos, a group that fights for the rights and protection of twins and which is made up of twins, the Twins Action Aid International (TAAI), has vowed to invoke the orisa ibeji (the spirit that protects twins) to deal with anyone found to be preventing the right thing to be done on the matter.

Apart from the existence of orisa ibeji, which is a myth primarily owned by the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria, many other tribes and clans in the world equally have their own myths about twins.

For example, Saturday Tribune gathered from a report that American Indians (in the past) believed that one twin in the pair was always good, and the other was evil, so the evil twin was subjected to expulsion from the tribe. Similarly, the Slavs believed that twins shared one soul, therefore the presence of one twin at a wedding or funeral of another was not allowed.

In other cultures, according to the report, there was a belief that twins were able to protect against the weather and elements. “Apparently, the very appearance of twins was seen as a whim of nature, therefore they were considered capable of making a deal with it. Indian shamans during rituals painted twins’ bottoms black and white,” the report said.

As earlier mentioned, in the Yoruba culture, it is believed that twins are often guided by a spirit which protects them from evil, and therefore, when they are wrongfully treated, the spirit fights for them. Thus, if a twin is raped, cheated, brutalised or treated unjustly, it is the belief of such people that the spirit that protects twins will not allow the culprits to go scot free.

Saturday Tribune while putting this report together caught up with a septuagenarian, Chief Kehinde Owa, who lost his twin brother about three years ago. He affirmed that indeed twins all over the world, particularly those of Yoruba heritage, should take solace in the fact that there is an orisa ibeji that fights for them.

Chief Owa, who cited a couple of instances where he expressed the belief that orisa ibeji fought for him and his late brother, insisted that anyone who did anything wrong to twins would one day pay for it.

“Yes, there is orisa ibeji that fights for twins. It is not advisable to cheat twins, because their guarding spirit will fight for them. If you do anything against any twin, it is advisable to seek their forgiveness, because it is only then would you be free from being dealt with by the orisa ibeji,” he said.

In a chat with Saturday Tribune, the co-ordinator of TAAI, Taiwo and Kehinde Oluwafunsho, said the community of twins in Nigeria would not rest until the slain twins were given the justice they deserved and the aged mother they left behind was well compensated.

The duo said they would leave no stone unturned until they achieved their aim, even if it meant invoking the spirit of twins.

“The brutal killing of twin brothers, Taiwo and Kehinde Oyesunle, occurred on December 25, a day before our annual Twins Day Festival, which is a day set aside to celebrate the beauty and uniqueness of twins in Lagos State.

This singular action has since then thrown the whole community of twins into mourning, it will take the grace of God to console us,” the Oluwanfunsho twins said.

When citing examples of steps TAAI has taken so far to seek justice for the slain Oyesunle twins, the TAAI coordinators gave the indications that the organisation had written to inform the governor of Lagos State, Mr Akin-

Taye Oyesunle and Kehinde Oyesunle.

It is not advisable to cheat twins, because their guarding spirit will fight for them. If you do anything against any twin, it is advisable to seek their forgiveness, because it is only then would you be free from being dealt with by the orisa ibeji . wunmi Ambode, Speaker of the State House of Assembly in Lagos, the State Commissioner for Police, among other stakeholders, to ensure that the matter was not forgotten.

“To our utmost surprise and shock, the police commissioner in Lagos has not deemed it fit to visit the aged and poor mother of the late twins, if only to just console her.

To us, this is an oppression which could further kill the spirit of the old woman. The old woman had to be moved

out of Lagos to somewhere in Ogun State because of the shock. We know that if the twins were criminals who had escaped from the scene of robbery in Sokoto State, the Nigerian Police Force would have sent their men to track them down and bring them to justice, so why is it difficult for them to look for the woman and do the needful,” they said.

“The Nigerian Police should fully rehabilitate and compensate the old poor mother and other members of the family,” they added.

To prevent a recurrence of the sad incident, the twins called for “a total overhaul of the recruitment exercise of the Police Force in order to check the continued recruitment of assassins to the Nigerian Police Force.”

“Failure on the part of the Police Force to meet these demands could make millions of twins in the Nigerian twins community to invoke the spirit of twins to fight for those that are wrongfully treated in this matter. It is difficult to offend twins and get away with it. Half a word is enough for the wise,” they stated.

Notable statistics out twins According to the report of a research, of the 700million people in Africa, over 10.6million are estimated to be twins. Also, it has been estimated that twins under 15years of age represent 57% of the total population of twins in Nigeria.

Reports also show that Nigeria has the highest number of twins in the world, because about 55% of African twins are from Nigeria.

Studies have also shown that in Nigeria, there is a high possibility that a mother with a set of twins would be poorer than a mother with a single child, and it is believed that there are 25,000 street twin children in Nigeria, while another West African country, Ghana, has close to 5000.

“But it is a pity that majority of these precious children are born into abject poverty and ignorance, and their plights have continued to increase with the high level of multiple births in Africa,” the Oluwafunsho twins said.

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feature

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Customs: The rush for assets declaration

When the purpose of the visit was made known to the staff, he said that the office, including the state director, had been given “strict instruction” not to grant press interviews.

The officer, who would not even give his name, said that it is either the chairman or any of the federal commissioner of the bureau in Abuja that could talk with the press on the matter or any matter relating to the operations of the bureau.

FromSamNwaoko,JudeOssai,BiolaAzeez,SabiuMohammed, Tunde Ogunesan, Oluwole Ige, Hakeem Gbadamosi and Austin Ebipade

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HE Comptroller-General of Customs, Colonel Hammed Ali (retd), on January 15 directed all officers and men of the organisation to make full disclosure of their assets within 14 days to show transparency and compliance with the rule of law.

The deadline for the declaration expired on 29 January.

Saturday Tribune, against the backdrop of this development, examines the development and the level of compliance in some states of the federation.

Oyo State In Oyo State, Saturday Tribune investigations revealed that the level of compliance among customs officers and other paramilitary agencies has been very high.

The state director, Code of Conduct Bureau, Oyo State, Moses Atolagbe made this known in an interview with Saturday Tribune, adding that this could be as a result of the fact that the exercise is not new to them.

Atolagbe noted that the customs and the police have always been involved in the exercise in the past, saying the recent directive by the government only helps to enforce it the more.

In his words, “the exercise is not new with the officers of customs, police, military and even prison controllers. However, the level of compliance with the recent government directive has been very high and has also helped in enforcing the exercise.

“The rate at which they come for compliance has been encouraging, especially the military officers, to beat the deadline.

“We have prosecuted police officers in the past, officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) at the Code of Conduct Bureau. You may also recall that we have also prosecuted a former commissioner in this state. The exercise is well enforced here. We don’t toy or joke with this, if they don’t comply, we prosecute them.

Mr Atolagbe even disclosed that several class of people have been visiting the office to make inquiries on what is involved or how to go about declaring their assets. He also added that last November, the governor of Oyo State, Senate Abiola Ajimobi, the deputy governor, Moses Alake, the Speaker and other political office holders in the state all came around for a second stage of declaration of assets.

Saturday Tribune learnt that since the directive of the comptroller of Customs Nigeria, over 300 customs officer from the 444 area commands in Oyo and Osun states have so far participated in the exercise. And at the time of filing this report, police and customs officers were still trooping to the office of the CCB, situated at Plot 11A, UCH-Secretariat road, Ibadan to comply with the directive.

The exercise, according to the state director, is in three stages.

“The first phase is the completion of assets declaration form, the second phase is called verification. That is, we summon declarants to come and justify what they have declared in the form. We ask them questions and when you have grey areas, you asterisk in red, those are the areas that need to be flashed for further investigations.

“And the third phase is the physical verifications, that is going to the field to look at what has been declared and see whether those things are there or not, whether those things have been given actual value, or the value has been bloated or the value is under declared. When there is under declaration, it’s also a valuation. Those are the three stages of assets declaration.”

Atolagbe further informed that “For now, what we have is the set of people undergoing the declaration, we will now invite them for interrogation, interview and observation.”

He added that after these stages, the CCB then goes on air to seek the opinion or information from the public on whatever that has been declared by the declarants.

“When we start that, people will hear because we will go on air to ask people on what they know about them and volunteer information to us. They don’t have to write their names or do anything to provide their information. we also want people to come forward to give us information,” he said.

And if there are differences in what has been declared and what the agency finds out on the field, Atolagbe said at that point, the CCB will have to report to the headquarters of the agency, which then takes up the matter at that juncture.

“If we discover differences in declaration, at our level, what we do at the state office is to write a letter to the national headquarters of CCB on observations on the content of the declaration and what has been found on the field. it is the headquarters that will give further directives and ask the department of investigation, intelligence and monitoring to now look into that and give further directives. The

Kaduna State The Kaduna State Director of the CCB, Mr George David affirmed that officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service in the state have trooped in en masse to beat the twoweeks deadline for the assets declaration.

Speaking in an interview, he said since the directive was announced, his office has become the ‘new mecca’ for the customs officer.

He disclosed that because of the influx of the officers, he and his staff report to the office at 7a.m. everyday and close between 6p.m. and 7p.m.

Even though he did not state how many forms were distributed, he insisted that the turnout was very impressive, saying, “some have returned their forms while some are yet to return the forms.”

David maintained that even with the expiration of the two weeks deadline, many are still coming to his office for the form.

“You can see (referring to our reporter) how they were coming. Go and report what you saw,” he declared.

Hameed Ali, Customs CG

The first phase is the completion of assets declaration form, the second phase is called verification. That is, we summon declarants to come and justify what they have declared in the form. We ask them questions and when you have grey areas, you asterisk in red, those are the areas that need to be flashed for further investigations. headquarters may choose whatever method it feels suitable to achieve the desired result,” Atolagbe noted.

Osun State Speaking on the level of compliance of custom officers to the directive, the Osun State Director of the CCB, Mr Adeniyi Olufadeji said “due to the sensitive nature of our work, oath of allegiance and secrecy, we don’t normally discuss details of people who declare their assets.”

According to him, “as far as Osun State is concerned, we always ensure and monitor compliance from individuals working with federal, state and local government councils.”

While declining to give details if any customs officer in Osun has complied with the directive, Olufadeji explained that “up to this moment, we have up to date compliance”.

“On those who are due to declare their assets, we have sent out calls for nominal role. Based on their responses, we will send out the assets declaration forms,” he added.

Kwara State When Saturday Tribune visited the Kwara State office of the CCB in Ilorin, the state Director of the Bureau directed one of the staff members to attend to the correspondent.

Bayelsa State Though a customs officer under anonymity said a few of them have complied by declaring their assets at the CCB, he said several others were reluctant to do so.

When our correspondent visited the CCB office in Yenagoa, the leadership of the bureau did not only decline to divulge any information but also refused to entertain any journalist.

An inside source at the CCB who craved anonymity said they were treating the issue with utmost privacy and secrecy and that no time would any staff of the CCB disclose if any public servant has come to declare his assets or the number of those that have declared.

Ondo State The CCB in Ondo State has said that compliance level in his state is very encouraging.

The state director of the CCB, Mr. Aramide-Atolagbe Akinola, who stated this in Akure, while speaking with Saturday Tribune, said a significant number of men of the Nigerian Customs from the state command have obtained and submitted their forms in respect of the directive.

He explained that most of the men from the command had submitted their forms even before the directive was issued by the customs boss.

Akinola said it has become a tradition for the customs in the state command to regularly declare their assets, saying “they usually come here to declare their asserts every four years.”

“Most of them carried out this exercise last year and it’s usually once in four years and we, therefore, have no issue with men of the customs from the Ondo State command.”

Ekiti State Ekiti State has no customs formation and for this, the application by officers and men of the customs for assets declaration forms is not taking place in the state.

A source at the CCB told Saturday Tribune in Ado Ekiti that there was a collection of forms in their office in the state. The source explained that CCB officers in Ekiti State were aware that officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service in Ondo State had been going to their office for the forms.

“The CCB in Ekiti State is free from the customs’ asset forms and that is not happening here because there is no Customs formation in Ekiti State. We are not giving forms and we are not receiving forms from customs officers because they are not here in Ekiti State,” the CCB official stated.

A visit to the CCB office in GRA, Ado Ekiti also showed a considerable humdrum, as the officials in the place were only carrying out their routine activities with no sight of customs officials at the place.

Enugu State IN Enugu State, the state director of the CCB, Mrs. Lucy Ijenta, said customs officers in the state have been complying with the directive on declaration of assets, confirming that they have all declared their assets up to 2015, adding that another one would be due in 2019.

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13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Yabatech crisis: ‘Our daughter didn’t have sickle cell anaemic’

Charity

Charity’s family house Naza Okoli - Lagos

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HE Dazan home at Number 17 Funsho Ajayi Crescent, Oko Afo, Badagry Lagos, was filled with sympathisers in the afternoon of Thursday.

It was a small house in a quiet neighbourhood.

A group of young men sat before a locked shop just in front of the family house, while the women sat in the sitting room in the main house and around the veranda.

A mournful silence enveloped the entire atmosphere.

It was here that the 27-year-old Charity Oluwabukola Dazan was born, and she was last seen here in January, before she returned to school (Yaba College of Technology, YABATECH), to prepare for her final examination.

Many of the young people who had come to sympathise with the family said they and Charity grew up together.

They were still in shock: it was difficult to believe they would never see her again.

But there was a lot of anger in the air – much of it was directed at YABATECH authorities. Many of those who had gathered there had read in the papers that official reports from the College said Dazan was a Sickle Cell Anaemia patient.

“It is a lie from the pit of hell,” declared her older brother, Michael.

Her father, Mr Matthew Dazan, sat in an armchair in the sitting room, a sad frown visible around his eyes. Her mother who was partially paralysed stayed in her own room. The news of her daughter’s death was broken to her only some hours before.

“My daughter, Charity Oluwabukola Dazan was not a Sickler,” Mr Matthew Dazan said, firmly. “Since she was born, she had been very active. She associated with everybody; she was well-behaved and straightforward.

As for her medical status, I am aware that before anyone is admitted into any school, the person must undergo medical tests, and those things are documented. I challenge the school to show us where it is written that our daughter suffered from Sickle Cell Anaemia. She was twenty-seven years old, and she had never fallen sick – apart from the normal headache and malaria that people sometimes have. Sickle Cell Anaemia is a very serious condition; there is no way you would have it and your

Eniola

Mr Matthew Dazan, Charity’s father

family and in fact everybody would not know.

“I received the news yesterday (Wednesday) between 12:30 and 1 pm. I spoke with her on Saturday on the phone. She said she would not come home until after her exam, that I should expect her on the 27th of this month.

That was my last communication with my daughter.

Charity was very religious. She attended Fellowship; she usually mixes freely with other Christians from other denominations. That was her own way of life.”

Charity was also proficient in the French Language. Her father (who himself studied French) recalled that only a few weeks ago she had discussed with him an article she intended to submit for publication in a French journal.

It saddened him he had no way of knowing whether she had gone ahead with it.

Dazan’s elder sister, Eniola, herself a former student at Yaba College of Technology, said they were not informed that her sister had fallen ill until she died.

“I was once a YABATECH student,” she said. “I studied Mass Communications (OND), from 2009 to 2011. My genotype is AA. Charity was my immediate younger sister. We grew up together. To tell me now that she suffered from Sickle Cell Anaemia is absurd. I know YABATECH Medical Centre. It is very poor. I have once been there.

If they are looking for excuses, they should find other

I challenge the school to show us where it is written that our daughter suffered from Sickle Cell Anaemia.

She was twenty-seven years old, and she had never fallen sick – apart from the normal headache and malaria that people sometimes have.

things to say, not that Charity was a Sickler.

“Charity was a very gentle person, but she had her policies. But she was very religious. She finished her OND from the Polytechnic, Ibadan. She was the Assistant Choir Mistress at Cherubim and Seraphim there. Can a Sickle Cell patient do that? At YABATECH, she was the Sisters’ Coordinator; she just handed over on the 30th of January. She was very brilliant. Her CGPA was close to 4.0. If she had called us, I wouldn’t have allowed them to take her to that Medical Centre because I know that place. Nobody called us. It was only when she had died that they called.”

It is not only members of the Dazan family who did not believe Charity was anaemic. Many of her schoolmates also thought it could not have been true. For instance, a comment, posted by Afolabi Sarah Abosede, on Dazan’s wall read: “This is so disheartening. How can management of Yabatech and the medical centres compose a lie as big as this, don’t they have heart, someone died due to their negligence… and they still have the guts to say she is a sickle cell patient boldly on media.”

In transit According to a statement issued Thursday morning by the Director of Public Relations at YABATECH, Mr Charles Oni, Dazan died “while being conveyed to the Federal Medical Centre at Ebute Metta.”

“The late Dazan, a student in the Office Technology Management Department was a Sickle Cell Anaemia patient,” the statement read. “She had developed a crisis in the afternoon of Tuesday, February 9, 2016 and was temporarily on admission at the College Medical Centre under close watch of the Centre’s Management. She was however discharged when her condition became stable so that she could get prepared for her practical examination Wednesday, February 10, 2016. Practical examinations began round the College last Monday as a precursor to the main general examination earlier scheduled for Monday, February 15.

“The late Dazan’s crisis relapsed around midnight and her room mates rushed her back to the medical centre where precautionary medical attention was given to her, pending referral to Federal Medical Centre at Ebute Metta as soon as day breaks. She was being conveyed to the Federal Medical Centre early Wednesday morning when she gave up the ghost.”

However, according to the students, Dazan was actually rushed to the Federal Medical Centre where the sum of N35 000 was allegedly demanded by the medical officials.

“She was asked to pay N35 000 before they would attend to her,” said Akinola Emmanuel, one of the leaders of the protest on campus Wednesday afternoon. “Imagine that? I can tell you that from the breakdown of our school fees, every student pays N3000 for healthcare.

So what was the N35 000 for?”

“Unkempt” It was her sister, Eniola, who was first contacted on the phone. Even then, she was not told her sister had died.

“The voice on the phone said I should come, that my sister needed my help,” recalled Eniola. “But it was too early and I was scared. I sensed something was terribly wrong; I had to ask my husband to go.”

Eniola’s husband who sat beside his wife in the small sitting room also narrated his ordeal that Wednesday.

“We got to the school after 9 am,” he said. “About 12:20, the Dean of Students told us to wait at the gate, that because of the students’ protest, it might not be safe for us to move the body safely out of the premises. We waited for more than 30 minutes, before we returned to Medical Centre. We asked to see the body. When they opened the face, it was as if the body was abandoned. It was unkempt.

The body was not cleaned; the clothes not changed. We were angry; and we complained… before they eventually cleaned the body. Afterwards, we took her to the cemetery.”

Final moments On Wednesday at YABATECH where students had used the occasion of Dazan’s death to demand improved welfare, and the resuscitation of their union, some of Dazan’s friends were seen weeping profusely.

A student who said he helped carry her on his back to the Medical Centre in the night on Tuesday said she told them not to call her mother.

“She said ‘I’m dying; don’t call my mother; call only my sister.’”

Dazan was very active on Facebook. She had 717 friends and had hundreds of photographs uploaded on the platform. Her last update was a terse comment about human relationship posted on 4 February 2016: “Those who you cherish these are the same who speak of you… Aah yeah.”

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13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

views.com Ondo@40: The sun still shines

By Kayode Akinmade

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HERE are quite a number of states making progress in Nigeria, trudging on in spite of the odds. With the steady slide in the value of the naira following the tragedy in the global oil market, with the Federal Government’s apparent lack of positive economic vision and with the erosion of the democratic gains made in the immediate past administration; in spite, indeed, of Nigeria’s feeding bottle federalism apologies to Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, such states are forging ahead, inspired by a visionary leadership. At various times in the democratic space, Ondo has witnessed pragmatic leadership through Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua, Chief Adebayo Adefarati, Dr Segun Agagu and, of course, Dr Olusegun Mimiko. There have been crises, difficulties and odds, but these have never cowed the Ondo spirit. Out of the 60 National Merit Award winners since the inception of that award, 11 Ondo State indigenes have been recipients.

Professor Sylvester Adegoke, Professor Ifedayo Oladapo, Dr. Soji Oluwole, Professor Abiodun Francis Oluwole, Professor Ladipo Akinkugbe, Dr. Akinola Aguda, Professor Tolu Odugbemi, Professor Jacob Olupona, Dr. Ebenezer Meshida, Professor (Mrs) Paulina Adebusoye and Professor Ladipo Adamolekun, all proud indigenes of Ondo State have received the National Merit Award and these winners have coming from Ondo State, confirm its intellectual supremacy.

The state is moving forward.

Addressing the people of the state on the 40year milestone, Dr Olusegun Mimiko pointed out: “Given the vicissitudes of fortunes that Ondo State has witnessed in its 40-year existence so far, I believe, like many indigenes, that we have done well. We have not only benchmarked programmes and projects for other states in the health sector, urban renewal, education, wealth creation and other sectors, we have succeeded in making Ondo State an unfolding destination of choice for entertainment and medical tourism. “ The present Administration has kept faith with the promise to work for the people of Ondo State. Today, Ondo State is not only a global benchmark in a couple of initiatives, the diligent and sincere implementation of our programmes has attracted the commendation of statesmen throughout the nation even across political divides, and elicited public acknowledgement of our modest achievements. Some of these initiatives include, but not limited to, the Abiye Safe Motherhood Programme, Mother and Child Hospitals, Trauma & Surgical Centre, Kidney Care Centre, Urban Renewal Programme, modern neighbourhood markets, the ultra-modern Automart, Water supply schemes, Housing Estates, School Free Shuttle Scheme and the emplacement of over 600 community-driven projects among others. The State now has an International Event Centre otherwise known as The Dome which is fast becoming the cynosure of all eyes” Ondo is no pushover in any sector. The state is already a tourism destination through its masterful handling of its cultural assets. The Idanre Hills Resort is now a World Heritage Site, and Mare festival is increasingly one of the most notable festivals across the country expanding by the day. Members of the entertainment industry have now found in Ondo, an excellent haven for artistic expression. The state female football team, Sunshine Queens, is a leading sports club in the female league, and Sunshine Stars, the male team, has been prominent on the national and continental scene despite its young age.

In the area of health, Ondo remains the only state in Nigeria tackling maternal mortality by assigning Health Rangers to pregnant women for proper monitoring from

conception to birth; providing mobile phones for maintaining free contact with health rangers and healthcare providers, coupled with appropriate transportation like four-wheel and tricycle ambulances; renovation of existing basic health centres and construction of new ones and adequate provision of drugs and other consumables.

With the free phones, pregnant women call the health rangers who visit and treat them at home. When it is time for delivery, the pregnant woman is taken to the hospital, and in case surgery is needed, the theatre would be waiting for her. All the services ( free consultation, admission, medication, blood transfusion and surgical operations) are free.

Impressed by the Medical Village, Ondo which accommodates among others, the Trauma Centre, Kidney Care Centre, Gani Fawehinmi Diagnostic Centre and another Mother and Child Hospital, the World Bank officially listed Ondo state ‘’Abiye’’ programme on its website as one of the success stories coming out of Africa. And what about the modern Cold Chain Store, meant for the Ondo State Routine Immunization Reaching Every Ward Always (ORIREWA) initiative which ensures that immunization reaches all children as at when due, with the protection of children against childhood killer diseases as major objective?

Again, Ondo is the only state to have eliminated undue paper governance through electronic platforms, particularly multi-purpose smartcard for digitalised service delivery (Kaadi Igbe Ayo). A pregnant woman can receive treatment at any part of the state once she presents her card. The card is her case note. No need to spend valuable hours looking for files. With its Trauma Centre in Ondo State and the University of Medical Sciences, the Mother and Child hospitals and many others, Ondo is the classic fountain in Nigeria’s desert. Ondo is the state where the least fees are paid in tertiary institutions.

In the education sector, Governor Mimiko realised,

on assuming office, that in the uneven kind of competition with private schools, the public schools system, either at the primary or secondary education tier, produced students invariably from poor homes who never made it to any tertiary institution because of the manifest deficiency in their scholarship. The effect of the inherently discriminatory system was that qualitative but free primary and secondary education in the state became only a mental construct and catchy political sloganeering because in practice, only the rich could afford it. To rectify the imbalance from source and expose the children of the less privileged to good education just like the children of the elites, the government immediately started building model primary schools, appropriately named Caring Heart Mega Schools to reflect the scope of learning possibilities and the sheer capacity for students’ intake.

With 56 mega schools without any parallels in Africa, hailed as Black Africa’s greatest success story in educational revolution, and with over 200 schools rehabilitated across the state, with more than 50,000 students being accommodated, Ondo has done excellently well, particularly if you consider the Free School Shuttle policy, initiated in 2012. Where a free education package includes school sandals, bags and books, and where you have the only Quality Education Assurance Agency in the country maintaining standards and setting parameters in all the agencies and departments of government in the state, you cannot but appreciate good governance. What is more, if you consider its unique record of paying the highest minimum wage in the country, you cannot but celebrate Ondo at 40.

Indeed, former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, on a visit to Ondo State in December 2013, enthused: “The truth is that I was ashamed of the fact that so much is going on in Ondo State in terms of development and services to the ordinary people and yet we as Nigerians, and particularly as Yoruba people, have refused to acknowledge or admit it either for self-serving political motives or for other reasons which are best known to ourselves.”

In spite of these obvious landmarks, Ondo State is, like every other state, not yet where it should be. This is because it has no control over its own resources, even though Nigeria is supposed to be a federal Republic. Imagine what the possibilities would be if the state were to exploit its bitumen, estimated as capable of sustaining the Nigerian nation itself for at least 120 years, contributing only an agreed rate to the government at the centre for the running of the federation. That would immediately activate what Governor Mimiko, at a recent engagement in the state capital, Akure, called self-evident, as opposed to text-book, development.

Yet, instead of pursuing fiscal federalism through the implementation of the 2014 National Conference report which contains the roadmap for true Nigerian greatness, the Federal Government is busy chasing shadows, trying to promote an unworkable system. Certainly, Nigeria is the only supposedly federal Republic in the world where the constituent states depend on federal allocations to exist, instead of using their own resources to develop at their own pace; the only “federal Republic” where the central government is planning agriculture even though it has no land, except through the fraudulent Land Use Act, an instrument of robbery and retrogression. The conclusion, then, must be that the Ondo of our dream is near. It can be said however that the foundation has been well laid through good governance.

Akinmade is Ondo State Commissioner for Information

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13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060

Haziel Football Academy prepares for Kaduna FA Cup HAZIEL Football Academy (HFA) has lined up a series of friendlies to keep its youngsters in shape ahead of the 2016 Federation Cup otherwise known as the Challenge Cup in Kaduna State which begins next month.

This is the first time the Kaduna-based academy will be participating in the oldest football competition in Nigeria.

Chief Coach of HFA, Kabiru Isah told Tribunesport that his budding talents are eager to participate in the competition.

“We have seven friendly matches to play before the Challenge Cup starts. It is our desire that our team makes an impact in the Challenge Cup so that the vision of the owners, which is to provide a strong and effective grassroots talents will be realised.

“We will face Kakuri Academy on February 15 at the Artillery Barracks; Redeem FC on February 18 and AYC Academy on February 20 at the Water board training pitch; Yelwa FC; Barnawa United on February 29 at Barnawa Primary School and Pinnacle Academy on March 2 at the Water board training pitch, Kaduna,” Isah said.

Ameobi signs for Fleetwood Ameobi

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I G E R I A N striker, Shola Ameobi on Friday signed for English League One side, Fleetwood Town till the end of the current season.

The 34-year-old joins The Cod Army on a free transfer after he was released by English Championship side, Bolton Wanderers following the

expiration of his contract.

“Former Newcastle striker signed a deal with Town today,” Fleetwood Town announced on its website on Friday.

Though Ameobi offered to continue to stay at Bolton for free, the cashstrapped club had been stopped from signing or registering new players.

Ameobi took time to

explain his decision in accepting to join the Lancashire club after speaking with Fleetwood Town chairman, Andy Pilley.

The striker believes he has joined an ambitious club and wants to use his experience to help the youngsters at Fleetwood.

“I spoke to the owner, Andy Pilley on Wednesday

night and he explained to me what he wanted to do here. I was really excited to come down and join.

“I was intrigued to see what the place was all about, but now that I’ve seen it I’m just excited to be here and will hopefully lend a bit of experience and quality to the squad.

“The training facilities are magnificent consider-

ing where the club were a few years ago, so to have something like this is great testament to the owner.

“The ambition was the one thing that really stood out for me. The owner, the manager and the lads are all ambitious and it was something I really wanted to be a part of,” Ameobi said.

Trouble looms in Akwa Utd over FIFA judgment

By Olawale Olaniyan NIGERIA’S Federation Cup holders and representative in the 2016 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cup, Akwa United FC appears to have a big problem looming large on the horizon, which could see the team lose its Premier League status.

The Promise Keepers will make their debut on the continent today as they face Vita Club Mokanda of Congo at the Stade Municipal de Pointe-Noire.

Tribunesport gathered that FIFA has instructed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), to open disciplinary proceedings against Akwa United, over the non-payment of agency fee agreed with the FIFAlicensed agent of their former player, Meshack Chikwubuikem, Dr Ojore Oka. Meshack, it would be recalled, had a very successful loan stint with Akwa United

during the 2012/2013 season, before he tried his luck elsewhere, which saw him play for Rangers, Enyimba and former team, Shooting Stars Sports Club, while he played for Ifeanyi Ubah FC at the 2015 season.

After a series of letters sent to Akwa United from FIFA were unheeded, the matter was finally referred to the disciplinary committee.

According to the final decision of the FIFA disciplinary committee, dated June 9, 2015; “The Club Akwa United FC is pronounced guilty of failing to comply with the decision passed by the single judge of the players’ status committee on 23 September, 2014 and is, therefore, in violation of art. 64 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.” The letter continued, “The Club Akwa United is granted a final period of grace of 30 days as from notification of the present decision in which

to settle its debt to the creditor, the players’ Agent, Dr Ojore Oka. “If the payment is not made by this deadline, the creditor may demand in writing from the secretariat to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee that three points be deducted from the debtor’s first team in the domestic league. Once the creditor has filed this request, the points will be deducted automatically without a further formal decision having to be taken by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee. The order to implement the points deducted will be issued on the association concerned by the secretariat to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.

“If the club Akwa United still fails to pay the amount due even after deduction of the points in accordance, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee with decide on a possible relegation of the debtor’s first team to the

next lower division.”

Tribunesport source further explained that FIFA expects the NFF to implement its directive to the letter as Akwa United is an affiliate of the federation.

It was gathered that the issue dates back to the 2012/2013 season when Meshack was registered by Akwa United on a loan period and a fee of N1million was agreed to be paid to his agent. However, the fee was never paid likewise that of the agent involved, leaving Oka, who is based in the United Kingdom, with no option but to take the case to FIFA. Oka, a FIFA-licensed agent confirmed to Tribunesport that he took the case to FIFA but declined to comment further saying, his lawyer in Switzerland, was handling the case.

Meshack told Tribunesport that the management

of the Akwa United is not willing to pay him.

“I have tried my best to get in touch with the management of Akwa United, and all what they are saying is that they will not pay me that I should go ahead and report to FIFA and NFF. “The amount they owe me is N1.5million for my sign-on fee, while they also owe my agent N1million as agency fee.

Meanwhile, a member of Akwa United’s management, Mr Charles Bassey disclosed to Tribunesport that he is not aware of the case with FIFA, just as he declined to comment on the issue.

Also, the former Secretary of the club, Joseph Eberefe when contacted told Tribunesport by phone that since he’s no more the secretary of the club, he has no comment on the issue, but acknowledged that he’s aware the case is already with FIFA.

Meshack

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news

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Naira falls to record N335 to dollar THE naira on Friday exchanged at N335 to the dollar as the scarcity of the greenback worsened at the parallel market.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the naira lost N10 to exchange at N335 to the dollar, a depreciation of three per cent.

It previously traded at N225 to the dollar.

Meanwhile, the official Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) exchange rate remained at N197 to the dollar.

Traders at the market expressed worry at the increasing shortage of the greenback and urged the government to take immediate steps to stem the tide.

RCCG Lokoja organises Valentine programme

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State laying the foundation of the new Oja Oba market in Ado Ekiti on Friday. With him is the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe Aladesanmi II.

I’m not scared of ICPC, EFCC probe —Fayose

Lays foundation stone of modern Ado-Ekiti market Sam Nwaoko - Ado Ekiti

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OVERNOR Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State has declared that he knows his every move is being monitored and therefore has taken steps to ensure transparency, which has made him unafraid of probe by any of the anti-graft agencies of government.

Fayose, who spoke on Friday at the foundation laying ceremony of the modern Er-

ekesan Market in Ado Ekiti, also said rumoured intention of some bigwigs in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) would not cause him to lose sleep.

Fayose said he was ready for probe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC), in the way he has been awarding

contracts.

According to him, he has been following due process in all his financial dealings and contended that the EFCC and ICPC could scrutinise the financial dealings of his government.

He insisted that his experience in the past where he had been detained for 45 days and charged to court in a case that lasted for eight years, came handy and was helpful.

He said: “I know that I

We are after Tompolo, we’ll get him —IGP Sam Nwaoko - Ado Ekiti THE Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Solomon Arase, has said that the police is on the trail of Mr. Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, following a court order that he should be arrested.

The IGP, who visited the Ekiti command on Friday, told newsmen after an interactive session with officers and men of the command, that the man would be arrested.

Arase, when asked why Tompolo has not been taken to court following two warrants against him, said that “we are looking for him. We will arrest him.”

Speaking on a warrant by an Ado Ekiti magistrate’s court for the Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State to arrest a former secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Dr. Tope Aluko, for alleged perjury, the InspectorGeneral said the police had not received any such warrant.

“I’m yet to see the arrest warrant. I’m a professional cop; I hate being dragged into political is-

sues and as much as possible, we try to insulate the Force from such political discourse.

“When I see the warrant, we will look at it and see whether we will get involved in it. If we cannot get involved in it, we would get to the Attorney General’s office to proffer the way forward,” the police boss said.

The state Commissioner

of Police, Mr Etop James, revealed that the command required a total of 4,206 officers to make up for the shortfall in personnel, describing this as very inimical to their performances.

Reacting to the dearth of men of the rank and file in the Force, Arase said the police would recruit 10,000 annually with a view to filling the lacuna.

have so many enemies and that is why I have been following due process in all my dealings. There are enemies for me when I sleep and when I wake up, so I have to be careful. I don’t want my enemies to latch on technicality to get at me.”

He promised that all the market men and women, who had suffered as a result of the demolition will have cause to rejoice with him after the completion of the project, which he said would take about 18 months.

He noted out that “it is always very difficult when structures like this are being demolished. But it takes a leader with great heart to take a bold step like this.

What Ekiti needs is a bold leader and not a weakling, we don’t need a weakling.

“I am a builder, who God had sent to help Ekiti and that exactly I shall do. But it is only a state like Ekiti where people would want to bring down a builder at all cost.”

Mimiko tasks police, raises the alarm over herdsmen attacks THE Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, has charged the authorities of the Nigeria Police to address as a matter of urgency, the rising cases of frequent clashes between the Fulani herdsmen and their host communities across the country.

Dr Mimiko gave the charge on Friday during a courtesy visit to him by the Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase in his office in Akure.

The governor described the upsurge as a new trend of security challenges that should be tackled headlong before it degenerates into

big security threat, noting that many lives and property had been lost to the crises in the last few years.

He called on the Federal Government to invest heavily in cattle ranches to avert the incessant clashes between herdsmen and their host communities.

While commending the officers and men of the force for their professionalism and diligence in providing adequate security in the state, the Governor described the Police boss as highly cerebral who has provided right leadership for the force.

He commended the high

level of efficiency demonstrated by the Nigerian Police in apprehending the perpetrators of the sudden death of late Prof Albert Ilemobade as well as the abductors of Chief Olu Falae.

He assured of his support and cooperation for the Police Force and saluted the synergy among the security agencies in sustaining the prevailing peace in the State.

Earlier, the InspectorGeneral of Police, Mr Solomon Arase thanked the governor for his support for the Ondo State Command of the force.

THE youths/choir of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Zion Parish, Lokoja, Kogi State, will tomorrow hold the Worship Experience Season 2 and Valentine Special.

The Worship Experience will start at 8:00 a.m., while the Valentine Special will take off at 3:00 p.m.

Both programmes will take place in the church auditorium, located at General Chris Ali Close, Lokoja.

There will be a boat cruise to Confluence Beach, Lokoja, today at 8:00 a.m., while true worship, drama, talk, exchange of gifts, quiz for couples and red carpet reception will hold tomorrow.

NURTW crisis: Abia monarch sues for peace Celestine Ihejirika - Umuahia THE warring factions of the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and other sister unions operating at the popular Okigwe Central Motor Park in Umuahia metropolis in Abia State have been urged to sheathe their swords in the interest of peace in the state.

The traditional ruler of Ezimba / Mgbaja autonomous community in Ossah Ibeku, Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State, HRH Eze Chiabuetu Emelike, made the appeal in his palace, while speaking with Saturday Tribune, promised that the lingering crisis at the central motor park will soon be over.

Eze Emelike, who described as shocking, the rumours doing the round that he was instrumental to the current crisis at the park wondered why he would use his position as Eze of an autonomous community to cause crisis among motor park union.

According to him, it was a misguided information and uncalled for at this present dispensation using his position to cause crisis instead of unifying warring factions of the unions.

Soldiers arrest 9 oil thieves, 3 kidnappers Joe Nwachukwu - Owerri THE 34 Artillery Brigade Obinze, Imo State, has arrested nine suspects for illegal bunkering, three kidnappers and one suspect for possession of firearms.

Briefing newsmen on behalf of the Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Kay Isiyake, the Public Relations Officer of the brigade, Captain A. Y. Gingina, said that the brigade’s operation titled “PULO-SHIELD” is saddled with the responsibility of curbing illegal oil bunkering, pipeline vandalism and kidnapping, On the seizure of two trucks belonging to the Dangote Group that were involved in the oil deal, he said that one of the trucks with registration number KMC 136 ZY was loaded with 22,000 liters of substances suspected to be crude oil, adding that the truck was arrested through a tip-off.

Gingina said that on 7 January, his men deployed to Port Harcourt–Owerri road arrested four suspects namely Anas Mohammed, the driver of the truck belonging to Dangote; Abdul Majid Aliyu, his conductor; Christian Nnochiri, the loader of the product and Ejima Emeka the owner of the crude oil product.

According to him, they were carrying unquantified volume of substances suspected to be AGO in Dangote Sino truck with identification number ICT 15D 03.

46 sport

13 February, 2016

Westerhof laughed at us when we ran away from snow in Holland —Ajibade Babalade FORMER Nigerian international, Ajibade Babalade came to limelight barely two years of his career when he played for the Stationery Stores of Lagos, which lifted the 1990 Challenge Cup. He went on to play for the Super Eagles which won the 1992 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) bronze.

‘Kunde’ as he is fondly called by his admirers was a member of the Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan, which won the maiden edition of the CAF Cup otherwise known as Abiola Cup in 1992, while he also helped the team to the final of the then Champions Cup in 1996.

Babalade also played for Iwuanyanwu Nationale, Africa Sports Abidjan in 1994 before he returned to Shooting Stars. He left for greener pastures to play for Anyang LG Cheetahs of South Korea in 1997/98 season and later SK Sturm Graz of Austria from 1998 to 2000 season. The bulky former defender also returned to play for 3SC in 2004 and returned abroad to play for an Indian top side, Mohun Bagan AC in 2004/05 season before he stopped active football.

The former Team Manager of 3SC in this interview with OLUWABUNMI AJAYI, relives some of his defining moments of his career and raised issues that if well addressed would take Nigerian footbal to new heights.

Excerpts:

A

T what point did it occur to you that you could play football for a living?

My dad was a nursing superintendent at the Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, where he worked for about 35 years. He was the president of the Nursing Association in Lagos State then and we lived within the premises of Igbobi where I played football as a kid and rubbed shoulders with my elder ones at the primary school. I distinguished myself in street football until it dawned on me that I could be a good footballer. So I was already engrossed in football by the time I got to the secondary school at Maroko Comprehensive High School 3. In school 4, we had Babatunde Fapetu while school 2 had Jonathan Akpoborie, both of who played for the Golden Eaglets in the maiden 1985 FIFA U-17 World Cup. You were nicknamed ‘Kunde’ during your playing days, would you have preferred any other nickname?

I don’t think I would have ever liked any other alias. Cameroon had a legendary defender, Emmanuel Kunde who was so hefty and tough. He was bigger than me and supporters of Stationery Stores usually addressed as the ‘pooku lowo e, alubarika loju’ (cheap go-getters)’ believe I shared similar qualities with him. I joined Stores early 1988 but only had the opportunity to register with them in 1989 season. I played

f o r Stores for two y e a r s and after one of the training sessions at the Baptist Academy Ground, Obanikoro, some supporters milled around me and said: from today onwards, you will be called ‘Kunde’ of stores because you are a rock in our defence’. The nickname still sticks to me till date because a lot of fans

Saturday Tribune

be able to play for Stores regularly. They feared that I would just be on the bench watching the likes of Stephen Keshi and Sunday Eboigbe play who were more experienced than me. So, they (Stores supporters) asked Hamilton to desist from calling me to the Eagles camp or they would not allow him to enter the Onikan Stadium again. I think Hamilton too because of that left me out, but he later confided in me that he would someday call me to the Eagles camp. In 1990, I was in the U-20 national team’s camp in Ibadan where I played some games that impressed Westerhof and that was how he invited me to the Eagles camp but I couldn’t go because I got injured. After a match against Bendel Insurance, Westerhof saw me at the gate and ordered me to report to the camp that night at the Stadium Hotel, very close to the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. I went to my mum and discussed it with her and she said I shouldn’t be afraid because she could notice fear in me that night. The next morning, I joined the Eagles training session, it was quite too hard for me and I wanted to run away. The next day, Westerhof came to me and gave me words of encouragement and N2,000. I could remember we were preparing for the 1992 Africa Nations Cup qualifier against Togo. I didn’t make the squad but they took me to Durba hotel and do you know one thing? My roommate was Stephen Keshi, somebody I used to watch on television and the captain of the national team then. I never believed we could be so close and he told me secretly in Yoruba that he won’t be coming for the next match against Ghana. When we got to Ghana, t) with h ig r ( de at Westerhof was expecting KeBabala -mate then a team Graz. shi; he didn’t come so he now Sturm walked up to me and said ‘you have trained very well and I believe you will play very well’ so he asked me to replace Keshi on the starting line up. At the beginning of the game (against Ghana), I was nervous but after 10 minutes, I began to play my normal game and I was able to play well but unfortunately, we lost the game 1-0.

Immediately after the game, I was given $100 for my performance. still call me by that name.

How did Clemens Westerhof discover you for the Super Eagles and how did you feel before, during and after your first international match?

I was first invited to the national team in 1989 by coach Paul Hamilton, but Stores supporters didn’t allow me to go to the national camp because they believed I won’t

I joined the Eagles training session, it was quite too hard for me and I wanted to run away. The next day, Westerhof came to me and gave me words of encouragement and N2,000.

You failed to make it to USA ‘94 World Cup due to injuries, how did you feel missing out?

After the 1992 Nations Cup, I signed for Africa Sport of Cote d’Ivoire but along the line, I was injured and so I was out of football for a year. I went to the United States and by the time I returned, I was so fat because I did not train. Westerhof later called me and said he wanted me to travel with the team on South American tour of Chile, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil, but I told him I had not trained for awhile, but he insisted I should just come to the camp and that was how I joined the team. It was a form of compensation.

In your days in the national team, we had hefty players in the defence like Stephen Keshi, Uche Okechukwu, Isaac Semitoje and you, nowadays, we don’t have hefty defenders any more, don’t you think this is a disadvantage?

No, I don’t think it’s a disadvantage, it Continues on pg47

47 sport

13 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

‘Yeboah gave me headache in Senegal’ Continued from pg46

doesn’t matter maybe you are hefty or lanky, but it’s going to be an advantage for you and at the same time slow in place, if you are heavy and big, you may not be too smart but you have to read the game. A very good central defender must be good at reading game and I learned this from Keshi, he taught me how to tackle and so many things in football. So stature is nothing it only depends how you can use your physical appearance well.

Having played both at home and abroad, what is the difference between being coached by indigenous and foreign coaches?

Some of our indigenous coaches find it hard to go for refresher courses because they have to fund the courses themselves, but how much are our coaches being paid as salary? That is the problem. In Nigeria here, the indigenous coaches groom raw talents but over there in Europe, they believe you already know the basic things about football, the only thing they will just put you through is tactics, pattern and the way they want you to play.

European coaches go for refresher courses regularly and are sponsored by their clubs but such offer is occasionally tabled before Nigerian coaches and that is the reason why our coaches lag behind.

Who were your best defensive partners during your playing days?

I will say I enjoyed playing alongside Keshi, Okey Uche and the late Aminu Abdul in the defence.

What about your toughest opponent?

I had a very strong duel with Anthony Yeboah during the semi-final of the 1992 Nations Cup but unfortunately, we lost the game 1-2 and that was when I got my first red card. Also with Ronaldo de Lima but I enjoyed playing with him.

How was your relationship especially with Yekini in the national team?

Yekini happened to be my roommate several times in the national team. During the 1992 Nations Cup in Senegal, he was my roommate and we were always together. Sometimes, we always play ‘football set’

ting to Cairo, Zamalek were leading us 2-0. A teammate of mine, David Ogaga was given a red card from the beginning of the game, that made it so difficult for us playing against almighty Zamalek with over 100,000 of their supporters at the stadium. It was so painful we lost the Cup via penalties. In fact, we were promised a brand new car each by the then military administrator of Oyo State, Ahmed Usman.

together, he was my very good brother then, but shortly before he died, he preferred to live in isolation for some years. Most of us did not hear from him until when Ike Shorunmu called one day that Yekini was dead. I wept and mourned him and thought the best I could do was to pay him the last respect by being at his burial ceremony.

Thompson Oliha was my team-mate in the national team and we also played for Africa Sport together in Cote d’Ivoire. We were so close too. I was so sad when I heard about Uche Okafor’s death. He was in the national team before me and he was one of those I looked forward to in the national team.

You played for Stores, Shooting Stars, Iwuanyanwu Nationale on the local scene, where did you get the most memorable experience?

Hmmnnn, that was when Stationery Stores won the Challenge Cup in 1990 against Rangers. The two teams were bitter rivals for a very long time; so we played the final match twice before we won on penalties. It was Emma Okocha, Austin Okocha’s elder brother who missed his penalty kick.

How do you hope to give back to football?

Fine. I didn’t want to become a coach from the outset because Nigerian coaches aren’t well treated even when you sign a contract, they can sack you any time without even giving you your entitlement. I left Shooting Stars as a club official about three years ago and they’re still owing me and each time I asked of my money, they keep telling me they can’t pay. What will I do? I don’t want to report them because this is a team I played for and also captained, so there is nothing I can do than to accept my fate.

Can you recall your first trip to Europe as a footballer?

Hmmnnn, that should be Holland with the national team, then we were preparing for the Nations Cup ’92 and that was my first trip outside Africa. It was kind of an experience for me because when we were there,

How was your experience at Senegal ’92 AFCON especially the semi-final loss to Ghana?

It was a game we had under control because we

e v erything was so organised and there was nothing like power failure. Then when we wanted to train in the afternoon, it was during winter and just as we were training, snow started falling and everyone of us ran inside the bus and when we got to our rooms, some of us used hot water to wash our hands and we got injured, Westerhof was just making fun of us.

Shooting Stars lost in the final of the 1996 then champions Cup, how do you always feel when you recall the defeat especially the pen-

alty drama?

Well, a lot of people believed that we lost the Cup when we won narrowly 2-1 in the first leg in Ibadan where I scored the second goal from a free kick. We believed we could surprise the Egyptians, but on get-

created more chances but we failed to convert them.

Mutiu Adepoju scored first but Prince Polley equalised a few minutes later, while Abedi Pele Ayew punished our lack of concentration to score the winner in the second half. It was a bitter experience because we dreamt of winning the Cup. As I said, it was during the match that I bagged a red card for the first time and it was so sad. I nearly missed the competition due to a back injury, so I couldn’t train for about a week. Fortunately, we defeated Cameroon to win the bronze and that result gave us some respite because we didn’t leave Senegal empty-handed.

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ble-header with Egypt.

It is understood that Oliseh has got in touch with the former Crystal Palace player for the clash with the Pharoahs.

“Victor Moses is one of those listed to make a return to the Super Eagles. He has been in good shape and the coach said he has spoken to him and a number of other top players for the game against Egypt,” a source informed.

Moses has had to stay away from international football followi n g injury issues in the p a s t year.

Valcke

Enyimba loses in Uganda TWO-TIME Ugandan champions, Vipers SC defeated Enyimba 1-0 in the first leg of the CAF Champions League preliminary round on Friday.

Erisa Sekisambu’s goal in the last 20 minutes was enough for the Ugandan club to take a goal advantage into the second leg in Port Harcourt in a fortnight.

ed to sales of the World Cup tickets.

During the investigations, several other acts of potential misconduct arose, including travel expenses policies and regulations.

Valcke, 55, has also been fined 100,000 Swiss francs (£70,800).

In September last year Valcke was put on leave and released from his duties until further notice after FIFA had “been made aware of a series of allegations” involving him.

His dismissal was confirmed in January and FIFA recommended he should be banned from football for nine years.

Regarding the 12-year ban imposed on Friday, a FIFA statement said: “Amongst other things, the adjudicatory chamber found that a sports marketing firm had gained an undue advantage from the selling of World Cup tickets.

“In this respect, not only did Mr Valcke do nothing to stop these activities, he even encouraged the persons responsible to do so.

“By travelling at FIFA’s expense purely for sightseeing reasons, as well as repeatedly choosing private flights for his trips

over commercial flights without any business rationale for doing so, Mr Valcke gained an advantage for himself and relatives.

“In doing so, Mr Valcke acted against FIFA’s best interests and caused considerable financial damage to FIFA. “Concerning the issue of TV and media rights for the Caribbean, it was found that Mr Valcke attempted to grant the TV and media rights for the 2018 a n d 2 0 2 2 World Cups to a third part y for a fee far below their actual m a r ket value and had taken concrete preparatory action in this regard.

“Furthermore, it was found that Mr Valcke deliberately tried to obstruct the ongoing proceedings against him by attempting to delete or deleting several files and folders relevant to the investigation, despite being aware of his duty to preserve all data and to collaborate in order to establish the facts of the case.”

Swansea vs Southampton 4:00pm Chelsea vs Newcastle 6:30pm Sunday, February 14 Arsenal vs Leicester 1:00pm Aston Villa vs Liverpool 3:05pm Man City vs Tottenham 5:15pm

—Green

By Ganiyu Salman

C

Ex-FIFA scribe, Valcke gets 12 yrs ban FIFA has banned its former secretary general, Jerome Valcke from all football-related activity for 12 years.

The decision was made by the governing body’s independent ethics committee following allegations of misconduct relat-

1:45pm 4:00pm 4:00pm 4:00pm 4:00pm

Technical committee will support Oliseh

Moses returns against Egypt EMBATTLED Nigeria head coach, Sunday Oliseh, may have included Victor Moses in his programme for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Egypt billed to hold next month.

Moses, who is on loan to West Ham United from Chelsea, is yet to play for Nigeria since Oliseh became manager in July last year following the sack of Stephen Keshi.

Sources told Supersport.com that the winger will be recalled for the Africa Cup of Nations dou-

Saturday, February 13 Sunderland vs Man Utd Bournemouth vs Stoke

C/Palace vs Watford Everton vs West Brom Norwich vs West Ham

Moses

HAIRM A N , technical development committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Barrister Christopher Green has said his committee will do everything humanly possible to make embattled Super Eagles head coach, Sunday Oliseh succeed.

The submission came on the heels of the face off Oliseh had with the committee following his ‘YouTube’ outburst after he led the homebased Super Eagles which crashed out of the just-ended African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda, in the group stage.

“Right now, we are appealing to Nigerians to support the coach.

We before and mum sup-

have done it we want maxiport for Oliseh.

“One must be honest one is doing anything. Niis supreme and we have reto support Oliseh. The truth of matter is that we don’t have any choice but to support Oliseh. If Oliseh fails, Nigeria has failed and if Nigeria fails, the technical committee has failed.

“He has apologised to the Nigeria Football Federation and we just have to forget about the past and forge ahead,” Green said during a local television programme on Thursday night.

The Rivers State FA boss stated that the committee is still intact amid the media reports that members of the committee have resigned en

when geria solved the

masse.

“No member of the committee has resigned,” he said. “Well, we almost resigned en masse over certain issues. This is a committee saddled with the responsibility of developing football in this country and when we saw that things are not going the way it should be, we all resolved to leave.

“Again, we have to consider the national interest and the intervention of the NFF president, Mr Amaju Pinnick, who is very passionate about the game.

Also, the Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Alhassan Yakmut is like a father to us. So having considered all factors, we decided to continue in the interest of Nigeria and the game,” he added.

Green said that his committee will look into the programme submitted by the coach for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Egypt and act accordingly.

“We are going to meet very soon in a couple of days to deliberate on his programme, it is our own programme. We are going to guide him (Oliseh) and we have a responsibility to ensure that we put the necessary things in place to make sure we triumph over Egypt. The two games are crucial. if there are areas to be addressed, we will surely attend to them.

“Oliseh from what I gathered has been monitoring Nigerian players abroad. He keeps tab on Alex Iwobi, Chuba Akpom and the rest. We must get the best legs to prosecute the double header against Egypt and get our strategies right. We must make sure everything is in place before the games against Egypt,” Green said.

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. 13/2/2016.