21st February 2016 by Nigerian Tribune

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 2,034

SUNDAY, 21 FEBRUARY, 2016

www.tribuneonlineng.com

Nigerian Tribune

PDPchairmanship:

How APC, PDP govs brought in Sheriff

@nigeriantribune

Nigerian Tribune

N200

States owe $3.3bn foreign debts

—Senate committee chair

•Says many states can’t repay pg8 loans in 50 yrs

pg4

Grand new political alliance in the offing Jonathan’s ministers meet Tuesday

Receiving ‘ungodly’ phone calls from fans worrisome —Onabajo

Illegal charges:

CBN vows to sanction erring banks pg4

From left, Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe; Vice Chancellor, University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka, Professsor Benjamin Ohukwuma Ozumba; Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi and a UNN academic, during Ooni’s investiture as UNN chancellor in Nsukka, Enugu State, on Saturday. PHOTO: JUDE OSSAI.

•Discloses banks refunded N6.2bn in 2015

We won’t devalue naira, Buhari insists •Naira now N370 to dollar pg8

Niger Delta groups back Tompolo

•Say attack on ex-militant a declaration of war pg8 •Urge FG to tread softly

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

life&living Araromi Idowu: A village and its identity crisis

Araromi Idowu is a typical village. Situated on the border between Oyo and Ogun states, it has suffered neglect for so long despite being administered by both states at different times. BAYO ALADE visited the village and reports its daily life and struggles with virtually non-existent development structures.

Pupils of St Paul Primary School in front of a dilapidated classroom.

CTIVITIES normally commence at Bakatari junction on Abeokuta road as early as 7.00 a.m. From this junction one could connect Araromi Idowu, a village on the boundary between Oyo and Ogun states. At the Bakatari junction, tipper lorries going far deep towards this village known as Araro for short, intermittently stop to pick labourers who are mostly Hausa youths and their job for the day is to load the tippers with sand to be supplied to customers at construction sites. The often excited Hausa youth who make their living from loading sand could be found every morning sitting, chatting or sipping koko or tea, waiting patiently

for their own lorries to show up. As one lorry rumbles into view, the labourers would jump up excitedly, climbing into it and waving to their friends who are on the waiting list. Also at the Bakatari junction, commercial motorcyclists who ply the Araromi route wait patiently for their passengers. Passengers donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come in droves because Araromi is a sleepy village, so they need a lot of patience. Most of the time, the motorcyclists have the big lorries to contend with on the narrow road leading to the village. At some narrow spots along the route, they often stop to allow the big vehicles pass before continuing on their journey. If one wants to be the only passenger for the journey on

okada, the fare is N100, but if one does not mind sharing the seat with another passenger, one will part with N50 only. A passenger not used to the topsy-turvy ride will have to endure the rough ride on the untarred undulating road as if he is riding on a see-saw. The journey sometimes takes about 20 minutes. The journey to Araromi is more bearable during the dry season. The rainy season is more problematic as one would have to wade through muddy waters, meander through the bush and back to the main road. The ground is also slippery at some point and if the motorcycle rider is too much in a hurry or inexperienced, both rider and passenger may soon find

themselves on the ground, covered in mud and dirt. Most of the inhabitants of Araromi Idowu are farmers; their women produce fufu from the cassava grown by their husbands. There is only one public school, St Paul Anglican Primary School, a few private nursery schools and no functional health centre. There are actually health centres, but none is functional at present. The first one built several years back was deemed old and dysfunctional, then the local government came to their rescue and built a new one right opposite the old. However, till date, the new health centre Continues pg 3

life&living

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

‘We need help to save the only public school’

A dysfunctional and pump well in Araromi.

A fufu ‘factory’

Continued from pg 2 is still not functioning despite putting some materials like mattresses, a bed and some equipment inside. As of now, there is no electricity in Araromi despite being a journey of fewer than 20 minutes from Bakatari which has electricity supply. Sunday Tribune investigation revealed that at a point in time, being a border village, it used to be under Ogun State and the state government had already taken steps to link it with electricity supply. That was in progress before a crisis arose and the village finally found itself under Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State. Many years later, the village is yet to have power supply, though a poli-

tician had erected some solar-powered street light poles in the village so that it could have a semblance of nightlife. But that too is gradually collapsing as some of the streetlights no longer function or switch off before midnight because the batteries that power them need replacement. Sunday Tribune visited the only primary school in the village – St Paul Anglican Primary School, Araromi-Idowu. On the right, as one approaches the school from the village end is a classroom which had collapsed and is no longer in use. At this particular time, pupils were on break and playing football on the fairly big pitch in the centre of the school, excited to have left the ambience of their classrooms at

least for some time. Sunday Tribune spoke with the headmistress, Alhaja Folawiyo. Expectant of receiving materials that could change the fortunes of her school, the headmistress had thought Sunday Tribune was one of the philanthropists she was expecting. After being told of its mission she gladly enumerated the problems of the school. “We lack teachers in this school. When I came in October 2014, there was only one teacher and one assistant. I came with one assistant and I still teach a class in primary 2. So we still need teachers. We now have a PTA teacher and she is being paid through the N100 monthly that the pupils pay to maintain her,” she told Sunday

Tribune. As of the time Alhaja Folawiyo came, there were only 42 pupils but she made efforts along with the other teachers to visit about five villages around Araromi to speak to parents. Thereafter, the population of the pupils began to grow. Soon when the parents saw how resourceful and hardworking the teachers were and the improvement in their children, more parents took their children away from private schools and brought them to the school. Till date, most of the classrooms are not in good conditions. The roofs are caving in and it took the resilience of the headmistress and her team to save the school from total collapse. She has been reaching out to philanthropists to help with both cash and materials. Though the promises are not materialising yet, but she is hopeful that something will be done by those who had promised. “We still need desks and benches and other things,” the headmistress said as she led Sunday Tribune to a renovated classroom. “We did this through self help and we are waiting for government and people, including parents, to help us complete this classroom,” she said, pointing to the renovation work that had been done. Though this particular classroom has been saved but the effort is a temporary one as the roofing is collapsing. As soon as the rains come the floor of the classroom will return to the status quo and once it rains, pupils will not be able to stay inside unless the roof is fixed. There are no windows in the classroom. If nothing is done quickly, the dream of having an extra classroom will be defeated. The entire roofing must be replaced. The headmistress has no idea how that will be done unless some people come to her aid. Mere looking at the pupils, one could guess the level of their parents’ financial status. Not all of them are in uniform. The teachers don’t mind because if they do they will be losing many of them; so they simply allow them to come until their parents are able to afford their school uniforms. Sunday Tribune also spoke with the Baale of the village, Alhaji Mustapha Ibrahim Olaluwoye Apampa. He spoke on how the village came into being. According to him Araromi was founded by one Idowu of Idikan, Ibadan, who also had a house at Ilugun, a settlement in Ogun State. As the village began to grow, he perceived that being closer to Egba settlements than Ibadan, their neighbours may one day take over the village. He told his people never to allow this happen under any circumstance. “The founder of this village had already told our forefathers before he died that the village he founded should not be allowed to be taken over but the Egba. Unfortunately, the Egba were in charge for a very long time, but when we saw that what the founder of the village predicted was about to take place, we took steps to possess our village which we did in 1990. The Egba were driven out with everything they had and we took control,” Baale Apampa said. The Egba did not take things lying low. Some of them took up the matter legally but they did not succeed. “Since then, we have not allowed them to put up any building here, in fact, you Continues pg 10

news

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

How PDP, APC govs brought in Sheriff •The Jonathan endorsement Taiwo Adisa, Jacob Segun Olatunji,LeonUsigbe-Abuja And Dare Adekanmbi

T emerged at the weekend that the insistence of the governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to field the former Governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, as the National Chairman of the party was due to some underground arrangements currently ongoing in the polity. Sources close to the party told the Sunday Tribune that the former Borno governor had been central to some discussions between aggrieved members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP. It was gathered that the former All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) strongman is seen as a compromise candidate between the leadership of the PDP and the prospective defectors. “A number of discussions are currently ongoing in the polity which will lead to a possible merger between the PDP and some existing political parties as well as a number of aggrieved members of the APC from across the country. Not many members of the PDP are aware of the contacts and discussions going on and that is why they raised the alarm at the emergence of Senator Modu Sheriff. “The governors are fully aware of the situation and that is why they insisted on Modu Sheriff, who is like a compromise candidate between the core PDP loyalists and the expected defectors,” a source said at the weekend. Sources insisted that the merger discussions had been ongoing for some time and that it also involves aggrieved members of the ruling APC, who are of the view that the government has been taken over by elements of only one of the legacy parties, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) which was founded by President Muhammadu Buhari. It was gathered that aside political figures, members of the APC who are aggrieved also include some governors who are of the view that they have been shut out of reckoning at the seat of power. A source said that only a handful of the APC governors are actually loyal to the party as things stand, as a number of them are said to be at a loss as to the direction of the government at the centre. It was gathered that the

APC has been sharply divided for some time now and that the division was partly responsible for the indefinite postponement of the planned launch of its constitution, which has been interpreted into Nigerian languages, on Tuesday last week. The programme, scheduled as APC’s roadshow of its commitment to Nigerian people, was postponed indefinitely but the party did not give reasons. But sources close to the party insisted that the postponement was due to the widening gulf between stakeholders as well as governors of the party. The sources further said that following the u-turn by leaders of the PDP towards the end of last week, Senator Sheriff will only complete the remainder of the tenure of Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu. The leaders are already fashioning a top position for the Bormo politician.

•Ex-ministers meet on Tuesday

It was learnt that Sheriff is already being lined up for the post of Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) when he completes his tenure in two months time. “Following the decision that Modu Sheriff will only complete the tenure of the North East and with the decision that the North will produce the next presidential candidate of the PDP, the incumbent chairman may be asked to take up the post of BoT chairman at the end of his tenure. That will ensure that he continues to play his roles in the ongoing negotiations that would lead to the emergence of a new mega party,” another source said on Saturday. Meanwhile, the negative reactions that trailed the emergence of Senator Sheriff as the new PDP boss have taken a new twist with his final endorsement by ex-President, Goodluck Jonathan.

Sunday Tribune can now authoritatively reveal that as a sign of solidarity to the choice of Sheriff by the party, Jonathan who was said to be monitoring the entire process last Tuesday, immediately put through a telephone call, congratulated Sheriff and assured him of total support in his new assignment. According to Sunday Tribune source, Senator Sheriff was said to be in a “thank you”meeting with a group within the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, under the umbrella of G84, when Jonathan’s call came. “At this point, Sheriff exchanged compliments with former President Jonathan and apologised to him for not being the first to call and brief him about the new assignment of which Jonathan in his usual manner told him never to worry but rather should count on his support,” the source stated.

PDP’s G84 was said to be the creation former President Olusegun Obasanjo while in power to checkmate the powers of governors and members of the National Assembly elected on the platform of the party and had voting rights at NEC of the party. According to the source, “the G84 comprises the national ex-officios of the party under Hon Udoh Ekpeyong, the National deputy officers of the party under Hon Denis AlongeNiyi, the 37 state chairmen of the party under Dr Emmanuel Agboh and the six zonal vice chairmen of the party.” The group, the Sunday Tribune learnt, played a major role in the emergence of Sheriff as the National Chairman of the party as its National Caucus incorporated the members in the selection process as part of efforts to ensure transparency According to the source,

From left, wife of Lagos State governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode; wife of Ogun State governor, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun; wife of the vice-president, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo and Pastor (Mrs.) Folu Adeboye, during the Executive Feast of Esther 2016, organised by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, at the Redemption Camp, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, on Saturday.

Illegal charges: CBN vows to sanction erring banks •Says banks refunded N6.2 billion in 2015 alone By Moses Alao And Chima Nwokoji

FOLLOWING the public outcry that has greeted alleged illegal and excess charges by banks, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has vowed to sanction erring banks, urging Nigerians to report such cases of illegal charges and infringement after investigating the claims of illegal charges by customers against their banks. The CBN disclosed that in 2015 alone, banks were

forced to refund over N6.2 billion to customers. This is coming at a time some Nigerians on social media had begun rallying bank customers to participate in what they tagged “No Banking Day” on March 1, in protest against what they described as illegal and excessive charges by banks. The CBN, in a press release signed by its Director, Corporate Communications, Ibrahim Mu’azu, a copy of which was made

available to Sunday Tribune, stated that it received complaints from customers, who alleged excessive and “in some cases illegal charges from their respective banks. “The Revised Guide to Bank Charges clearly specifies allowable charges for all banking services and the CBN does not in any way condone the fleecing of banking customers under any guise,” the statement added, noting that it (CBN) had, in a bid to

provide a platform for customers’ voices and moderate arbitrary charges, established the Customer Protection Department. Mu’azu noted that the apex bank received and treated over 6,000 complaints relating to unauthorised bank charges and compelled banks to refund over N6.2 billion, calling on members of the public to always forward their complaints to the consumer protection department.

the group reportedly advised Sheriff to note the significance of the call from the former president in handling the affairs of the party and the task of rebuilding it, saying that their support for his choice as the new chairman of the party was not for monetary gains as being speculated in some quarters. The source, however, dispelled the speculation doing the round in some quarters that Jonathan was behind the candidature of a minister of state under his administration, Honourable Mohammed Wakil, in his fresh bid to control the soul of the party. “People were only dropping Jonathan’s name to garner support and recognition for selfish interest, Jonathan never gave anybody his words of support, all of them have been very close to him, even Sheriff supported his going to Borno State and Republic of Chad at the peak of the Boko Haram activities in the North East. Former President Jonathan is not against Sheriff, some people parading themselves as Jonathan’s men are fake, when last did they see him. They are betrayers,” said our source. Meanwhile, ministers who served in the government of immediate past president, Dr Jonathan, under the auspices of Peoples Democratic Party Former Ministers Forum, will, on Tuesday, meet in Abuja over the appointment of Sheriff. An advertorial signed by the secretary of the forum and former Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Jumoke Akinjide, said the meeting would deliberate on “concerns arising from the recent developments” in the party. Slated for NICON Hotel, Abuja at 11.00 am, the meeting is also to chart a way forward for the party after reviewing issues affecting the party. Also, in a statement, the spokesperson of the Forum and immediate past Minister of National Planning, Dr SulaimanAbubakar, said he and other like-minds would rather review their membership of the party than submit to the “selfish interest of some cabal whose main goal is political profiteering.” He described Sheriff’s emergence as drawing a curtain on the rescue mission aimed at rebuilding the party and positioning it for better performance in 2019, adding that the “redemption boat has capsized.”

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

21 February, 2016

crimereports

Sunday Tribune

edited by Oluwatoyin Malik 0807 889 1950, 0811 695 4633 praiseboy01@gmail.com

My attackers called themselves ‘DPO’, ‘Inspector’ to hide their identities —Victim

OR Mr Lukmon Ojesanmi, a security man employed to guard some shops where brand new motorcycles were being sold at Iwo Road, Ibadan, Oyo State, the marks of his experience in the hands of armed robbers on January 31, 2016, are those that he will live with for the rest of his life. His missing teeth were not pulled out because they got decayed; it was the butt of the gun of his assailants that did the painful unsolicited extraction. But one thing that has given him joy and reduced his psychological pain is the arrest of his attackers by the Oyo State Police Command. The gang members currently in custody at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ibadan, include Abiodun Olalekan (35), Afeez Sulaiman (32), Akin Owoeye (20), Kabiru Adebisi (37) and Yusuf Alesanmi (38). Speaking during the parade of the suspects at the police headquarters in Ibadan during the week, the state police boss, Leye Oyebade, said that one of the suspects, Abiodun, was the first to be arrested by highway patrol men who were on routine stop-andsearch at Moniya area of Ibadan. “While others escaped, Abiodun was arrested; and a search of the vehicle conveying him revealed two cut-to-size guns carefully concealed,” Oyebade stated, adding that the gang had perfected plans to carry out a robbery operation within the neighbourhood. Crime Reports gathered that the suspect was immediately transferred to SARS, where revelations made by the suspect during interrogation led to the arrest of other gang members, as well as the manufacturer of the guns they were using for robbery operation. Oyebade said that the gun manufacturer was picked up in Ejigbo, Osun State, while trying to de-

liver another cut-to-size gun concealed in a pair of black trousers to a member of the robbery gang. Recovered from the suspects were three locallymade cut-to-size single barreled guns, fabricating tools, welding machine, an unregistered Bajaj motorcycle, among others. Narrating his experience in the hands of the

hoodlums who attacked him, Mr Ojesanmi said: “In the early hours of January 31, two men who were dressed in white garment came to where I was working as security guard. “My partner was drawing water from the well at the backyard of the place we were guarding. The two men greeted me, unknown to me that about four oth-

ers had gone through the back to attack my partner. “I heard a sound as if someone wanted to vomit, so I wondered who it was. One of the two strange men who later called himself an ‘Inspector’ asked me to check on my partner. As I turned, he held my neck. I saw that they had tied my partner. The second one who called himself ‘DPO’

started beating me when I told them that I would not allow them to take away any item. “The ‘DPO’ took an object and hit my mouth with it, making me lose two teeth immediately. The ‘Inspector’ held my legs and started hitting them with stones. He pierced my eye with the nozzle of his gun. I didn’t know that

The robbery suspects and gun manufacturer with the exhibits recovered from them

I would not lose the eye. It was God that saved me. They took away five motorcycles that were put in my care.” One of the suspects, Afeez Sulaiman, who confessed to the crime, told Crime Reports: “We went with guns to steal motorcycles at a place where they were being guarded by security men. We met the guards sleeping so we tied them, kept them in a school and went away with five motorcycles. We were taken to the place by one Bolade. The guns were with me but they were not working. “We just started using gun. Initially, we were using spoon to open the locked bikes we wanted to steal.” The gun manufacturer, Yusuf Alesanmi, also said: “I live in Ejigbo, Osun State. I am a blacksmith and have been manufacturing guns about eight years ago. I am aware that those I was selling guns to were armed robbers. I have sold guns to them twice and they paid N7,000 for each. The other guns that I was manufacturing before my arrest were meant for hunters and security men.” CP Oyebade said that the suspects would be arraigned in court after the conclusion of investigation.

Navy hands over vessel, 10 crew members to police Ebenezer Adurokiya - Warri

THE Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS DELTA) has handed over 10 crew members and MT EYUWA vessel, also known as African Sky, arrested by operatives of the naval base to the police for further investigations and prosecution. The 10 suspects were handed over to the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, on Tuesday, by the Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship, Commodore Raimi Mohammed, at the Warri

Naval Base. Alkali, who lauded the NNS DELTA for working assiduously in manning the waterways, took time to inspect the MT EYUWA vessel and the 10 suspects who had hitherto been in the custody of the navy in Warri. Commodore Mohammed, while handing over the vessel and crew members to Alkali, said the vessel bore the name, African Sky, at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), but had adopted the name MT

EYUWA when it was intercepted on December 14, 2015. According to him, the vessel is 110 metres long and is loaded with 670 metric tonnes, equivalent of 100 tankers, tested to be crude oil by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR). Noting that the vessel was solely designed for stealing crude oil, Commodore Mohammed, who had earlier vowed to see to the prosecution of the culprits, said the vessel was caught with the 10 crew mem-

bers at Forcados Terminal in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State. He, however, noted that for dearth of facilities at the end of the police, NNS DELTA would still be in custody of the vessel and the product until prosecution would be completed by the police. While responding, CP Alkali, who was accompanied by Warri Area Commander, ACP Muazu Muhammed, said taking over the case by the police was indicative of how serious and concerned the police

were in terms of enforcing the law. According to him, “We are taking over MT EYUWA. The exhibit will remain with the navy while we take over the suspects. We shall ensure that a detailed investigation is carried out and the suspects arraigned in court for prosecution within the quickest possible time.” The 10 suspects, who looked unkempt, but well fed, fielded questions from Alkali before they were whisked away to Asaba in a police van.

crimereports

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

I killed my victims to avenge my child’s death —Suspect Stories by Oluwatoyin Malik

HOUGH Rasak Ogundairo and Idowu Tijani were partners in crime, friendship that recently went awry between them became their undoing, as they have been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command in connection with murder of several people and robbery operations in Ijoko community in the state. Also arrested was one Raimi Ogunkunle, said to be a member of the gang. Crime Reports gathered that it was Rasak who exposed Tijani’s past criminal deeds as a murderer and wanted person immediately he was arrested, in retaliation to Tijani’s decision to expose his robbery exploits to the police. The Commissioner of Police in Ogun State, Abdulmajid Ali, while speaking with Crime Reports during a press briefing this week, said that operatives of Special Anti-Robbery Squad got information about the gang on January 22, leading to arrest of Rasak who was found with two guns, 14 live cartridges and two expended cartridge shells. Ali stated that the suspect confessed to his membership of a robbery gang and Eye Confraternity. Rasak was reported to have also revealed that he had killed some people during cult clashes in Ijoko community. “His confession led to the arrest of other gang members namely Idowu Tijani and Raimi Ogunkunle. The gang leader, Tijani a.k.a. Iyaloja, disclosed that he is a relation of Oba Matanmi of Ijoko and had killed some people during face-off between Matanmi and Tobalase families,” the police boss added. Recovered from the suspects were five locallymade pistols, a pump action gun, charms and five cutlasses. In an interview with Crime Reports, Tijani (45) confessed to have killed three people, but said it was to avenge the killing of his child by the same people. According to the suspect, “about nine years ago, trouble broke out in Ijoko over kingship tussle. My mother belonged to the Matanmi family which is slugging it out with anoth-

The suspects and the arms recovered from them er family. I had my shop in my mother’s house in the town. The opposition set the house on fire and destroyed my shop. “I moved to my own house but they still came there and demolished my house in an

attack, burying my child in the rubbles. They always attacked anyone known with me. My friends’ houses were also burnt. It was out of anger that I shot Bintin that same day my child was killed.

“Three days later, I saw Olori Odo. When I asked him why he killed my child, he threatened that I would be the next victim. On my way to work as a security guard, I sighted Olori Odo and immediately he

saw me, he wanted to run inside his house to pick his gun but I quickly shot at him. I also killed Soje. They were non-indigenes but were brought into the town by the opposition as agents to grab land.” Going philosophical when asked about his fate after his arrest, Tijani said: “What I know is that what will be; will be. I have asked God to forgive me. And if my arrest will end in death, there is nothing I can do.” Speaking on Rasak, one of the two suspects arrested with him, Tijani said he was his supporter until he (Tijani) noticed he also engaged in robbery. “I reported at the police station and Rasak got to know. His group leader was arrested and he threatened to expose me if he is caught. That was how he brought the police to arrest

me,” he stated. In Rasak’s confession to Crime Reports, he said: “I used to follow the Matanmi family to sites to collect money from those constructing houses. It was during this period that the Tobalase and Matanmi families started fighting, resulting in burning of houses and killing of opponents. “I didn’t kill anybody during the Tobalase/Matanmi clash but I ‘dropped’ (killed) two people as a member of Eye Confraternity. I was given Sparrow as my bird name. I also used to snatch motorcycles.” Speaking on how his gang was getting guns, Rasak said he bought some from a blacksmith while other gang members got theirs from different sources. He also confessed to have been smoking hemp for unspecified number of years.

Filling station owner in police net for buying petrol from hijackers MEMBERS of a syndicate which specialised in hijacking tankers conveying petroleum products and selling them to ready buyers have been arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Oyo State Police Command. The arrested suspects include Ogundijo Babatunde (27), Rasheed Akanni (32), Remi Olagoke (53), Bamidele Tayo (28), Kayode Oyelade (39) and Adewale Adebisi (47). Speaking on the suspects’ arrest, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Leye Oyebade, said that the gang was smashed on February 12 at Academy Olomi area of Ibadan while they were taking a hijacked tanker with registration number DTM 153 XA to the petrol station of their buyer, one Kayode Oyelade. The tanker, according to Oyebade, was forcefully taken from its driver, one Yakub Mohammed Baba, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway in the early hours of the same day. The police commissioner told Crime Reports that the gang’s modus operandi was to have an informant who would monitor a particular truck from a point of departure. “The suspects, some of whom would be armed,

would waylay their targeted truck, tie its driver and motor boy and snatch it after they must have demobilised it by disconnecting its gas hose. After taking the products to criminal buyers, they would abandon the tanker along the road. “Worried by the activities of these bandits, the command commenced a manhunt for the criminals and after several days of intelligence gathering, the SARS operatives trailed the gang after its latest operation, arrested the members and recovered the hijacked tanker containing 45,000 litres of premium motor spirit (PMS). Also recovered was a Diahatsu Applause car with registration number MUS 773 CW which the suspects were using as operational

car,” the police commissioner told Crime Reports. It was learnt that the command is currently on the trail of the person who served as intermediary between the suspects and the buyer of the produt. Narrating his experience, the victim, Yakub Baba, said: “On that day, I left Ogere, Ogun State, at about 5.30 a.m. Shortly before Ogunmakin community along the Lagos-Ibaan expressway, I noticed that my vehicle was jerking. My assistant (motor boy) advised me to stop and check. As I parked, I looked into my mirror and noticed a small car had also parked. “My assistant assured me that they would not pose any problem, believing that they were just going on their own. As I got down, the occupants

of the car attacked me. I ran towards the bush but they asked me to stop, threatening that they would shoot me if I refused to heed their warning. But I escaped into the bush. They took my assistant, removed his trousers and shirt and tied him up.” One of the suspects, Rasheed Akanni, also explained how the gang operated: “We followed the tanker. My boss came out of the car we were in through the window, stood on the bonnet, held on to a pole attached to the tanker, moved to where its fuel hose was and pulled it off. “After the snatching, we drove it to the buyer. This is my third time of engaging in the hijacking. The same receiver bought the first two from us. We were given N1.5 million the first time and I

The suspects with their operational vehicle recovered by the police

got N150,000 as my share. We are five members. Our boss has run away.” The buyer, Oyelade, however, claimed that the product had always been sold to him at market price, with the waybill presented to him. “The litres of fuel brought to me were usually multiplied by the unit price in the market and I would pay. It was when I got to the police that I knew that our link was shortchanging those selling to me. I never knew the product I bought was hijacked. I was shown the original copy of the waybill,” the filling station owner said. When asked why he decided to patronise peddlers of petroleum products rather than get supply from known and reliable source, Oyelade said he could buy petroleum product from any source because of the many private depots in Lagos State. “Anyone who has money can go to the depots to buy products and then find petrol stations to sell them to. What you need to do is to verify the source. I am not the direct buyer; we have two intermediaries,” he said. The police commissioner however assured that diligent prosecution would be done through the arraignment of the suspects after the conclusion of investigation.

news I won’t devalue naira, Buhari insists 8

21 February, 2016

•Naira now N370 to dollar Leon Usigbe-Abuja

VEN as the naira made a rebound and stabilised at N370 to the dollar at the weekend, President Muhammadu Buhari has said he will not devalue the naira, adding that the priority of his administration was to ensure national food security before export of food products. He made the remark on Saturday while contributing to a presidential panel roundtable on Investment and Growth Opportunities at the opening session of the Africa 2016: Business for Africa, Egypt and the World at Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The president stressed that Nigeria, being a mono-economy dependent on oil, and with a teeming unemployed youth population, the way out of the current slump in the global oil market, is for the administration to focus on agriculture and solid minerals development. “The land is there and we need machinery inputs, fertilizer and insecticides,” he said. He reiterated his opposition to the devaluation of the naira, saying that Nigeria cannot compete with developed countries which produce to compete among themselves and can afford to devalue their local currencies. The president said: “Developed countries are competing among themselves and when they devalue, they compete better and manufacture and export more. But we are not competing and exporting but importing everything including toothpicks. So, why should we devalue our currency?” According to him, “we want to be more productive and self-sufficient in food and other basic things such as clothing. For our government, we will like to encourage local production and efficiency.” He added that those who have developed taste

for foreign luxury goods should continue to pay for them rather than pressure government to devalue the naira. President Buhari, who expressed optimism that Nigeria would get out of its

current economic downturn, noted that another major problem militating against economic revival is the huge resources deployed towards fighting insurgency and international terrorism. He, however, com-

mended the support being received from the international community in the administration’s fight against terrorism as well as cooperation in tracing funds stashed away in foreign countries.

From left, Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Heineken Lokpobiri; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Rural Development, Honourable Oladipupo Adebutu and Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Rural Development, Honourable Edwin Anayo, at the 2016 budget defence of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development during the week in Abuja.

THE chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign and Domestic Debt, Senator Shehu Sani, has disclosed that the total foreign debt owed by all the states of the federation stood at $3.3 billion. He said that most of the borrowed funds are for infrastructure or investment in the states, lamenting that what one could see is not commensurate with the loans. Senator Sani in a statement which was made

the economy and stamping out corruption. “The message on corruption has been driven home vividly and Nigerians are very acceptable to the message,” he said, adding that those accused of stealing public funds are cooperating by voluntarily providing useful information while investigations and prosecutions are ongoing. In his opening address at the forum, the Egyptian President, Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, said Africa needs to concentrate on transforming into knowledge societies using innovation and research. The Presidents of Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia also participated at the roundtable. In his opening message, the President of the African Development Bank (ADB), Akinwumi Adesina, said that “Africa must think big, act big and develop big.” Before departing Egypt, President Buhari and his Egyptian host had a bilateral discussion on security, military cooperation, agriculture and solid minerals development.

Groups back Tompolo, say FG has declared war on Ijaw Ebenezer Adurokiya-Warri

THE Federal Government has been urged to tread softly on the prosecution of former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Chief Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo. This is just as avenues to reach some of his aides such as mobile lines, Facebook, Twitter, and other internet and electronic means have been inaccessible to journalists. The admonition came from leaders of three Niger Delta-based non-governmental organisations namely: Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), the Foundation for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusade (FHRACC) and the Ijaw

People Development Initiative (IPDI) in separate chats with Sunday Tribune on Saturday in Warri, Delta State. The leaders namely: Comrade Sheriff Mulade of CEPEJ, Comrade Alaowei Cleric of FHRACC, and Comrade Austin Ozobo of IPDI, spoke while reacting to the Friday verdict of a federal high court sitting in Lagos that properties of Tompolo be confiscated for failing to honour court summons. Comrade Mulade said the Federal Government, represented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), should be wary of throwing the region into another round of crises in the name of going after Tompolo. He said since it was ob-

vious that the government was bent on humiliating and breaking the Gbaramatu chief, it should be reminded that “if you destroy Tompolo, many more Tompolos will arise.” Noting that the court order did not come as a surprise to the Ijaws, he said: “We are, however, skeptical in the Gbaramatu kingdom why EFCC and the courts are after Tompolo as a person. It means a lot to us as Ijaws. The claims of the court are that there are illegal transactions. But they should follow due process while they go after Tompolo.” Mulade stated that the real reason Tompolo is being persecuted is based on some fears being nursed by some political elite in the Niger Delta and beyond

States owe $3.3bn, may not be able to pay in 50 years —Senator Ayodele Adesanmi - Abuja

Responding to a question on his performance since he assumed office, the president said that his administration had been quite focused on three fundamental issues of securing the country, reviving

Sunday Tribune

available to newsmen in Abuja on Saturday, explained that the “northern governors through their chairman, the Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, reacted to my opposition to their move to secure loan from the Islamic Development Bank in Saudi Arabia.They insisted I am wrong and that they are right.” Sani, who is representing Kaduna Central at the Senate, insisted that “Kashim Shettima as a seasoned banker and his colleagues

should look inwards and think of better ways to liberate the masses of the north from pauperism and underdevelopment and not by lumping on them burden of unserviceable debts.” According to him, if this generation of Nigerian leaders cannot leave behind for the future generation a developed and industrialised nation, they must not enslave them and paralyse their future in debt. The lawmaker made it known that there is no tangible infrastructural devel-

opment in the Northern geo-political zone of the country that is commensurate with the amount of loan collected by the state governments in the last two decades. He made it known that most of the states are incapable of servicing their debt in the next 50 years, “taking into cognizance of the current state of our economy, we have been plunged into a debt trap of which our grand children will not even be able to pay.”

who believe that his influence in the region could jeopardise their political fortunes. “Their fear is that Tompolo is becoming too powerful for some political elite in the Niger Delta. With his influence, it will be difficult for some of them to have full support of Niger Deltans to actualise their political dreams. “But Nigerian politicians should be more afraid of corruption and its consequences than Tompolo. Tompolo is not a warlord, he is a simple man, very approachable. “He fought for the liberation of Niger Delta. Those persecuting him should have a rethink. He brought development to the Niger Delta and any development in any region is a development in Nigeria,” he disclosed. According to Mulade, Tompolo is ready to appear in court as far it is devoid of humiliation and persecution, adding that the wanted former militant and Gbaramatu kingdom should not be perceived as confronting the Federal Government. While commending President Muhammadu Buhari on his success so far in his anti-corruption crusade, the peace and environment preacher warned Buhari not to allow the Niger Delta region boil again by following the rule of law in

its prosecution business. On his part, Comrade Ozobo expressed disappointment at the way the FG is going about prosecuting Tompolo, saying the recent seizure of his assets was an order taken too far. “We are apprehensive and it is a total disappointment to seize his properties, it will only escalate the matter as the fragile peace in the region is being threatened. “The order to confiscate Tompolo’s properties is ill-conceived. He has engaged the services of a lawyer to do the needful, he would eventually appear in court. Nobody sees fire and jumps into it. “The order to seize his assets is barbaric, obnoxious and vindictive. It is also highly provocative and will be seen as declaration of war against the Ijaw people. “We know Buhari is not happy with the Ijaw and some Deltans because of their roles in his election,” Ozobo stated. Comrade Cleric described the seizure order as having exposed the EFCC’s plans to persecute Tompolo rather than prosecuting him. “It’s now clear to us that the anti-corruption agency is only prosecuting political vendetta against Tompolo. There is no law empowering the EFCC to attach another person’s property.”

southwest

Sunday Tribune

21 February, 2016

ABUAD rampage: Fayose brokers peace between parents, Babalola Sam Nwaoko-Ado Ekiti

overnor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has brokered peace between the parents of some students indicted over the violence that rocked the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) about two weeks ago and the proprietor of the institution, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN). This followed a meeting held with the parents by the governor at the Government House, Ado-Ekiti. The parents, whose wards and children have been remanded in prison on the orders of the court, had besieged the Government House, pleading with Governor Fayose to help them contact Chief Babalola for an amicable solution to the matter. The parents, led by Mr Olaniyi Ogungbuji, said they had expected that their children and wards would be released by the court on Friday having agreed to some conditions set by Babalola. Ogungbuji said none of the parents was happy with the violence that took place and the attendant destruction of properties, but would want a situation whereby the leadership of the institution would use internal mechanism to resolve the matter. In his remarks, Governor Fayose said both Chief Ba-

balola and his university were institutions that Ekiti people and government held in high esteem.

“We are proud of Aare Afe Babalola and the university that he set up. The university is our heritage

in Ekiti and we are concerned with what goes on there. By the time you people called me late Thursday

Pastor Abraham Akinosun, President, Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Worldwide (middle); Prophet Samuel Abiara (right); and General Secretary of the church, Pastor Emmanuel Mapur, during the 50th remembrance of Pastor Jacob Odusona, held at All Saints Chapel, CAC General Secretariat, Bashorun, Ibadan, Oyo State. PHOTO: D’TOYIN

By Wale Akinselure

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has stressed the need for the use of indigenous languages as medium of instruction in schools.

This, he noted, would enhance the teaching and learning process and the standard of education in the country. Ajimobi emphasised this while empathising with the pupils and management

of Ifesowapo Community Primary School, Boluwaji, Ibadan, on Friday. The school was torched in a recent fire incident in the area. Giving examples of the

•3 arrested over death of LASU female student them for their alleged involvement in crisis that engulfed the area which led to the death of one Nosuru Oguntade. “It was believed to have been masterminded by the two royal fathers over leadership tussle. The command is sad over the development,’’ he said. Owoseni added: “As we speak, the State CID, Panti,

Yaba, is still interrogating the two men with a view to ascertaining their involvement. “Four persons were arrested and are still under interrogation, while one of the sons of the leaders has been declared wanted. “We want to state here that no matter the status of those involved in this crisis, we will prosecute them if

Ondo at 40: Mimiko inaugurates mega school tomorrow

Activities marking the seventh anniversary of the Dr Olusegun Mimiko administration and the 40th anniversary of Ondo State will continue tomorrow with the inauguration of a Caring Heart Mega School at Fagbo- Oja in Ondo -East Local Government Area of the state. Speaking with newsmen on Friday, the Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, said the mega school had the capacity to contain about 500 pupils with other ac-

rely on to advise the court on Friday, if he could do that. “We must, however, discipline our children so as to save their future. I will get across to Baba and we will go and meet him on campus. One thing that I too will not agree to is that indicted students should not be punished. If Baba agrees that internal mechanism of the school be used to fish out the culprits, they must be punished to serve as deterrent to others,” he said. When the governor and the parents later met with Chief Babalola on the university campus, the renowned lawyer expressed delight at the interest the governor has in the school. “I am really happy with your keen interest in this university and your intervention in the matter. I appreciate the honour you have done me. The management of the university has set up a panel to probe the incident and we are not opposed to internal mechanism to resolve the issue,” he said.

Ajimobi harps on indigenous languages in schools

Police quiz 2 traditional rulers over Oworonsoki crisis Two traditional rulers in Lagos State are being investigated for their roles in bloody clashes in their communities, the state Police Commissioner, Mr Fatai Owoseni, said on Saturday. He told newsmen that the two traditional rulers in Oworonsoki area of the state (names withheld) were under investigation. “We are investigating

night, the case file was with the police and there was nothing the Director of Public Prosecution could

companying features like clinic, library, computers, among others. There are over 51 of such school across the state. Aside the mega school inauguration, Akinmade added that the governor would also inspect the ongoing road dualisation projects from the Parliament Road in Alagbaka, through The Dome-Shoprite axis area of the capital city, as well as the Akure-Oba-Ile road. Also on the line up is a meeting with the interest groups in the state.

Former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku has been named Chairman of a symposium due to hold in Akure on the 24th of this month with Senators Ben Murray Bruce and Shehu Sani, former Information Minister, Labaran Maku, Afenifere Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin with woman activist, Yadoma Bukar Mandara, as discussants at the symposium with the theme: Containing Nigeria’s Centrifugal Forces.

found culpable.’’ In another development, three students of the Lagos State University (LASU) have been arrested in connection with the death of a female student at a party held in a hotel. The commissioner, who also disclosed this, said some students of the university organised a party at Treasure Babar Hotel, Ojo, where two female students were allegedly poisoned. According to him, the two female students later collapsed and were taken to a nearby hospital where one died. “The two female students drank what they called “Magic movement vodka’’, a mixture of herbal drink — Orijin and Smirnoff. “The incident led to students’ restiveness in the area. The arrested students are helping the police in their investigation. “Somebody organised that party, somebody served the drinks, someone must be held responsible,’’ Owoseni said.

use of mother tongue in schools of many developed countries, Ajimobi noted that the continued use of English as medium of instruction as a schools had not effectively impacted on the nation’s education standard. “There is the need to use mother tongue to teach in our schools. If you go to Japan, China and Russia today, they use their own languages to teach in their schools. It helps more to use mother tongue than using English and other foreign languages,’’ he said. The governor ordered the immediate reconstruction of the school. Ajimobi also promised to personally provide new uniforms for the over 400 pupils of the school.

“We will rebuild the school and equip it with necessary furniture and teaching aids for effective teaching and learning,’’ he said. He reiterated his administration’s commitment to the overall development of the education sector of the state. The governor described education as the best legacy that parents could bequeath to their children. “We will transform the state. We will develop education because it is the best legacy that we can bequeath to our children. Knowledge brings about the development of the mind, soul and the entire being. Every parent should provide adequate education for his or her children,’’ he said.

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life&living

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

The most important things to us now are road and electricity —Baale Continued from pg 3 cannot find any Egba man here, there are only three Egba women in this village. One of them is the wife of my Otun and two others, no Egba men,” he told Sunday Tribune. Speaking on efforts by the community to link the village with power supply, Baale Apampa said work had already started on the project as far back as 1979, but the village had been financially incapacitated. “We have already started work on erecting poles as far back as 1979, but the money we had was used to pursue legal matters. So we could not do much since then because the money involved as we were told then was N10 million. We did not have that kind of money. We needed 80 concrete poles including aluminium wires and other things. Even recently, Senator Teslim Folarin gave us a transformer. It is there somewhere in the village, we cannot install it until some things are put in place,” he said. The baale was also not happy about the situation at the health centre in the village having been built and then left to waste away. He recounted that it was when he became the baale that developments began to spring up in the village and that a lot of developmental projects are still being expected. “Professor Olowofela was the (Ido) local government chairman when the hospital was built, but nothing has happened there since. It is wasting away. We need roads badly, we have met the governor (Ajimobi) and he promised that when the council is well-constituted, something will be done. We already have the land in place for a secondary school and another for a market. What we need for government is approval and to help us for a few things,” Baale Apampa said further, lamenting that children from the village and others around have no choice than to go to Bakatari and other places for secondary education. Economic activities in the village are nothing to write home about; it is at the level of most other villages of Araromi’s size. There is a viewing centre, a few drinking joints where hot drinks and sundry others are sold. In front of several houses, one could find women stirring fufu in large pots. Once they are through with it, they head for the major market which is in Omi Adio, a much bigger settlement. Hoping to sell a substantial part of the fufu in the village is like waiting for Godot. Almost everybody is producing fufu and moreover many of the potential costumers will only buy a few wraps and maybe even on credit. Unfortunately in such environment, everybody needs every kobo they could lay their hands on, so selling food on credit is out of the way. At one of the few private nursery schools in the village named Glorious Focus Nursery School, the large shed that serves as classroom for all the children was sparsely populated. The children were divided into different groups representing their classes. As soon as they saw Sunday Tribune leaning over the low wall of their classrooms, they greeted in their familiar way: “Good morning sir.” “Good morning children, how are you?” “Fine,” came the reply. Pictures were taken of the classroom. A mischievous pupil who didn’t want his

picture taken pretended to be reading and covered his face with his book. Some of the pupils did not come on this particular day. The only teacher available, a lady in her late teens, would not know exactly why attendance was poor. She must have been used to irregular school

Non-functioning street light

The new but neglected healthcare

attendance being a village teacher. It must have taken a lot of persuasions for a village parent to agree to paying more than what is paid in a public school just because he or she wants his or her child to attend a private school. Sometimes, the parents have some other ideas

Access to water is also a problem in Araromi village. There are two hand pumped deep wells in the village put in place as part of the Millennium Development Goals initiative. None of them is working as of today. While the world has moved from MDGs to Sustainable Development Goals, the two wells could not be maintained and the objectives of providing them could not be sustained. As far as Baale Apampa of Araromi is concerned, the most important thing for the village now is electricity and road. “That is the most important thing to us now, if they can fix that, we can cope with other challenges,” he said. Unfortunately, the most important things being expected don’t come too soon, but who knows, sometimes miracles do happen.

Bale Araromi

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

specialreport Living by bread alone

BAYO ALADE writes on the recent increase in prices on bread especially in the South West of the country, and the effect on the sales by those whose main means of livelihood hinges on the commodity.

A bread hawker

HE Holy books says “Man shall not live by bread alone...,” but there are some people who have no other business than selling bread. In fact some of them come from a long line of bread sellers having inherited the trade from parents and grand-parents. They live only on selling bread. With current happenings in the society, selling bread is even proving to be a harbinger of good fortune. Still trending is the story of Olajumoke Orisagunna, a lady in her late 20s who left her home in Iree, Osun State, to seek greener pastures in Lagos by selling bread, only to become a model overnight. That, however, is one of the rare rag-to-riches stories that people often want to hear or read about. Bread sellers could be found at the end or beginning of major highways, streets and parks across the country. As one travels from one major town or city to the other, at major stops, bread sellers run after almost every vehicle just arriving, shoving all manners of loaves of bread in the face of passengers who they consider as target buyers. Some of the loaves are labelled, while others are not. The big-sized loaves are major attractions for travellers, even before the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and other agencies fought tooth and nail to curb the use of bromate in bread baking. About two weeks ago, it was reported that prices of bread had increased especially in the South West part of the country. Those being sold for N50 rose to N70, others sold for N200 or N250 increased to N250 and N300 respectively. Yet those who make a living selling bread stuck to their trade doing the best they can to keep up with their trade, though the demands may be dropping. Sunday Tribune spoke with some hawkers who dart from one side of the LagosIbadan expressway to the other in search of customers and those who operate in make-

A bread stand

Daniel: Sales have dropped

shift stalls under the shade of big umbrellas. Daniel is in his late teens with a welcoming smile. On his head is a baseball cap on which was inscribed ‘Beejay’ to shield himself from the sun as he ran across the road plying his trade. He does not sell small loaves of bread because according to him, those are for people who love to eat bread with beans cake. For him, his major customers are travellers on the highway. “I don’t sell those small ones, most of us here don’t sell small bread, we only sell big ones like this,” he gestured to the pile of loaves of bread that he carried. Since the coming into effect of new prices, his sales had dropped, but that was not enough to discourage him and others because they have no other business.

“Before the new prices came into effect, I was selling as many as four dozens of big ones like this every day. But since the change in prices, it has been tough. Like today now, as of mid-day, I have only managed to sell two loaves. Things are very difficult,” he told Sunday Tribune. But what is the explanation or the reasons for the sudden change in the prices of bread? Sunday Tribune asked Daniel. “It is the bad situation of the economy. The dollar is affecting everything, naira is no longer strong like before and the price of flour has increased,” he said with a grin, noting that these were the feedbacks he and his fellow bread sellers got from bakers who supply them. Omolara is another bread seller who op-

erates under a big umbrella by the road side. Unlike Daniel and other young men who stay on the road, Omolara like other women opted to erect make-shift stands by the roadside waiting for travellers and intra-city commuters to park and buy some loaves. Like other sellers, she is feeling the pain of low patronage as a result of the new prices. “Most of us have decided to reduce the volume of bread we buy. Normally we collect bread every day, except on Wednesdays. So the ones we would sell on Wednesdays would have been collected on Tuesday by doubling our demand, but because sales have dropped, we have also reduced our demand. “The bread that used to sell for N200 before is now N250 but some of our customers will argue and haggle, but what can we do? We just have to sell something, so we will eventually sell the bread at the rate of N200 instead of N250 just to keep the business going,” she said. A young lady who would not want to be named or have her photograph taken told Sunday Tribune that in spite of the change in prices, some people still patronise her. For some if they cannot buy at the new rate, they make up their minds to go for some other kinds of food. Some have no choice but to buy bread but they are in the minority. “If they ask for bread and we tell them the new prices, some of them will tell us that they cannot afford it. So they will leave and go for some other things like akamu or akara or moin-moin. Those who can afford it will buy it, that is what we are experiencing for now,” she said.

specialreport

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Buhari govt must not allow cassava bread policy to fail —Chairman, S/West bakers

Alhaji Abeeb Abolusodun is the chairman of the Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria (AMBCN) in Osun State and the South-West. He speaks with MOSES ALAO on why bread prices had to be increased, what government must do to avoid future occurrence and the cassava bread policy of the last administration.

AST week, your association in the South-West increased the prices of bread, leaving Nigerians at the lower rungs of the social ladder to wonder why bakers would also join in putting more pressure on their lean purses. Why was this decision taken at such a critical time as this? First, let me correct the impression that our association in the South-West increased the prices of bread. There was no time that the South-West bakers took the decision to do a uniform increase of bread prices. What happened was that all our members throughout the country had a national meeting on February 2, where we took a decision that we had to increase the prices of bread. It was a decision from the national level of our association and the decision was that every state should go back to see what they can do to sustain their businesses, so the decision is on a state-by-state basis and not regional basis. So, the report that we have increased prices in the South-West is correct; but the prices written in the report are strictly Oyo State prices. Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Kwara and others will come up with their own prices. At the national meeting, the association agreed that since Lagos prices differ from Oyo and Oyo’s prices differ from Osun and so on, all states should go and increase according to their sizes. So, there are no uniform prices for the South-West for now. Maybe later in future, we will have uniform prices. But a certain price template was said to have been stipulated? The truth is we are left with no choice but to increase the prices of bread, because the prices of virtually everything have increased. It is a pity that the common man will bear the brunt of all these increments, but everyone knows the position of naira to a dollar now. The foreign exchange will, no doubt, affect every business that depends on importation. And Nigerians need to know that bread-making business is one of such businesses. There is no way for flour millers to continue in business than to increase the prices of flours, because the exchange rate is abnormal. A bag of wheat flour we used to buy at the rate of N5,900 or N6,000 from the factory now sells for N8,100. That is about N2,500 increment from the factory. Are you saying that a baker will gain up to that amount per bag? That is impossible, not even before the increment. Bakers were getting tired of the business, struggling to remain in business but chose not to increase prices because we did not want to inconvenience Nigerians. We told government to find a solution to the exchange rate issue, because we know that bread is one of the most important foods

Alhaji Abeeb Abolusodun

in Nigeria. But nothing was done. And any nation that does not take care of the food needs of its citizenry is inviting trouble, because I think food comes first for mankind before anything else. I don’t know why our government toys with food security. We went to government several times before we chose to increase, so there was nothing we can do; we had to sustain our business. We also have families, we have children to take care of and we have no other business, which was why we did what we could to sustain our business. But the exchange rate did not just increase, why did you have to wait till now to increase prices? When things first happen, you have to consider options available to you. For us, we did not put the option of increasing prices first, because we are also Nigerians and we know what people are going through economically. That was why we went to government to inform them that more than 65 per cent were already abandoning their business to return to the village because of the hardship occasioned by the economy. If you want to know the truth of the matter, please go to flour sellers and ask them about bakers; they will tell you that most of us are debtors. A baker that produces at least a bag daily, if care is not taken, will already be owing flour suppliers at least N100,000. Some suppliers owe millions; go to flour millers to ask. So, we looked at what we could and also thought maybe the exchange rate would reduce, which was why we have not increased prices until now.

I also have to tell you that flour is not the only thing that was affected by the foreign exchange. The prices of sugar, oil, butter and others have increased by 200 per cent. Does that mean all the ingredients you use in producing bread are not made in Nigeria? Unless you want to talk about small scale bakers that use woods for their oven; it is only woods that you can say is produced in Nigeria out of everything we use. Which one can you point to that is made in Nigeria? Flour? Sugar? Well, you can say that Dangote produces sugar, but it cannot be enough for bakers, so the other products come through importation from Brazil. Although Dangote is trying, he cannot produce without looking at the world market and that is what he sells for us. Other ingredients include yeast and improvers. You see, when government stopped us from using bromate in breads, we had to go for alternatives; we now use baking improvers and they are about three times more expensive than bromate, but because we cannot afford to give Nigerians what will harm them, we had to change to using improvers and all these are imported too. But there was a time that the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan publicised cassava bread, calling on bakers to switch to cassava breads. Don’t you think if you had heeded that call, by now, your businesses would not have been affected by the exchange

rate to this extent? Bakers did not have problem with heeding the call to switch to cassava flour in making breads; you know we are the end users. Why should we refuse? We are professionals. Government started well with the cassava bread policy; that is the truth. I am one of the beneficiaries of that programme and I can tell you that the former president and his Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, did well with that programme. However, the continuity is no longer there. Government trained some of us and we are now at 10 per cent of introducing cassava flour into wheat flour for breads. The government promised that we would continue to increase cassava flour inputs into bread and that way, the importation of wheat would reduce and we will depend on local production. The aim of the policy was to reduce importation of wheat and it is sad that it is only in Nigeria that we have no local bread. In the United States, they call their local bread maize bread; they have local breads in Saudi Arabia. Virtually every country has local breads but in Nigeria, we eat only wheat breads and we import wheat flours in billions. Unfortunately, there is nowhere this thing is operating now. Though we have one or two millers that say they put cassava flours into their products, bakers expect government to have moved further than this point to make the policy succeed. Then, we told the president that we needed some equipment that will empower bakers and some of us were empowered with those equipment through the Bank of Industry (BOI). But the government promised that for the masses to embrace the cassava bread policy, because there is no way anyone would see wheat bread and go for cassava bread, the cassava breads will be introduced from the tertiary institutions. The government said bakers would be trained and given allocations and they will make cassava bread and supply to tertiary institutions. The point was that by the time students began to take the bread, it will gradually be embraced by the society. That was their promise. Unfortunately, the way things stand now, how can you empower me to make cassava bread, give me the machine and tell me to produce cassava bread that customers will not buy? That is the state of things with the cassava bread policy now. However, since President Muhammadu Buhari took over, our national body has been going to government to remind it where we were on the policy and to ask for the continuity of the programme, because it will not be good if we allow the policy to die. Interestingly, the BOI is now going after the beneficiaries of the policy to ask for the payback of the loans used in procuring equipment for us; they want us to pay back their money while the machine is lying fallow.

13 Continued from

21 February, 2016 last week

OURTHLY, there is the case of another former colleague, who went from place to place in an attempt to summon witnesses for the prosecution during the treasonable felony case. He approached a mutual friend, and begged him to come to testify against me. As a great and intimate friend of mine, his evidence would enjoy high credibility, and this would help to resolve the difficulty which the prosecution was facing in establishing a strong case against me. In return, the Government of the West would write off the debt which one of the companies of this friend of mine owed the Eastern Nigeria Finance Corporation. In reply to a statement by my friend that he knew nothing about any plan to overthrow the government, the gentleman in question said that Mr. Lynn would help him to prepare his evidence. Thereupon, this friend declared, he could not give false evidence on oath, and that it would be the worst perfidy to testify false against one’s intimate friend. The gentleman in question has found it difficult to ‘resume friendly relations with me, in spite of my occasional attempts at such resumption. Indeed recently, I did my social duty to him, in a manner which astonished him, because he has never since 1962 made a similar gesture towards me. The fifth case is that of another former colleague. He is a prominent chief in his home town and an equally prominent citizen of Nigeria. He also played a prominent role in the Western Region crisis. He is one of a group of three friends. At his initiative, it must be said to his credit, we have become friends again. One day, we met in front of a foreign embassy. I was going in - to collect a visa, and he was coming out. He embraced me; and since then we have resumed our erstwhile friendship. For this act, he was carpeted and vilified by the other two. It took one of our leading retired judges to assuage the other two towards him. Yet they are those who continue to accuse me of vindictiveness. These instances, I think, are enough for now. All I would like to say in winding up this part of my self-defence is this. It appears to me, after due and prolonged reflection, that my accusers are, apart from anything else, victims of what psychologists call projection. Because of the infernal (most of them undisclosed) acts they deliberately committed against me in their efforts to destroy me, and because they so totally failed in those

Awo’s thoughts PATH TO NIGERIAN GREATNESS

Perspective of free education policy at all levels efforts, they have not been able to forgive themselves. And because they do not forgive themselves they project their failure in this regard to me. It is neither easy nor convenient for them to admit that they are unforgiving to themselves, concerning their perfidious acts towards me. Consequently, and this is much more pleasant, they accuse me of being vindictive and unforgiving. The third man group consists of a fairly large number of people who represent practically all the scales in Nigeria’s political gamut. They are not hostile, not hateful; at any rate, they do not appear to be in the same emotional brackets as the other groups. Indeed, most of them can be said to be wellmeaning, but misguided. They fail to distinguish between goals or ideals and means for attaining them; between principles and practice. This group accuses me of rigidity. I must say that, in respect of goals, ideals, and principles, the charge is welltaken. But as regards means and methods, the charge is misconceived. Chief S.L. Akintola once put in a graphic, though somewhat hyperbolic, form what other people had been, have been, and are still, saying about my rigidity and stubbornness. When Bishop Odutola, The Revd. Salako, and Pastor Ayorinde (all deceased) visited him early in 1962,

Sunday Tribune

and told him they would also like to visit me with a view to effecting reconciliation in the Action Group crisis, he advised them not to waste their time on me. Said he: “It is much easier to move the earth from its orbit than to get Chief Awolowo to change his stand once he makes up his mind.” As I said earlier, except for its touch of hyperbole, this statement is true of me. I have learnt from a study of the lives of great religious leaders and prophets like Buddha, Jesus Christ, and Mohammed, as well as great political leader like Amenhotep IV, Pharaoh of Egypt (1360-1350 B.C.), Ghandi and Nehru (both of India), that whilst one can be flexible about means and methods, one must be absolutely rigid or immutable about goals, principles and ideals, once one is convinced that one is right. I appeal to you my readers to take a look at the lives of these great men as well as all the prophets named in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and in the Book of the Koran, and judge for yourself. It will be seen that all these avatars and prophets were immovably rigid about goals, principles, and ideals. Good thing they were. Otherwise, all the great religions would never have survived the ravages of powerful infidels and of time. Even as to means and methods, these great Divines are not on record as being readily flexible. For the good of our planet and all those who live thereon, we ordinarily mortals must emulate the great spiritual and political leaders, and strive daily to practise their teachings. If we do, we will realise that, once we have chosen a goal or ideal which we consider to be right, it is our inexorable duty to stick to it through thick and thin. The means of attaining the goal or ideal is of course arguable, but only within rational limits. You cannot make fire with water; nor can you make Lagos to Ibadan in three hours by means of pedestrian locomotion. At any rate, it is now too late in the day for anyone to try, by means of unsavoury campaign, to dissuade me from emulating the great avatars and political leaders. . Under the Chapter “Inconsistency” in a book entitled Unto Thee I Grant the Economy of Life whose reputed author is Amenhotep IV, there is a passage, among others, which I very much love, and which serves as one of my mottos in life. It reads: Establish thy heart, 0 man! In that which is right; And then know the greatest of human praises is to be immutable.

Concluded

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21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

N1bn for one kilometre of road is too much — Babalola

Professor Olubola Babalola made history recently as the first female professor of Quantity Surveying in Africa. She is also the national leader of the women wing of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveying. In this interview with DARE ADEKANMBI, the Oyo State-born lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, speaks on the cause of abandoned projects in Nigeria, collapse of buildings and roads, among others. Excerpts.

OU have made history as the first female Professor of Quantity Surveying in Africa. How did you feel when that promotion was announced by the university? I felt elated, though I had been expecting it. This was why the promotion was backdated to 2012. I thank God that it came at last. How long did it take you to get to this height? I joined the service of the university in 1993. I graduated in 1992. So that means it took me more than two decades.

If this document is made mandatory for submission before getting approval, then there won’t be abandoned projects in the country

The golden rule in Quantity Surveying is earning more profit and delivering jobs on schedule. Is this why poor quality materials are often used in the construction industry of which quantity surveyors are an integral part, thus leading to frequent collapse of buildings and roads? Our own field deals with costing and at times, we do specify. But the structural aspect of construction is handled by a structural engineer. We have an architect too who designs. During construction, when people don’t engage the service of professionals, there is bound to be problem. Poor workmanship, use of substandard materials and other factors will lead to collapse of buildings and roads. My advice is that, to avert frequent collapse of buildings in Nigeria, those in the construction industry should engage professionals. Right from conception of a project, if professionals are engaged, there won’t be problems. It is not enough for people to say they have got their drawings, approval from government and estimates and can go ahead with a construction project. No. They have to involve professionals from the beginning to the time the project is concluded. But quantity surveyors are a part of the professionals in the construction industry, which means you people share of the blame for collapse of roads and accommodation infrastructure. Our own job is to guide the architect by cost-planning. We have three types of clients: the informed, the semiinformed and the uninformed clients. The informed clients are those who know what they want and how much they want to spend on a project. For instance, such a client may say he needs a hotel accommodation and he doesn’t want to spend more than N5 million. What we do as quantity surveyors is plan towards the N5 million budget of the client. As the architect is drawing his lines, we will be instilling cost discipline on him. We work together to ensure that the budget is not exceeded and that quality is not compromised. If appropriate cost planning is not done by us, the project risks being abandoned. We also have a guide for the semi-informed clients who are in two ways. It is either they know what they want but do not know how much to spend on it and can spend any amount of money on it. The other side of this type of clients is a client who does have the money idle somewhere and does not know what to spend it on. Such clients will tell you ‘just get me any design and I will fund it.’ The uninformed clients do not know anything. Irrespective of the category, we provide services to all the clients. Since your main area is costing of projects before they are executed, does it worry you that a kilometre of road is going for N1 billion, which is four times the value in World Bank rating? We have said it many times that the problem lies with the engineers. They are the designers and the constructors at the same time. There has to be checks and balances. What should be happening is that somebody designs, another person gives the estimates and another person constructs. But, the engineers are the all in all. That is the problem. They don’t engage us in highway projects and the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS)

Professor Olubola Babalola

has been campaigning against such practice. In advanced countries, things are not done that way. There is bound to be problem the way engineers are left to handle everything. We should be working hand in hand and not just one set of professionals doing everything. How much should a kilometre of road cost? It depends because we don’t just give estimates like that. It depends on the type of design, the type of soil and the topography of the site. In the South-West, for instance, what should be the average cost? I can’t really give you a fixed rate. Is it a flat land? One thing is that most of the highway projects, there are provisional sums that are built into the general cost because there is no exact quantity. We might be clearing the road and see rocks which will require explosives to blast. So, the provisional sums take care of such expenditure. Irrespective of the topography and all that, could you give us a range then? Let me not commit myself. Let’s have a design first and a drawing and specification. Is N1 billion not too much for a kilometre of road? It is on the high side. Despite the abundance of cement and granites and other materials to make it, why is it that Nigeria has not embraced congruent concrete for road construction instead of the asphalt technology which costs more and is expensive to maintain in the long run? Our own is costing. It is the structural engineers that

will dwell on that. But you work hand in hand with them. It will not be good for me to go outside my jurisdiction so I won’t be sued. I know they will have their reasons. I think you should throw that question to the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE). I insist you put it to the engineers why they have not been specifying the use of concrete for road construction as done in other countries. How vocal is the NIQS in promoting professionalism in the construction industry? Of all the professional bodies in the built environment, NIQS is relatively young, whereas NSE has been on for years and its members have captured almost all areas. NIQS was formed in 1969 and we got a legal backing in the 80s. NIQS is planning to send a bill to the National Assembly on how to control abandonment of projects in Nigeria. If anyone wants to build a house, for instance, the person is expected to go through the town planning authority to get approval and part of the documents to be submitted include the architectural and structural drawings and I think now they are also looking at environmental impact assessment. What we are saying as a professional body is that government should make bill of quantity part of the documents to be submitted with the town planning authority. Those at the grassroots do not need bill of quantity; we will prepare material schedule for them. Only corporate organisations need bill of quantity. In the material schedule, we will tell them the number of bags of cement, the number of blocks and other things. They will need such schedule to work with. If this document is made mandatory for submission before getting approval, then there won’t be abandoned projects in the country. The consequences of abandoned projects are: aiding crime, make environment and landscape ugly, provide haven for rodents and many more.

feature

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Osinbajo’s drive towards agricultural revival By Yeside Shebioba

HILE presenting the 2016 Budget to the National Assembly, President Muhammadu Buhari stated the readiness of his administration to diversify the nation’s economy, and particularly so in the agricultural sector. It was a clear message that it wont be business as usual. Over the weekend, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo SAN, passed on the same message to a group of farmers in one of the oldest farm settlements in the country, located in Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State. On Saturday February 13, 2016, the Vice President visited three agricultural locations in the area:a farm settlement under the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Obafemi Awolowo University, Meats Agro Production Company of Nigeria, a Zambian owned company, and the Strategic Grain Reserve. The farm settlement sprawling 835 hectares of arable land, has however seen better days with dilapidated structures and facilities begging for a touch of modernity. The Vice President’s visit brought palpable and renewed expectations to the settlement’s otherwise forlorn hope. Very quickly, Prof. Osinbajo connected with the people at the settlement. One observer at the place could not hide his observation that the VP comfortably sat on a plastic chair with a bare plastic table, listening to the farmers expressing their expectations. Papa Mabayoje Oremosu, a resident farmer who arrived the settlement in 1984 was clearly the most articulate. Not only was he well versed in farming, he also spoke passionately, praying the government to re-galvanise the settlement. “I don’t regret moving here since 1984,” he said, adding that if government revived the settlement it would lead to job creation. He said he had been in the farming business for quite a while and that he is doing well, although he noted that farming alone does not sustain him and his family. However, assured the Vice President that the settlement can work again, and, it will work if all the necessary things are put in place; in other words, the challenges are surmountable. Other farmers also spoke majorly about: difficulty accessing bank loans, high interest rates, need for government’s intervention, indigenous investors and need to rebuild the infrastructures. Another common challenge the farmers are facing is inadequate, epileptic power supply bad roads which affect moving farm produce to market destinations, among others. Cocoa, rubber and palm tree farmers in particular wanted the government to help in the areas of chemicals and processing for export. They even assured that if such aids were granted they would attract foreign exchange earning for the country! Reacting to the different presentations, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo said the federal government is keenly interested in how the settlement can be turned into an agro-processing hub, how to improve the product capacity and take advantage of the arable land as well as the silo that is close to them. He called for a plan. “It is imperative that you have a plan that is towards a common

At the center is the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo listening to the executives of the institute

Professor Osinbajo (middle), with the youth workers at Ikenne, Ogun State

goal,” while also encouraging them to be focused. He said such plan should identify and factor in the common problems, e.g. energy, water, transportation of products to destination etc. He therefore urged the farm settlers to organise themselves into proper cooperatives and draw up a proper plan which will contain all necessary information like, who and how many they are, the variety of specialisations (arable, poultry, fish, pig farmers etc). The plan should also consider the irrigation opportunities from the dam close by. According to him, “Private people must organise themselves in a way that makes it attractive to get needed support like loans and government interventions”. He explained that the plan should constitutes a feasibility study that can be presented to the banks, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and also spell out responsibilities. He further urged the leadership of the settlement, as well as all the settlers that included several educated and well-read people to work with the Permanent Secretary, Ogun State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Oladeinde Odeyemi, who was also present at the meeting to draw up the plan. He said it may be impossible to do everything all at once, but they should focus on areas where they have comparative advantage. Osinbajo said the settlement did not func-

tion as expected up till now, because it was left in the hands of government. He said the farmers must organise themselves and then government will do the needful. He urged the farmers to act with despatch, expressing the Buhari administration’s readiness to boost agriculture across the country. Earlier at the meat processing farm, the Vice President was quite impressed with the company’s commitment to achieving their goal and also with the packaging of their products, which is comparable to imported ones. The company officials said they supply Shop-rite stores and other notable stores in the country. Prof. Osinbajo urged them not to lose focus of their ultimate goal of expansion and thereby creating more jobs. The Vice President also visited one of the Strategic Grain Reserve silos of the country, located in Ogun State. Although the silo of 25,000 metric tons capacity is currently under-utilised, it is the plan of the Buhari administration that, some of its new agricultural diversification initiatives will make good use of the silos. Under the new initiative such silos will eliminate the risk factor of farmers planting grains, offering price stability and ensuring availability of the grains which are vital inputs for poultry feeds. Indeed the silos across the country built by the federal government will enable the purchase and

management of grain stock at guaranteed minimum prices. Already an MOU between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the Infrastructural Concession Regulatory Commission, ICRC on the concession of the silos has been signed. This would enable the leasing of the silos, most of which hitherto has been underutilised. The MOU ensures that stakeholders and the private sector can effectively utilise the storage space. The Vice President’s trip is indeed an assurance to Nigerians that the government is demonstrably committed to the diversification of the economy, by reviving agriculture. While it is just one step in what is certainly a long way to go, it is certainly a step in the right direction already motivating farmers and agricultural producers, and spurring them to greater achievements. The points seems that diversification of the economy is not just for the saying but rather a zealous commitment, to reposition agriculture, to galvanize labour and reduce the dependence of the economy on oil. The VP’s clarion call to the farmers was clear: organise, form cooperatives, then plan and help will surely come to the farmers, all in the national interest. • Shebioba is a Deputy Director, Federal Ministry of Information & Culture, Abuja.

21 February, 2016

didn’t vote for President Muhammadu Buhari but something tells me he is taking Nigeria somewhere; maybe not a desired destination even if he spends two terms, but a major bus-stop of national rebirth and new consciousness. This administration appears running on two major planks: wrestle corruption to ground and pump up the economy. Both aren’t looking too pretty now, especially the economy whose face-value bears striking ugly features in all its extreme ugliness. For the anti-corruption war, the arguments against its execution are too known for repetition. But there is an angle to the criticism of one-sided, double-standard crusading that may not be all-inclusive again. Yes, Buhari is still obviously shielding his party members and close associates from the fangs of EFCC, just like his predecessors-in-office. The handling of Colonel Jafaru Isah’s involvement in the alleged arms-gate and the deliberately blind eye Ibrahim Magu and his men have turned to various petitions against Buhari’s ministers, are enough pointers. Buhari isn’t also pretending to be friends with the judiciary. But his open revulsion had been limited to the Bench until now, when senior lawyers, who unabashedly backed him during the election, are being squeezed by Magu, without doubt, with Buhari’s approval. My take on this later. There is a current perception that Nigeria’s importdriven economy is about collapsing as dollar/naira value races to the incredulous. Dollar value has become global economic indicator and the nation is justifiably quaking as its leader, who promised a dollar to a naira value during campaign, carries on as if all is well, bothering alone about crude oil. I have heard plenty arguments about economics but my take-away is that WAI for which Buhari was famous as military Head of State, may have silently begun without any officialdom or fanfare. In 1984, it was our public conducts that were more wonky. Now, it’s the thieving spirit that has seized almost everyone. If it has to be exorcised this hard way, so be it. If sartorial taste, particularly wasteful spending because money is made albeit freely, will be tamed this hard way, so be it. If our craze for everything foreign, even when of inferior quality, would be cured this torturous way, why not? If a new beginning of looking inward to solve our national problems, starting with patronising our hospitals, schools and goods, will be achieved through this less-travelled painful road, then the journey must be, no matter how rough. Anyone who loves this country will acknowledge the par-

FROM all indications, leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dwell in a cocoon; they live in their own world, cut off from reality. There is a wide gulf between how the party is perceived by the public and what the party leaders believe its image is. And this further brings to light why the party was worsted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 elections. The issue against the party in the last election was its perception as a group of spendthrifts, lacking the capacity to manage the economy and secure lives of the citizenry. The party was even accused of sponsoring terrorism and one of those to whom fingers were pointed as being the brain behind this was the former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, the newly appointed chairman of the party. The new government is trying hard to ensure that the label of the prodigal sticks conspicuously on the PDP by continually blaming it for the economic woes of the country. The government never passes up an opportunity to kick the PDP for the falling value of the Naira, the worsening electricity supply, the rising unemployment, the increasing inflation and so on. The government has also gone a step further by causing PDP members and sympathisers to be arraigned for money laundering offences and corrupt practices. However, the APC government does not have to do anything to prove that PDP stands guilty of the allegation of sponsoring terrorism as the leadership of PDP, out of its wisdom or lack of it, has picked Modu Sheriff to lead the party. Now, perception may not be right, but it is the reality for those who hold it. Perception determines the behaviours and beliefs of people until something happens to change it. For those who believe that PDP members were the ones financing the Boko Haram insurgents what further proof do they need to reinforce their conviction than this appointment of Modu Sheriff as the party chairman? As a party, the leadership of PDP ordinarily should have embarked on reinventing the party after its loss of

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Buharinomics is bright, but...

oxysm of indiscipline that has gripped us as a people. Before this “hard times” birthdays and wedding ceremonies would not be classy enough if not held in cruise boats in Dubai and other most expensive exotic cities of the world, with millions of dollars taking flight with the spendthrifts. Which nation has survived our kind of profligacy? But there are issues with the expected wonders of the new economy. First, Buhari isn’t quite leading by example. He can’t be completely absolved of those insensitive propositions in the appropriation bill, particularly those projected spending on his current abode; Aso Rock, him, family and comfort. Even the much-criticised senate manned by underfire senate president, Bukola Sataki, has done better with the patronage of home-made Innoson vehicles. It is not enough to fire fraudulent but powerless civil servants involved in preparing the fiasco of a budget. Those planned spendings on Buhari and Osinbajo’s sweet-tooth,

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Ali Modu Sheriff ke?

the 2015 elections. A party that was in government for 16 years losing to a party that was less than three years old was indicative of a disconnect with the public. No one needs a Ouija board to know that the point of departure between the voting public and the party was its alleged profligacy and sponsorship of terrorism. The party should be working hard to change the narrative in those two areas by supporting the government in its fight

Sunday Tribune

should be drastically reduced, if necessary, or completely expunged if not a must. Buhari can’t be licking sweet and ask Nigerians to chew bitter cola. As desirable as the long term effects of this new fiscal discipline, allowances should be made for certain situations, compelled by situations at home. A friend almost lost his daughter schooling in the US because he couldn’t wire dollars to the hospital. Even if we are discouraging educational tourism, those currently into it, must be allowed to complete their studies, while the educational system at home, must be greatly improved. That means school fees for another two or three years can’t join the prohibition list, except the administration wants a massive revolt in its hands. The customs syndicate denying the nation of export earnings by collecting bribe in Naira, should be exposed and shamed, while bank chiefs whose only engagement now is illicit sale of dollars, must be brought to book. The other day, a top banker told me the Central Bank isn’t oblivious of these shenanigans. Godwin Emefiele should quickly decide if he wants to be on the side of the people or his rogue colleagues. If undecided, Buhari should be decisive enough about him. The reality of galloping inflation is an immediate challenge to be surmounted. Though not all goods are spiking in prices, at least i know that of domestic gas, goods and services are becoming so over-priced with everything being pinned on high dollar value, even when such are not imported. Masses mainly measure economic boom or doom by the fatness of their wallets and cheapness of purchases. That makes it compelling to wade into the inflation issue immediately, while sustainably and gradually bringing on the fiscal discipline measures. Patriotic Nigerians agree things would be difficult before the right attitude to spending and illicit wealth accumulation is achieved, but the reengineering must be evolutionary and not revolutionary. Perhaps the biggest challenge confronting Buhari’s economic blueprint if what is unfolding can be called one, is lack of communication despite the array of “noisemakers” (a-la Buhari) in his cabinet. It is not enough to be mouthing anti-corruption and anti-terror successes all the time while the little in the hands of Nigerians with genuine sources, is dwindling in value every minute. Even if the real mindset of Mr. President isn’t completely revealed in order for crooked fellows not to try and be a step ahead of him, Nigerians deserve some hope that these tough times won’t last. And it must be communicated as soon as possible.

against corruption and distancing itself from anyone that might have been tainted by his support (assumed or real) for terrorism. But the leadership of the party appears not to be bothered about this; otherwise it would not have picked somebody with a heavy baggage to lead its bid to reinvent the party. The first thing that organizations which are determined to reinvent themselves do is to ensure that they get leaders who epitomize their aspiration. The perception of the leader goes a long way in forming the opinion of the people about an organization. If the leader of a party, rightly or wrongly, is believed to have been a sponsor of insurgents, how will the public see the party? No matter what other good qualities the former Borno State governor may possess, what anybody needs to discredit him and the party he leads is just a reference to his allegedly being in cahoots with the insurgents. As the PDP chairman, Modu Sheriff is the leader of the opposition. Should he in that capacity make a negative remark about the government’s fight against terrorism, I can imagine Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, taking him to the cleaners by alluding to how he allegedly gave wings to the terrorist group to fly in its early days. Modu Sheriff’s leadership of the party has the capacity not just to ruin it but to also inter it. PDP is notorious for tactlessness. The same tactlessness that cost it the government is also about to make it irrelevant in opposition. And this PDP’s misadventure is particularly painful because though it deserves whatever ill it brings on itself, the tragedy is that it would not be the only casualty of its misdemeanour. Democracy thrives on vibrant opposition. Without a strong opposition, the ruling party can ride roughshod over the people with no one to rescue them. APC provided a vibrant opposition to the PDP and that’s what saved the country from the misrule of the former ruling party. Now, with PDP standing the risk of being enervated, who will rescue the country from APC if it chooses to toe the path that PDP once toed?

21 February, 2016

‘I told God I don’t want to blow but grow’

Why I opened multi-million naira studio —Ayuba

R-E-V-E-A-L-E-D Real reasons Psquare brothers

are at war

Sunday Tribune

Receiving ungodly phone calls from fans worrisome —Onabajo

Story by Segun Adebayo

HINGS appear to be falling apart for Nigeria’s singing duo, Psquare. After 10 years of entertaining Nigeria and by extension, Africa, raking in millions of naira from shows within and outside the shores of Africa and tying down mouth-watering endorsement deals that put them in enviable position, there are fears among many observers in the music industry that Peter and Paul Okoye may finally break up.

‘Psquare’s fame is fast giving way’ Without any shadow of doubt, Psquare have successfully put Nigerian music on the road map. According to those who should know, Psquare opened the African music market for a number of Nigerian artistes who have also leveraged on Psquare’s success to build their own brands and make their marks. Many artistes now tour African countries registering their songs and sounds in the minds of listeners even in countries that were hitherto regarded as ‘dry lands’. Away from all that, news coming out from the Square Ville, home of Psquare, is that the twin brothers and their elder brother, Jude Okoye, who doubles as their manager, are on war path over Peter’s claim that Jude, who has been their manager for more than 10 years, lacks managerial skills, hence his resolve to have him sacked. R gathered that the Okoye’s family has been having a lot of issues since the demise of their mum, who died on July 12, 2012. A source close to the family told R on Friday that

21 February, 2016

Real reasons Psquare brothers are at war

Why Peter Okoye wants bro ther sacked as manager

there was much to the fight going on between the Psquare brothers than meet the eyes.

According to him, “I can only pray that things don’t get worse because they are really not get-

ting things right and that’s why I believe their mum’s death remains a big blow to the family.”

Why I opened multi-million naira digital studio —Ayuba ADEWALE Ayuba, in his bid to keep promoting Fuji music, has opened a multi-million naira digital studio in Lagos. The new studio, BA recording, will help Fuji musicians to fulfill their dreams of having to record their songs digitally and compete favourably with other genre of songs that are usually produced digitally. The new recording studio is a follow up to Ayuba’s Bonsue TV, which was floated last year. The TV and recording studio have been set up to as part of Ayuba’s plans of expanding his frontiers. According to him, many fuji musicians have not been able to live up to expectations because their songs were not properly produced with best of musical equipment, adding that with the new digi-

Sunday Tribune

tal studio, Fuji musician in the country will begin to take their right place and put their music career back on track. Ayuba said the new studio was established primarily to rebrand Fuji music and support Fuji artistes who are struggling daily to pay studio session fees in order to have their songs recorded and produced. He said most studios operate on analogue, yet they charge artistes exorbitantly, adding that he decided to establish a digitalised studio to change the lives of Fuji artistes who are clueless about how to take their career to the next level. “I am doing this to sensitise Fuji music in Nigeria. We have a lot of Fuji artistes who don’t have access to digital studio for their music production. Apart from that, I am constantly worried most cable television stations don’t play Fuji videos, but when I asked the owners, I was told that Fuji musicians don’t shoot quality videos that can compete for space. So, I decided to open a studio where quality songs can be produced digitally,” he said.

Trouble started on Wednesday evening when Peter took to his twitter handle to express his anger and frustration over how poorly Jude has been managing Psquare, especially in the last four years. He warned the public about doing any Psquare related business with him. His tweets read in part “Psquare fans, I know you all have been asking questions concerning us. I don’t have a problem with Paul. My loyalty for Psquare and fans remain 100 per cent. An artiste employs a manager not the other way round. Psquare is Peter and Paul Okoye, every other thing is an attachment. Please whoever does business with Northside Entertainment or Jude Okoye on Psquare’s behalf does so at their own risk.” Hours after his tweets viral, he came back to apologise for his actions. But before Peter’s apology, the situation had gone out of hands with Jude asking Psquare’s fans to pray for Peter, whom according to him has gone through a lot lately. Peter is said to be in London where he’s recovering from the illness that took him out of the country for weeks. Though, Jude didn’t reveal what Peter had recently gone through, it might not be unconnected from Peter’s health issues that plagued him a few weeks ago. While the heat was still on, Paul also went on his Instagram page to express his mind with a massage that suggested he was not in support of Peter’s decision to sack Jude. According to him “This is where I belong and this is where I stand…….you do music in the studio, not on social media, you have family issues, you discuss that in closed doors, not on social media ….. Family is family, blood is blood …. If you don’t do family business, then who am I to you? None of the Psquare brothers was willing to comment further on the matter even as efforts were made to speak to them on Friday.

razzmatazz

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

2Baba, Blackface ’ll end beef soon —Faze ERSTWHILE Platashun Boiz member, Faze, is out with a new song after a long break from the music scene. The new delivery entitled: ‘Wette’, is in collaboration with Triple MG star, Iyanya and is produced by Dj Coublon. In a recent interview with R, Faze revealed his plans for a

come-back album and his career. He also addressed the controversy between former band mates, 2Baba (2face) and Blackface. “Very soon everything will be okay. We are all family,” he said. About the public debacle, Faze added: “Every family has issues. We all have differences, even

friends have differences… Very soon, it is going to be sorted out.” A few weeks ago, 2Baba had reacted to Blackface’s threat to sue him for allegedly jacking his song. 2baba who described the allegation as unfortunate, said that he initially thought Blackface’s account was hacked, stressing that he felt disappointed with the act.

Yemi Alade:

‘Mama Africa’ album is ready

Praiz thrills lovers on Valentine’s Day R&B superstar, Praiz, thrilled fans and lovers over the weekend during his Valentine’s Day event tagged “Get INTIMATE with Praiz.” The event was held on Saturday, the 13th of February, 2016 at LagoonRestaurant on Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victorial Island, Lagos where he dished out marvellous soulful tunes to usher in Valentine’s Day. The event was designed to incorporate all the elements young people crave on such a day as Valentine’s, which is the most celebrated event the world over after the Yuletide. It had a perfect blend of great music, exquisite cocktail, romantic ambience, trendy and crazy fashion, exotic

By Segun Adebayo

EMI Alade is almost ready to release her sophomore album, “Mama Africa” and she has shared the album art. She has been engaging her fans on Twitter in the last one week, asking them different question about the new album and promising gifts and money. Expectations from the album are already high and Yemi appears ready to give back to her fans in a special way for their love and support over the years. Yemi Alade has proved that she has come to stay in the music industry after making her breakthrough in the last few years. Her fan base has increased and has equally attracted recognitions from within and outside in the country. The album is set to hit stores next month and is the follow-up for Yemi Alade’s debut album, “King of Queens.

drinks and good company. Praiz, on his part, was at his usual best, serenading the audience in style with thrilling performances fitting for the night and occasion. He was joined by a host of celebrity friends including Chidinma, Capital Femi, Aramide, Byno, Timi, Sammy, Adrenaline Band and many more. The X3M Music act capped off a brilliant night with performances of his hit songs, showing why he is considered an icon of modern R&B music and unarguably one of the best voices on the continent.

Fathia @ 47: I thank God for life By Seyi Sokoya

LIGHT-SKINNED actress, Fathia Balogun, who marked her 47th birthday recently has revealed that she will continue to stay positive and tackle any problem that comes her way through prayers. The mother of two, who is rated as one of the most influential Nollywood actresses in the entertainment industry,

said she would remain thankful to God for the gift of life, just as she said that despite the enormous challenges she is facing in her quest to survive, she would continue to celebrate life in her own way. Speaking on how she feels clocking 47 years old, the actress said she’s thankful, adding that “Life could be worst, but no hope is lost. I am still celebrating life. I am plus one today; I will forever be grateful to Allah. Happy birthday to me,

Adunni Akorede.” The actress was treated by friends to a special birthday party which had in attendance actor turned lawmaker, Desmond Eliot, Femi Adebayo, Muyiwa Ademola, Foluke Daramola-Salako, Dayo Amusa, Iyabo Ojo, Doris Simeon among others. Fathia who is currently out of the country was also honoured in Manchester, United Kingdom last Thursday.

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune With Segun Adebayo &Seyi Sokoya tegbollistic@yahoo.com seyi_sky@yahoo.com 08116954644 08053789034

I told God I don’t want to ‘blow’

keep working hard with my producer and when the right time comes, we will hit the studio for a full album and I am sure it will be awesome. It is believed that without an album, it will be almost impossible to have your big break in the music industry and that you would not be seen as a serious musician, what do you think? Hmmm…Did you just say my big break? Well, I have told God that I don’t want to ‘blow’, if I am permitted to use that common word. I want to grow (in the words of my mentor TOLUcCI). I just want to keep doing what I do best and I am sure that by doing this, I will gather enough experience for the next level at God’s time. I am not desperate to hit the big break. I believe everything will work out fine in God’s time. What is important is for me to keep doing good music and trusting that all will be well.

but grow

—Isaac

Tolulope Isaac’s music career has been on the rise in the last two years. Despite not having an album yet, he has released three singles that have come to establish him as one of Nigeria’s finest singers. In this interaction with SEGUN ADEBAYO, Isaac said his decision to be gospel singer was borne out of his passion to impact on the society positively with his soul-lifting songs. Excerpts:

while I was a departmental president on campus during my school days and that really exposed me to so many things. I had to anchor events along the line and that was how the MC part of me came into existence. Everything has been in that order and I thank God for the grace to have come this far. It is indeed a privilege to have accomplished a lot in a little while.

OU are a gospel musician, songwriter, a youth advocate and an MC, how do you juggle all these? I can categorically say God has been the source of my strength. Getting to do all these without God would have been very impossible but with God by my side, I can take up any challenge or job. So, for me, taking all these activities together has never been a problem. Most times, I have to prioritise and also think through to the most important and relevant activity. The most important thing is to plan ahead and make sure one does not clash with another. Once I have been able to put that in place, I am sure that every other will work out fine. Till date, I have been able to juggle through serious planning. Of all the activities you get involved in today, which one actually came first? Writing songs came first. I remember I had been writing songs early in my life and started singing those songs when opportunities came up. I became a youth advocate

Are you saying there have never been clashes of interests? The only clash sometimes is when I need to advocate a wrongdoing and I still need to be civil and “gospel”. I try to make sure my advocacy is not off limits. Other than that, I carry out every of my activity as they come without stress. At what point in your life did you discover your passion and interest in music as I understand you started playing drums at the age of 11? Playing the drum set at age 11 was a bold step for me. I had to fill big shoes of elder brothers when they were not around to play and this gradually helped build my confidence. After some years, my confidence level grew so much that I don’t look back and I don’t panic. I just try to handle things the way they come. With three single under your sleeves, what are your immediate plans to drop an album or you want to keep dropping singles? My producer and I are working on an album. I cannot specifically say when but I am optimistic it’s very soon. Dropping an album will come at the right time. I want to

What then do you think is responsible for your perceived slow but steady rise in the music industry? To the glory of God, I don’t see my career as being slow. I have only been here officially for three years. It’s slow and steady and I am sure I will win the race. I want to tell you that in the next few years, you will ask me this same question and I would tell you I told you that I am not slow. Do you really think gospel music can take you to where you dream to be as a musician? I believe absolutely that I will get to where God has destined me for through gospel music. Don’t forget that when you derive joy from what you do, what else do you need? Anytime I hold the microphone, I am okay. That is enough fulfillments for me and I am sure this is God’s plan. So you won’t switch to secular music if gospel does not pay the bills again? I don’t see that happening. In fact, it will never happen. By the special grace of God, bills will be paid. That is why some of us are not lazy and we still work. God will always provide for His own What project are you working on currently? I am currently working on a remix of my first single, Jaburata with one of the top artistes in Nigeria. I don’t want to mention the person’s name now. The song will be out very soon. My fans should expect more of contemporary gospel tunes. I want to make good gospel music look simple and stress-free. I have had the opportunity to perform at big stages across the country. My performance at the Praise in the City Concert held last year by CITY FM, Lagos, was a big show for me. I have had several performances too but I do not see one as big and another as small. Anywhere I minister is big, no matter the number of audience.

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune With Segun Adebayo &Seyi Sokoya tegbollistic@yahoo.com seyi_sky@yahoo.com 08116954644 08053789034

‘Why I flirt a lot with...’

Olayimika Babatayo also known as Atabatubu is one of the fast-rising TV presenters in the South West, who keeps improving on his game by the day. Apart from being a broadcaster, Babatayo is also a musician and songwriter who has five albums to his credit. In this interview with OLAIDE SOKOYA, he speaks on his career, among other issues.

Y journey into broadcasting I have been in the music industry before I became a TV presenter. My career in broadcasting started a few years ago and I worked at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Ikanni Odua before I joined Orisun Television.

My life as a musician and broadcaster. I have been able to handle the jobs very well. Sometimes, I ask myself how I manage to handle it without a clash of interest, and I have come to the conclusion that it has been God. Apart from the live programmes that I handle from time to time, I also anchor recorded programmes, which gives me more time to attend to other things. To the glory of God, I have been managing my music and broadcasting career in a way that one doesn’t affect another. I see nothing stopping me I am this kind of person that does not take no for answer. I am always looking ahead, no matter what I face or go through at any stage in my life. Atabatubu is an artiste, a TV presenter and very soon, I will start acting in home movies, because I am also an actor. It is like someone who wants to study Medicine in the university but was given Microbiology; I think he is still on track. As an artiste, I want to use my God-given talent to impact on the society and reach out to people through broadcasting. Many people didn’t know I could sing until I joined Orisun TV. I have been able to showcase my music talent through my programme, Eto baba Eto. Why people say broadcasters are promiscuous I have heard people say that broadcasters are promiscuous, especially the men but I strongly believe that it all depends on how you manage yourself. It is not a hidden fact that as broadcasters, we are faced with a lot of temptations from women. I receive a lot of love text messages every day. But as much as they come in, I know how to keep them where they belong. Promiscuity among broadcasters is neither here nor there, because many people say what they can’t substantiate with facts. So, for me, I can only speak for myself and I know what I can do and what I would never do. What stands me out from others I am very real and lively. Olayimika Babs is never a pretender. What I do on air is what I am in real life. I talk and I play a lot to the extent that my wife will say she does not know what I would do that could upset her. My wife hardly believes me even when I am very serious with issues bothering me. For instance, a lady sent me her nude pic-

tures and I told my wife about it, and the next she did was to burst into laughter. So, my unseriousness has really helped me in the delivery of my programme, Eto baba Eto. How I came about the name Atabatubu Atabatubu was the name of my first album in 2003. I was given that name in a dream, but I never knew it would become as famous like as it is today. In the dream, I saw the name Atabatubu written boldly on posters. Of course, I know that Atabatubu is one of the names of God, but I didn’t know the Yoruba meaning of the name until four years after I met a man in Ondo State, who told me Atabatubu is one of God’s names. He said the name emanated from the ocean, that you can never take water from the ocean and see the impact. My growing up was fun I will say that I had fun growing up. I was born and bred in Iwoye Ijesha, Osun State. I went to St. Thomas Primary School before I proceeded to Iwoye Ijesha Grammar School. When I got to Lagos, I went to OTEC music where I had the elementary part of my music career. I later went to Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education. When I graduated, I received God’s calling but I didn’t respond to His call. Later, I went to three Bible schools- I went to Christ Apostolic Church Theological Seminary, Word of Bible Institutes and other International ones. I have always known that I would end on the pulpit, no matter what I am doing now; I will end up on the pulpit. What I want to achieve with my songs I have songs that rebuild and restore hope. There is none of my songs you can’t pray with. I have five albums, several singles and a number of collaborations. We don’t have musicians but singers Most of our young artistes want to become Sunny Ade and Bola Are in one day but they have failed to ask themselves if they can be as patient as these successful people they crave to be like. They want to become big, but they don’t ask questions on how to become successful through hard work and perseverance. Hard work is not enough; they should be mindful of the songs they put out. In today’s Nigeria, what we have are singers and not musicians.

It is not a hidden fact that as broadcasters, we are faced with series of temptations coming from women. I receive a lot of love text messages every day.

There is a difference between a singer and a musician. In my own case, I can play almost all the musical instruments conveniently unlike others. What people don’t know about me People don’t know I flirt a lot. I mean I flirt a lot with my wife. I am a very busy man, so any little time I have, I spend it with my wife. My favourite perfume I use various ones but I love DX77. My relationship with Ola Edidi ife I never knew we can become friends, because we were never close and we hardly see eye to eye. The first time we met, our meeting ended on a sad note, because I didn’t deliver her production in time. Later, I invited her to my programme, Eto baba Eto and from there, we got talking and we became good friends. My most prized possession That is my wristwatch. I love wristwatches to a fault. I really don’t pay much attention to other things, but my wristwatches are very costly. Why I prefer native wears I feel very comfortable in natives. As a Yoruba presenter, I have to wear what I preach. My greatest asset My voice is my life. With my voice, I can be anything.

21 February, 2016

entartainment I want to have two kids, adopt one —Tiwa Savage By Segun Adebayo and Seyi Sokoya family planning campaign ambassador, Tiwa Savage, has revealed her plans to give birth to two kids and adopt one. The mother of one disclosed this during a radio interview on Naija FM as part of an ongoing media tour for the family planning campaign with fellow ambassador, Paul ‘rudeboy’ Okoye. Both musicians, along with comedian Gordons and Nollywood actors; Mike Ezuruonye, Adekola Odunlade and Ali Nuhu, were unveiled on Friday by the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) as ambassadors for the campaign themed “Get It Together”. Savage is enjoying the new role she’s playing in the ‘Moms Know Best’ campaign organised by Procter & Gamble (P&G) Nigeria, manufacturers of Pampers Baby-Dry diaper. The singer and mother of one who led the unveiling of the campaign In Lagos State recently described the development as an opportunity to connect with mothers and to learn more as a nursing mother.

By Segun Adebayo

t’s going to be celebrity couples affair at the sixth edition of the Nigerian Broadcasters Merit Awards (NBMA) as showbiz impresario, Charly Boy and his wife, Lady Di, will square up with Isaac and Nneka Moses of Goge Africa fame. NBMA, the pioneer award for TV/Radio broadcasters and on-air personalities, will hold on Saturday, February 27 at the Grand Ballroom of Barcelona Hotels, Wuse 2, Abuja. The choice of Abuja is imperative this time around, as all previous editions of the annual event were held in Lagos. However, the eccentric Denrele Edun is expected take charge of the cocktail and red carpet session and on the wheels- of- steel is DJ Phyz, the South Africa based Nigerian turntable whizkid. Among the lined-up programmes to add glitz and glamour to the event include live studio broadcast, a red carpet reception, dance drama, fashion exhibition, command performances from shining music and comedy stars, and other side attractions. Cocktails and the red carpet event will start 2p.m. and main event is slated for 4p.m., prompt. However, due to the numerous categories, some award win-

Foluke Daramola has finally fomalised her marriage with her husband, Mr Kayode Salako, after four years.

The couple formalised their union at the Kosofe Registry in Lagos State on February 15, as part of their quest to celebrate the Valentine’s Day in a unique way. The couples were accompanied by relatives and close associates. She also recalled that they had their traditional wedding last year, adding that it was imperative to make the relationship legal “We had our traditional wedding on February 15, 2014 on the same day as my birthday. An atmosphere of love is around and we feel it is the perfect time to go to the registry and document our marriage properly. “We decided to go to the registry because we see it as a renewal of our love. Also, for documentation purpose, it is better we go to a marriage registry, because traditional marriage is not really recognised and it does not have any certification to that effect. It is our own way of celebrating Valentine.”

with Segun Adebayo tegbollistic@yahoo.com 08116954644

Charly Boy, Lady Di, Isaac & Nneka Moses to host NBMA

ners will be announced during the cocktail/red carpet session slated for 2p.m. 115 competitive categories

are up for grabs for over 500 nominees for the 6th NBMA, the ongoing voting exercise, which com-

menced a few weeks ago, will be closed by midnight of Tuesday 23rd February, 2016.

Kcee, Olamide, Phyno, others dazzle at Guinness’ ‘Africa Special’

Foluke Daramola-Salako, husband formalise union By Seyi Sokoya

Sunday Tribune

By Seyi Sokoya Nigerian artistes, Kcee, Olamide Phyno and DJ Spinall, thrilled guests at the recent unveiling of Guiness new brand, “Guinness Africa Special” in Port Harcourt, Abuja and Ibadan. The artistes gave good account of themselves as they dished out different songs to wow their fans who had

a fun-filled night. The event brought together fun seekers who thronged all the venues to appreciate the musicians. Speaking on the rationale behind the unique launch of Guinness Africa Special, Portfolio Marketing Manager, Guinness, Ms. Liz Ashdown, said that the new product was created to satisfy the needs of young Nigerian consumers who constantly crave for something special and relevant to them. “The level of acceptance

this new beer has received since its introduction a few weeks ago has been amazing. It is a product that says more about our vibrant youths than their usual lager, with a taste they love and at a price of only N200 they can afford,” she said. The latest addition to the family, Guinness Africa Special, is a new product from Guinness, and made from herbs, spices and ginger grown in Africa to specifically cater for the drink needs of young Africans.

21 February, 2016

sundayzest

Sunday Tribune

With Victory Oyeleke victoryoyeleke@yahoo.com

You may suffer from stroke if you sleep too much, say scientists R OLLING over and ignoring the alarm clock in the morning may seem harmless enough. But those lie-ins could be putting your health at risk. Sleeping more than eight hours a night significantly increases your chance of a stroke, research suggests. A study of nearly 290,000 people found seven to eight hours’ sleep a night may protect against the chance of a stroke. But US researchers from the New York University School of Medicine found that those who sleep for longer than this increase their risk of having a stroke by 146 per cent, reports the Daily Mail of UK. And less than seven hours of sleep also increases the risk by 22 per cent. The academics, who presented their findings at the American Stroke Association Meeting in Los Angeles, on Friday, analysed factors that contribute to the risk of strokes. They took into account the health, life-

style, age and ethnicity of 288,888 adults who took part in a survey from 2004 to 2013. The researchers also analysed how long people slept and how much exercise they took such as walking, swimming, cycling or gardening. Sleeping seven to eight hours a night and taking 30 to 60 minutes of exercise three to six times a week gave the maximum benefits for stroke prevention. Strokes occur either as a result of a bleed on the brain or when a clot cuts off the blood supply to part of the brain. Each year in England, about 110,000 people suffer a stroke. It is the third most common cause of death, after heart disease and cancer. And brain injuries caused by strokes are a major cause of adult disability. Smoking, being overweight, not taking much exercise and a poor diet each raise the risk of stroke. Medical conditions such as high cholesterol, an irregular heartbeat and diabetes also increase risk. There is a growing body

of evidence suggesting that between seven and eight hours of sleep is healthiest for most people. A previous study, published by the Harvard School of Public Health last year, found this amount reduced the chance of a woman suffering type-two diabetes. And a

Sleeping more than eight hours a night significantly increases your chance of a stroke, research suggests.

study by Warwick University found those who had less than six hours a night or more than eight had worse memory and decision-making abilities. Academics have also found that people who have six to eight hours’ sleep a night are likely to live longer and have better health, while those who are getting less than six hours are more at risk of dying prematurely. Scientists know too little sleep directly disrupts levels of insulin, a hormone that regulates energy through the body’s fat cells. But they are less sure why too much sleep is problematic. One theory is that sleeping for longer reduces the quality of sleep. Another is that by sleeping for longer, you reduce the time you are active during the day. Disturbed sleep patterns can impair memory, shrink the brain and raise stress levels. Anyone whose body clock is regularly disrupted – such as nursing mothers and shift workers – is vulnerable.

21 February, 2016

makeover By Temitayo Iliasu

N most parts of the world, it is considered unfashionable for a woman to be hairy. How many men would want to be seen with a hairy lady clad in bikini at a beach or resort? There is no doubt about the fact that a hairy lady in a bikini won’t be a pretty sight and that is the reason many women are now embracing waxing. Waxing is a form of semi permanent hair removal which removes the hair from the hair root; it also hinders growth of hair for the duration of four to six weeks, though it varies from one person to another. Almost any part of the body can be waxed including eyebrows, face, pubic area, legs, abdomen, feet and arms. The nose and ear hair can also be waxed but eyelashes and eyelids are the exceptions. Anyone with skin allergies, acne, very sensitive skin and any other skin disorder is strongly advised not to wax by aesthetician. Once you can look beyond the temporary pain, then the idea of at-home waxing becomes appealing. At-home waxing is great for those who can’t afford to go to the spa. It will not only help your skin stay smoother, but will also save you from making an appointment with aesesthetician. At-home, waxing goes beyond the use of razor which in fact is not an ideal instrument for it. At-home waxing is not without risk. You might burn or bruise yourself or even pull off some skin. In order to avoid making errors therefore, below are a few guidelines to follow: • If you are new to DIY (do it yourself) waxing, it is advisable you leave any form of advanced waxing to the professionals • You might actually consider using pain killers before you start waxing • Practice in less sensitive areas such as the leg of forearm before moving to very sensitive areas • You can also check the temperature of the wax on your forearm before applying it to your bikini line • Do not wax on area that is sun burnt • Make use of waxing oil rather than using baby powder because that may dry out your skin • Exfoliate the area to get rid of dead skin cells and let the hair break through the surface • Clean up the area with post wax cleanser

Waxing: How to get rid of body hair

Sunday Tribune

Rita Okonoboh 08053789087 rosarumese@gmail.com

21 February, 2016

relationships WINNERS of Sunday Tribune’s Valentine’s Day Notes were at the Tribune House, Ibadan, on Thursday to collect their prizes. Some of them spoke with SEYISOKOYA after collecting their prizes. Excerpts:

. . . issues, family, sex

Sunday Tribune

Rita Okonoboh 08053789087 rosarumese@gmail.com

I’ve never been this lucky —Man who won hotel getaway in Tribune’s Valentine’s Day Notes

OLULOPE Adebowale: “I never thought my love note would be picked as one of the best in the competition. I just felt I should write a touching message to my loved ones as a sign of appreciation to them and also to celebrate the Valentine’s Day in a unique way. I was happy and excited that my ‘love message’ was recognised. “They were all very happy because they all read it and were excited about it. Though, I am not used to writing, I just felt that it would be a good opportunity for me to write something that I can be identified with. The fact that Sunday Tribune was able to come up with this initiative is a laudable one. The gift is not the major thing, though I am happy with the heart shaped necklace and earrings which I learnt was from Comely Hands, Ring Road, Ibadan, Oyo State. I am happier for my efforts.” Adepelumi Sodiq Damilare: “I am grateful to Sunday Tribune for the rare opportunity given to us to express our love to people who are dear to us on the Relationships Page. Not only that, they also gave us prizes. I was thrilled when I found out that I was one of the top 10 writers. Crime Reports is my favourite page in Sunday Tribune, I just stumbled on the Relationship page and I decided to participate in the competition. I am happy that I won a ticket to watch a movie at Film House, Dugbe, Ibadan, Oyo State.” Chioma Karen Nwannukwu: “I am really excited about this and I thank all the brains behind the initiative. A friend sent me a message on Whatsapp about it. So, I

From left, Mother of one of the winners, Mrs Adebowale; Oyetumbi Idowu; Sunday Tribune Editor, Mr Sina Oladeinde, Tolulope Adebowale, Damilare Sodiq and Chioma Nwannukwu, during the presentation of prizes to the winners at the Tribune House on Thursday.

BLUE & WHITE HOTEL, OSOGBO decided to participate and I am glad that my effort yielded result. I am not surprised that I won because I wrote a beautiful message. I am happy that I won a dress from Tosanne Vogue, International, Ring Road, Ibadan, Oyo State.” Oyetumbi Idowu Clement: I am an

ILLUSIONZ MACROBAKE PHOTOGRAPHY CAKES

ardent reader of Tribune and was impressed by the initiative. People around me celebrated me when they saw that I was nominated as one of the finalists in the last Sunday’s publication. I thank God for this development because I have never been lucky like this. It is indeed an experi-

ence of a lifetime to win the hotel getaway courtesy Blue and White Hotel, Osogbo, Osun State. The other winners who are yet to claim their prizes are: Daniel Ele Attah, Noren Oluwatosin Paul, Akomolafe Yetunde, Ajesola Felix and Ayo Ale.

How to strengthen your relationship EVERYONE’S relationship is unique, and people come together for many different reasons. But there are some things that good relationships have in common. Knowing the basic principles of healthy relationships helps keep them meaningful, fulfilling, and exciting in both happy times and sad: What makes a healthy love relationship? • Staying involved with each other. Some relationships get stuck in peaceful coexistence, but without truly relating to each other and working together. While it may seem stable on the surface, lack of involvement and communication increases distance. When you need to talk about something important, the connection and understanding may no longer be there. • Getting through conflict. Some couples talk things out quietly, while others may raise their voices and passionately disagree. The key in a

strong relationship, though, is not to be fearful of conflict. You need to be safe to express things that bother you without fear of retaliation, and be able to resolve conflict without humiliation, degradation, or insisting on being right. • Keeping outside relationships and interests alive. No one person can meet all of our needs, and expecting too much from someone can put a lot of unhealthy pressure on a relationship. Having friends and outside interests not only strengthens your social network, but brings new insights and stimulation to the relationship, too. • Communicating. Honest, direct communication is a key part of any relationship. When both people feel comfortable expressing their needs, fears, and desires, trust and bonds are strengthened. Nonverbal cues—body language like eye contact, leaning forward or away, or touching someone’s arm—are critical to communication. Courtesy: Help guide.org

21 February, 2016

With Akintayo Abodunrin akinjaa03@yahoo.co.uk 08111813058

‘Aso Odun’

‘Ore Meji’

Aso Igba: Connecting the past with the present Kelani Abass’s ongoing fourth solo exhibition uses damask to reflect on culture, class and abilities in the Nigerian society

rich and intricately patterned material, a preserve of the affluent back in the day, in her wardrobe. Those two pieces of fabric are what spawned the 21 pastel drawings that arts patrons and aficionados have been feasting their eyes on since January 31 at the Radisson BLU Anchorage one was pleasantly surprised to know has an exhibition space as well as a fledgling residency for up and coming artists. Participant in several residencies and workshops, Abass, is a painstaking artist who pays attention to details and settles for only the best as can be seen from the works in this show. Having settled for damask as the starting point for the works, the artist proceeds to first paint the intricate floral patterns of the fabric as the foundation before adding the subjects. Consequently, there is none of the

21 works that does not feature the paisleyinfluenced fabric. Paisley, it should be noted, has also been a major influence on the patterns of lace, some Ankara and wallpaper designs. Unsurprisingly, most of the subjects in Abass’ paintings are adorning Ankara and other modern offspring of damask. REATIVE people have diverse The artist’s use of pastel further enhances sources of inspiration. Though a the beauty of the paintings as they are all number of them often say nature bright and sharp. ‘Aso Odun’, for instance, and environment when asked, shows a young boy in Ankara appearing to what did it for Kelani Abass, whose fourth look directly into a camera lens with damsolo exhibition, ‘Aso Igba’ (Social Fabric), ask as the backdrop as he poses for a camis ongoing at Art Clip Africa, Radisson BLU era. His features are very well defined and Anchorage Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, is it could well pass for a photograph. It’s the two pieces of damask materials his mother same with ‘Ore Meji’ showing two women gave him. in similar attires and ‘The Bourgeois’ (1&2) Abass, first prize winner of the Caterina and ‘Social Fabric 3’. However, it’s not all De Medici/3rd Black Heritage prize in the paintings that have well defined faces 2010, had visited his mother in Abeokuta, with ‘Fulani Woman 3’ an example. EsOgun State around 2014 and had seen the sentially, Abass’ subjects are derived from three main sources; reference-based, live and imaginative. ‘Adisa 1’ and ‘Adisa 2’ are two other referenced-based works by the artist but what makes them unusual is that they are Abass’ personal portraits. Explaining the reason for this, the artist says with a little smile, “Because that’s where the story started from. I did that immediately after I returned from home with the two damask that I got from my mum. If you look closely at the backgrounds of the two From left, Ibe Ananaba; Uthman Wahab; Kelani Abass; Jude Anogwih and Folakunle Oshun, at the opening of Aso Igba works, you will see that

‘Adisa’ they are different. So, I only tried to superimpose myself on those historical fabrics.” But beyond the artistry, one should not forget the artist’s message. Aside recalling a point in time when damask was in vogue, the works, as rightly noted by curator Jude Anogwih, are “composite demographics of the everyday people of our society, reflecting their ethnicity, wealth, values, interests and capacities.” There are drummers as seen in ‘Social Fabric 5’; ‘Fulani Woman1, 2 & 3’ and ‘Two Yards 1, 2’ which depict a fashion designer measuring her client. Two works, ‘The Bourgeois’ (1&2) also depict the rich with the man in ‘The Bourgeois’ 1’ resplendent in his agbada which sleeve he happily adjusts at a ‘owambe’ party. A reminder of the inequality in the society, also, is the boy in Arsenal jersey clutching a loaf of bread and an empty bottle of Pepsi in ‘Social Fabric 3’ and the weary cloth seller resting on his pile of wares in ‘Social Fabric 4’. In ‘Aso Igba’, Abass uses painting, photography and printing to reflect on history and culture with his focus on damask, a must have fabric in a gone-by era but which most mothers are still keeping in their wardrobes, eagerly awaiting its return to the fashion scene. And to a large extent, the Yaba College of Technology graduate succeeds with the show which closes on February 29.

27 arts&culture The initiative aims to foster unity and patriotism through some interventions involving national symbols

ELEBRITIES and eminent Nigerians converged on Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos on the evening of Saturday, February 13 for the launch of an initiative to awaken national consciousness and patriotism among Nigerians. Yinka Davies, Bimbo Akintola, Ben Ogbeiwi, Kalu Ikeagu, Zaaki Azzay, Ayo Lijadu and Zara Udofia-Ejoh joined group managing director of Centrespread Advertising Agency, Kola Ayanwale, ex- international, John Fashanu, President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Yerima Shettima and founder of the Oodua People’s Congress, Dr. Frederick Fasehun at the event tagged ‘CEO’s Gather for the love of the nation.’ Conceived by the Prince Doyin Sijuadechaired Effects Concepts Nigeria, a content development and event management company in partnership with DKK & Associates, an integrated marketing communications company, the overall objective of ‘For the love of the nation’ is to foster unity among Nigerians. Anchored by actor Victor Olaotan, the evening started on a gay note with a sonorous rendition of the National Anthem by Yinka Davies. Female talking drummer, Ara and her band thereafter took the stage to entertain guests. While Davies sang the National Anthem, Ara recited it with her drum. “It’s important that we fly Nigeria’s flag high and change our attitude for us to have the Nigeria of our dreams,” the drummer said before wrapping up her performance with ‘Kelegbe’. Up next were actresses Bimbo Akintola and Zara Udofia-Ejoh who read an excerpt on how corruption, ethnicity and religion amongst others have blinded us to Nigeria’s

21 February, 2016

Celebrities, professionals launch ‘For the love of the nation’

From left, Prince Doyin Sijuade; Alhaji Hamza Al Mustapha; Mrs Tope Jemerigbe and Mr Adeleke Ajayi at the event. rich heritage and global achievements. “We must take another shot at being the greatest nation on mother earth,” the duo reiterated. More performances came from ex-Big Brother Nigeria contestant and renowned dancer, Frank Konwea who had guests applauding his moves, and Zaaky who had his ubiquitous flashlight with him. Speaking at the event, the chief executive officer of DKK and Associates, Mrs. Temitope Jemerigbe, said Nigeria is in dire need of the love of her people. “Despite its imperfections, Nigeria is our country. We must keep Nigeria

safe for the future; we want to bring back the values, patriotism that used to be the norm. We want to bring back the passion, loyalty and patriotism for Nigeria,” she said. “I am of the opinion that for the change we desire in Nigeria to translate to national development, we all must look inward and have a total attitudinal change. I am excited that we are on that path and I know that Nigeria will be great again due to collaborative efforts like this,” Jemerigbe added. Speaking on the implementation of the initiative, Jemerigbe disclosed that it would

Celebrating resilience, God’s grace A review of Damilola Owoeye’s Chapter 40: A Story of Resilience published by Harmony Publishing, Lagos ASIDE being an easy and interesting read, Samuel Damilola Owoeye’s ‘Chapter 40: A Story of Resilience’ is inspirational in the truest sense of the word. When you hear rag to riches, you needn’t look further than the story of Owoeye, who attained the landmark age of 40 on December 30, 2015. We are all aware of the stories of ex-President Bill Clinton and the incumbent US President, Barak Obama amongst others, who given the circumstances of their birth, could have been failures but who through hard work, perseverance, commitment and favour, are eminent people today. The author’s story is not unlike theirs. Born to truly indigent parents at the Mission House of The Apostolic Church, Ifako, Agege, Lagos, Owoeye could have used that as an excuse for failure but he did not. Though he had to wake up every morning by 4.30am at age seven to fetch water from a distance of about 400 metres from his house and thereafter trek to his school, Methodist Primary School, Tabon-Tabon, Agege , Owoeye was not bothered. Though he lived in a room with his parents and two siblings in a house that was practically an extension of a motor park, Owoeye remained focussed. Through other privations he suffered like working as a labour with bricklayers, going through five years of university education without pocket money, he kept his eyes firmly on the ultimate goal-success.

Book cover Instructively, while his circumstances were enough to deter a faint hearted person, Owoeye did not see them as privations. The way he sums it up is striking. “It is one thing to be aware of what one lacked, while it is completely different when one does not even know that one lacked anything. The basic thing for me while growing up was education and it was available.” For those willing to learn and be inspired, Owoeye’s story contains important lessons including: Hard work and diligence: That the author is able to stand before great people today

is because of his hard work and diligence. Though many now acknowledge his brilliance, young Samuel Damilola Owoeye was not brilliant in primary school. Narrating how he came about improving his school grades in this memoir, we see a hardworking, studious student who refused to settle for average. He aspired to be the best and worked hard to achieve this by going to lessons in primary and secondary schools and living a triangular life which involved moving from his room to the lecture hall and the library at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He worked hard at becoming brilliant. He recalls in the work: “I always consider myself as an average student who needed to continue to study hard beyond the average in order to succeed” and as he says elsewhere, “My parents never had to tell me to study. I was self motivated to study hard for a better tomorrow.” Focus: Going by the environment where he grew up, the author could have well chosen to ignore the straight and narrow path but he did not. In fact, he had enough excuses to be a failure but he chose the opposite, working hard to achieve his goals of success. Altruism: It was Woodrow Wilson, a former US president, who once said: “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” As attested to by all the commentators in this memoir, including his parents, in-laws and friends, Owoeye has not forgotten that errand. He is an extremely generous soul and caring person who refused to roll over and be overcome by his circumstances.

involve three main activities centred on the country’s symbols. The first is a TV program, ‘The Flag Show’, a national competition for families that will inspire patriotism and unity. The winning family will be feted as the celebrity family of the year and will execute community impacting projects in 10 states of the federation.’ The National Flag Tour’, on its part, will see the Nigerian flag touring the 36 states of with celebrities and top government functionaries championing national unity and pride. The flag will be received by the governor of each state and will make a quick tour to schools. On October 1, the world’s biggest coat of arms monument in Nigeria will be unveiled. The monument is meant to inspire a sense of national unity and pride for the nation as it will be inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records. Contributing, managing director of Effects Concepts Nigeria, Adeleke Ajayi, explained that the initiative was conceived to awaken national consciousness and patriotism. He said: “We believe patriotism is embedded in every Nigerian but what we need as a people are platforms that will help us channel this patriotism into making our society better. We, at Effects Concepts Nigeria, find joy and pride in our national symbols because they represent our unity and strength. Therefore, we will centre our projects on these icons of national unity in creating positive changes and rebuild the faith in our nation.” Continuing, Ajayi said the strategic purpose of the projects is to drive the creation of a new national mind-set and attitude amongst Nigerians to stimulate pride and unity, Special guest speaker and chief security officer to the late General Sani Abacha, Hamza al-Mustapha, aligned himself with the goals of the conveners. He commended them for the initiative and called on Nigerians to continue to be patriotic in order to ensure the growth and development of the country. He said: “I want to congratulate Effects Concepts Nigeria and DKK and Associates for putting this event together. It’s nice to know that we have Nigerians who have gathered this distinguished assembly under one roof for the love of this country. We are optimistic that this engagement will spur positive actions that will instil patriotism in the hearts of Nigerians as well as lead to unity and nation building.”

Sunday Tribune

21 February, 2016

glamour It’s worrisome receiving ungodly phone calls from fans

—Olawale Onabajo

Olawale Onabajo, popularly known as Edidi Ife, is a gospel artiste who has carved a niche for herself in the entertainment industry. She is also a television presenter on Orisun TV and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Splendor Cakes and Confectionary. In this interview with OLAIDE SOKOYA, she speaks on her musical career and her fashion preferences. Excerpts: Educational background was born to the family of late Evangelist David Olusola Adegbuyi. I am the fourth of five children. I went to Ibadan Municipal Government (IMG) School, Apata, Ibadan, Oyo State ,for my primary school education and Our Lady of Apostle, Apata, Ibadan, for secondary education. For tertiary education, I attended Osun State College of Education, Ilesa, where I studied Political Science and Social Studies, before proceeding to Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, to study Political Science. After that, I did some professional courses on catering and baking of cakes both home and abroad.

My role models I have a lot of role models but I love Evangelist Bola Are, King Sunny Ade and late Bayo Adegboyega. Artistes I would like to do a collabo with I have had some collaboration with some artistes before; people like Mike Abdul, Kenny Kore, Obiora Obiwon, El Joe and so on. But I still look forward to singing with Tope Alabi. At the moment, I am working with Olayimika Babs aka Atabatubu. What distinguishes my music from other artistes Though I am a gospel musician, my style is different and creative. Our God is a God of love; He is a God of fashion and styles, so we must be able to carry ourselves along. God hates filthiness that is why I sing my own song in a different way.

My song builds up relationships, homes and marriages. Challenges As a married woman. I face a lot of challenges. Combining the home front with production and my business has not been easy. I also receive a lot of ungodly phone calls that can destroy a home, but I thank God for giving me an understanding husband. Being open to him has also made the family a happy one. Definition of style I am comfortable in anything. Style to me can be described as something people know you with, it can be your hairstyle, clothes and other fashion statements. But you must be comfortable in any style you create for yourself. Choice of accessories I love wearing expensive jewellery, but very simple and beautiful ones. What I do aside music I also bake cakes. I own Splendor Cakes and confectionary based in Lagos State.

My take on cosmetic surgery As for me, cosmetic surgery is out of it; it is deadly and evil. View on provocative dressing Exposing your body is not a fashion, it is a form of madness. What I can’t do without My wristwatch. I am always time conscious.

How I draw inspiration I draw inspirations from my environment, what happens around me and most especially through divine message from God.

Special treat I like to treat my body elegantly, I give my face a special treat. I take my bath at least twice a day with mild soap. I also like fruits.

What I can’t be caught dead wearing A micro mini skirt, short gown or any dress that can reveal my boobs.

Favourite colour I don’t have flair for a particular colour but I love orange and black.

Philosophy of life Do unto others what you want others to do unto you.

Greatest physical asset My hips. I so much love my hips and curves.

Opinion on toning Some tone to look beautiful and attractive but I don’t buy the idea. What I will suggest is to use a cream that would make the skin glow.

Most expensive item in my wardrobe It is my jewellery.

What I will like to change about myself Nothing; I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Favourite pastime I love reading a lot; I learnt almost everything I know from books. I also love to watch films.

With Tayo Gesinde temiligali03@yahoo.com 08054727801

Oluwakemi Kehinde is an actress and movie producer who has featured in movies like Shade Olosho, Iranse, Adesewa, Ruke Rude, Darasimi , Omo Ijoba, Becky, Irin Ajoakoni. The Ordinary National Diploma (OND) graduate in Computer Science from Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic, Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State, speaks with TAYO GESINDE on her acting career and fashion preferences. Excerpts:

Why I’m not competing with any artiste —Oluwakemi Kehinde Growing up IT was beautiful. I had a lot of people around me who always care for me. I am an indigene of Osun State, but I was born in Oyo State. I attended Ebenezer Baptist School, Ogbomoso. I am from a family of six and I am the second born. For my secondary school education, I attended Expressway Junior Secondary School at Apapa and Angus Memorial Senior High School at Somolu. I have an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Computer Science from Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic, Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State. Foray into acting I got into the movie industry in 2011. There was an advert on LTV for the auditioning of Itaga which was about acting, dancing and singing .I decided to obtain the form since acting was something I loved so much. At the auditioning, I was picked and that was how I started w o r k ing with them. I

did some soap operas with them before I joined Shola Akintunde Lagata Films Production. I am still with Lagata till date, he is my boss. I have featured in movies like Shade olosho, Iranse, Adesewa, Ruke Rude, Darasimi, Omo ijoba, Becky, Irin Ajoakoni. My first experience on set It was fun, I travelled to a village for the movie and it was my first time in that village. There, I met different people and I was so happy because I love meeting with people. That was the first time I set my eye on Moji Olaiya. Challenges faced The challenges were many. I can’t even mention all of them. You do things you don’t do before like working late at night. There was this movie that I did where my character was to smoke and I had never smoked before but I had to do it, as well as meeting people with different characters on set. But my boss is always there to put me through. Role models I don’t really have a role model but there are some actresses that I really like, Funke Akindele, Ronke Ojo, Mercy Aigbe Gentry and Joke Jigan. I have met them and I like their personalities. Description of self I am an easygoing person and I am cool to be with. I don’t like trouble. Definition of style My definition of style is simplicity. I like to look simple but nice. I do follow fashion trends but I love to wear what I feel comfortable in. Beauty regimen. I do exercise and I love taking care of my skin. I am using Makari Product. Philosophy of life My philosophy of life is: “Don’t expect anything from anyone and you won’t be disappointed.” What I can’t be caught dead wearing I can’t wear anything that will expose my body. Opinion on toning Most of the people who are toning believe it adds to their beauty, but to me, black is beautiful.

Opinion on cosmetic surgery I can’t do it because I am okay with the way God has created me. My take on provocative dressing I think people whose dress sense are overtly provocative are asking for unwanted attention and shouldn’t chastise people who pass odd comments at them. If one is on set, one can dress like that in order to pass one or two massages to the viewers at home but off set, it is a no, no. How I have been combining studies with acting It has not been easy but I give God the glory. At times, when I have examinations and location at the same time, all I do is to excuse myself from the location so that I can write my examinations but now, I am facing my acting because school is out. Coping with advances from male fans I always treat them with respect and let them know my stand. Qualities I want in a man It is personal, I will not like to talk about it, I am married and my husband has all the qualities I want in a man. Combining the home front with acting With the help of God and the support of my husband, I have been doing well and I pray that God will continue to help me and to continue having the support of my husband. Other things I do aside acting I am into make -up, artistry and also a hair stylist. Special treat I go out to watch good movies with my husband and also go shopping. Greatest physical asset My body; from my head to toe and my heart. Coping with competition in the industry I remain focused on my job. I am not competing with anybody because I believe that whatever is mine will never pass me by with the help of God.

21 February, 2016

aspire

BY OLAIDE SOKOYA 0807 449 7425 (sms only)

ollydesanmi@yahoo.com

‘Govts should encourage entrepreneurship in schools’

Sunmbo Fagbohunlu is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pretty Beauty world which deals with fashion designing and bead making to make people look good and trendy. In this interview with OLAIDE SOKOYA, she speaks on how unemployment led her into the business among other issues. Excerpts:

ow easy have you found managing your business? It is not too easy but God has been my helper.

What circumstances led you to this work? I couldn’t get admission into the university when I finished my Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). So, I went to learn tailoring. After graduration, I went back again to learn how bead to complement the dressing of my customers. Secondly, I like seeing people looking good and elegant always and thirdly, I don’t want to join the league of unemployment youths in the country. How was it getting started as an entrepreneur? Getting started was not really easy. I had to start by creating awareness among my friends by making beads for friends and relatives at cheaper prices and at times, free. What are the things you put in place to get the business started? I’ve been working on how to expand my customers base and also to go on the Internet in order to reach different people across the nation and the world at large. What are the equipment you use and how do you get the materials used? Some of the equipment and machine I use are industrial sewing machines, industrial weaving machine, iron, scissors, ruler, machine needle, thread etc. And for the bead ,we use pliers of different types, fishing line, hook stopper, twister, French knitter etc. I have to go to the market to get materials that suit the kind of bead style I want to make or clothes I want to sew so as to please my customers. How profitable is this business? It is very profitable. It is a good business youths can venture into to make a living. What are the challenges faced in the business? Original tailoring materials are very scarce nowadays. Before you can see the original material you want, you could have seen so many fake as possible. A good fash-

ion des i g n e r must know how to differentiate between original and fake in order not to disappoint your customers. Also, people find it difficult to pay when charged. They think the materials are cheap but they don’t know the material are of different types. What does it take to be successful in your business? It takes the grace of God, hard work and focus. Also it’s not all jobs that are profitable, you have to use one to boost the other. What is your advice to the government in promoting entrepreneurship among the youth? Governments should encourage youths by organising entrepreneur programmes in secondary schools and in tertiary institutions. They should also provide equipment for them or give some capital to start a business. What do you like doing most? I like surfing the internet, watch movies or hang out with friends when less busy as way of relaxation.

There are many things they can do: bead business, liquid wash production, laundry services.

What is your advice to the youth? Looking for white collar jobs in this society is like waiting for eternity. I urge them to put their minds and give their best to anything they find their hands doing. There are many ventures that could bring money to one’s pockets. One does not have to keep waiting for the big jobs to come. There are many things they can do: bead business, liquid wash production, laundry services etc.

Your Life Counts

Sunday Tribune

by Tunde Jaiyebo 0803 406 2013

Authority and influence LIFE can never be lived in isolation. As human beings we are classified as social animals which imply we need meaningful relationships to survive and thrive. Life without relationships is empty. In the course of relationships influence is exchanged. Life is governed by influence. Every thought we think, every idea we have, every action we take, every controversy, every relationship is the product of influence. We are creatures subject to influence. We are either being influenced or we are influencing others. The power of influence is all around us. To be alive is to be exposed to influence. “Control over our lives is something we all want. But in a universe in which everything is mutually interdependent, none of us has absolute control over anything including, much of the time, ourselves. Rather, what we all have in abundance is influence, the power of which seems to function linearly: the closer personally and physically others are to us, the greater our influence over them, and vice versa. Even more interestingly, unlike our attempts to control, our attempts to influence don't require our conscious intent. Which is why our ability to influence others is so much more important than our ability to control them; we're always exerting influence simply by being who we are, saying what we say, and doing what we do. The only real choice we have in the matter is whether or not the influence we exert is good or bad.” Alex Lickerman In the course of interacting with people we will have to get involved with issues like control, authority and influence. Influence is the ability to affect the character, behavior or development of someone or something. Influence is power. Influence is affecting people’s beliefs and actions. The quality of our lives is directly linked to the quality of influence we yield to. Influence is in levels. The higher the level of influence the more qualitative and quantitative its results. Also a higher human influence can nullify, hinder, delay or limit a lower level of human influence. Influence can be positive or negative. Influence can be temporary or permanent. Influence also can be exercised consciously or unconsciously, directly or indirectly. There is a difference between authority and influence. Authority is the power to give orders, command and enforce obedience. Authority implies involuntary submission by a subordinate while influence does not entail a superiorsubordinate relationship. “Influence relates to dealing with people who have a choice. When we influence someone, we create a context where they will make a choice that is in line with what we are seeking to achieve. The key to effective influence lies in two domains - good interpretations of human behaviour and high level conversational skills.” Chris Chittenden You cannot exercise authority over someone you do not have a higher position or status than. Authority always flows downwards but influence is a multi directional issue. A young person can influence an older person. A junior staff can influence a management staff. Influence can flow upward, downward or horizontally but authority only flows downward. Authority is always positional while influence is not. Influence can be exercised by a person in authority but if care is not taken the influence is a forced one. Such influence is usually demanded, coerced, manipulated and required because disobedience to authority always attracts sanctions. Authority, if not well handled can be destructive. “There is a big difference between having a positive influence on someone and having control over them. Nobody wants to be controlled. Control is deadly. It is a deadly enemy to relationships. A controlling spirit destroys careers and ultimately their lives if they are not careful.” Olga Hermans We must move from controlling people to influencing people. We must be a people who positively affect peoples thinking so they can do what ought to be done the way they ought to be done. For enquiries/comments please send email to urlifecounts@yahoo.com

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

thepolity The place of Kogi West in Bello’s govt The new administration in Kogi state is beginning to take shape with allocation of political offices to various senatorial districts. YINKA OLADOYINBO, in this report, examines the situation and the place of the Yoruba-speaking Okun people of Kogi West senatorial district.

OGI State, by its sobriquet, is the confluence state in Nigeria. But events in the state since last year are making it to be confluence of crisis and confusion, Kogi State has been in the news, in recent times, for unpleasant reasons. Since the death of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Abubakar Audu, to his substitution with the incumbent, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the state has been moving from one controversy to another and it seems there is no end in sight to the avalanche of crises bedevilling the state. Audu’s death was a turning point in the history of the 25 years old state as it changed every political calculation and permutation already established by the political class prior to the November 21, 2015 governorship election in the state. The sudden death of the former governor has, no doubt, altered the arrangements in terms of allocation of political offices to the three senatorial districts of the state. With Audu from the Eastern Senatorial district of the state as the governorship candidate of the APC, James Faleke, was his running mate and from the Western zone, while the then incumbent Speaker, Momoh Lawal is from the Central Senatorial district. In the same vein, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chose its candidate from the same Eastern zone in the person of Captain Idris Wada (retd), while the deputy governorship candidate, Yomi Awoniyi is also from the Western district just like Faleke. The victory of either of the parties would have retained the sharing formula of the first three posts in the state. But with the substitution of Audu with Bello, who is from the Central Senatorial district, the calculations have to change. However not with the dimension it is assuming. The situation became tensed when Faleke rejected the offer to serve as the deputy to Bello. Faleke was of the opinion that since he had a joint ticket with Audu, he should be allowed to automatically step into his shoes. However, after the declaration of Bello as the winner of the election following the supplementary poll of December 5, 2015, there was the need to choose a new deputy governor with high hope from the people of the Western senatorial zone that they would present a replacement for Faleke. The development made people to begin to jostle and many people from the area started showing interest in the post. At a point, leaders of the APC in the area set up a committee to screen the people that showed interest with a view to presenting an acceptable person for the job. The selection committee, headed by a former APC candidate in Lokoja II state constituency, Samuel Megbole, was said to have come up with the names of Dr David Atte, Mrs Justina Abanida and Mr Kola Bamisaye. The maneuvering continued and contenders were making moves to ensure they were eventually picked by the governor. Then came the bombshell from the camp of Bello that his deputy would no longer come from the West but from the Eastern zone of the state. After weeks of waiting, the governor eventually picked Simon Achuba from Ibaji Local Government Area of the Eastern Senatorial district as his deputy, laying to rest any other agitation for the post. With the issue of deputy governorship settled, the hope of the people of the Western senatorial zone was the post of the Speaker of the state House of Assembly. Since Bello and Lawal are from the same senatorial district, pundits have thought that the Speaker has to leave for somebody from the West to emerge. With this at the back of their minds, PDP’s lawmakers from the area started making moves to succeed the incumbent. Top among those believed to be better placed to emerge was the majority leader of the assembly, Matthew Kolawole from Kabba/Bunu state constituency. Already, interest groups have joined the agitation with one of them, the Concerned Citizens of Kogi State, demanding that the west should produce the speaker. It

Governor Yahaya Bello, Kogi State

however went further to agitate that the Kabba area of the district should be allowed to come up with the number three person in the state.The coordinator of the group, Austin Oyenibi, said zoning the speakership to the West will be in the interest of peace, equity and fairness to all the three senatorial axis of the state to have a sense of belonging in the arms of government. According to him, “In view of the multi-ethnic setting of the state, and the fact that the executive power has shifted to the central senatorial axis, it will be a political aberration if the speakership does not shift to another zone. The group said it was rooting for Kabba to produce the speaker because out of the three federal constituencies in the senatorial axis, the Lokoja/Koto Federal Constituency has produced three past speakers, while the Yagba Federal Constituency has produced two past speakers; leaving out the Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal constituency.»Kabba constituency is more qualified for the position in the interest of political zoning, and sectional interest; and the fact that the Ijumu axis presently occupies the Senate position of the senatorial axis,” they said. Unknown to the people in this school of thought, another shocker was waiting them. The governor was said to have met with the lawmakers a week after his inauguration where it was agreed that Lawal should resign his position as speaker to pave way for the emergence of somebody from the Western zone. However, the people were stunned when it became obvious that the governor would not support an Okun person for the post. He was said to have expressed his preference for an APC member representing Lokoja I State Constituency, Umar Imam. After days of speculations and waiting, five members of the assembly met and impeached Lawal following his refusal to resign and replaced him with Imam. So, with the coming on board of Imam, the Okun people again failed in their bid to occupy a vantage position in the state government. It was however gathered that the camp of the governor was not comfortable with the manner with which

Honourable James Faleke

traditional and political leaders in Okunland handled the issue of Faleke›s rejection of the deputy governorship slot. The governor and his henchmen were said to have expressed worries over the failure of the leaders to convince Faleke to join him or drop his litigation against his (Bello›s) emergence as governor. But in his defence over his choice of Achuba as his deputy, Bello said no parochial reason was put into consideration. Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Kingsley Fanwo, he said it was meant to ensure balance and equity in the distribution of political offices in the state. He also argued that the choice of his deputy met all the legal, political and social criteria, saying the choice of Achuba was in line with the tradition of ensuring the advancement of the rule of law and ethnic balancing without prejudice to merit. He said, “Honourable Achuba is a seasoned administrator with diverse experience in local government administration and legislative governance. He is a one-time vice chairman of Ibaji Local Government Area. It is also instructive to note that the choice of Achuba from the political camp of the late Prince Audu was not only an expression of respect for the late elder statesman, but a timely ethnic balancing move which has been the pillar of the Bello administration.” Good as the defence was, the people of Okun were yet to be convinced that the governor does not have an axe to grind with them as far as distribution of key political offices are concerned. To them, the development was a deliberate attempt by the governor to punish them for their perceived support for their son over the Kogi debacle. Speaking with Sunday Tribune, the Secretary of the Okun Development Association (ODA), an umbrella body of groups in the area, Oke Simon, said the people were disturbed about how they are being relegated by the present administration in the state. He however said they would not fold their arms and watch the area relegated to the background in the scheme of things in the state. continues pg 35

interview

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Why it is difficult for married women to be in politics —Former Ambassador Ambassador Folake Marcus Bello is a lawyer, an entrepreneur and former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Malawi and Zambia. In this interview with TAYO GESINDE in Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital, she speaks about the challenges women entrepreneurs face in Nigeria, why it is difficult for a married woman to go into politics and her fashion preferences. Excerpts;

are saying we are handicapped or we have no brain. Inasmuch as I support women organisations, I have one that I am trying to put together to help women to get to know who they are, but I am not going to support the idea of reserving anything for women. We must go to the field and fight like the men.

n 2007, 2011 women occupied key political offices but that was not the case in 2015, as only few women occupied offices, what do you think went wrong? Let us talk about elective positions first. Elective position is very expensive and unfortunately, Nigerian women don’t have such capacity. Also, culturally, it will be very difficult in Nigeria for a married woman to stick out her neck in politics because it involves a lot of nocturnal meetings and she would need to have a lot of men around her and Nigerian politics thrive on rumours, they will soon begin to label her as being promiscuous as she would be accused of dating this and that. Religions also do not encourage women to participate in politics, especially in the North, because it is believed that women should be seen and not heard. Those are the three things I feel are responsible. Apart from that, you have made comparison between 2007, 2011 and 2015. We got into active politics in 2003 and for the first time, women were bold enough to come out. And women who held offices at that time had huge successful ratings as well as good reputations. Unfortunately down the line, especially for the immediate past administration. I can’t explain what happened. The Nigerian women’s reputation went to the drain. Let us take for example, the cases of Diezani Alison Madueke, Stella Oduah, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and so on. Whether it was true or false, whether bad public relations or branding, whether it was rumour or whether they were responsible for it or not, I think that was what affected the turnout of women in 2015. What can be done between now and 2019 for more women to occupy political offices? I call myself a grass-roots politician and without boasting, I will tell you I know the rudiment of practical politics. Although my first degree is in Political Science, which I discovered is just paper work, the rudiment of practical, hand-to-hand, door –to-door campaigning politics, I know it. I have eaten with the poorest of the poor and I have been privileged to dine with the richest of the rich. All I can tell you is that the Nigerian woman needs support. What I think we the Nigerian women can do is to seek out our own. Whether she is rich or poor, most importantly, if she can’t afford it, if we believe in her, we all should rally round her and support her. If we have to create a trust fund or support base, if we have to take over her life, if we know she is the woman that can lead us to victory, we should go all out to support her. The mistake a lot of people make is that politics doesn’t start when you vote. Election actually starts with when you bring yourself forward. Remember that primaries have to be done and in the political parties, the people who have the say are all men. So, technically, they have reserved some positions for women, woman leader, deputy governor, and others, but I don’t see sexes, I don’t see women or men, and I see people, because when we go to the

Ambassador Folake Marcus Bello

university, when we write exams, nobody says women answer two questions, men answer five. It is competitive. So we need to be competitive in politics. I am going to move away from the issue of women and say to you that your campaign should be for competence, who can do it: whether it is a man or woman? We should set up some kind of trust fund and find someone we believe in and sponsor her. Are you saying that is the solution to the problem? What can solve the problem for Nigeria is for the National Assembly to adjust the constitution to include independent candidacy. There are so many people who can move this nation forward but they don’t want to be tainted with primaries. The primary is the one thing that finishes this country. The cost of it, the manipulation of it, the lies, difficulties, shame and atrocities of it. All the negatives. I can assure you that if the Nigerian constitution says there can be independent candidate, that is when we can get our true freedom, true emancipation, true redemption and true democracy. There can never be true democracy with primaries, because there are people who are failures in their chosen field, life and home, people who have been to jail abroad and even in Nigeria,

who are not educated, but because they have godfathers, they get to go to National Assembly and even become governors. They get to be selected and elected. It can’t work. But the truth of the matter is that everybody wants slaves, everybody wants its own colonial territory so, a few people have captured all of us. Do we have independent minded people who run our affairs? Don’t they consult? They consult their godfathers not their constituencies. When Nigeria is serious, there are two things she needs to do; give us independent candidacy and give people training. Training in whatever they do. If you are a house help, civil servant, governor, be trained, so that you have full confidence of dealing with whatever position you find yourself in so that nobody can push you around. Ordinary protocols, a lot of our leaders don’t even know it. And if you look at the budget, there is money budgeted for protocols and so on but where is the adherence? How can a DFA look at a minister, director or permanent secretary in the eye? He doesn’t even know the power he has. But with training, he will know the power he has. He will know that if they force him to do this, he can always do this. So when it comes to politics, I don’t see men or women. If they are saying they reserved six positions for women, then they

One of the reasons women usually give for not participating in politics is lack of financial wherewithal. How do you think the Nigerian women can be financially empowered? The bank should show us the list of women they have helped just like they did with the list of the debtors. I do not believe that if you give one woman half of billion or a billion you have helped women. What of those women who do little businesses. Personally, I have been to many banks yet I have not received any help. I can only use myself as an example. And everything they advertised and published, I have, plus influence, plus connections, yet I have not been able to access one single loan from any bank. A certain bank gave me a loan once and I paid it back before the expected date. I went back to the same bank, I didn’t get another one. Now, I had to go as an intelligent woman to do my research and what I came up with was PEP (Politically Exposed Persons), it is a password in the banking industry for politically exposed people. There is a red mark on politically exposed persons. I don’t know how many percentage of politically exposed women who have borrowed money and have not paid back. But once you refused to help people because of the bad eggs among them, you will injure the good ones too. So, what are they trying to teach us? Corruption! So, somebody like me leaves a political post and decides not to touch politics for a while and wants to put her life and home in order and decides to put up a small industry and make toilet rolls. I bought a plot of land by myself, bought the machines, buy the local paper. I have the building and the turnover, yet I am not getting any funding and I can tell you that there are many women out there who want to collect loans to start small scale businesses but when they go to banks they meet brick walls. Could it be because most women don’t have collaterals? It is not about collaterals. We are going to have meetings with the women who are now bank chairmen to look critically at problems that are peculiar to women and how to solve them. Most women have collaterals. When is the Nigerian bank going to be collecting their gold as collateral? Why can’t they set up a unit where they can test the gold? Or get a company that can help test the gold and give them the certificate? When embassies were having problem with issuing visas to multitude, they created a place where they do all the paper work before they get to them. Why can’t the banks be creative and help the average Nigerian woman?

thepolity

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

No reason for Ondo to have poor people —APC gov aspirant Chief Jamiu Ekungba is one of the 24 governorship aspirants on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State. A chartered accountant and former Chief Executive Officer of Trade Bank, he speaks in this interview with journalists on his reason for contesting, the kind of governor the state needs, among other issues. BOLA BADMUS brings excerpts:

T a time when governors are finding it difficult to pay salaries and meet other obligations, what is the attraction in your quest to be the governor of Ondo State? Ondo State, as you know, is the only South-West state that is among the oilproducing states. Therefore, it means that, apart from the normal characteristics and character of that geo-political zone of being an industrial and commercial centre, that state has mineral resources that are unique to the world today. Aside from oil, we also have what is called bitumen in commercial quantity. You are aware that today in Nigeria, the asphalt with which we tar our roads is imported from Venezuela. This is despite the fact that we have the raw material for production of asphalt at Agbamu in Ondo State. The cost of mining it will be infinitesimal to what it costs Venezuela to mine their own because Venezuela will go hundreds of metres down to bring it out. But in Ondo, it is on the surface. Aside from that, Ondo is the only state in Nigeria that has a coastal line and thick forests that move gradually to shrubs and savannah. What that means is that there is no crop that is being planted in Nigeria that cannot do well in the state agric-wise. In terms of tourism, as you are travelling hinter-land, you will see the Idanre Hills and the Akoko Hills. And in terms of mineral resources, there is virtually no mineral resource in Nigeria that is not in commercial quantity in Ondo State. The state is also rich in human resource. The quality of people inhabiting that state, typical of Yoruba people who are brilliant academically and intellectually and even in entrepreneur, is a huge resource for us. So, we have everything in Ondo State. It is therefore sickening for anybody to want to justify the preponderance of poverty. Like our leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu once told me in those days, when I was apolitical; he said as long as people like you are apolitical, you don’t have any moral ground to complain about what happens to your community. So, I see it worrying and quite unbearable that the state would be one of the states that must go to the Federal Government to borrow money to pay salaries. These are some of the reasons I want to be governor of the state. I do not see reasons why that state should share border with poverty. I have the requisite qualifications to do the transformation Ondo needs with my background and training, not only academically but also professionally. I have been a certified Grade II teacher; a chartered accountant; and a consummate banker. I give an example. Honourable Adeyemi Ikuforiji, who is the immediate past speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly and myself were among the six members of the strategic committee that took over the International Bank for West Africa to Afribank, the first financial supermarket in Nigeria, six of us. That bank was gasping for life when that team was set up by Dalily who was then the Managing Director and we assiduously turned the bank around to become one of the

which APC? Is it APC as a political party or the Ondo State of Mimiko where he has succeeded in dribbling everybody? The only person he has not been able to dribble is himself and I am sure very soon, he would dribble himself. The point is this: APC in Ondo State is strong enough and to the best of my knowledge, I know my structure, my own personal structure. I am not talking of the party structure now, but our structure within APC. It is strong enough to win election today in the state. Now, when you add the other structures, how will we not be able to win the election?

Chief Jamiu Ekungba

most active four in Nigeria. That is the kind of experience I am bringing on board if elected Ondo governor. I also did affect Bi-Courtney positively. I did rebuild the image of Bi-Courtney in the banking industry. I put together a consortium of six banks that lent it N20billion with which the MMA2 terminal was built. So, if I can do this for a private organisation, it will not be difficult for me to do more for my own state, where I was born and of which I don’t have a replacement as a home. Ondo is now in dire need of a man that will bring it from its present state of comatose back to life. If I run away, posterity will write my name in the black book. That is why I have chosen to contest the race because I have the character, the capacity, the capability to rebuild Ondo. There is this feeling that APC is the opposition party and not as strong as party members have made people to believe. One of the lessons my father taught me is that, if you make a mistake and you call somebody your friend, if that friend becomes something else, you can’t say he is no more your friend. I think the practical example is that when he was seeking his second term in office, he called all the Ondo State people and said he wanted to create local governments. He diverted attention from discussing political and economic activities of the state. Because everybody wanted local governments, so there was no way anybody could do constructive criticism of him any longer. Now, after the election, where are the local governments he promised, which he spent state funds on, setting up committees to go round? Now, in the last election, immediately we dealt him a blow during the presiden-

tial election, he came and told the obas and the chiefs that he wanted to upgrade some chiefs and obas. Like I do tell some people in Nigeria, any politician that says that the traditional institution is no more relevant is joking. Immediately he threw in that one, everybody forgot everything. Even the APC that had won sizeable votes for the president and the National Assembly poll, and so on forgot everything. We started talking about promotion of obas, promotion of chiefs, re-classification and the man went to the drawing board of how to hit the indigenes below the belt, which he did successfully. A party that scored 54.6 per cent in presidential election now had five House of Assembly seats out of 26. Now, another election is coming. The governor that has always for seven and a half years been telling us that he could not hold local government elections because there is a case in court now said he wanted to hold the exercise. Has that case been decided? No. Now, he has fixed a date for local government election for 24th of April. Why? It is to divert the attention of the people from the rising profile of APC using local government election. Let me put it this way, except maybe the right person becomes governor, things may not improve. As I told you, I am going to develop that state to model of democratic development. We have never seen a state governor that conducted a local government election and his party did not win 100 per cent. So, even if APC is going to partake in that election, we know the result ab initio. PDP that is dying will now start waking up. So, this is exactly what we have seen in Ondo State. And when people tell me that APC is not active in Ondo State, I ask,

Given that there are many of you jostling for the APC’s ticket, how ready are the aspirants to embrace dialogue and accept the result of primary? If I say I didn’t expect that, then I am not prepared for today. Let me answer it this way. I said the issue of Ondo must not be reserved for Ondo people alone because is a micro part of this federation. So, if we allow the cancer to germinate from that place it can affect the whole federation. It is the responsibility of all of us to educate, communicate, beg and motivate every stakeholder in this matter to be responsible and reasonable. That is the first thing I want to say. A lot of us, the 24 in the race, if you ask them, don’t even know the extent of the problem. So, they just want to be there because everybody is contesting. Some would say let me contest, if by accident, I would be there. If that person is there by accident, he would for the next four years ruin the lives of our people by accident. I didn’t say rule. I said ruin. So that is one side to it. The second part is that some people are looking for greener pasture. Those in this category wouldn’t know the extent of the problem. Of course, he would get to the greener pasture and discover that the place is bigger than what he could handle. For the next four years, we are in trouble. But how many of us actually know that the problem in Ondo State is caused by two factors? Factor number one is the misrule of the past years, which is not isolated from the misrule of the past 16 years. But that of the last seven and half years has been catastrophic. That is the first problem we are facing. The second problem is the national economy itself. Our economy at the national level is so precarious, so bad that we thank God that we have an elder like President Muhammadu Buhari handling it. The economy is bad. So, these are two things that anybody who wants to be governor of Ondo State must know. The fact that I have money to print posters, buy vehicles and make noise is not enough to show that an aspirant can tackle the problems in the state. The person that we need as governor now is the person that has demonstrable antecedents to turn bad economy to good one.

thepolity

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

The succession battle in Ogun Politicians in Ogun State have begun consultations aimed at outmaneuvering one another in the race to succeed Governor Ibikunle Amosun, writes DARE ADEKANMBI.

Chief Rotimi Paseda

Isiaka

ITH the affirmation of the victory of Governor Ibikunle Amosun as the duly elected governor of Ogun State by the Supreme Court, the coast is clear for the governor to enjoy his second term without legal distraction. But while the governor is concerned with how to fulfill his part of the bargain in the social contract with the electorate and complete unfinished projects strewn across state political leaders across the state are busy strategising about who succeeds him in 2019. Ogun, like other states, has three senatorial districts- Ogun East, Ogun West and Ogun Central. While Ogun East, which is peopled by the Ijebu and Remo people, has nine of the 20 local government councils in the state, Central, which is home to the Egba people, has six and the West district, home of the Yewa/Awori people, five councils. Since Governor Amosun, currently in his second term, is from the central, the district is ruled out in the succession race already set in motion. This leaves the race open exclusively to Ogun East and West. Ogun West remains the only zone that is yet to produce the state chief executive officer since its creation in 1976. In the last two elections, 2011 and 2015, some of the major parties in the politics of the state picked their candidates from the zone. This was in recognition of the right of the zone to produce the governor for the state. Former Governor Gbenga Daniel fought hard and unsuccessfully to install Gboyega Isiaka, from Imeko Afon Local Government Area, as successor in 2011, on the ticket of the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN). Former presi-

Governor Amosun

Paseda

dent, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo with whom Daniel had a fierce battle, secured the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for a Yewa South Local Government candidate, Tunji Olurin. Neither of the Ogun West candidates won the election, as Amosun secured massive home support from Ogun Central and a majority support in the East and the West. In 2015, the battle took a similar pattern. A breakaway group from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) went to the Social Democratic Party (SDP). With this development, many analysts had concluded that Amosun’s APC had been weakened considerably and his reelection threatened. The SDP leaders turned to the West in their choice of candidate from Ado/Odo Council by picking Senator Akin Odunsi. It was the same scenario in the PDP which went for Isiaka from the West as its candidate. With the balkanisation of the votes from West between Isiaka and Odunsi, the zone could not deliver the expected block votes to make either of its candidates defeat Amosun. But Isiaka polled the majority of the votes from the zone. But what will 2019 game look like in the contending zones?

his foray into politics was informed by the inadequate level of development of the state. “If Ogun State must retain its reputation as the Gateway State and the home of some of the best leaders Nigeria has ever produced, then it must free itself from the bondage of incremental development currently being witnessed, which is not totally bad in itself, and join the league of states taking quantum leaps in pursuit of full development and good life for their people, which is the right thing to do at this age and time,” he said. Chief Paseda has consequently been holding court with the leaders of the various political groups in the zone and securing their endorsements. Last month, Paseda was the guest of honour at the New Year party of the Omo Ilu Foundation, a statewide group founded and funded by the Senator representing Ogun East, Buruji Kashamu. The UPN chieftain, who was welcomed by a large assembly of members and leaders of the group, secured their unanimous support for his aspiration. Weeks after, Paseda got another invitation from Imole Group, another statewide political organisation founded by a former deputy governor of the state, Alhaji Rafiu Ogunleye. The expansive compound of Alhaji Ogunleye in Ijebu-Itele was crowded when they hosted the UPN candidate during their New Year party. One after the other, the members spoke in glowing terms about the governorship hopeful and commended his empowerment programme, while calling on him to extend similar gesture

Ogun East At the moment, Chief Rotimi Paseda is the only governorship hopeful visible on the political radar of the zone. He joined the 2015 contest about six months to the election under the banner of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) and made a mark. The Omu-Ijebu prince explained that

Continues

pg 36

opinion

21 February, 2016

Who has bewitched PDP? By Femi Fani-Kayode

N the 16th of February 2016, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) adopted Senator Ali Modu Sheriff (aka SARS), a twotime All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) governor of Borno State, a former ANPP senator, former chairman of the All Peoples Congress (APC) Board of Trustees. Modu-Sheriff is also the erstwhile godfather and sponsor of Governor Kashim Shettima , the present APC Governor of Borno state (until they fell out), he is a man that has a very deep and profound relationship and association with Idris Deby, the president of Chad and he is a man whose son is married to the daughter of President Muhammadu Buhari. Many have argued that his allegiance is more to the Republic of Chad than it is to Nigeria; that he is a Chadian citizen who often flaunts his Chadian passport. I cannot confirm the veracity of these assertions but one thing that I know is that most of Modu Sheriff’s funding and stupendous wealth emanates primarily from the Republic of Chad and that that country is as much a home to him as is Nigeria. Yet, it is not his connection with Chad that gives me cause for concern. The truth is that appointing him as our Acting National Chairman is like appointing Jack the Ripper as the leader of the Conservative Party in Victorian England. Kudos must go to the elders in the PDP Board of Trustees, a number of state party chairmen and a number of key individuals in the PDP Ministers’ Forum for taking a courageous and noble stand by rejecting and resisting the imposition of this abominable monstrosity. What Ali Modu Sheriff stands for and represents is utterly repugnant to every fibre of my being. Yet, I have no objection to his being a member of the PDP, simply because politics is a game of numbers. It is a game in which everyone, no matter how big or small, counts. If you want your party to grow and make progress you must accept the good, the bad and the ugly. To this end, when he left the APC and joined the PDP sometimes back, I was one of those that gladly welcomed him into our ranks and defended him in the public realm. This was at a time when others criticised the party for accepting him. There is, however, a world of difference between accepting him as one of the many leaders of the PDP and appointing him as the acting National Chairman. Others may seek to justify such a course of action but I cannot in good conscience do so. To me it is a matter of principle. If we accept this then on what moral grounds did we condemn or oppose the APC or the APC-led Federal Government during the course of the last presidential election? If we are comfortable with the like of Ali Modu Sheriff leading us then on what basis did we criticise and oppose President Muhammadu Buhari for appearing to support Boko Haram when he said ‘’an attack on Boko Haram is an attack on the North?” If we insist on Ali Modu Sheriff being our National Chairman, then we may as well go and apologise to the APC for all our past criticisms and condemnations and join them. On what basis can we accept as our National Chairman a man who allegedly, encouraged, supported an organisation that later metamorphosed into Boko Haram?

This is a terrorist organisation whose ultimate objective is to turn Nigeria into an Islamic fundamentalist state by the use of terror and the force of arms. On what basis can we accept a man to lead us whose Commissioner of Religious Affairs when he was governor of Borno State, one Alhaji Buji Foi, was the de facto operational commander of Boko Haram? The man was later murdered by those closest to him after investigations into whom and how Boko Haram was founded commenced. On what basis can we accept as our National Chairman a man who helped to create an organisation that wishes to establish Sharia as the norm in our country, repeal all our criminal and civil laws, ban all our civil liberties and human rights, proscribe the teaching of western education in our schools, turn our women into sixth century sex slaves and abrogate the secularity of our state? On what basis can we accept as our leader a man who supported a group that wishes to suspend our constitution wipe out the Christian faith and the practice of moderate Islam in our country and create an evil ISIL-type empire in our nation? I really do wonder whether those that made this decision have lost all sense of rationality. I wonder whether they have lost their ability to see reason properly and to exercise their discretion in a logical, responsible and lucid manner. I wonder whether they have lost their fear of God. I wonder whether they have forgotten the evil that was visited on our people, and is still being visited on them, over the last seven years by Boko Haram. I wonder whether they have forgotten the terrible havoc that Boko Haram unleashed on our citizens. I wonder whether they have forgotten the savage and bestial rape, murder and abduction of the Chibok girls and all the other little girls that suffered a similar fate in recent times. I wonder whether they have forgotten that our nation is still at war with the bloodthirsty barbarians that committed these atrocities. Since when did we, as a political party, lose our memories and jettison our moral compass in this way? Since when did we become so callous, shameless and insensi-

Sunday Tribune

tive? Since when did greed and the lust for power and money determine and motivate our every course of action? Since when did we throw away caution, decency and principle? Since when did we become so barbaric and uncivilised? Since when did so few make a decision that will affect the lives and fortunes of so many in a profoundly negative way? Have we forgotten about the priests and servants of the living God that were crucified by Boko Haram at their own church altars? Have we forgotten those that had their homes, schools, churches, mosques and properties pillaged, robbed and burnt to the ground by this group of godless Philistines? Have we forgotten that the international community, through the International Terror Index, has rightly described Boko Haram as the “most deadly terrorist organisation in the world?” Have we forgotten those gallant young military officers that were killed at the war front whilst fighting this evil plague, all in their quest to keep us safe, to secure our borders and to protect our property and people? Does all that count for nothing? Is this the way to pay them back for their great sacrifice and their noble courage? Are we prepared to throw away all decency and morality just to seek favor with a handful of misguided mortals and in a futile attempt to win political power? Simply put, has the leadership of the PDP gone completely mad or are they working for elements outside the PDP? Are they suggesting that they need Sheriff to run the affairs of the party before we can ever win power at the center again? Where is the patience and fortitude that is required from true leaders? Where is their faith in God? Where is their sincerity of purpose? Does the leadership of the PDP really believe that it has kept faith with the founding fathers of the party, those that trusted them with power and those that bestowed them with leadership? There were so many other people that they could have chosen to lead our party from the North-East. There were people like Mohammed Wakil, Nuhu Ribadu, Bala Mohammed, Wilberforce Juta, Aliyu Modibbo, Ahmed Gulak and so many others that could have been appointed. These are all committed people with impeccable records of public service, high moral standing and good character. Instead of doing so the leadership of the party chose to impose the most controversial that they possibly could to lead us and when asked why they did so we were told that it was because “he has plenty of money to spend on the party” and no less than “five private jets” to lend out to those who needed a free plane ride. Evidently, we have sold our birthright and heritage, not just for a mess of pottage like Esau, but rather for a free ride on a private jet. What on earth has happened to us? As the Book of Galatians in the Holy Bible asks, “who has bewitched us?” Over the course of the last 17 years, in terms of the quality of party leadership, the PDP has gradually descended into the unceremonious cesspit of mediocrity. Worst still, with the recent appointment of Ali Modu Sheriff as our acting National Chairman, we have chosen to spit in the wind, sleep with the dogs, dance on the graves of our fallen heroes, piss on the blood and bones of the slaughtered innocents and wallow in the filthy pool of compromise, deceit, doublespeak and shame. • Fani-Kayode is a former Minister of Aviation.

thepolity ‘Okun people ’ll not be marginalised’ continued from pg 31

He said, “We are planning to meet the governor on the seeming marginalisation of the Okun people. We all struggled for the power shift and we were indeed in the forefront. We actually confronted the former governor on the issue and he promised that power will shift after his tenure. “Okun people rallied round Faleke when he was picked as the deputy to the late Audu. We actually voted for Faleke and not Audu and when the governorship candidate died, we thought Faleke would replace him. Unfortunately the person picked is not looking at our side, because he felt we didn’t support him. We are feeling cheated because he is not giving us our due. Now, we learnt he wants to give us the Secretary to State Government (SSG) for the meantime. If he gives us, we will make do with it, we are looking for other posts.”

However, to Bello, it would be a wrong assumption to say that the Okun people were not having a fair share in his administration. The governor who spoke through his CPS said, “I want to place it on record that since the inception of this administration, ethnic lines are giving way to focus on competence and credibility. The Okun Yoruba people have been of great support to the administration of Bello and will not be marginalised. The governor is building a new Kogi where your place of birth will not be a barrier to your opportunities and if you look at the Kogi of today, we have never been this united. “I think the Okun people should vent the anger of losing the deputy governor on Faleke, who for very untenable reasons, made his people to lose the opportunity of producing the deputy governor. Apart from competence and credibility which the Deputy Governor of Kogi State has in abundance, other

criteria are germane to the choice of a Deputy Governor. “Since the choice of who leads the legislature is an exclusive right of lawmakers, the governor has no hand in their choice of leadership. But I am sure many Okun people will serve in this government because our Governor is a fair minded person. We should not forget that his first three appointments were spread across Okunland. “Apart from that, the economic policy of the current administration is such that will favour all Kogites irrespective of their place of birth. We need a complete reorientation and the government of Alhaji Yahaya Bello will put smiles on the faces of Kogites soon through purposeful leadership and delivery of democracy dividends. If we have good roads, quality water, sound education, efficient healthcare delivery, food security and jobs, nobody will care to know the village of the brain behind the development”.

thepolity

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

As Ogun East, West districts square up… continued from pg 34

towards them. They admonished him to ensure his political taproot springs from the grass roots, while promising to work for him across the 236 wards in the state. According to Ogunleye,“In the last 40 years, it has been ups and downs for Ogun State. We have had some good governors and we have also had some not-so-good and some that are inadequate. But by and large, Ogun State has been alright, peaceful. For that alone, we should thank the Almighty. “As regards development, the successive governments have tried their best. We can only hope and pray to God that, after Amosun finishes his term in 2019, there will be an all-embracing government and accommodating. Most people involved in installing Amosun have not been part of the government of the state for some time. If you look at the local government structure, it is nothing to write home about.” In his response, Paseda said the attraction in his governorship quest, despite the financial crunch that has hit most states, was the suffering the people of the state have been subjected to in the last eight years. “I pray that the price of crude oil will continue to crash. This will make the office less attractive for people who seek public office for no other reason but self-glorification and self-enrichment. A lot of people who in office today do not have anything profession or things they were doing before crashing their way to power. I also pray that those who want to be governors but do not have any profession or meaning productive engagement before seeking office will fail to get elected. “The attraction for me is the people of Ogun State. They are suffering and I can’t singlehandedly solve all their problems. Chief Obafemi Awolowo was not the only political leader in the country during his time. There were others. Why is it only Awolowo that people are remembering? It is because he did the right thing; he gave our people what they deserve. He made a name for himself through qualitative service to the people. He did not buy the name; he earned it. I want to earn such a name,” he said. Beside Paseda, another person to watch out for, though he has not openly declared interest in the succession, is the scion of billionaire pools magnate, Honourable Oladipupo Adebutu. It was gathered that he has begun a series of consultations with political leaders from the three senatorial districts, informing them about his interest in succeeding Amosun. He is also from the East district and currently represents Sagamu/Ikenne/Remo North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives on the platform of the PDP. His ranking membership of the House, having been elected under the banner of the defunct United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) during abortive political transition programme of General Sani Abacha, earned him the chairmanship of the House Committee on Rural Development. Adebutu is a known grass rooter and has a network that transcends the East district. He is a prominent member of the OGD political academy, One of his political associates, Honourable Sunday Solarin, said: “At a time federal lawmakers are groaning over unpaid salaries and allowances, Honourable Adebutu has inaugurated over 40 projects in his constituency. To us, this is not a surprise because he has sufficiently demonstrated that he is in politics to serve and not to sap the people, which is what the majority of elected people do. He is devoid of any parochial instinct and is highly cerebral. It was gathered that Honourable Adebutu’s father had donated handsomely to the gubernatorial interest of some candidates in the state in the past. Among the lot jostling to take Amosun’s job, Ladi Adebutu is considered to be the man with the most fortified war chest. Ogun West With age and experience on his side, GNI, as Isiaka is popularly called, has not given up in his determination to provide leadership at the highest level in the state. GNI has demonstrated knowledge of how to turn the economy of the state around, with his background in investment banking and head of the state’s investment portfolio un-

Yayi

Adebutu

der the Gateway Holdings in the Daniel administration. He will be gunning for the top job the third attempt and with a reputation of a marathoner in the race. It is not immediately known if Senator Odunsi will fly the flag of SDP again. But the main strength behind the party in the state, former governor Olusegun Osoba appears to have been reconciled with a national leader of the APC and former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu. Although Osoba reiterates at every forum that he is still a leader in SDP, the seemingly frosty relationship between Amosun and Tinubu justifies speculations that Osoba might have been wooed back to either APC or a new party being contemplated by some leaders in the South-West. However, the rave of the moment in the Yewa/Awori zone is Senator Solomon Adeola, also known as Yayi, an Ogun indigene plying his political trade in Lagos. He comes across as candidate of the Tinubu camp. Yayi, who currently represents Lagos West district in the Red Chamber under APC banner, was billed to pick the senatorial ticket for Ogun West in the last election, a move Governor Amosun was said to have vehemently resisted, prompting Tinubu to give him the Lagos West ticket. Yayi, like Paseda and Adebutu have been doing, has been going round consulting with leaders across the state and apprising them of his gubernatorial ambition. Sunday Tribune learnt that he met with Daniel in Abuja early this year and that discussion centred on the 2019

succession plan. GNI is a staunch member of the OGD academy, although it is not known what the implication of his accord with the camp of Senator Buruji Kashamu in the 2015 election might have for him in the group. But there are those who hold the view that, as far as GNI and OGD political fraternity are concerned, it is “once a soldier, always a soldier” for GNI. There is also a former House of Representatives from the area, Honourable Abiodun Akinlade, who has shown more than passing interest in the state governorship.

I pray that the price of crude oil will continue to crash. This will make the office less attractive for people who seek public office for no other reason but self-glorification and selfenrichment

Inside Amosun’s camp Just as permutations are going on in the various camps, the political group headed by Governor Amosun also has its own game plan. But unlike others where the likely candidates are being jointly X-rayed by leaders, only Amosun knows the man he has in mind as a potential successor. He is said to be holding his card close to his chest so as not to get distracted and not give room for opponents to out-strategise him. A school of analysts believes Amosun’s searchlight is directed towards Ogun West and may be grooming a young successor. To analysts, Amosun may succeed in installing a successor if and only if he is able to hold the APC together till 2019, deliver block votes for his candidate from Ogun Central, especially if he picks a running mate from Abeokuta, and get a fair share of the votes from Ogun East. This group of analysts thinks his closeness to Abuja will help him in his bid to successfully anoint a successor. But others think the storm in the APC at the national and state level is enough to alter and make nonsense of such permutation. To the leaders from Ogun East, the political sky of the state is wide enough for their counterparts from Ogun West to display their flying skills. With the district having failed on two previous attempts at installing one of their own as governor with massive support from the East, they will have to slug it out with the Ijebu and Remo people. According to these leaders, power is not served a la carte. The people of Ogun West must contend with them for it. One thing appears real: for any of the camps to produce the next governor, only a bonding of the various political fragments can make it happen.

opinion

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Saraki: The chief salesman of made in Nigeria goods By Yusuph Olaniyonu

ON’T be surprised if the salesman you will see in your neighborhood next time is a sixfooter, smooth-looking and well-spoken man. His face will look familiar because you have encountered him physically or through the media, particularly television, the print and online. You will wonder if he is not the man holding that top public office. What does he want? What is wrong with him? What is he selling? Or are you mistaking him for somebody else? As you ponder on the questions, you probably will realise he is the person you actually thought of—the number three man in the country—that is the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki. What is wrong is the fact that Nigeria’s economy is in a bad shape. There is, therefore, the need for change of attitude and positive, practical actions to save the nation, rebuild its economy and put its youth back to work. Saraki as the head of the nation’s legislature has identified his role as a lawmaker who is constitutionally charged to focuss on oversight responsibility on executive bodies and also advocating for the direction that will bring overall development to the country. He has also decided to offer himself as the salesman for made in Nigeria goods. The Senate President has at various fora articulated the viewpoint that the right response to the falling value of the Naira against the dollar (N358 to $1) is for the country to increase its productive capacity and change from an importing, foreign goods-crazy and oil dependent country to a nation which is self-reliant, with many buoyant local industries and hundreds of thousands of youths gainfully employed. He envisaged that the employed youths will become tax payers. Thus, domestic taxes will become a veritable source of revenue for funding infrastructural development and social services. These positions have been espoused by the Senate President in many prepared and off-the-cuff speeches he made at different fora, particularly while receiving many of the numerous groups, organizations, foreign missions and individuals that have paid courtesy call on him in his office. Recently, the man has decided to put his words into action. First, when a group of artisans and local manufacturers from Aba town in Abia State sought to pay him a courtesy call and their contact man, Senator Enyinanya Abaribe, said the visit was to promote their locally manufactured products with the Senate President coming to open their trade fair, they got an immediate appointment. It was during the visit that the Senate President unfolded his plan to immediately initiate the amendment of the Procurement Act, particularly Section 34 of the law which gives discretion to government agencies about patronising locally produced goods. He added that the word ‘ may’ will become ‘shall’ to compel agencies to only buy locally made goods. In cases where there is no option to imported items, the said agency must get clearance from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP). “This is the only way we can create jobs, solve the problem of unemployment and stop the growing army of aggrieved youths who pose danger to society. We can do it.

Chairman of Innoson Motors, Chief Innocent Chukwuma (second right), presenting a key to one of the range of cars manufactured by his company to the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki (second left). With them are left to right: Chairman, Senate Committee on Industries, Senator Sam Egwu; Secretary of Procurement, Estate and Works of the National Assembly, Mr. Adelami Owolabi; chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Andy Uba and chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, at the National Assembly. We have the population which translates to a huge ready market. This is how we can genuinely help our people. “The chairmen of our relevant committees are being put on notice to ensure that they focus their oversight on these areas. We must make sure that government agencies like the Armed Forces can patronize the shoe making industries in Aba and other places”, he said. Saraki went on to declare open the Made in Aba Trade Fair at the Area 10 Playing Ground, Abuja, where he gave assurances to the local producers that they have an ally in him and that he has dedicated himself to fighting their cause through legislations, oversight and advocacy activities. He promised to personally speak with heads of security agencies to stop importation of their foot wears and other kits as they can be easily produced in Aba and other towns. Saraki on his twitter handle thereafter call on Nigerian manufacturers to send him a twit of products they are producing and their addresses so that he can re-twit. Immediately the offer was made online, many young Nigerians entrepreneurs responded. And thus, the Senate President became an advertising platform for Made in Nigeria products. Perhaps taking a cue from the comradeship demonstrated by Saraki with the Aba manufacturers and other local producers of goods, the owner and management of Innoson Motors based in Nnewi quickly approached the Senate President that they will want to meet and acquaint him with their products as the only local manufacturers of automobiles in Nigeria. Less than 48 hours after they sent words to him, they got an appointment. Spokesman of Innoson Group, Mr. Sunny Nwosu commended Saraki and the Senate leadership for the prompt response to the request for audience sent by the company, an opportunity that had eluded them in the past. “In less than 48 hours of contacting the Senate President, we were told to come over. We are encouraged by your views on Made in Nigeria goods. What we need is the support, encouragement and inspiration from decision makers like you”, he said. Their host however said he was only doing his job and exhibiting his passion by identifying with them. He said one of the

actions government should quickly take at this point to save the national economy is to ensure that local industries are patronized by government agencies so that Nigerian manufacturers can enjoy the advantages accruing from the big market that her population offers. “That is why this eighth Senate is determined to amend the Procurement Law to ensure that government agencies patronize Made in Nigeria products. I am sure the House of Representatives is in support of this. It is our joint responsibility to ensure that you succeed. If you are successful, a lot more small and medium scale enterprises will draw inspiration from you and they will become successful. “That will help to create jobs, which is one of the mandate presented to us by the youths of this country during the last elections. We in the legislature will look at all laws and help to create an enabling environment for local businesses to thrive in Nigeria”, he said. The Senate President said using laws to protect locally made goods is not peculiar to the country as it has been done in the United States under President Herbert Hoover in 1933 while China and South Africa have also enacted similar laws in the past. He lamented a situation where a company like Innoson only sold about 3,000 vehicles in 2015 when Nigerians buy about a million vehicles annually, adding that If Nigerians patronise Made in Nigeria cars it will force foreign manufacturers to set up plant here. The Senate President further promised Innoson Group that he will get in touch with them as he has collected the price list and the information booklet on the automobiles produced by the company. He also had a short drive in one of the SUVs produced by the company, thereby providing a testimonial endorsement for the Nigerian manufacturer. With the plan to amend the Procurement Act of 2007, Saraki and his colleagues are seeking to reenact the Buy American Act signed into law on March 3, 1933 by Hoover which compels US government and its agencies to prefer US made products in their purchases. Section 217 (3) Of the South African constitution provides a framework for the policy of preferential procurement for government agencies. Also, the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act 5 of 2000 and

the regulations published under it in 2001 prescribed requirements regarding Black economic empowerment considerations. In China, Article 10 of the Government Procurement Law provides that domestic goods, projects and services must be used for government procurement except when the required goods are not available in China, the objects of procurement are for use outside China or it is specified otherwise in other laws and administrative regulations. Thus, what Saraki and his colleagues seek to do with the Procurement Act is putting the law on the same pedestal with what obtains in some developed economies. Shortly after the Innoson Group left Saraki, a group called South East Traders Association visited him and pleaded that he should help them intervene on difficulties they are facing in their importation business. The Senate President did not mince words in telling them that he is not in support of importation. He enjoined them to start producing some of the goods they import locally and they will have his total support. The pattern that is emerging from all these encounters by the nation’s chief legislator is that the man has become the Ambassador of Made in Nigeria goods. Call it protectionism. Call it backward integration. Or local content and backward integration campaign. These are some of the concepts that we have heard of in the past. What Saraki seemed determined to achieve is to put the weight of his office, the influence of his name and the richness of his personal and official resources into helping Nigerians who have dared to be different by undertaking production of goods that will offer quality alternatives to their fellow country men and women… This definitely is a noble campaign. It is also an idea, as Victor Hugo said, whose time has come. We pray that he succeeds in this endeavour. So, when next you see this suave, prominent and determined salesman of Made in Nigeria products in your neighborhood, don’t be surprised. Just support, accept and encourage him. It is another way of salvaging a country in economic crisis, particularly outside the hallowed legislative chambers. • Olaniyonu is Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to the Senate President.

AST week, President Muhammadu Buhari did the unexpected when he announced the sack of 26 Directors General of agencies and parastatals of government. The agencies include the media related and those in the other sectors. Some media outfits hailed ‘Hurricane Buhari’, whose broom had, according to them, swept away the PDP- appointed DGs. A simple statement from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal asked the DGs to hand over to the most senior officers in the organisations. Before the announcement of the sack of the Directors General, the president had sacked the Vice Chancellors of 13 federal universities created by the immediate past president Goodluck Jonathan. No official reason was given for the decision in the two instances. But that did not stop the insinuations rolling in from different quarters. However, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun did not allow commentators wonder for too long. On Tuesday February 16, Oyegun told newsmen after leading members of the National Working Committee (NWC) on a visit to the Presidential Villa that the sack was justified. He accused the former DGs of “internal sabotage,” describing them as “Jonathan’s appointees.” Oyegun said: “APC members are not concerned about the positions; we are concerned about the internal sabotage that is going on in a lot of the PDP-filled positions, which are critical to our national growth and development. “It is happening in INEC; it is happening in a lot of other institutions and that is what the concern of the party is, not necessarily taking over. We should take over and they should be people who believe in the change agenda; we have no apologies for that at all.” Perhaps, the same excuse would go for the sack of the Vice Chancellors of the 13 universities summarily relieved of their posts by President Buhari. Let it be said, however, that notwithstanding the eagerness of members of the APC to take their own share of the booty of war, stemming from the victory of their party in the March 2015 election, there must be a huge demarcation between political offices and tenured posts, which

IT was a great relief when the news came that the Federal Government had finally sacked the DGs appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan. A few days before the announcement, some friends and I were wondering why President Buhari still retained these Jonathan men and women at the helm of affairs and expected to effect the change that was his campaign mantra. We all agreed that these Jona men and women would rather constitute themselves into clogs in the Buhari change efforts rather than uphold and perpetrate it. We also wondered at the shamelessness of these Nigerians who should have tendered their exit letters long before they were booted out. Indeed, they had overstayed their welcome. As I was putting my thoughts together, I came across a press release by the multi-talented, multi-faceted and multi-tasking broadcaster and singer, Onyeka Onwenu, who until a few days ago, was the DG, National Centre for Women Development; a position she held according to her “for 2 years and five months.” I was a bit taken aback by the press release, wondering why she had to make a statement as she was being booted out. Was she seeking sympathy, and indirectly lobbying to be retained? Not in the least according to her, “I did not lobby for the job in the first place, and I was not going to lobby to keep it. I actually looked forward to leaving.” She added, “when the call came for me to disengage from the Centre, I took it in good faith and with thanksgiving to the Almighty. Besides, I was exhausted and had abandoned many personal projects to devote myself 200 per cent to the Centre.” The crux of her release was the abuses she was subjected to while in office and the manhandling she faced on the day she was to leave. “They organised some staff, invited the press and set about to disgrace themselves. By mid-afternoon, while the Heads of Departments were putting together the handover notes, they seized the keys to my official car, even with my personal items still inside. Threats began to fly. Police were called into the Centre to escort me out and avoid bloodshed as I disengaged. Eventually, in the midst of insults and name-calling, with an angry baying crowd, some of whom were brought in from outside, I entered my official car and left.”

21 February, 2016

the lynxeye with Taiwo adisa

08072000046

Politicising the polity

are guided by the laws setting up the different organisations. Of course that will not deviate from the president’s power to hire and fire but then the law must be respected in a democratic setting. You could understand that Oyegun only voiced out the frustration of his party men to lack of action from the government they put in place. But there must always be a difference from politically motivated appointments and

frontrow with Toyin Willoughby Muyi 0805 500 1769 toyeenz@yahoo.com

Sack of DGs of parastatals This raises some questions: why would staffers, whom she claimed were antagonistic to her right from day one, as she said “I was initially dismissed as just a musician” also get so aggressive and violent on her departure? They should be happy to see her leave. Why would the ministry, according to her, instigate her staff against her? Why should some people think it is their inalienable rights to occupy some positions? Why do we always allow ethnicity and not patriotism dictate our disposition to national issues? We still have a long way to go.

FROM MY MAILBOX

Sunday Tribune

headship of parastatals and agencies of government. Though the sacked vice chancellors were appointed by former president Jonathan, the interpretation cannot be that the VCs were PDP-appointees. They were appointed by the government of the Federation at the time and their allegiance cannot be to that government but to the growth of the academic institutions they were asked to administer. According to the laws of the land, their tenure was also fixed. A vice chancellor’s tenure is non-renewable five years. The decision to peg the tenure at a single term of five years was in itself aimed at addressing the crisis that usually erupts in the universities in the process of an officeholder seeking second term. So, why should Buhari sack the VCs who were already halfway into their tenure? Why did he not also dissolve the universities since they were also created by PDP’s Jonathan? So, the universities are now filled with professors with sympathy for the APC? I don’t understand that logic. As if the danger of politicising the universities is not enough to the society, the government went ahead to also sack the DGs. Oyegun called them PDP appointees but they are far from that. That description was just aimed at justifying the ambition of many APC members who are lobbying for the various positions. The truth of the matter is that though former president Jonathan appointed the DGs, not all of them are politically motivated. Even the sacked DG of the governmentowned Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) is not known to be a politician and on good authority, it was confirmed that his appointment was not politically motivated. It should surprise many that the president should delve into his military arsenal and revive the same tactics he employed between 1983 and 1985. We know it is the culture of the military to dissolve all boards and parastatals immediately they successfully stage a coup. But the president needs to understand that his current assignment is not a product of a coup and that most of the DGs he sacked by fiat went through Senate confirmation. Rather than rebrand the sacked DGs as PDP appointees, the truth must be told that the DGs have tenures of office which should not be tied to the fate of any party.

all his cabinet. Ekiti State as fountain of knowledge didn’t act wisely by letting Fayose be their governor. The N37 billion wasted in the state during the election is uncalled for, unjust, undemocratic and inhuman where many people can’t boast of a meal a day. Our judiciary shouldn’t rush in delivering its judgement but should carry out a thorough investigation, becausegoing by the scenario in Ekiti State, our judiciary is becoming something else. Oloyo Toyin, TAC LAWNA Headquarters, Lagos, 09058130870 Your write-up “This Fayose/Aluko face-off” is very interesting and loaded indeed. However, one should ask, who is fooling whom? Sinners will not go unpunished and posterity will never forgive those people who mismanage and embezzle the nation’s resources. Lekan Oladeji, Ilora 08053049443 Your write-up exposes the type of leaders this country is breeding. The post of Chief of Staff (the bane) was filled (as I understand) since October 2014. Why now? Why is Aluko just complaining over 18 months after elections and 14 months after the appointment of COS? He should face prosecution, as he has to clarify the two confessional statements already made. This time around, the Judiciary should get into the root of this particular issue. However, I will not be surprised if, by tomorrow, Aluko is being celebrated by another party, based on opposition, instead of castigating him. Integrity, where are you? Adepoju Ajibare, 08070777773

Re: This Fayose/Aluko face-off

Let me say the face-off between the two is something alarming and calls for proper investigation. Most Nigerians knew the June 21, 2014 election in Ekiti State was rigged but since the Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Governor Ayodele Fayose, he should be allow to complete his tenure and at the end, face the wrath of the law along with all those involved. I see no reason why a sitting governor couldn’t win even a local government with

Politicians are the same irrespective of party affiliationno permanent friend, no permanent foe, but permanent interest. There are many other Alukos in Fayose’s cabinet who have chosen to maintain the golden silence as long as the “benefits” are coming in. In any case, Aluko’s choice is purely a matter of our usual phd: “pull-him-down” syndrome. Dayo Oladeji, Saki, Oke Ogun 08027278748

21 February, 2016

ON THE

lord’sday

Sunday Tribune

With Bolanle Bolawole turnpot@gmail.com 07052631058

‘When bad men combine, good men must associate’

“T

HE only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” –Edmund Burke. Intimidation has become a potent weapon wielded by “the bad guys” to discourage, overawe and overwhelm good people and frustrate efforts to checkmate, apprehend, and bring them to common sense and reason. And because the good guys usually also have their own underbellies, the bad guys are everywhere, getting away with their errant behaviour. One recent high-brow example is that of Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao. Eighttime world boxing champion, Pacquiao had rightly described homosexuals as “worse than animals” He said: “If men mate with men and women mate with women, they are worse than animals. It is commonsense. Do you see animals mating with the same sex? Animals are better because they can distinguish male from female.” For the sins of sodomy, God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah; sodomy (same sex relationship) must have taken its name from Sodom. The Philippines is a predominantly Christian country, with 80 per cent of the 100 million population being Catholics; as a result, same-sex is outlawed. Pacquiao should, then, naturally, stand on solid grounds with his anti-gay sentiments; unfortunately, this is not the case. The gay community in the Philippines is well organised, led by very popular personalities commanding millions of followers. As hugely popular as Pacquiao himself is because of his cult-hero image as an international boxer that has brought fame and honour to country and people; he is vulnerable because he is standing for election into the Senate in May; and the gays and lesbians are telling their millions of supporters to punish Pacquiao with their votes. The boxer has had to recant! He said: “I am sorry for everyone who got hurt due to my comparison of gay people to animals. It was a mistake. Please forgive me for those I have hurt. But this does not change my position against same-sex marriage. That is what I believe. My only mistake is comparing gay people to animals” I dare to say that his mistake is recanting! His comparisons between homosexuals and beasts are perfect but “enlightened selfinterest” or “crass opportunism” is what has brought Pacquiao on his knees before despicable intimidation. Or take the case of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria who had been taken to court for alleged obstruction of the course of justice; 34 fellow SANs were said to have announced their appearance for the senior lawyer! Although restrained in her comments, as their Lordships are wont to be, the trial judge still made her point when she said: “I find no need for this magnitude of support. It is to harass and intimidate us on this side.” Boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, shot straight from the hips when he said, “The other day, 34 Senior Advocates of Nigeria fought against only one small EFCC lawyer in court and he defeated all of them...One of the big challenges we have in the effective prosecution of the war on corruption is that of very senior lawyers... when we have all these cases of wicked people who have stolen Nigeria’s money, they run to these lawyers, give them part of the stolen money and mobilise them to fight us; to delay us in court and to deny Nigerians justice. These are the people who do not want justice for the common man.”There is no denying the fact that Magu’s aircraft overshot the runway the way he spoke like a politician; short of that, however, his point is made. In the case of fiery and outspoken Catholic priest, Rev. Father Ejike Camilius Mbaka, who was recently transferred from his Enugu GRA base to the suburb, it is as clear as daylight that intimidation was involved on both sides. On the side of Mbaka’s superiors who demoted him from full pastor to an assistant pastor; moved him from the city to rural area; from a whole building to a dingy

ace where he stayed whenever he was in Owo for meetings. An adage says ‘’Birds of a feather flock together.” If Olowo was not a leading Oba, a highly respected and revered Ooni Adesoji Aderemi would not be holding meetings and spending time there. I’m surprised now that when they mention leading Obas in Yoruba land, the Olowo is not recognised. I want to implore you to do a write-up on this to educate and shed more light on these for the people that have been confused by the write-ups that distort history. —Prince Goke Olateru-Olagbegi.

room; it was clearly a posting to Siberia, as it were. For Mbaka who went public with his complaints, spurning the usual Church channels and causing disaffection for the authorities, he, too, was leveraging on his towering personality and immense popularity to intimidate. In all those who allow intimidation, the man dies (Soyinka) and when good men fail to speak out, evil holds sway (Edmund Burke). John Stuart Mill (1867) said: “Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends than that good men should look on and do nothing.” Burke (1770) added this: No man, who is not inflamed by vainglory into enthusiasm, can flatter himself that his single, unsupported, desultory, unsystematic endeavours are of power to defeat the subtle designs and united Cabals of ambitious citizens. When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.” All around us we find combinations of the “cabals”; but where are the associations of “the good?” Has this not been our scourge?

Re: Alake and the five Yoruba principal Obas I have been following all the articles written on the supremacy battle amongst Yoruba monarchs. To my surprise, Olowo is not recognised as one of the leading Obas in Yoruba land. It is because history is being distorted daily by these writers to suit their principals? To my dismay, the Alake listed five Obas in Yoruba land as the five leading Obas in Yoruba land. I think that is an affront on Owo. In my father’s days (Sir Olateru-Olagbegi KBE), I dare any of these Obas to say the things they are saying now, like relegating Olowo’s position. My father used to convene annual meetings in his palace for the paramount rulers in the Western state and the old Mid-Western state in the 50’s. He was the last President of the Western Region House of Chiefs. As a matter of fact, the Action Group party led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo was founded in the Olowo’s Palace during Sir Olateru-Olagbegi’s reign. My question now is ‘’ If Olowo is not a leading Oba, how would he have done all these and gained the respect of his fellow Obas? Some of the respected Obas are still alive today to buttress what I am saying. In those days, major decisions about paramount rulers in Western Region were made by Sir Olateru-Olagbegi and Oba Adesoji Aderemi. Oba Aderemi had a permanent apartment in Olowo’s Pal-

I had written and put my last week’s column to bed before encountering the above in my box. It speaks for itself!An adage says, “no matter how long a rope is, it has a beginning” Historically, Lamurudu, the father of Oduduwa, came from Mecca and landed in Ile-Ife. Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yoruba, gave birth to seven children; and they are: Olowu of Owu; Alaketu of Ketu; Onisabe of Sabe; Orangun of Ila; Onipopo of Popo; Oranmiyan of Oyo; and, lastly, the Oba of Benin. Despite the fact that the trio of Alaafin of Oyo, Alake of Abeokuta, and the Awujale of Ijebu-Ode are not among the seven, they are traditional rulers of note in Yorubaland. Talking about supremacy amongst these traditional rulers is like we want to empower feud or chaos amongst them, which will hinder the unity and development of Yorubaland. —Taiwo Sangotikun, Iseyin, Oyo State. Thanks. Oonirisa’s itinerary was planned in line with the Yoruba tradition of “eni o ki’ni ku’le, o padanu e kaabo” (meaning, literarily speaking, “he who fails to say ‘hi’, will not receive ‘you are welcome’). I do not think there is any other string attached. —08062849876. I just want to appreciate your wonderful article. I pray that the content germinate and bear fruits in the minds of all true Yoruba. But, alas! You did not remember to stress the importance of History as a subject in our schools, which government has now removed from the secondary school’s curriculum. We are the only country in the world to do this! Please, do something about this before we all forget who we are and wherefrom. —Adeniyi, Gbongan, Osun State. No doubt about the fact that your well-researched article on the supremacy controversy amongst Yoruba Obas makes good reading. The noble project of the Ooni in forging unity in Yorubaland faces lesser threats from within than from outside. This is why Kabiyesi should be wary of unsolicited praise singers so that the good project is not truncated. After all, as you rightly pointed out, every oba is supreme in his domain. I would also like the South-West axis of the nation’s media to be circumspect in reporting stories concerning our obas by not arrogating uncalled for powers to any of them. Yoruba nation has gained nothing from supremacy tussles; but we have a lot to gain from peace and unity. —Yekini Oluokun (JP), Oyo. Alake’s politics of ranking is playing to the gallery. Knowing that the Oba of Benin will excuse himself, he possibly wants the vice-chairmanship of Yoruba Obas’ council to rotate between the Alaafin, himself, and the Awujale! But where does he leave the Alara, the Ajero, and the Orangun? —08062086471.

21 February, 2016

language&style Here is a Letter…

ERE is a letter from another reader: “I am one of your Tribune page readers. I need clarifications on which is correct or if both are correct and the reason for the correctness: ‘here it is’ and‘here is it.’ But to the little knowledge of mine object (here), verb (is), subject (it). Or: Should OVS be applied here? Please enlighten us sir. I really enjoy your contributions on your ‘Language & Style’ page. May God continue to bless you.’ The message comes from Crown B. Ibrahim. When I express pleasure with those reading this column, I am not just expressing a formality. Here is a land in which literacy in its true sense is fast losing its value and glamour. Evidence abounds that the reading culture, if ever there was any, has virtually disappeared in the country. People are no longer interested in books and the written language generally. Philistinism has taken over the land. It is against this background that we appreciate any effort made by Nigerians at improving their literacy. The reader wants to know the difference, if any, between ‘here it is’ and ‘here is it’. You probably notice already the structure of the very first sentence on this page today, reflected also in the heading: “Here is a letter from another reader.” The sentence could also be rendered as: “A letter from another reader is here.” You could see that the only difference between them is that in the case of the former ‘here is’ comes first in the sentence and in the case of the latter ‘is here’ comes last. There is no difference, apart from the syntactic ordering, between the two sentences in terms of meaning. But it seems most people would prefer the former to the latter. The difference between those two sentences is not dissimilar to that between the samples in the enquiry by the reader: ‘Here is it’ and ‘Here it is.’ Most users would prefer the former. The word ‘here’ is not the object but an adverbial, an adjunct. Sample 1: “The Rivers governorship election, which was criticized by local and international observers, witnessed the largest amount of violence both in its build-up and after the elections, following its nullification by competent courts, has left the ruling PDP literarily clinging unto straw according to many analysts.”(Rivers Governorship: APC, PDP Back in the Trenches, The Nation on Sunday, December 27, 2015) I draw readers’ attention to the word literarily which occurs in the following structure: “has left the ruling PDP literarily clinging unto straw.” The adjective literary and the adverb literarily are related to the noun literature. If that is the case, as we are sure it is, it would mean that the reporter intends his statement to be taken in the sense in which words are taken in literature---figuratively, metaphorically. But that would be the exact opposite of what the writer intends. In the light of this confusion, we need to clarify the usage and meanings of the following words: literal, literally; literary, literarily. Please read the following sentences: 1) When the Ifa priest said the man was blind, he did not mean it in its literal sense. 2) The word ‘die’ is not to be taken in its literal sense in the sentence, ‘The man dies in every man who is silent in the face of tyranny.’ 3) In its literal sense, light is about physical illumination, something that prevents people from stumbling. Those sentences illustrate the way the adjective literal is typically used. The word literal is the opposite of metaphorical or figurative. The literal sense of a word is its ordinary sense, the

by Samson Dare 0805 500 1770 samsonadare@yahoo.co.uk

Sunday Tribune

line

life with

Niyi Osundare

Random Blues sense in which it is commonly used, without additional ‘colour’ or contextually acquired meaning. For example, if I say, ‘The boy picked up some stones and began to pelt me,’ I have used the word stone in its ordinary or literal or common sense. On the other hand, if I say, ‘The man has a heart of stone’, I have used the word stone not in its ordinary sense but in a figurative or metaphorical sense. The adjective literal invariably carries a sense of contrast whether in an explicit or implicit way with the idea of the figurative or metaphorical sense. The adverb form of literal is literally. Please read the following sentences: 1) During the June 12 protests, all sectors of the Nigerian life literally came to a standstill. 2) The mountain involved in a volcano will be found to be boiling literally at the time the volcano occurs. 3) The congregation was made up of old men and women and the heads that I saw from the pulpit were literally white. 4) Morally bankrupt, his life almost literally stinks as much as would a septic tank. 5) The news literally broke his heart as he collapsed and died instantly. 6) Wherever he went and whatever he did, his wife was always literally behind him. Whenever the context may tempt the reader to interpret a pivotal word in its figurative or metaphorical sense, the writer feels under obligation to qualify or define the word with the adjective literal or its adverb literally. For example, the compound word emptyheaded is used in its figurative sense, rarely in its literal sense. The common interpretation is likely to be applied to the idea of head and empty in the sentence, ‘His head is almost literally empty.’ To guide the reader, we have brought in the adverb literally. The use of the adverb literally can be explained in this way in the six sentences above. Now read the following sentences: 1) What are the literary merits of that writing? 2) Some literary writers are also scientists. 3) That is the man who taught me literary appreciation. 4) Must literary style always be colourful or flowery? 5) You have not properly mastered literary language. 6) Some newspapers have sections for literary criticism. The adjective literary is related to the nouns literature and literacy. We use the adjective for writing in general and literature in particular. Literary arts refers to poetry, drama and prose---those works of art we have in mind when literature is mentioned. In other words, literarymerits are qualities or values associated with literature; literary writers write poems, plays and novels; literaryappreciation is an effort at understanding and evaluating literature; literary language refers to the language associated with literature. What we have said about the adjective literary is also applicable to the adverb literarily. You could say: ‘The writing is literarily deficient’, by which is meant that the writing does not possess some good qualities of literature. Do not say: *He was literarily soaked in oil. Rather say: He was literally soaked in oil. Do not say: *The whole town literarily went up in smoke. You should say: The whole town literally went up in smoke. Do not say: *What is the literary meaning of the word? You should say: What is the literal meaning of the word? Other expressions that may interest readers are: literaltranslation; literary language; literary scholars; literarylanguage.

You could see that the only difference between them is that in the case of the former ‘here is’ comes first in the sentence and in the case of the latter ‘is here’ comes last. There is no difference, apart from the syntactic ordering, between the two sentences in terms of meaning. But it seems most people would prefer the former to the latter

I belong to that tribe which makes Words mean more than they intend to do Yes, I belong to the tribe which makes Words mean more than they intend to do I labour to follow the trail Of the clan that has the clue

When I send words on errands They come back with complex truths Say, when I send words on errands They often come back with complex truths There is something strong and fluent Like the heady river of my youth

Proverbs come to speech In the dusken alley of the mouth Say, proverbs come to speech In the dusken alley of the mouth Murky tonalities embrace their shadows Like idioms going north but facing south

What is prophecy if not A fact moulded with fiction’s clay Asking, what is prophecy if not A fact moulded with fiction’s clay? A darkness born in the backyard of night Has laid claim to the paternity of day

I belong to the tribe which weighs The word like nuggets of nameless gold Yes, I belong to the tribe which weighs The word like nuggets of nameless gold Silence sneezes behind the throne/scepter The Song fortifies us against its cold

21 February, 2016

tribunechurch

Sunday Tribune

With Rita Okonoboh rosarumese@gmail.com 08053789087

Oyo, Lagos should pray against flood, fire disasters —Bishop Amoo

The General Overseer of the Laughter Foundation Ministries (LFM), Ibadan, Oyo State Chapter, Bishop Olukunle Olanrewaju Amoo, speaks with OLAIDE SOKOYA, on national issues and why Nigerians should cultivate the habit of saving. Excerpts:

HE Minister for Information and Orientation, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, last week urged Nigerians not to panic over Bokoharam threats, that they have been defeated and are only operating from a weak point. Do you think the Federal Government has won this war? The fact remains that these challenges are not peculiar to Nigeria. Many countries, are also facing similar problems. The countries, such as Canada and United States that some Nigerians look up to are also facing their own challenges. To be candid, these problems will persist if we refuse to make God our priority and any nation that neglects God and takes Him for granted will not know peace. Solomon in the Bible says: “Vanity upon vanity; all is vanity”. The greed of our leaders is the reason behind the frequent problems we face in Nigeria. That is why we are not secure as a country. The only solution is for us to return to God and seek His face for divine mercy. We have come short of the glory of God; our leaders, especially, need to renew their vows with God and serve us with true mind. They should have the fear of God which is the beginning of wisdom and also the principal channel to succeed in life. Do you think the anti-corruption crusade of the president will make corruption a thing of the past in the country? I want to commend President Buhari on his commitment to bring corruption in the country to the barest minimum. But Nigerians should not forget that he cannot do it alone. We have to support him by saying no to corruption at our various levels. All the religious institutions must also be part of this crusade. It is also important to know that Christianity brought civilisation to Nigeria. All our leaders are products of the Western education which was brought by the Christians. The church has made tremendous impact in the history of Nigeria. But the country will remain in a mess if our leaders continue to neglect the church. It is also sad that there is also corruption in the church; what is happening in the church is a replica of what we see in our society today. It is time our leaders took note of their daily finances. We have seen greed and stealing as a way of life in this country and this is why we cannot develop as a nation. It is a bad omen for the generation unborn. It is time we all changed our orientation and exhibited good attitude in all our endevours, to have a good life and also to make heaven. Are you satisfied with the present situation of the country? I believe that there is no problem without a solution. I do tell my people that prophets remove or find solution to problems. I think we still have true prophets in this country that can intercede for us to return to our rightful place.

In Britain, there are committed women who pray all the time for the country. We only have a few devoted Nigerians who pray for the country, but we have many people who desire to corner the resources of the nation. Another problem is that the saving habit in Nigeria is very poor. Everything is not about prayers, though it is the key to request from God. We have to put some things in place and part of it is our saving culture. Many Nigerians do not have anything to fall back on when financial crisis arises. As for me, I am not happy with the current state of the country and I don’t think any Nigerian is happy too. Even till now, workers have not been paid in the last six months, while some states have begun to sack workers. Honestly, this development gives me a serious concern; I cannot imagine this is happening to us as a nation.

Practicing School before I proceeded to Christ Apostolic Grammar School, Orita Aperin, Ibadan. I had my Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Mechanical Engineering at The Polytechnic, Ibadan and later continued my education at the Obafemi Awolowo University where I obtained my BSc in Geology, specialising in Applied Geophysics. After graduation, I went abroad for my internship at Watt, Ginffs and McQuati, Canada. After my internship, I went to Triumph Bible University, Washington, United States where I had a bachelors degree in Christian Counseling and Psychology, Masters in Christian Counseling and Psychology as well as PhD in the discipline. Afterwards, I was ordained as a bishop by Bishop Ordrein Michael and Bishop Olatokunbo Aremu and some other bishops in Nigeria in 2012 at the age of 37.

The year is still new. What has God revealed to you about 2016? 2016 is a year of harvest for so many people, especially those who trust and genuinely serve God. Cross River State, especially its capital, Calabar, should be very careful and pray against air disaster. The South-West, Oyo State precisely, should also pray against flood. All governors should also be careful about their health. A former and military president should also be watchful; I pray he will survive and also live long. Two former ministers will also face trial; they should both release what is in their hands and ask God for forgiveness or else they will face the wrath of God. Lagos State should pray against fire incidents, especially in some popular markets. Civil servants in the country should not lose hope, because things will stabilise soon. This is also a year that barren women will rejoice and singles who serve God with their whole hearts will find godly spouses. A Nigerian scholar will win an award that will rate Nigeria high. These are a few of what God revealed to me for 2016 and I am confident that if we do His will, our country will be more peaceful and experience unprecedented national growth.

What are the various challenges of your office? It has been very challenging, but I think I have been enjoying divine wisdom to handle the office with care. Despite the fact that this came at a very young age, I was not terrified to heed the calling of God. I know that God who kept David when he was young and helped Joseph who became a prime minister at a tender age has been my help since the ministry started. Being a bishop is a honour and a privilege, but I never allowed it get into my head, because it could be anybody. I see it as a rare opportunity.

How was your growing up? I grew up just like other children in my environment. I was born at Elekuro in Ibadan, Oyo State, to the family of Chief and Mrs Amos Ola Amoo. I attended Westerly

Could you recall your personal encounter with God that gave you the conviction of your calling? Absolutely, the very year I was ordained as a pastor, I told God that I wanted a sign for my calling, because I knew I was not qualified for it then and some of the bishops had rejected me. I went to God in prayers and told Him that ‘I know I was not qualified for this post, but if truly you want me to work for you, let me a see sign.’ Not quite long, I was called upon and they said that there was a mix-up and that I was indeed qualified for the position. This development, however, established that God is really interested in me and I better not misbehave. God has really proved Himself since I took the mantle and I thank God for my life, because I have never had reasons to regret working in His vineyard.

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

With Olaide Sokoya ollydesanmi@yahoo.com 08074497425

churchnews Pope, Trump trade words over immigration reform By Seyi Sokoya and Agency Report

HE head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has confronted the presidential candidate and the Republican front-runner, Donald Trump that he “is not Christian” for calling the de-

portation of undocumented immigrants and pledged to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. The Pope, who returned to Rome from Mexico, urged the United States to address the “humanitarian crisis” on its southern border, but did not discourage American Catholics from

voting for Trump. Francis left little doubt where he stood on the polarising issue of immigration reform. “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the gospel,” the Pope told jour-

nalists who asked his opinion on Trump’s proposals to halt illegal immigration. Meanwhile, Trump immediately fired back, describing Francis’ comments as “disgraceful.” “No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man’s religion or faith,”

he said in a statement. Trump added that the government in Mexico, where Francis spent the past five days, has “made many disparaging remarks about me to the pope.” “If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS’s ultimate trophy, I can

promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president,” Trump said. Subsequently, the GOP candidate had softened his tone at a GOP town hall debate in South Carolina hosted by CNN, saying “I don’t like fighting with the pope. I like his personality; I like what he represents.” He added that he thinks Francis’ remarks were “much nicer” than the media reported and that the pope had been misled by Mexican officials. Trump also said that the pope has an “awfully big wall” himself at the Vatican.

Soldiers invade church in Warri Ebenezer Adurokiya-Warri

From left, Reverend Funso Omidiran, Evangelist Kunle Adesina, Reverend Tope Opaleye, Dr Sharon Omotosho and the mission director of the Disciple Makers Foundation International (DMFI), Evangelist Sola Alimi, at the foundation’s 20th discipleship conference held at Scripture Union Building, Samonda, Ibadan, Oyo State, recently.

Bishop calls on Christians to resist corruption AN Anglican Bishop has advised Christians and nonChristians in the country to resist all forms of corruption and acts of illegality for a morally upright country. Right Reverend Blessing Enyinda of the Anglican Diocese of Ikwerre, Rivers State, gave the advice at a lecture on “Living an

Uncompromised Christian Life,” at second session of the third conference in Ahaoda on Friday. Enyinda said that decisiveness and contentment were necessary in the life of a Christian in order to overcome the lures of corruption. “As a Christian, use every

position of public trust to prove your faith by not compromising anything no matter the pressure. “Ensure that you resist compromise and corruption by drawing a line out of self-decision to say no to compromise,’’ Enyinda said. The cleric, who described a Christian as that person

who hears the word of God and puts it into practice with full submission to the will of God, said it was time for Nigerians to shun corruption. He noted that societal pressure was one of the causes of compromise among Christians, saying that the practice of obsession for materialism must

Despite fall, Pope Francis urges Mexico youths to shun drug Pope Francis during the weekend showed a rare sign of anger during his trip to Mexico after an eager crowd tugged his arms and caused him to topple over. Francis, who was at a stadium in the Western city of Morella, greeting fans at an open air mass for young people, got pulled in the crowd which caused him to fall into a wheelchairbound man. Although, the Pontiff

recovered and kissed the man on the head, he did not hide his irritation. The head of the Catholic Church yelled: ‘No seas egoísta. Qué te pasó, no seas egoísta’, which translates to ‘Don’t be selfish, don’t be selfish.’ Francis took a couple of steps back as appeals came over the public address system asking the crowd not to clump together. The pontiff continued to wave to people and

handed out rosaries for a few minutes more before leaving again. Speaking after the incident, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi, said that it was a ‘normal human reaction’ to certain admirers’ ‘excessive enthusiasm’. It comes after what the pope has said in the past that he is prone to anger, but that his bad tempers do not last. Pope Francis, however,

has urged Mexico’s young people to resist the lure of easy money from drug dealers and to instead build up their communities by valuing themselves as the wealth of the country. Francis sought to offer a message of hope and encouragement to the next generation during a youth pep the rally in the state of Michoacan, which is a hotspot in Mexico’s drug trade.

be stopped. The bishop urged Christians to live exemplary lives which, according to him, are uppermost in the war against compromise and corruption. Enyinda, who condemned all forms of illegality and compromise, said that it was inimical to development. He cautioned Christians, especially those occupying public trusts to desist from the mentality of wealth amassment and other corrupt acts of attaining opulence. The cleric expressed optimism in the ability of Christians to re-engineer a zero-corrupt Nigeria where every citizen would uncompromising. The bishop urged Christians to join hands in the building of a new Nigeria where not only corruption but obnoxious cultures would be history.

WORSHIPPERS of the Assemblies of God Church situated at 12, Otii Street, off Aka Avenue, Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, last Sunday were prevented from attending service when soldiers from 3 Battalion, Nigerian Army, Effurun-Warri, led by Lt. Col. Patrick Igwe Omoke, stormed the church premises to eject them. Church News gathered during the week that the soldiers, numbering about 15, invaded the church at about 9:00 a.m., ordering worshippers to vacate the auditorium. It was gathered that although no one was injured, the worshippers were given 10 minutes to leave the church auditorium. The invasion, Church News gathered, was at the instance of the army Commanding Officer (CO) and a fallout of the factionalisation in the denomination at the national level. A member of the church disclosed that the soldiers stormed the church and ordered that the church close shop immediately. It will be recalled that the church currently runs under two leadership: the first led by the General Superintendent (SG), Reverend Professor Paul Emeka and the other by Reverend (Dr) Chidi Okoroafor.

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21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Philemon

A cross section of teenagers of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Region 21 with their coordinator, Pastor (Mrs) Modupeola Sodeinde (middle) at the Botanical Garden, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, last Sunday.

When churches preached love on Valentine’s Day

By Seyi Sokoya

ALENTINE’S Day celebration has come and gone, but it, indeed, left behind a ‘loving memory’. This year’s lover’s day was a unique one as it it was celebrated on a Sunday. Virtually all churches in various parts of the country seized the opportunity to revive love in God’s vineyard. Last Sunday, February 14 was significant, as it met many worshipers in the presence of God. Many clerics preached on the importance of God’s love and why was vital for people to love one another. Apart from this, some churches organised special programmes for youths which made the day memorable, while other churches made their worshipers see the need to celebrate the lover’s day in the church owning

to various special programmes, such as lovers dinners and family special events. Tribune Church also gathered that some churches used the event for evangelism. The celebration also did not left out some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO), which also seized the event to show love by putting smiles in the faces of underprivileged, orphanages IDPs, among others. The senior pastor and the visioner of Housefavour Church in Lagos State, Prophet Bayode Olubo, at the special event marking the Val’s Day, harped on God’s love and why it is important for all humans to love one another. “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things, because love never ends. And God’s love will overshadow you,” he said.

Another cleric, Reverend (Dr) David Philemon, who is also the president of the Garden of Life Ministries International, also noted that it was time the whole universe came together under the umbrella of true love. He stated further that “everybody wants to be loved; even the worst haters or terrorists, crave for love. This is because human race was created by love because God is love and wired and configured for love. Therefore, true love is the greatest form of security in our universe.” The youth pastor of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Gbaremu Centre, Ibadan Oyo State, Pastor Sunday Afolabi, at a special event to mark the Valentine’s Day charged the youth on the essence of love and why it is necessary to celebrate Val in godly way.

From left,Dr (Mrs) Bosade Ogunlana, Mrs Remi Akinsola and Pastor Deji Akinsola, during the Jesus Lovers’ Dinner, an event marking the Valentine’s Day at the Charis Family International Church, Basorun, Ibadan, Oyo State, held last Sunday.

Convener of Glorious Youths Ambassador Forum, Mr Olayinka Oyedun, told Tribune Church that the event was significant and a sign that God loves His creatures, adding that “This year’s Valentine’s Day which falls on a Sunday was a sign that God’s love for human is immense. Part of the sign is that there were no reports of any incident whatsoever in the country as a result of the lovers’ day celebration. Everyone had a blissful celebration which signifies God, indeed, loves us.” Pastor (Mrs) Bosede Ogunlana, who was a guest speaker at Jesus Lovers’ Dinner as part of the activities marking the Valentine’s Day, an event organised by the Charis Family international Church, Basorun, Ibadan, Oyo State, encourgaged couples to continue to court one another even in marriage. Ogunlana spoke on the mess age ‘‘3Cs of marraige’’: commitment, communication and communion with God.” The event, which was graced by couples and youths, featured prayers, games and sharing of gifts. In order to remind people the love story of Christ as well as to spread the gospel, some teenagers of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Ibadan, Oyo State, also stormed streets and event centres to preach to lovers. Tribune Church saw the teenagers and children of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Region 21, who were led by their coordinator, come out in their large numbers to preach the love of Christ to people in the city of Ibadan. Tribune Church also learnt that the exercise was part of the

Olubo

Afolabi vision of the wife of the General Overseer, Pastor (Mrs) Folu Adeboye, for the teenagers of the church to mark the Valentine’s Day in a godly way. Speaking on the motive to reach out to people on Valentine’s Day, the wife of the Region 21 pastor, Pastor (Mrs) Temitope Balogun, who was represented by the Teens and Children Regional Coordinator, Pastor (Mrs) M.O. Sodeinde, told Tribune Church that the exercise was a necessity and timely to bring the gospel of Christ to people outside their doorstep. Sodeinde also said that the development would go a long way as the church was able to positively impact lives of many families through the programme tagged: “Lilies Among Thorns.” The team who dressed in a torch of red and white shirts also distributed tracks as well as evangelised to youths and people at Botanical and Agodi gardens, Shoprites, Amusement park, among other locations.

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21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Youths need to connect with God’s words —Adebiyi

Mrs Olubukola O. Adebiyi is the Founder President/Chief Executive Officer of Jakin, a faith based non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to catering for the underprivileged. In this interview with RITA OKONOBOH, she shares her experience running a non-profit organisation for over 12 years, how clerics have keyed into the vision, among other issues. Excerpts:

sistance, as much as in the HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. We also have a free medical screening centre in the office and we do a lot of medical outreaches. To create a balance, I ensure I don’t live too far from home and also commit what I do and my family to prayers. God has been helping us to manage both effectively.

ow did you come about the name, Jakin? Jakin is the Hebrew word for ‘He establishes.’

What differentiates this initiative from other NGOs? Our mission and why it was set up are one of the reasons the organisation is different from others; it could be described as a Christian NGO. When we first started, we referred to ourselves as a Christians NGO, but we discovered that most Christian or faith-based NGOs must be affiliated to a church and we are not. However, we operate on biblical principles.

What are some of your challenges? The daily running of the office is a major challenge. Majority of those who give to charity do not give to the structure or to the people who run the organisation that expect that their funds are given out. That’s why many of us are more or less missionaries. It has not been easy; staff salaries are sometimes pending. How this office runs every day and funding projects has been by God’s grace.

You are a graduate of Accounting from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Why did you leave Accounting? I can almost say I never practised Accounting because I gave my life to Christ in school. I discovered my purpose in school and realised that I enjoyed putting smiles on faces. All through my time in school, I enjoyed fund raising for my fellowship (I attended CASOR then). As an individual, I don’t like hanging around people who are moody, and I discovered that I had a way of making them feel better when I talked to them. How did you get the inspiration for founding Jakin? It started with the passion to put smile on faces. One day, as I was reading theBible, I saw the name Jakin. That same evening, as I was lying down, I heard the voice of the Lord tell me to adopt the name. That’s how I started 12 years ago. Have you considered affiliation to any particular church? We wanted to register as a ministry but we discovered that the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) didn’t register NGOs with the name ‘ministry’. However, we have a lot of ministry partners and a lot of renowned general overseers as directing partners of Jakin, and many of them allow us use their platforms for charity. Muslims also give and we have some major Muslim partners, who sometimes link their organisations to us. You have a lot of seasoned professionals on the board of directors. How did you bring them together? We are all driven by the passion to make a difference and we are all believers. One of our values is integrity and that is what the board shares. We were led to call them to become part of the board. Twelve years gone, what has the experience been like? The experience has been like a walk with God. This ministry is like a calling and we see ourselves as missionaries. We have the fear of God and it has been God’s grace. We work by faith. We start a project, even without getting funding and as we run the race, we see God at work. We sometimes don’t have a dime before we start a project; we just ‘faith’ it. What are some of your projects? We have the ‘Dress a Child for School’ project which has been on for six years now and it’s been victory all the way. We started with 200 children, but has increased to about 500 children. We pray for resourc-

How can society and religious organisation key into the projects? It is unfortunate that many people want to have NGOs, instead of throwing their weights behind the existing ones. Some just use their names as popular people to establish NGOs and also raise funds which do not really get to those who need them. You find them organise elaborate events which will have meagre effect, usually to make a name. Some NGOs just do one project a year. Many of these organisations can collaborate with us to meet the needs of the underprivileged, and their names will still appear significantly as partners.

Adebiyi es and God has never brought us to shame. Each child goes home with a school bag, two school uniforms, a pair of sandals, two pairs of socks, a dozen exercise books, a stationery pack. We use the event to commemorate International Literacy Day. It’s usually a grand event and every year has been a testimony. We also have the Samaritan Platform Project, in which we create a platform where the underprivileged feel comfortable to share their problems with us. We use this platform to identify the cause of problems, such as lack of funds, or an ill breadwinner, and try to do our best, through home and school visits. Just like the idea of not just giving a fish, but to teach how to fish. How do you get the people you work with? It is what one searches for that one finds. We started from our inner passion, and people realised the effect of our work and we have had people referred to our office, and some of them come themselves. One time, a beggar came to our office, saying she had heard from other beggars about our work. That day, we circumcised her son, took her out of the shack where she was living and started her up in a business. You have major presence in Lagos

and another branch in Zamfara. Why did you pick these locations? What are the plans to expand to other states? Jakin started before I went for my National Youth Service Corps programme in Lagos and continued with it in Zamfara during my NYSC year, but the branch in Zamfara is lying low for now, because of insurgency. We also have children we support in Ogun, Ondo and Edo states and as far as outside the country including Liberia, Sudan and the like. We also work with missionaries. We are looking at getting a permanent presence in Lagos State before expanding into other states. How do you balance your home and the ministry? I started Jakin before I got married and my husband found me during the charity work. He also has a passion for charity work. He actually has a vision. If not that he showed me the diary he wrote the vision, I would have thought he showed interest because he wanted to marry me. He is medical doctor and also into public health and someone who has a heart for what we do. He is a strong supporter of the ministry and is in fact a member of the board. Because of his experience in the medical field, he supports us fully in providing medical as-

The experience has been like a walk with God. This ministry is like a calling and we see ourselves as missionaries. We have the fear of God and it has been God’s grace.

How about government intervention? Yes, we have been getting supports from the government. The Lagos State AIDS Control Agency has donated test kits for HIV/AIDS. We also have support from SUBEB for free education. They also appreciate the work we do and we have received awards to that effect. You are a Christian, yet you interact with traditional birth attendants. What has been the reception? Traditional birth attendants are not witches. They are just traditional midwives and they have been in existence since time immemorial. What we do is to educate them on HIV/AIDS, especially for pregnant women. We also talk to them about tuberculosis, malaria, BMI test, pregnancy test for teenagers and the reception has been very positive. In fact, sometimes they invite us to their meetings. We also talk to them about what to do when they have complicated cases. You work with a lot of youths. With declining moral standards, what do you think churches are doing wrong? We need to go really deep into what the word of God is. There isn’t anyone who has a real experience with God’s word who remains the same. The word of God sanctifies. As many churches as we have today, it is realistic to assume that the number of youths who attend these new generation churches will increase. If they can really connect to what is in the word of God undiluted, we will have the expected change. Any regrets? I don’t have one and that is because I have not allowed my standard in Christ to depreciate. I know a lot of my colleagues will like to be where I am, but many cannot pay the price. I do not operate by worldly standards.

45 tribunechurch with Most Revd J.O. Akinfenwa

with Bishop Emmanuel Badejo, fradebadejo@yahoo.com

The church: A called-out people

The lent in Valentine

Contemporary valentines Those who live the true spirit of Valentine are still among us. It is just that they are not recognized and they do not flaunt their worth either. I often think about the love of mothers for their children, giving and giving selflessly, hardly placing any premium on what they get back for their effort. I think about the true missionaries who came to us, some of them just as poor as we are, who built our churches, our schools, hospitals and brought education to the remotest places so that multitudes may be educated, liberated and empowered. How about those who lay down their lives so that rights of peoples can be guaranteed and protected? Do we not identify with Mother Teresa’s witness or that of Martin Luther King, spearheading the black rights movement? How about our own heroes in Africa, many of them unrecognized, who ignored at great risk to their security and comfort, fought for independence and nationhood values. How about our families who brought us up or others who adopt abandoned or orphaned children? Think of doctors, nurses, businessmen, teachers, civil servants and labourers who do their work diligently, making

My own Valentines resonate with the divine love of Jesus who himself inspired Saint Valentine. Indeed, to be genuine, authentic valentine celebrations must somehow resonate with the life of Jesus Christ.

Sunday Tribune

dawnofanewera

firmfaith:rightreason

SURE you missed it It was a very special Valentine this year when February the 14th came in the Lenten period and on a Sunday as well. Such confluence of spiritual and amorous emotions is not usual. It may be difficult for some people to see the self-giving component in the Valentine celebration yet it is one thing the Lenten spirit would favour. Many people think only of the gifts they might receive from their fans, friends, lovers and admirers like flowers, chocolates, jewels, cars or even trips out. The news is that Lent is actually written right in Valentine if you look at it more closely, yes, embedded right in it. That is the simple truth. No apologies, for there are no coincidences with Almighty God. Nothing escapes God’s attention and so there must be a useful lesson to learn in that very fact. The spirit of Christianity is always about self-giving and love. That is the message which the period of Lent seeks to cultivate in our minds. That is exactly what the Holy Saint Valentine did with his entire life.

21 February, 2016

little profit and refusing to swindle others? How about priests, nuns, social workers etc, who give hope to the totally hopeless? How about soldiers, policemen and other security agents who risk their lives to stop terrorists and other criminals from killing innocent people. All these people whose commitment involves their whole life certainly deserve a place on the list of Valentine celebrities. Reclaiming the love space All so different from contemporary lovestyle whereby in one hour or half of meeting on the internet, people can decide to marry or cohabit, just for pleasure, no strings nor bonds involved. My own Valentines resonate with the divine love of Jesus who himself inspired Saint Valentine. Indeed, to be genuine, authentic valentine celebrations must somehow resonate with the life of Jesus Christ. In other words, true valentine celebrations are really a call to holiness. “Love one another as I have loved you” I agree with people who have come to the conclusion that Valentine should not be an annual celebration but an everyday one. That cannot be difficult for Christians who know their onions. In the Catholic Church every Mass is really a valentine celebration. It is the love-sacrifice of Christ who gave himself as food for the souls of his disciples. Take seriously those words of Jesus, uttered by the priest at Mass and you will understand.”Take this, all of you and eat it, this is my body which will be given up for you”. Reflect on the intensity of the love that makes that happen. No wonder that many incredible hymns of love have been composed around the Mass. Those who love Jesus would not mind hearing them again and again: “Oh how I love Jesus , because he first loved me... I am so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves even me... Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all, how can I love thee as I ought.... in those hymns, the deepest emotions of genuine love lay embedded, waiting to be exploited. Lifelong effect So, such is the lent in Valentine, that wherever there is true love, self sacrifice also thrives. Thus the Scripture of Valentine Sunday reminds us of Jesus, though being the Son of God, led by the Holy Spirit to be tempted in the desert. Were it not for love, he had no need to be tempted for he had no sin. Knowing however that we human beings are prone to temptation he traveled the same road to show us by example how to cope with temptation. True lovers do not merely point out the way, they travel with the beloved. They first feel the heat of the kitchen before asking others to face the grill. Jesus by that method gave us the big clue to coping with temptation, to rely on God’s word. Lured to lust, goaded to greed and pushed to pride by Satan, he taught us: “Man does not live by bread alone...you shall not put the Lord your God to the test...” This is also the secret of selfmastery, for he who does not first master himself cannot conquer, never mind change the world. To master the self is the calling of all Christians. The Valentine way with “Lent” in it is the way to accomplish it.

WE thank God for His protection and His manifold blessings in our lives. Little by little, year 2016 is rolling away. God has been faithful over our lives. And another Sunday presents us with one more opportunity to give thanks to God for His love and kindness. Year 2016 started with myriad challenges for the Nigerian masses. Government alerted us that things may become tougher; and they have been! Many state governments could not pay salaries. The Naira became weaker. Prices are on a steep rise. Power supply is on a sharp descent. In just few weeks of the new year, many things have gone wrong with the already deplorable quality of life of the man on the street. However, through it all, our nation has enjoyed relative peace, and we must be thankful for that. While giving thanks, however,we must pay attention to the lessons that recent events throw at us as Christians. That demand is for us to re-appraise our role in this nation, and in the world at large. Whether as people who make things happen, or as people who are at the receiving end of what is happening, there are unique roles for the Christian to play. People often try to be diplomatic about it; but the fact remains that the Christian is a different species. We are not made to be like the rest of the world; and we cannot afford to be like the rest of the world. We have a unique place in the scheme of things. Christians are called out people of God.

Apostle Paul, writing to the Ephesian Christians, said, Ephesians 5:6-8 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: In other words, when a person follows Jesus, there is a “forsaking” that goes with it. We saw that displayed in his interactions with those who became his disciples during his incarnation. He called them out of their earthly occupations. He called some out of their families and friends. He called them out of their carnal, sinful behaviours. He called them out of their earthly ambitions. He took away the things they craved as human beings with flesh and blood running in their veins, and he said unto them. Matthew 6:31-33 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

livingword By Bishop David Oyedepo Call 7747546-8; or e-mail: feedback@lfcww.org

Engaging the covenant for financial dominion! WELCOME to another exciting edition of your favourite column. Since the month began, we have been examining God’s covenant of financial fortune, which is the mystery of “seedtime and harvest” or “sowing and reaping” (Genesis 8:20-22; 2 Corinthians 9:6-9; Philippians 4:1519; Luke 6:38). In previous editions, we discovered that our givings and offerings are not financial donations to the church, but spiritual transactions with heaven. This is what engenders the flow of financial fortune into our lives (Psalm 50:14; Haggai 2:6-8; Luke 22:35; Malachi 3:10; Hebrew 7:8). In this week’s edition, we shall explore The Mustard Seed Mystery. First, we must understand that our money is a covenant seed that entitles us to financial harvests (Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-11). Likewise, the mustard seed is said to be the smallest of all seeds; that makes it the least of coins available. According to scriptures, the size of the Mustard seed is like grains of sand, but when taken and sown into ones field, it grows to become the greatest among herbs. It becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. That means the ‘least’ coin in our hands has the capacity to become a great tree of financial fortune as illustrated greatest, because she gave sacrificially and according to her level (Matthew 12:42). The Widow’s Last Meal: The widow

of Zarephath gave her last meal to the prophet and for the next three and half years, she was feeding fat from it. Therefore, it is not in the volume of what we give, but in the value (1 Kings 7:8-15). The Little Boy’s Lunch of five loaves and two fishes: He gave his five loaves and two fishes, and 5,000 men, not counting women and children fed from it. That means approximately 10,000 individuals feed from five loaves and two fishes. This is how ‘mustard seed’ giving is key to financial fortune. Thus, this mystery unveils the truth that every seed sown is sown into one’s field, garden and one’s life. Remember, no one can pray his way out of poverty; one can only give his way into prosperity Financial Hardship, Understanding Financial Prosperity and Winning the War Against Poverty. I invite you to come and fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. We have five services on Sundays, holding at 6:00 a.m., 7:35 a.m., 9:10 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. respectively. I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; or call 01-4548070, 014548280; or E-mail: feedback@ lfcww.org

feature

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Dollar rate: The worst time for Nigerian students to study abroad

Kufure Ibionoh

By Victory Oyeleke - United Kingdom

HE naira, on Thursday, depreciated further to N391 against the dollar in the parallel market as the demand for foreign exchange intensifies. The weakened naira, including the falling price of Brent crude oil, Nigeria’s most profitable export, which now stands at $34 per barrel, is causing economic austerity which is not only affecting those at home but those abroad also as thousands of Nigerian students studying outside the country are stranded due to inability to pay their tuition or access money due to the restriction placed on the use of bank cards abroad by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Explaining the rationale behind the restriction, CBN’s Director, Monetary Policy, Mr Moses Tule, said; “The restriction on the use of debit and credit cards outside the country was not imposed by the CBN. The deposit money banks (DMBs) placed it because they have to settle whatever transactions you make with your cards with their corresponding banks in foreign currency and if the banks do not have the foreign currency to do that, then you create a liability which will crystallise on their balance sheets.” He added: “But looking at it holistically, does the CBN sympathise with the situation Nigerians find themselves in not being able to use their cards outside the country. Yes the CBN certainly does sympathise with the hardship Nigerians are facing. “But can the CBN stop it, at the point we are in in this country? the obvious answer is that the CBN cannot stop what the banks are doing now and the reason is very obvious. “Our priorities as a nation for the allocation or use of foreign exchange is one, for the settlement of matured letters of credit that have been opened for importation; two, for the importation of petroleum products until such a time either when we have our refineries fully operational and we are not in a position to import fuel again to ensure that the wheels of economic development continue turning and running; and three, for the importation of raw materials. “Now, by the time we meet these given the level of current flows into the reserves – by the time we meet these three priority areas – you will discover that people who are using their debit cards overseas for shopping can never be on the priority list. Nigerian international students are clearly not a priority according to CBN and as such, majority would not complete their studies not because they cannot afford it

Chigozie Umeozulu

but because they cannot access their funds. Kufere Ibionoh, an international student studying Chemical Production and Power Engineering at Lambton College in Canada said the restriction almost made paying of his tuition impossible. “ There was an official ban on how much I could withdraw with my ATM abroad. I was subjected to $1000 per month- prior to this, before the ban I could easily pay my fees with my GT bank master card,” he said. Apart from the difficulty the ban is causing, the low naira has “caused a decline in the dollar value” of his required expenses. The cost of tuition fees, student accommodation, food, travel and personal care are causing considerable strain for many Nigerian students and their parents as these things are a necessity and cannot be cut. Kemi Akindele, a second year student of Law with Accounting and Finance at University of Liverpool, United Kingdom would be withdrawing from the university in September if the naira does not pick up as her parents are paying more than they budgeted for. Her woes started early December when she could not withdraw money from her much-depended naira-denominated ATM card. Her bank told her she had reached her allowable limit for the year 2015 and would only be able to withdraw from January. Since her tuition is being paid in instalments, she has failed to keep to her payment plan and the university

With an estimated 52,066 Nigerian students studying abroad, according to UNESCO, (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) one would think their welfare would be a priority to the government but alas it seems not to be

though sympathetic, cannot be partial and as such is demanding for her instalment. Failure to pay means, she cannot sit for exams and would eventually have to drop out. Speaking on her situation she said; “The mental stress of worrying about fees and accommodation payment is killing. My fee is paramount though! I can squat with friends and my 20 hours a week job would take care of other expenses. “My father is trying to send over the money for my fee gradually but the exchange rate is making it hard... seriously it is not worth it anymore. I hardly concentrate on my studies these days. “If the naira doesn’t pick up I would transfer to an affordable university back in Nigeria. I have already been to the counselling service provided by my university. There is really nothing much they can do about fee payment’ With the UK’s Home Office’s obsession with immigration crackdown, even the 20 hours per week working allowance for international student might soon be removed. The situation is pretty much the same across the board. While some are not considering withdrawing, many are waking up to the harsh reality that, the decline in the naira is a stumbling block to actualising their educational dreams. Petroleum and Gas Engineering (MSc) student, Chigozie Umeozulu of the University of Portsmouth UK, pays his tuition in instalments and have had difficulties keeping to his payment plan. His finances have been greatly affected negatively due to the foreign exchange. “ The high dollar rate and scarcity of foreign exchange in Nigeria has negatively affected my tuition fees payment plan. Plus it has affected the value of the Naira currency when purchasing needed items.” He added; “the government should look into aiding those who need foreign exchange for genuine tuition fees and business. Furthermore, the ripple effect of this will adversely affect many business and lead to job losses in the nearest future due to its economic effect.” With an estimated 52,066 Nigerian students studying abroad, according to UNESCO, (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) one would think their welfare would be a priority to the government but alas it seems not to be. The only solution it seems is to have a domiciliary account in Nigeria, source for dollars and pay directly into the account and transfer directly to your children abroad but this only takes care of access to funds problem but the decline in naira cannot be fixed individually and is unlikely to deviate dramatically in the foreseeable future.

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

21 February, 2016

children’sarena

Sunday Tribune

Olaide Sokoya ollydesanmi@yahoo.com 0807 449 7425

Words From Kids

Faokunla Tolulope, JSS3, 12 years old First, I will commit the presidential position unto God’s hands and ask for wisdom, knowledge and understanding to direct the citizens in the right way. After that, I will provide employment opportunities for the youth with prompt payment of salaries. I will pray for peace and unity to reign in the country, especially among Christians, Muslims and the traditional religion worshippers.

Gbadamosi Feranmi, JSS3, 14 years old Of the 24 hours in a day, I will spend four hours for each of these points: Firstly, I will eradicate corrupt practices; secondly, I will provide free education and reduce

If you were Nigerian’s President for one day, what would you do? Adewale Israel, SS3, 15 years old I will introduce agricultural policies to empower and encourage farmers in the discharge of their duties, and I will ensure that fertilisers and land are made available to farmers and also employ morepeople.

Aderemi Oluwapelumi, SS3, 15 years old I will formulate a policy which will make agriculture more attractive and provide lots of equipment for farming at cheaper prices so that people would develop the passion for agriculture, and therefore produce more. Finally, I will create a national open day, where people in Nigeria will have the opportunity to speak their minds on whatever cases they want the president to attend to.

importation of goods in order to ensure that activities such as manufacturing, processing, refining and construction function effectively. Also, I will make agriculture an alternative source of income to Nigeria instead of oil and will promote exportating, especially in non-oil sector. Lastly, I will commit everything unto God’s hands.

Students of Grace and Glory International College, Ota-Efun, Osogbo, Osun State.

Brief history

Famous invention

of mirror

A mirror is flat or curved surface usually made of glass that has had a reflective coating applied to it. Mirrors are also used in technology and they are an important component of scientific instruments such as telescopes, industrial machinery, cameras and lasers. People probably first started to look at their reflections in pools of water, streams and rivers which were the first mirrors. The earliest man-made mirrors were from polished stone and mirrors made from black volcanic glass obsidian. Some examples of this kind of mirrors have been found in Turkey dating back at least 6000 years. The ancient Egyptians

used polished copper to produce mirrors, and often the round face of the mirror would be embellished with ornamentation. The

• Vultures have wide, strong wings. They can glide in the air for hours looking for a meal. • Vultures eat as much as they can at one meal. They never know when the next meal will come. • These big birds sometimes attack sick or dying animals. • Vultures live in every part of the world except Australia and the Antarctica. • Vultures have sharp hooked beaks and talons. • Vultures sometimes drop eggs to break them or hit them against rocks. • Vultures often appear when an animal is dying or dead. Egyptians and Native Americans used vultures in burial ceremonies.

ancient Mesopotamians also produced polished metal mirrors and mirrors made from polished stone were known in Central and South America from about 2000 BC. In China, mirrors began to be made from metal alloys, a mixture of tin and copper called speculum metal that could be highly polished to make a reflective surface as well as mirrors made of polished bronze. Metal alloys or precious metal mirrors were very valuable items in ancient time only affordable to the very wealthy. It is believed that mirrors made of metal-backed glass were first produced in Lebanon in the first century AD and the Romans made crude mirrors from blown glass with lead backings.

Alabi Damilola, SS3, 16 years old I will make sure that there is increase in minimum wage because the present minimum wage (N18,000) in the country is not enough for people and by doing this, there will be improvement in the standard of living and the economy of the country.

news

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

500 Lagos residents to benefit from hypertension scheme Newton-Ray Ukwuoma - Lagos

The couple, Mr and Mrs Oluwatope Adegbulugbe, flanked by their parents, from right, Pastor-in-charge of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Oyo Province 1, Pastor Moses Amure; Pastor (Mrs) Abimbola Adegbulugbe; Pastor (Mrs) Funmi Amure and Mr Johnson Adewale Adegbulugbe, at their children’s wedding held at the RCCG, Glory House, Covenant Sanctuary, Region 21 headquarters, opposite Zartech, Oluyole Industrial Estate, Ibadan, on Saturday. PHOTO: ALOLADE GANIYU

We’ve not padded 2016 budget —Lai Mohammed

HE Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said that the 2016 budget was not padded because the total figure voted for all ministries had not exceeded N6.08 trillion. While briefing newsmen in Lagos, on Saturday, he said that “the total for every ministry has remained exactly the same as what was submitted to the National Assembly. “A lot had been said about the budget. Let’s make it clear that nobody can ever accuse this government of padding any budget. “The total of all ministries put together did not exceed the N6.08 trillion that was submitted. It was factually incorrect to say that the budget was padded. “This is the first time in the history of this country that a government would embark on what is called zero based budget. “Before now, the budget system was what was called

an enveloped system. In an enveloped system, there was no justification as to why we needed N30 billion for a structure. “This year, we decided that every ministry must have a zero based budget. In other words, you must justify and explain why you need N100 billion. “This is a very good system, the software for it was

also very different. The personnel were not used to it. “Now, in the process, we got to the National Assembly. What the ministers did was to have a broad overview of the budget. The template used by the Budget Office was uniformed for all ministers,” he said. The minister also said exports, balance of trade, Gross Domestic Product

Military intensifies onslaught against Boko Haram Arrests supplier of fish to insurgents Chris Agbambu - Abuja THE Nigerian troops have intensified operations targeted at clearing remnants of Boko Haram terrorists off the country. Following the disruption of Boko Haram terrorists logistics chain and successful raids and ambushes, the 5 Brigade Quick Response Force (QRF) has also further exploited beyond Kekeno-Mile 90-Gudumbali and blocked the terrorists’

logistics corridor. According to Colonel Sani Usman who is the acting director of army public relations, during the operation, the Boko Haram terrorists suffered heavy casualties, but some of them escaped with gunshot wounds. He disclosed that the troops recovered 13 motorcycles as well as 1,170 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) stored in 39 jerry cans. Usman stated that the

Land grabbing: Court strikes out case against el-Rufai’s aide Muhammad Sabiu - Kaduna THE Chief Magistrates’ Court in Kaduna State has struck out the land grabbing case brought before it by members of Gidan Daji community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The Gidan Daji community had dragged Uba Sani, the Special Adviser on Political Matters to Governor Nasir el-Rufai for allegedly taking over their land. The community had, in a 15-count charge brought

were responsible for currency appreciation and depreciation. “Before now, we used to sell crude for about 100 dollar per barrel which meant that if we produced two million barrels per day, we would have something in the region of $200 million less the expenditure of production and others,” he said.

before the chief magistrate, Awwal Musa Aliyu, by their counsel, Alhaji Malame, accused the governor’s aide of deploying seven trucks of armed policemen and some government officials to invade the community. But ruling on the notice of preliminary objection on whether the courts had the jurisdiction to hear the case, the chief magistrate said the court lacked jurisdiction and therefore struck out the case. Similarly, the Magistrate said there was no proper

representation by the complainant even if the case was to be heard. Reacting to the ruling, counsel for the complainant, Mr Sony Obimba, said. “we respect the judgment however, we’ll go to a higher court.” Counsel for Sani, in his own reaction, commended the court for the ruling, adding that they had raised and argued in a preliminary objection during the hearing that the case should be struck out for lack of jurisdiction.

troops also conducted fighting patrol to clear suspected terrorists settlement along Gawala village and west of Kukawa towards Gudumbali axis and blocked them from Kukawa. He said the troops of 119 Task Force Battalion equally conducted fighting patrol to deny Boko Haram terrorists fishing activities around Lake Chad. “Troops of 157 Task Force Battalion arrested a suspected Boko Haram terrorists’ spy, Mallam Goni at Garin Giwa. The 55-yearold suspect claimed he transported fish for the terrorists along Fish Dam and Cross Kauwa. He is currently being interrogated at the 7 Multinational Joint Task Force Brigade Garrison,” he said. In a related development, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, has commended the troops in various formations and units fighting the Boko Haram terrorists and expressed happiness with their recent recorded success in the fight against the Boko Haram terrorists.

ABOUT 500 hypertensive patients living in Lagos State will be enrolled into the pilot study of a doctor-led hypertension system application designed by a Japanese Pharmaceutical Company for community pharmacies. The experimental programme, entitled: Omron Medical Connect, would understudy the efficiency of the digital application, which was linked directly to selected cardiologists at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and would be used by community pharmacists for consultation and prescription of hypertension treatments to patients at reduced cost, travel time and stress. Speaking at the launch of the pilot project at Protea Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, Mr. Paul Stevens, the Group Manager for Omron Healthcare EMEA, said the application works through a ‘health cloud’ system which transfers patients’ data collected by the pharmacist to a designated cardiologist at LUTH.

MTN Group blames situation in Nigeria over drop in its finances Muhammad Sabiu - Kaduna MTN Group has said that its decreased financial results for the year ended December 31, 2015 was as a result of operational underperformance in its Nigeria’s segment. The group made the disclosure in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Saturday. It said the group was currently in the process of finalising its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2015, which would be announced on JSE Limited Stock Exchange News Service on March 3. According to the statement, the company is expecting to report a decrease of, at least, 20 per cent in basic Headline Earnings Per Share (HEPS). “The negative earnings performance has been impacted by a number of factors with the operational underperformance in Nigeria.

Gunmen kill UBEC staff member in Katsina Muhammad Sabiu - Kaduna SUSPECTED armed robbers have killed a staff member of the Universal Basic Education Commission(UBEC), Abuja office, Alhaji Bala Mashi along Dayi -Malumfashi highway in Katsina State. It was gathered that the deceased, who was an auditor with UBEC , was coming to Katsina for the weekend to see his family. However, on Friday, sources said that the deceased ran into a road block mounted by the armed bandits along the busy highway around 8.00 p.m. Sunday Tribune gathered that the robbers fired several shots at his vehicle and killed him on the spot. Aged 53, the deceased is survived by a wife, seven children and relatives. He has since been buried according to Islamic injunctions.

Brief

Stolen vehicle A car belonging to Mrs Opakunle Bosede Wumi, a staff member of African Newspapers of Nigeria Plc, was snatched at gunpoint at Liberty Road, Ibadan, on Wednesday, 6th January, 2016. Some of the items inside the car at the time were: hand bag, Tribune ID card, ATM, drivers’ license, Android phone, Tecno phone, bible, necklace, fire extinguisher, Guarapad products, etc. The make of the vehicle is Toyota Camry (Pencil) with registration number JJ 110 EKY (Lagos), chassis No:4T1BG22K3VU169004, engine No:556327375, Colour: Grey. If found, please contact the nearest police station, nearest Tribune office or call 08056073943.

news

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

58 lives lost to Lassa fever already —Minister Banji Aluko -Benin City NO fewer than 58 lives have been lost to the outbreak of the Lassa fever virus in Nigeria. The 58 were among the 83 people diagnosed with the disease. The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, disclosed this when he inspected facilities at the Lassa Fever Treatment Centre located inside the Irrua Specialist Hospital, Irrua, Edo State. Speaking with journalists after the facility tour, Dr. Ehanire said the Federal Government was working towards ensuring that the yearly outbreak of the Lassa fever disease in Nigeria is ended. He said, “we have been trying to curtail Lassa fever which is going down now and Irrua Specialist Hospital is one of the centres of excellence.” From right, the Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee and acting Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Dr Hannah Dada-Adegbola; the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Leye Oyebade and the hospital staff during the visit of the police commissioner to the students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, who were recently involved in an auto crash along Oyo – Ibadan expressway. PHOTO: OLUWATOYIN MALIK.

Father of two commits suicide in Lagos

vulcaniser and father of two children, Mr Fatai Sulaimon, has reportedly committed suicide for yet-to-be-known reasons. Sulaimon, who lived at No 26, Olorunda Street, Ijaiye Bus Stop, Lagos, with his wife and children, had

reportedly left his wife’s side at the early hours of Saturday to take his own life by hanging himself after he had reportedly gagged himself with a cloth. Sympathisers thronged the house where Sulaimon’s family was seen wailing, ruing the demise of their breadwinner.

Findings by Sunday Tribune revealed that the deceased vulcaniser owned two motorcycles, with those close to him ruling out financial incapacitation as a reason for taking his life. When contacted, the image maker of the Lagos State Police Command,

Dolapo Badmos told Sunday Tribune that the case had not be reported to the police. She, however, noted that preliminary investigation had begun, calling on the relatives to report the case to the police so that they would be guided in their investigations.

Police nab 47 robbery suspects, 34 cult members in Lagos THE Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, says 47 suspected armed robbers and 34 cultists were arrested in the state from January 2 to February 19. Parading 25 suspects before newsmen on Friday at the police headquarters in Ikeja, the police commissioner said the arrested robbery suspects included six Niger nationals. Owoseni said the Nigeriens were arrested at about 2:30 a.m. on January 29 in a Nissan Sunny car with registration number AKD 163 DW. He said they were on their way to a robbery operation in Ebute Metta area of Lagos. According to the commissioner, dangerous items recovered from the gang included six cutlasses, one iron cutter and two torchlights.

Cooperate with police to ward off robbers, CP tells bank officials Pipeline vandalism: NDDC, IYC bers to attack banks in the command would need Ar- around banks,” the police By Oluwatoyin Malik

THE Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Mr Leye Oyebade, has enjoined bankers in the state to cooperate with the police in putting in place strategies and equipment that will help in keeping bank robbers off financial institutions. This was just as he admonished police officers, especially those outside Ibadan metropolis, to always be at alert, noting the recent strategy of bank rob-

hinterland. The police commissioner stated this at the weekend during a meeting he held with members of Bankers Forum comprising representatives of various banks in the state. Saying that banks needed to create a security trust fund to assist security operatives, Oyebade stated that it was necessary to help police to perform optimally in the area of securing banks. According to him, his

moured Personnel Carriers (APC) to put adequate security on ground and fortify banks against attacks, adding that it would also not be out of place if the banks would assist with bulletproof jackets that would embolden policemen to confront criminals. “Banks also need to provide effective alarm system while everybody must also develop security consciousness by reporting any suspicious movement

commissioner noted, citing a recent case where three suspects were arrested by a Divisional Police Officer within the periphery of a new generation bank at Iwo Road with a load of charms found on them. There must be adequate security gadgets at the entrance of the banks. Banks are keeping people’s money and they need to put up more security measures on ground. We must think outside the box here because security is a collective effort,” Oyebade said. The police boss further disclosed that effective supervision of security per“I think the university sonnel attached to banks lecturers, the professors was being carried out by his are really keeping quiet. command, adding that psyYou have almost insulated chological and emotional yourselves from politics and test were also being congovernance. Today we hear ducted on the personnel. He also advised the bank a cacophony of voices about the economy, governance officials to take note of the and the polity from people drink joints around their who don’t have the kind of banks to ensure that crimidepth and scholarship that nals would not use them as are available in the university. places to relax and perfect “I will like to watch a their plans before launching television programme and attacks on targeted places. see a professor of law with He opined that the bank speciality in corruption or representatives and the poterrorism. I would rather lice must meet regularly to listen to him and I know that review the strategies put in many of these professors place to prevent attacks on have done seminal work banks and assess the progon these. There must ress being made, in view of be this town and gown the dynamics of crime. relationship,” he said.

Mohammed urges varsity teachers to join anti-corruption fight THE Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has described corruption as a critical problem that has weakened the country and its economy and which must be collectively tackled. He has therefore appealed to university teachers across the country to join the ongoing war against corruption by making their voices heard. A statement by the special adviser to the minister, Mr Segun Adeyemi, said Mohammed spoke at the weekend during a visit to the Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Rahamon Bello, just before he delivered a paper at the

Gani Fawehinmi Chambers’ Human Rights and AntiCorruption Symposium held at the university. “I implore you to join the current debate on the war against corruption. Corruption is the single most debilitating factor, other than insecurity in Nigeria today. We have lost lives; we have lost an economy because of corruption,” he said. He said that by virtue of their research work and academic prowess, the lecturers are better placed to enlighten the public on the economy, governance and the polity as part of conscious efforts to further enrich the nation’s democracy.

urge youths to embrace dialogue Dapo Falade -Port Harcourt

NIGER Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has called on youths in the Niger Delta to protect oil and gas pipelines in the region, instead of vandalism, in the course of seeking for justice. Addressing leaders and members of IYC during their courtesy visit to NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, NDDC acting Managing Director, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, advised youths to work with the commission as partners for the sustainable development of the Niger Delta. “The Niger Delta is our own and we must protect our own, including the oil and gas pipelines. The greatest proof of bravery is in the use of brain power to break down walls and move people and institutions to positive action, instead of brawns that cause a breakdown of law and order. For then, we construct rather than destroy,” she said. Semenitari assured that the focus of NDDC was completion of ongoing projects, adding: “if there is a need for new projects, we will consult with the people.”

Gowon sues for peace, unity among Nigerians A former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, has again urged Nigerians to continue to be united in spite of their religious or political differences. “Nigerians should continue to emulate the past leaders’ teachings and ensure that they preserve the country for the coming generation,’’ Gowon said on Saturday at the golden jubilee celebration of the Federal Government College, Sokoto. “It is only by sustaining the past leaders’ initiatives on the need for unity of Nigerians that the nation will get the desired development. “Our past leaders and fore-fathers’ initiatives were hinged on living in peace and harmony, irrespective of our political, ethnic or religious differences. “So, our youths should always emulate the examples of those leaders who fought for the country’s independence,’’ he added.

news

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Benue South rerun: Massive voter turnout, tight security as Mark expresses hope of winning APC’ll win —Deputy gov Johnson Babajide -Makurdi

ward 3, Old Igeri Market, polling 226 against APC’s 45.

HE Benue South Senatorial District rerun election between former Senate President, Senator David Mark of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Daniel Onjeh, held yesterday amidst tight security, as all entries to the zone were manned by military men and sternlooking mobile policemen. The election, which had a massive voter turnout, was however, dogged by pockets of violence in some places, as Sunday Tribune gathered that a palace was razed down in Okpoga in the local government area of the immediate past Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro. Two persons were also reportedly injured at Idabi polling unit, the polling unit of the Benue State deputy governor, Chief Benson Abounu. According to findings, the crisis was triggered by the agitation by some voters who alleged that the polling unit was situated in the front of a PDP supporter’s residence. Abounu, who confirmed the crisis at his polling unit, said that those injured were supporters of THE APC, adding that the injured ones had been rushed to the hospital. Unconfirmed reports also indicated that some thugs hijacked ballot boxes in Agatu Local Government area of the zone but were intercepted by members of the opposition party. The rerun election took place in nine local government areas of the Benue South zone.

Mark, deputy gov express hope of winning for PDP, APC Meanwhile, Senator Mark and the deputy governor, yesterday, expressed strong hope of winning the rerun poll, with the former charging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be firm. The deputy governor, Abounu, also expressed hope that the APC candidate, Onjeh would win the election. Mark, who expressed satisfaction with the turnout of voters, appealed to the people of the zone to remain calm and peaceful

Benue PDP raises the alarm

Former Senate President, David Mark, casting his vote at his polling unit in Otukpo, during the Benue South Senatorial District rerun election, on Saturday.

Voters queue to cast their votes during the senatorial rerun election, at Hashimi Ward B in Suleja, Niger State, on Saturday. PHOTO: NAN.

just as he urged INEC not to compromise. Mark and Abounu spoke with newsmen in separate interviews in Otukpo after casting their votes, with the deputy governor saying with his respect for rule of law, “if eventually Mark wins in spite of his seeming failure in the past 16 years in the Senate, I will be the first person to call him and congratulate him.” Abounu, however, stated that APC did its work to campaign and spelt out its manifestos to the people of the zone but regretted that the opposition PDP never campaigned, adding that giving the quality of things, APC ought to win the election. “In the event that INEC does not compromise, I am quite sure that APC will win today’s election, but in case the people decide to vote Mark despite his seeming failure in the past 16 years, I will be the first to congratulate Mark”, he said.

Agric Minister fails to vote, wins polling unit The Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, could not exercise his franchise during the rerun election though he was present at his Zaria Efugo 2 polling unit in Otukpa Ward of Ogbadigbo Local Government Area.

Sunday Tribune reliably gathered that the minister was physically present at his polling unit but could not vote, because he could not produce his Permanent Voter Card despite his name and pictures appearing in the voter register. The INEC officials in the polling unit explained that the same thing happened

during the last general election when Ogbeh did not vote because he did not come with his voter card. However, the APC won in the polling unit, polling 101 to defeat the PDP, which scored 22 while the PDP’s Christian Adaba, who defeated Honourable Hassan Salleh at the appeal court recently, won his polling unit at Ai-Onu

As collation of results of the rerun election in Benue South senatorial district continues in Otukpo, the Benue State chapter of the PDP has raised the alarm over the plot by the APC to manipulate the election results, which has been reportedly won by the PDP. State chairman of the PDP, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo, on Saturday evening, accused the APC of hijacking the results from the polling units in Ogbadibo Local Government Area, noting that it had refused to hand over the results to the collation officers. “As a party, we call on all security operatives to arrest the situation forthwith so that the will of the people will not be thwarted,” he said, adding that the APC, in connivance with some security operatives, have refused to allow the PDP agents access to the result sheets. Agbo said field reports from the polling centres have shown that the PDP has got 75 per cent of the votes cast across the senatorial district, “which the APC is uncomfortable with.” “Let me, however, on behalf of our party, express appreciation to the people of Benue South otherwise called the Idoma/Igede nation, for the support and solidarity to the PDP. “In spite of the unprovoked attacks, our people came out in their large numbers to vote for the PDP candidate, Senator David Mark”, he concluded.

Voter apathy mars Kogi rerun election Yinka Oladoyinbo -Lokoja THE National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly rerun elections in Kogi State, on Saturday, was marred by low turnout of voters across the two senatorial districts where the elections were held. Though Sunday Tribune findings showed that the poll was generally peaceful, there were pockets of violence and disruption of voting process in some units, just as many people

in the affected local government areas appeared unenthusiastic about the process. In Adavi Local Government Area, for instance, Sunday Tribune gathered that some hoodlums attacked one of the polling units and disrupted the exercise, using motorcycles to scare away voters and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials away from the centre. It was added that they destroyed the election materials in the unit.

Since there were no restriction of movements, people in Adavi, Okene, Ajaokuta and Ogori/Magongo local government areas in the Central Senatorial district of the state were going about their commercial and social activities while the election went on. In some of the polling units visited, accreditation and voting started between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., as the electorate lined up to cast their votes. Some of the presiding officers said they had smooth

process with few incidences of failure of the card reader machines, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials noting that they filled incidence forms for those that could not be accredited with the card reader machines. INEC had fixed Saturday for the rerun elections in Kogi East and Central Senatorial districts, Ogori/ Magongo/Okene federal constituency and five state constituencies.

21 February, 2016

sport

SUNDAY

Katsina lifts Ramat Cup KATSINA State defeated its counterparts from Kaduna State 9-8 via penalties after a 1-1 draw at regulation time to win this year’s annual Ramat Cup national U-16 football championship, decided at the Kano Pillars Stadium, Kano. Earlier, Lagos State had defeated Bauchi State 5-2 via penalties in the third place match of the championship being organised by the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON). In his remarks, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State assured that his administration will continue to support YSFON in its bid to use the annual championship to discover hidden talents for the country. According to Ganduje who was represented by his deputy, Professor Abdulahi Umar, the championship which was initiated in honour of the late Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed has over the years produced a lot of talents who later represented Nigeria at various national teams. He commended YSFON for its consistency in organising the annual tournament, saying it is a championship budding footballers to always hone their skills. Meanwhile, the National president of YSFON, Alhaji Yusuf Gawuna who also doubles as Kano State Commissioner for Agriculture lauded the tate government for sponsoring the championship.

Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060

Nigerian clubs owe players, coaches N388m Goalkeeper Olufemi Kayode of Akwa United during a league game last season.

By Ganiyu Salman

VER N388million is being owed by Nigerian professional club sides across the country meant as entitlements for players and coaches. This came on the heels of the 2016 Nigeria Premier League which kicked off at the weekend with the remaining nine games to be decided today. According to the debt profile of teams released by the National

Association of Nigeria Professional Footballers (NANPF), this amount represents cases already decided by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) players status and Arbitration Committee. General Secretary of NANPF, Comrade Austin Popo told Tribunesport by phone that the body held a series of meetings to ensure that the NFF compels the League Management Company (LMC) to compel the debtor clubs to offset the debts owed their players and coaches.

I like Akwa fixture —Unuanel

Sunshine Stars striker, Tunde Adeniji dazzles during a league match last season. He will not be on duty today against Akwa United following his reported move to Levski Sofia of Bulgaria.

Sunday Tribune

SUNSHINE Stars head coach, Samson Unuanel has described as morale boost the ‘Owena Waves’ top flight matchday 1 clash against in-form side, Akwa United. Sunshine will host the Promise Keepers in the Nigeria Premier League opener at the Akure Township Stadium today. Unuanel said though his side are confronted with formidable opponents they will certainly turn them back empty-handed. “Playing Akwa United on matchday 1 is quite good for me it will give us a boost and lift with a win heading into subsequent matches. “Akwa United are damn privileged to have in their kitty the Federation Cup, the Super 4, Charity Cup titles as well as continental win in Congo against Vita

Club Mokanda. “We are ready for the opening day clash and we will surely give it to them the way they wanted it. “I want to win my first match in-charge of Sunshine Stars, I’m always greedy and tasty for victory. “I’m playing 38 matches I’m lucky to give it very hard first and foremost to Akwa United. “The game is sure to be tough but we will try to send them back home empty-handed. “We have played quality tune-up matches to set in motion a successful campaign,” the former Kwara United coach told supersport.com. Sunshine Stars finished sixth with 61 points in the 20-team elite league last season.

“We are still on it, the league will start as scheduled but we have been assured that the affected clubs will be compelled to offser their debts. I spoke with the secretary general of the NFF, Dr Mohammed Sanusi and he told me what the affected clubs have is a mere relief. “Letters of enforcement of the 18th September, 2015 decisions of the NFF Players status and Arbitration Committee sanctioned by the General secretary to all affected Clubs and the relevant leagues to offset their debts to players and coaches or face the prospect of being banned from transfer of players had since been sent. “Also, Dikko assured me that the LMC will give the issue the utmost attention it deserves. “In fact, I am hopeful that a stiffer measure will be put in place for these clubs to offset their debts

before week five of the season. We are all aware of what obtains in top-flight leagues across the globe and NANPF is worried by the trauma being experienced by professional footballers in this country. “How can a player with a valid contract be made to play on empty stomach? We can’t continue this way, clubs must be run professionally where the players rights will be honoured to the letter,” Popo, a former NNB FC of Benin player told Tribunesport. He disclosed that the sum of N212,013,500 was owed by teams based on the rulings of the NFF players status and arbitration committee which met on the 18th, 19th and 20th of December 2009 and 10th, 11th and 12th of May 2010. Popo stated that the decisions by the committee on September 18, 2015 gave the new figure as N388,561,000.

ABS Ilorin restructures ahead new season THE new management of a Nigeria National League (NNL) Side, Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) Ilorin FC under the leadership of Mr Seni Saraki has unvelled its plans to restructure the former Nigeria Premier League giant killers. The measure is to make the running of the team conform with world-class football club management standard and international best practices. In what it termed ‘ A New Dawn’ for football in Kwara and Nigeria, the chairman of the Club Mr Seni Saraki in a statement announced a new management structure for the Saraki-owned club and unveiled a new logo to demonstrate the new face of the Ilorin-based professional side.

Under the new arrangement, the club is now to be known as ABS Ilorin Football club, with the general manager, Alloy Chukwuemeka as the Director of Football, while Mr Bidemi Bamgboye is the new technical director. Seni Saraki said the management had taken the last six months to critically analyse the backroom staff and players and have proceeded to make mass changes with the appointment of a new head coach to be named next week. “It is a new dawn for football in Kwara, and football in Nigeria. This club will be at the heart of the community and a vehicle of hope for all youths in Kwara and beyond,” Saraki said.

21 February, 2016

THE

Sunday Tribune

Fabio Lanipekun 08050498512 lanipekunfabio@yahoo.com

Oliseh escapes guillotine A

FTER shooting from the hips and spraying bullets all around, the embattled Chief Coach of the Super Eagles, Sunday Oliseh got away with a slap on the wrist, as his employers, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) told him to go away and sin no more. The NFF executive committee met on Tuesday, asked Oliseh to stop making unguarded comments in the media about his job and employers “You are all insane” Oliseh had said in response to criticism of the first round knock-out of the Super

Eagles from the African Nations Championship (CHAN) held in Rwanda early this month. In a well crafted communiqué, the NFF rebuked Oliseh for his unwanted abuse and made it clear that similar infractions would not be tolerated in future. It was clear that Sports Minister’s intervention prevailed on the NFF not to sack the coach. But that came with a cost, as the NFF stripped the coach of some power. One. The coach will henceforth be answerable to the technical and development committee and not only to the General

Secretary. Two. Oliseh must henceforth report to the NFF General Secretary and the technical and development committee and should be ready to defend his entire programme before the committee, including invitation of players and training progammes . The new conditions appear to erode the independence of the coach and his powers clipped somehow. It is yet to be seen if Sunday Oliseh, who normally sits on his high horse will succumb to diminution of his powers. However, if the NFF, the general public who Oliseh’s darting

arrow blasted, how about the sports media who were accused of demanding bribe before giving Oliseh a good press? This issue is still hanging and the earlier it is resolved the better. Unfortunately, the NFF, who should have played the role of a big brother overlooked it and kept silent as if a negative media with the Chief Coach would not negatively affect the fortunes of the national team. Close observers of Nigeria’s football and its administration are prepared to offer a two to one betting odd that by the end of the year, Oliseh’s job will be on the line.

Boxing looming larger SINCE the emergence of Floyd Mayweather into the pantheon of boxing legends and the stepping aside of lethargic Ukrainian, Wladimir Kiltschko, the boxing scene seems to be regaining its lustre that the Kiltschko brothers cast on it for close to a decade. For 10 years, boxing seemed to have died, even though non heavies like Mayweather, Manny Paquiao, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Amir Khan were doing their best to keep it going. Professional boxing received a big boost at the 2012 London Olympics where home boy, Anthony Joshua won the gold medal in the heavyweight class and instantly became a possible world champion in the future. Nigerian born British heavyweight champion, Joshua is hoping to follow the footstep of Olympic champions to become the World heavyweight champions like Floyd Patterson, Mohammed Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Lennox Lewis, Oscar de la Hoya e.t.c. Who makes a better world champion? Olympic route or professional? I have always rooted for the amateur to pro and not the other way round. What makes the present scene interesting is the garrulousness of some of the heavies, especially those from the United Kingdom. Never mind Frank Bruno, who added a bit of clownishness to boxing when, at the age of 57, Sought a boxing licence to return to the ring despite his state of health- bipolar disorder – extreme depression to extreme happiness. Of course the British Boxing Board of Control turned him down. But one can’t but be impressed by the quality of British heavyweight boxers around. Tyson Fury who snatched the world title from Wladimir Klitschko leads the pack, David Haye is lurking around and from the US, Leon Wilder and hanging around Wladimir’s brother, Vitali. Whenever boxing fans meet they will forever discuss and argue as to who is the best ever? As for me, I have put such luxury in the cooler as I have settled for Floyd Mayweather, who having equalled Rocky Marciano’s record of 49 wins,

Anthony Joshua (right) deals with Dillian Whyte during their British heavyweight title clash last December. stands on the threshold of becoming the one and only one to reach the magi-

cal 50 fights and 50 wins. Mayweather is still undecided whether to reach the

Athletics, Urhobo and Rio

Urhobo

“NO Nigerian athlete is likely to win any medal in athletics at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio”. I read this piece in Monday’s Sportingsun, and I thought I should bring it to your attention for analysis. If the statement had been made by anyone, no surprise, but the speaker was a former Nigerian athlete, athletics coach, former member of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and former President of AFN – Mr Tony Urhobo. As a television reporter, I covered Tony Urhobo representing Nigeria at the 2nd All Africa Games in Lagos 1973 as a coach, I didn’t see any pole vaulter that he nurtured to win any medal for Nigeria, and as the President of AFN in the 1990s, his regime was acrimonious and non-productive. He goes on: “Nigeria athletes have yet to achieve much since the last Olympics

milestone or to remain co-owner of the world record. He should go for the best.

in London in 2012. The results from the All Africa Games last year cannot be compared to time and standards achieved by athletes from top rated countries. We know that the level of preparation is not of the required level that will make anyone to set target or be optimistic about. We are not ready at all”. Rather than castigate Urhobo we should sit back and think hard. Our 2012 outing was woeful, instead of preparing hard, we are hosting the National Sports Festival the hunting ground for stars, four months after the Rio Olympic Games. Let us keep hope alive. Urhobo has spoken his mind and for being forthright, he should be commended. After Rio, the nation should do another rethink like we did after the dismal outing in London 2012.

sport

21 February, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Dike joins Ogude at Russian Amkar NIGERIAN international, Bright Dike has said he is excited to finally see his dream to play in Europe come true, saying it has always been his wish to test himself on European turf. The bulky striker made this known after signing for Russian club, Amkar Perm FC to team up with compatriot, Fegor Ogude. Dike, it will be recalled played all his football in the United States and briefly Canada. He has now signed a contract for a year and a half with Amkar Perm as a free agent after he impressed on trials there.

“I am happy with the deal. I have always wanted to play European football, and now I have the chance with Amkar Perm,” the striker told AfricanFootball.com. “I will do my best and give everything I have to the team and hopefully by the grace of God I will be rewarded with goals.” Dike said he hopes to settle down quickly at his new club with the help of Nigeria midfielder, Ogude as they have already met up at the Eagles training camp previously. “It’s always great to have a good friend already in a team who can show you around,” said Dike.

TP Mazembe’s Daniel Adjei (left) scored twice against Etoile.

TP Mazembe wins third CAF Super Cup F IVE-TIME African champions, TP Mazembe of DR Congo on Saturday clinched a third CAF Super Cup when they defeated Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel 2-1 in Lubumbashi. Mazembe have previously won this prestigious annual match-up between the winners of the Champions League and the Confederation Cup in 2010 and 2011. Etoile, who won the 2015 Confederation Cup, have also won the 23-year-old competition twice. Ghanaian striker, Daniel Nii Adjei opened scoring for Mazembe after 20 minutes when powered his header off a Jean Kasusula cross from the left beyond goalkeeper Aymen Mathlouthi. The impressive 27-year-old Adjei doubled his tally in the 45th minute, when he acrobatically finished off a lovely attack after he was set up by strike partner Jonathan Bolingi. However, the Tunisian ‘Red Devils’ pulled a goal back in first half stoppage time through Mohamed Msekni, who stabbed home from inside the box after a goalmouth scramble. In a game played under hot and humid conditions, Msekni led Etoile to chase the game after Mazembe took the lead when he fired wide from the top of the box. Tunisia international striker Ahmed Akaichi also came close minutes earlier, but Ivory Coast international goalkeeper Sylvain Gbohouo combined with his defenders to concede the first corner of the encounter. In the 42nd minute, Bolingi saw his shot from outside the box nar-

rowly miss the target. Mazembe towering defender Salif Coulibaly crashed his header against the side netting in the 58th minute as his team piled on the pressure to increase their tally. The African champions continued to fight to extend their lead, even bringing on Most Valuable Player from the recent African Na-

tions Championship in Rwanda, Meschack Elia, to add some pep to the attack. In the 76th minute, goalkeeper Gbohouo produced the save of the day when he dived to block a goalbound header by Alaya Brigui. That was the closest either side will come to scoring until the blast of the final whistle.

Bright Dike

Rivers Utd can stun Enyimba —Eguma RIVERS United technical manager, Stanley Eguma is brimming with confidence ahead of today’s Nigeria Premier League opener against reigning champions, Enyimba. Eguma reckons the seven-time champions will pose a real threat at the Yakubu Gowon (formerly Liberation) Stadium but insists his charges will not roll over for the People’s Elephant. “We are ready for the game. It is the first game of the league and as you know, last year was a very difficult one for us but by the grace of God, we were able to survive (es-

Eguma

cape the drop). “Today we are playing as a new team. We have recruited some players that can take the team far. “I have also drummed the winning mentality into the players and we hope they will live up to expectations,” the trainer said. United have spent the last threeweeks in Omoku (for “intensive camping”), outskirts of Port Harcourt and Eguma believes the hard work put in by the squad will reap rich dividends. “We have been on pre-season training for the past two weeks and we have knocked the team into shape. “It has been difficult; a lot of our old players left and we have been trying to build a new team. “We are optimistic though that this team will go places. Come Sunday, we are going to give a very good account of ourselves. All we ask for is the support of our fans. “They should turn out in their numbers to see the new-look Rivers United. We promise to give them something to smile about,” he said. Eguma finished off by offering

words of adulation for the People’s Elephant while insisting that his charges will approach the game without fear. “Enyimba is a big team. There are no two ways about it. They parade some of the best footballers in the country. “We will neither underrate nor

fear them. They have had good times in recent times. “They are on the continent and have a lot going for them. On paper, they are favourites to get the win over us. “We know they are going to give us a good fight but we will do our best to give our fans something to cheer about on Sunday,” he said.

Kanu Academy impresses on UK tour NIGERIA soccer Ambassador, Nwankwo Kanu, has thumbed up his U-14 fledglings after an impressive showing on a three-match tour of the United Kingdom. The Academy based in Toronto, Canada, played a pulsating 1-1 draw with Arsenal Academy on Thursday, but suffered a 5-1 loss to their counterparts from Crystal Palace on Friday. Against Arsenal, the opening goal came midway in the first half through Tyler Cleghorn, who hit his shot across the goalkeeper into the bottom left corner of the goal, while Arsenal equalised in the 15th minute of the second half. Their second game on Friday’s afternoon was an eye opener for Kanu’s boys.

The boys were treated to a warm welcome from the Crystal Palace boys, who shot into the lead barely a minute into the match. Moments later, Tyler’s shot was blocked by the ‘goalkeeper but Aidan Garforth was on hand to smash home rebound. Thereafter, Crystal Palace dominated the game and completes the rout with four more goals in the second half. The defeat notwithstanding, Kanu said his wards’ tour of UK would prepare for the upcoming big task. “On the whole, the game was really a great experience for the boys and we at Kanu Soccer Academy would like to thank Crystal Palace for the respect and professionalism showed to our players, “ he said.

sport

21 February, 2016

Awoniyi shines on league debut in Germany

Suarez nets 41st goal for Barca

UIS Suarez on Saturday scored his 41st goal of the season for FC Barcelona in the 2-1 win over Las Palmas. It was Suarez’s 25th goal in his last 24 games and the victory, extends Barca’s lead on the La Liga table by nine points. Suarez opened the scoring early on, but Willian Jose deservedly levelled for the hosts inside 10 minutes. Neymar restored the lead from close range before the break, but the European champions had to withstand a late onslaught from the Canary Islanders to stretch their unbeaten run in all competitions to 32 games. Barca’s closest challengers Atletico Madrid can cut the gap when they host fourth-placed Villarreal, while Real Madrid, who are now 10 points adrift of Barca, travel to Malaga on Sunday. Despite facing Arsenal in the

Suarez goal against Las Palmas.

Champions League on Tuesday, Barcelona boss, Luis Enrique rested only Gerard Pique, while Sergio Busquets was also suspended from the side that is expected to start at the Emirates.

The star trio of Lionel Messi, Suarez and Neymar started once more and bore fruit after just six minutes as Suarez extended his lead over Cristiano Ronaldo as La Liga’s top scorer with his 25th Liga

goal of the campaign. Andres Iniesta’s perfectly weighted pass freed Jordi Alba down the left and his low cross was fired into the roof of the net by Suarez at the back post.

FA Cup: Iwobi laments as Wenger praises Hull keeper NIGERIAN international, Alex Iwobi has confessed that Arsenal’s fifth round encounter against Hull City was a “tough battle.” The Arsene Wenger-tutored side was held to a goalless 0-0 draw at the Emirates on Saturday to force

an unwanted replay after failing to break the deadlock. Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott were both denied in the first half before Joel Campbell saw a free-kick turned onto the post and Alex Iwobi was stopped from dis-

As Ighalo’s Watford bags quarter-final ticket A Scott Wootton own goal was enough to steer Watford into the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2007 as Leeds United were beaten 1-0 at Vicarage Road. Wootton was under little pressure at the back post when he diverted Ben Watson’s whipped centre past his own goalkeeper eight minutes into the second half. Watford which rested Nigerian international and team’s highest goalscorer this season with 14 goals, Odion Ighalo, among other regulars, had the ball in the net again shortly after, but Etienne Capoue’s neat finish was chalked off for a Troy Deeney foul. A third clean sheet in their last four home outings in all competitions helped Watford progress in the first FA Cup meeting between these teams and the Premier League side will have one eye on a trip to Wembley as well as securing their top-flight status. Quique Sanchez Flores made six changes from Watford’s 2-1 win at Crystal Palace last weekend, with top scorer Odion Ighalo among those rested. A dead leg ruled out Liam Cooper and Leeds manager Steve Evans replaced the defender

with Sol Bamba. The hosts, yet to win the FA Cup, had two early sights of goal, captain Deeney having a header deflected wide in the first minute before Miguel Britos saw his own header fly well over.

Sunday Tribune

tance as Arsenal, largely camped in the Hull half, battled to break the deadlock. And the Nigerian feels that Steve Bruce’s men were a hard side to play. “Tough Battle,” Iwobi tweeted. Iwobi was handed a starter’s shirt alongside Theo Walcott and Mohamed Elneny in the Gunners’ attack but were unable to tame the Tigers who paraded Sone Aluko and Moses Odubajo in the second half. The 19-year-old lasted on the pitch for 73 minutes as he was replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Meanwhile, Wenger, in charge of his 100th FA Cup tie for the club,

praised the heroics of the Tigers goalkeeper, Eldin Jakupovic. “The goalkeeper did well of course, but we had maybe 70 per cent possession and more than 20 shots on goal, and we didn’t score,” Wenger, taking charge of his 100th game in the FA Cup told reporters. “The replay is not especially good news but Hull defended very well. Between that and going out, we choose the replay.” The Gunners must negotiate their way past the Tigers at the KC Stadium to reach the next round of the competition and in their bid to become the first club to win the Cup three times in succession in the modern era.

NIGERIA junior international, Taiwo Awoniyi made his debut for his German Bundesliga 2 side, FSV Frankfurt on Friday as they defeated hosts St.Pauli 3-1. Before his debut, the striker has been an unused sub in six league matches for his club. The Liverpool loanee dazzled and almost celebrated a goal-scoring league debut only to be denied twice by the goalkeeper. Awoniyi, it will be recalled, won the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup for Nigeria and also featured at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand, he has also been capped at the U-23 level. The Kwara State-born forward was a thorn in the flesh of St. Pauli defence until in the 89th minute, when he was replaced by Joel Gerezgiher. The lanky striker was denied a goal in the 38th minute by the goalkeeper, who made a big save. Two minutes later, he was denied again by the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation. Frankfurt is now 14th on the 18team Bundesliga 2 league table with 26 points from 22 matches.

Awoniyi

Plateau Utd wins season’s opener

Alex Iwobi (middle) dazzles during the game against Hull City.

PLATEAU United became the first team to bag maximum points this season as the 2016 Nigeria Premier League kicked off on Saturday, with the remaining nine games to be played today. The Tin City men defeated Niger Tornadoes 2-1 in the opening game at the Rwang Pam Stadium, Jos. Charles okafor put the homers ahead in the 16th minute with a header off a corner kick as they held on to the lead until in the 64th minute when Kunle Issa equalised for the visitors. Ibeh Johnson became the match winner with his 87th minute strike to give the Zachary Baraje-piloted side cause to celebrate after the final whistle.

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Reports of arms build-up across the country scaring the government are, no doubt, ominous, but one shudders to contemplate what the build-up of hunger [and starvation] will mean to many poor Nigerians in the face of a dwindling economy.

Of reminiscences and the future

WHEN thinking or writing about our country, Nigeria, I cannot avoid going back to the past. In fact, it is memories of the past that keep me talking and writing persistently about Nigeria. It is my memories of what Nigeria used to be, and what Nigeria once promised to become, that tug at my heart and compel me to keep screaming for new efforts to make Nigeria orderly again, and to make Nigeria poised again for stability and progress in the world. The London Olympic Games took place four years ago and the Rio Olympics comes soon. If you are like me, and if you remember a time, long ago, when Nigeria used to shine in international sports, watching the Olympics in London may have left you with a lot of sad feelings, and expecting the Rio Olympics may be making you anxious. Sure, sports is just sports – young men and women flexing their muscles and showing off their agility. And the soul of it all is not so much in the winning as in the participating. Yet, all of us humans, when we watch international sports in which our countries are participating, eagerly expect our countries to shine at least a little. And if one’s country is one of the largest countries in the world, one’s expectations are likely to be considerably high. In population, my Nigeria is one of the largest countries in the world. In terms of medals in the London Olympics, I was not expecting my country to rank with the giants like China or Russia or the United States, but I did legitimately expect it to do better than tiny countries like Jamaica or Montenegro. Montenegro has a total population of 684,000 (probably less than the population of the Agege area of Lagos), and it managed to win one or two medals. That my country with a population of 170 million could not win any medal at all left me with a sinking feeling in my stomach – and leaves me sadly wondering what to expect in Rio. I cannot help reminiscing – sadly – about the past. When I was a little boy in primary school, our national football team went to Britain to play against some British teams. It was the first time a Nigerian team would do that. Our team lost many games, but they won a few. And the few they won were enough to make us school children wildly ecstatic. We even created beautiful childlike myths - one of which myths had it that, during the tour of Britain, the captain of our team became the

hardest football kicker in the world – and that his shots at the goal were so hard that he wounded many British goal-keepers! You should have seen our faces as we repeated this story among us. Such things – whether truth or not – are the molders of the love of little children for their country. Years later, in my last year in secondary school I believe, the British Commonwealth Games was held in Canada. As the Nigerian boy who was competing in the High Jump for Nigeria bounced forward to jump, one lone Nigerian voice rang over the whole stadium with the shout, “Up Nigeria”. And the Nigerian boy, hearing that shout, jumped over the bar – and won the Gold Medal for Nigeria. Well, that was our

cially in the hearts of children. Inevitably, for me and for many Nigerians of my generation, thinking about a thing like Nigeria’s damaging deflation at the Olympics tends to lead to thinking about the general deflation of Nigeria since independence. The great tragedy of Nigeria inheres in the fact that we have gradually, and in countless ways, destroyed the mythical entity called Nigeria in a lot of Nigerian hearts. The moral quality of the leadership of our country has declined disastrously. The decline started in the crookedness that was brought into Nigeria’s politics in 1962. In that year, in the then Western Region, we suddenly saw the beauty of our lives being crushed

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story of what happened that day. And telling it over and over among us enlarged something in our hearts, something deeply romantic about our country. What I am trying to say here is that a country is not merely territory, population, and resources. A country is, even more importantly, a mystical entity living robustly in the hearts of its people. A whole lot of things, including apparently inconsequential things like sports, can contribute to the building and nourishing of that mystical entity. For Nigeria’s school children of my generation, there were a lot of things that nourished Nigeria in our hearts. Therefore, it leaves me very sad that, for Nigerian children of today, there is very little left to nourish the Nigerian mystical entity in their hearts. The kind of wretched image that Nigeria cut at the London Olympics commands the potential to denude Nigeria in many Nigerian hearts, young and old – especially the young. When a country falls so flat in international contestd, it is a sign that love for the country is weak at home. It is also an indication that love for the country may decline further, espe-

by the rulers of our country. In the place of the orderliness and the pride of achievement and progress that had reigned over our Region since 1952, we were suddenly ushered into a weird new life of crooked politics, election rigging, and violent and unbridled use of power, mostly promoted by our federal rulers. Some of those of us boys and girls who were old enough to resist stood up and fought back – in the process suffering the trauma of having to destroy some of our own people and their belongings. When a military coup finally put a bitter-sweet end to the fight, most of us youths of the Western Region spontaneously rejoiced – and then, as the days and months passed, we suffered the mortification of not knowing whether we should be rejoicing or mourning. Little did we know that these events marked the beginning of the disintegration of our country. Since then, Nigeria has gone steadily downwards, inflicting wounds that are impossible to heal on all and sundry, steadily making the masses of Nigerians poorer, and thereby steadily shrinking the mystique of Nigeria in a lot of hearts – all under a barbarous kleptoc-

Mourinho’s Man U move is sealed —Inter director JOSE Mourinho will be the next manager of Manchester United, according to Inter Milan director, Bedy Moratti. The sister of former club president, Massimo Moratti was quizzed by journalists after leaving a lunch meeting with Mourinho and her family. When asked if the Portuguese would be making a sensational return to the San Siro, Moratti, an honourary president at the club, let slip that Mourinho’s destination would be the north-west of England.

“No, he’s happy now, he’s going to Manchester,” calciomercato.com quoted Bedy as saying. “Of course he’s always fantastic and we missed him as a person here,” the former film and theatre actress stated. Mourinho is in Milan after being invited by Moratti to watch Inter’s Serie A home clash against Sampdoria. Earlier, the 53-year-old tactician said: “I go for a day in Milan to personally say thanks to my president Mr Moratti.

“I left Inter in 2010 and since then work was hard every day in Madrid and Chelsea, and it was difficult to find a moment to have lunch with the Moratti family.” Mourinho insisted earlier last week that he does not know where his future lies, despite speculations. “My next club? I really don’t know, but one thing is certain: I love football and I’ll return to the touchline with the same passion and ambition as always,” he told La Stampa.

racy until some months ago. Nigerians who were babies at independence, and all those born after them, have grown up in the midst of this whole mess, corruption, insensitive governance, and sheer rapacity. Naturally, what Nigeria put into this generation of its children, Nigeria is now harvesting in today’s generation of Nigerian leaders. By the last years of the 1980s, some members of the young up-and-coming generation of Nigerian politicians were already saying that their fathers and senior brothers had been fools to have gone into politics and come out materially poor. Today’s Nigerian political leaders, in all parts of Nigeria, are so smart that all are coming out of politics materially very rich, and their children and junior brothers are conditioned to do even worse. That is the root of the constant deflation of Nigeria today in every sphere. When I ponder these things, I become grateful that I belonged to the generation that saw, as youths, the better sorts of public life and public leadership. In particular, I become very grateful that I was drawn into the circle of the man who was the best and noblest member of the earlier generation – Chief Obafemi Awolowo. I will cut this short by telling a little story. In early 1980, when I was a Senator, a very senior Yoruba politician who was national leader of a political party asked me, “Why do you our young intellectuals all prefer Awolowo to the rest of us? Why do you treat him alone as father? I too am father to you all. So, why don’t you try to find out what you can gain from the party I lead?” Politely, I answered: “Most of us Yoruba intellectuals are well informed about all Nigerian political parties, but hardly any of us truly likes what we see in any other leader than Chief Awolowoor in any other party than his party. Invitations to us to come and share wealth has little or no chance of attracting us, while Chief Awolowo’s call on us to come and make sacrifices towards building a country of opportunities for all Nigerians is irresistible to us. It is more exciting to us to be intensely engaged in searching for ways to make Nigeria prosperous and great, than to huddle with people who are busy sharing unearned wealth from our country’s coffers”. I still dare to hope that someday, somehow, somewhere in our land, the Awolowo kind of sacrificial dedication to the welfare of our people will triumph and become the guiding light of our people’s leadership.

RESULTS

Nigeria Premiership Plateau Utd 2 Tornadoes 1 English FA Cup Arsenal 0 Hull City 0 Reading 3 West Brom 1 Watford 1 Leeds Utd 0 Bournemouth 0 Everton 2 Pools: 01, 09, 18, 30, 31, 37, 40, 48. Today’s Matches: 04, 07, 43, 45.

Printed and Published by the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, Imalefalafia Street, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. E mail: sundaytribuneeditor@yahoo.com Website: www.tribuneonlineng.com MANAGING DIRECTOR/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: EDWARD DICKSON. EDITOR : SINA OLADEINDE. All Correspondence to P. O. Box 78, Ibadan. ISSN 2712. ABC Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation. 21/2/2016