22nd January 2016 by Nigerian Tribune

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 16,420

FRIDAY, 22 JANUARY, 2016

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Metuh arraigned for destroying evidence •Why he was handcuffed —PDP govs •Judge stands down case for Dasuki's appearance

N150

—Pgs6,7

Nigeria, Saudi Arabia disagree over oil price

•FG will have to devalue naira this year —Standard & Poor's —Pgs7,10

Cultists kill police corporal, 15 others in Rivers —P6

Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi receiving a letter of condolence from the Otun Olubadan, High Chief Lekan Balogun. With them is the Olubadan-designate, High Chief Saliu Adetunji, during the visit of Olubadan-in-Council to the governor, at his office, Secretariat, Ibadan, on Thursday. PHOTO: ALOLADE GANIYU

Adetunji is indisputable Olubadan-designate —Olubadan-in-Council •Says Seriki line's claim died with Adisa Akinloye •Oba Odulana, an irrepressible patriot —Ajimobi

—P2

Lassa fever: 55 under watch in Osun —P5

Navy arrests ship found with 183 Nigerians, 41 illegal migrants from Gabon —P40

Friday, 22 January, 2016 2 news Adetunji is indisputable Olubadan-designate — Olubadan-in-Council

As Olubadan-designate danced his way to Monatan By Tunde Ogunesan

HE Olubadan-inCouncil has described the declaration by the head of the Seriki line, Chief Adebayo Oyediji as the next Olubadan as a farce, adding that Chief Saliu Adetunji is the “indisputable Olubadan-designate,” and that the Seriki line’s claim died with the last Seriki, Chief Adisa Akinloye. This position was made known on Thursday by the Asipa Balogun of Ibadanland, High Chief Abimbola Tajudeen Ajibola, after a meeting of the Olubadanin-Council, at the Monatan palace of the deceased Olubdan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade I. After the meeting of the council, High Chief Ajibola, who addressed journalists on behalf of the council, dismissed the claim by Chief Oyediji, saying he had no locus standi to make such claim. Chief Ajibola said: “It is indisputable that the Olubadan-designate is High Chief S. A. Adetunji. That’s the authentic one. No other one, any other one is a counterfeit. We are not aware of any judgment that he is claiming, because at the moment, there is no Seriki or whatsoever.” He explained further on the acclaimed Seriki line in the Olubadan, that it was not part of the two lines known and recognised by laws and customs. “You know in this our institution, we have lines and there are only two lines recognised so far, both by law and otherwise. It is Otun line and Balogun line, that is all. There is no third line. Nobody is competent to say he can be Olubadan. He cannot appoint himself, he cannot put himself there. “Even the 1959 Declaration Law says the Seriki, if there are two vacancies in one line can comes there. No other judgment can overrule the law. That is the law, basically. So, we have no Seriki now. The only Seriki we knew then was Akinloye and he died a long time ago.... How can they say they want to be Olubadan?,” he asked. He further added “nobody declares himself as the Olubadan but the council, whose members would have to append their signatures to confirm a proposed candidate.” He, however, noted that the Seriki line had not been meeting with the Olubadanin-Council all the while, asking if any proposition or judgment put them in position to be Olubadan, who will

sign for them? “It’s in the tradition that we have two lines, the Otun line and the Balogun line, all members of the council would sign for whosoever is to be proposed. Who is going to sign for them? “The governor will not even sign for them. Whoever we present as the Olubadan to kingmakers is the one the governor will gives the staff. Are they going to sign for themselves? “They are not part of our meetings. We’ve never had any meeting with them. They have not been promoted. That is what they should do and do it right in time. They did not ask the Olubadan before he died to promote them. So, who is laying claim to what? There is nobody

competent so far. It’s fake news. “Even if they lay claim to it, that is gone! No existing vacancy, we have filled the vacancies. So, where are they going to come in? At the moment, the only person competent to come in would have been Seriki, but there is none. “This man, Oyediji, who is laying claim to be Olubadan or that he is competent is only Osi Seriki. He hasn’t been promoted. He should apply to Olubadan to promote him first before he starts arguing. He has no locus standi. He won’t present anything to the governor. The governor would not listen. The governor knows the right thing. “There is a system for everything. There is no Seriki to sign

for him. “We are not to join issues with them, because we don’t recognise this Seriki thing. That is the principle,” Chief Ajibola said. Meanwhile, seventy-two hours after the demise of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba (Dr) Samuel Odulana, Odugade I, the the Olubadan-designate, High Chief Saliu Adetunji, has continued to receive guests as expected. When Nigerian Tribune visited the Popoyemoja home of the Olubadandesignate Thursday morning, before he joined the Olubadan-in-Council for a meeting, the Olubadan-designate had started receiving visitors. Aside from the various fam-

ily members and associates who came on Wednesday, some traditional chiefs were also around to meet with the Olubadan-designate. With festivities ongoing around the palace, traditional local drummers also came around in batches. In style, the drummers sought to attract the attention of the Olubadan-designate and his family members by paying homage to them in different royal tunes. Before he left for Monatan, there were three sets of drummers, each trying to attract attention, but when the last group, numbering over 30 arrived, it overshadowed the previous two groups, as it took the centre stage by storm. Its members’ presence

and performance, both in drumming and singing local eulogies of the Olubadandesignate led to their appreciation with various denominations of the naira. Then the time was set for the man of the occasion to go outside the palace since nature beckoned on him. In his creamcolored flowing native attire, Chief Adetunji did the royal dance with smile. Other people followed and smiled as he stepped out of his compound. Although, Chief Adetunji had not been officially announced by the governor or the Olubadan-in-Council, there is no doubt he is the anointed and approved candidate, according to the constitution.

Adetunji should be installed Olubadan —Olunloyo Oyediji not a high chief —Baale Ayorinde By Laolu Afolabi

A former governor of the Old Oyo State, Dr Omololu Olunloyo, has said the Balogun of Ibadanland and Olubadan-designate, High Chief Saliu Adetunji, is rightly qualified to become the next Olubadan of Ibadanland. Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune on Thursday, the former governor, who was also a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, said the filling of the current vacancy of the Olubadan stool should be separated from the Seriki chieftaincy problem. He traced the genesis of problem of the Seriki line to the report of minutes of the meeting of the Olubadan Advisory Council, held on April 21, 1987, where the late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Oloyede Asanike, banned further promotion of those on Seriki line, for their failure to perform their traditional rites and payment of customary installation fees. He said the stand of the former Olubadan on the ban was in order, going by the the Chiefs Law 1957 regulating the selection to the Seriki of Ibadan chieftaincy. He quoted a section of the declaration to read thus: “Any chief promoted to the rank of the Seriki of Ibadan who refuses to pay customary installation fees or perform the traditional rites within one week of his installation may forfeit his right to further promotion.”

According to Olunloyo, “taken into consideration everything from the beginning of the Asanike’s posture on the Seriki line, Chief Adetunji should be installed the Olubadan without any iota of doubt. “On the other hand, the promotion of those on Seriki line should be looked into. The procedure for their promotion should be reconsidered. In this light, Oyediji should be promoted as Seriki and he and others on the line should subject to all the rules about qualifications stated in the Chiefs Law as amended up to date in Cap 28 Section 14, Oyo

State Laws.” He also said the Olubadan of Ibadan chieftaincy is a recognised Part II Chieftaincy, adding that it is a non-ruling house chieftaincy and that under such condition, Cap 28 Section 16 of the Oyo State Laws holds. Meanwhile, the Baale Ekotedo, Elder Taye Ayorinde, has said the head of the Seriki line in Ibadanland, Chief Bayo Oyediji, has no right to call or parade himself as Olubadandesignate. This was as he said whatever the title of Chief Oyediji on the Seriki line, he was never qualified or promoted

to Seriki, and thus not a high chief in Ibadanland. Speaking against the background of the vacancy in the Olubadan stool and the claim by Oyediji that he is the next Olubadan of Ibadan, Elder Ayorinde said anything contrary to the 1959 Ekerin Balogun Registered Declaration, was null and void. Giving credence to his argument, he said it was High Chief A. M. A. Akinloye, whose chambers, he said, produced many judges and Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) that took the Olubadan to court over promotion in the Seriki line. According to him, the

government, in 1995, set up a commission, headed by Justice Akin Oloko (retd), to look into the chieftaincy law as regards some issues, including the Seriki line and make recommendations. He affirmed his authorities, from the 1995 White Paper on the Chieftaincies Power of Prescribed Authorities, which was published in the Oyo State of Nigeria Gazette No 27, Volume 26 on July 16, 2001. In the publication, the committee, headed by Justice Oloko, had recommended in Section 113, that the Ekerin Balogun title should be filled in the event of a vacancy by the Ekarun Balogun and the Seriki in rotation.

Ajimobi affirms Olubadan’s death By Wale Akinselure

CONSEQUENT upon the receipt of a letter of notification from the Olubadanin-Council, announcing the death of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana, Odugade I, the Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has affirmed the death of the Olubadan. Receiving the Olubadanin-Council, led by the Balogun of Ibadanland, High Chief Saliu Adetunji, in his office on Thursday, Ajimobi wished he received the letter of notification earlier, so as to formally announce the late Olubadan’s death. Ajimobi lauded the late Olubadan’s belief in the rule of law. Furthermore, he described the late Olubadan

as a man of integrity, an irrepressible patriot, a disciplinarian, an unstoppable democrat, a good father and an accomplished man in all ramifications. Ajimobi noted that the late Olubadan would have continued to impact positively on the development of Ibadan land if he had lived on for more years. “He was an irrepressible patriot, a disciplinarian, a good father, an unstoppable democrat. When he is committed to something, he saw to it become successful. He had integrity, was very consistent and stoic. He believed in the rule of law. If he had been alive for the next 10 years, there will still be great development in Ibadan,” he said. In his remarks, Otun Olubadan, High Chief Lekan

Balogun, had acknowledged that Governor Ajimobi should have been the one to announce the passing of the Olubadan, but decried that the media hijacked the information. “The governor ought to be the one to announce the Olubadan’s death. I got the information at 9.00 p.m. on Tuesday. In fact, I received calls all through that night to confirm the information. One of us close to the media must have given the hint, thereby breached protocol and gave the information to the media. The media took away the news from us and from that night till the morning after, the news was all over the media. We have sought forgiveness for this breach of protocol. “Though he was 101 years, even if he clocked 200 years, his death would

still be painful, because he was a good man. We all know that he was a good and an accomplished man in all ramifications,” he said. Balogun of Ibadanland, High Chief Saliu Adetunji, described the late Olubadan as a good man and wished that the late Oba lived for about the next 10 years. Other members of the Olubadan-in-Council at the governor’s office included Asipa Balogun, High Chief Tajudeen Ajibola; Otun Balogun, High Chief Ige Olakunlehin; Asipa Olubadan, High Chief Eddy Oyewole; Ekerin Olubadan, High Chief Abiodun KolaDaisi; President, Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Chief Wole Akinwande and former president, CCII, Chief Bayo Oyero.

reactionstoobaodulana

Friday, 22 January, 2016

He was father to all —Oshiomhole Banji Aluko - Benin City

OVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has described the death of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana as a great loss to the people of Ibadan, Oyo State and the nation, saying he was a father to all. In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Peter Okhiria, Governor Oshiomhole described the late Olubadan as a unifier and a unique royal father, whose reign brought a lot of stability and development to Ibadan. The governor said the late Olubadan was an epitome of humility, who devoted his life to the service of God and mankind, adding that a time when some royal fathers got distracted by partisan politics, the late Oba remained a father to all, irrespective of political affiliations and persuasions. He said: “On behalf of the government and people of Edo State, I join the rest of Nigerians to condole with my brother and friend, the governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and the

good people of Ibadan and Oyo State on the transition of the Olubadan. “As we mourn the passage

of this great icon and role model, we are consoled that he lived to a ripe old age and under his reign, Ibadan wit-

nessed tremendous growth, development and re-affirmed its status as a centre of commerce, scholarship,

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Ibadan, Oyo State, Engineer Femi Babalola, has described the passage of the late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba (Dr) Samuel Odulana, Odugade I, as an exit of great icon. Babalola, in a press statement on Wednesday, observed that Oba Odulana was one of the finest and rarest monarchs who ever ruled in Ibadan, as he reinvigorated the Olubadan stool by offering resolute leadership and ensuring that the throne had its way in all goodly matters, adding that the Oba was a patriot, who devoted efforts to further the well-being of his people.

THE Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Oladunni Oyewumi, Ajagungbade III, has expressed sadness over the demise of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana, Odugade I. He noted that the late monarch demonstrated selfless leadership qualities in different capacities in his lifetime. According to a statement signed by his private secretary, Toyin Ajamu, Oba Oyewumi said: “I was pained when I heard the news of the passing on of

Oba Odulana. “He was a symbol of peace among his colleagues and subjects. “Oba Odulana was committed to the welfare of his people. “The ancient city of Ibadan witnessed robust development during his reign. “His contribution to socio-political development of the country was commendable. “Above all, he lived a fulfilled life, one worthy of emulation,” Soun added.

Oba Oyewumi urged the Olubadan-designate to uphold the good legacy of the late monarch.

THE lawmaker representing Ibadan North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Honourable Abiodun Awoleye, has described the late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana as a rare gem and a monarch of inestimable values, who would not only be missed in Ibadanland, but in Nigeria

While commiserating with the government and people of Oyo State, Olubadan-in-Council and

the deceased’s family, he prayed God to grant the late traditional ruler eternal rest.

He was an elder statesman par excellence —Kalu Shola Adekola - Lagos FORMER governor of Abia State, Dr Orji Kalu, has commiserated with the people of Ibadan over the demise of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana, Odugade I. According to the frontline businessman, Oba Odulana

He never discriminated against other religions —Baale Ekotedo BAALE of Ekotedo, Elder Taye Ayorinde, said during this lifetime, Dr Samuel Odulana was an intimate friend of his father, the late Asipa Olubadan of Ibadanland, adding that he was a trusted friend, worthy to be called a family member.

“Aside the fact that His Royal Majesty was a good Christian, he never discriminated against other religions. “He was not only very forthright, he was also highly principled. “The 40th Olubadan of Ibadanland was a very good

Oba Odulana, he said, made it clear that the Olubadan not only reigned, but ruled and went ahead to disabuse minds that the Ibadan monarchy could ever stoop to play the stooge. “He was our emperor-king,” he emphasised. The oba’s nine years on the throne, he said, were eventful, adding that the traces would remain with generations yet to come. According to him, the late Oba Odulana conducted his office in the most dignified manner, bringing to bear his erudition and far-reaching nexus as a first generation educated politician and technocrat the country had. “He was a king, who was no pushover in the national scheme of things, as he nev-

er minced words or hesitated in calling to order whoever breached the protocol or sought to slight the exalted stool of Olubadan however highly placed the culprit could be,” Babalola said. Saying it would be tasking stepping into his shoes, Babalola observed that having lived in Ibadan all his life and Ibadan being his cradle, he could categorically affirm that Oba Odulana had left

administrator, soldier, very respected politician and man of honour. “He was one of the few traditional rulers who never went to Abuja for any ‘Ghana must go’ meeting. His reign was very peaceful and very progressive,” he said.

and Africa as a whole. Awoleye, in a statement issued by his Media Office in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital and made available to journalists on Wednesday, described the late monarch as father of all sons and daughters of the ancient city. He described him as someone who preached justice, fairness and accountability among his people and subjects, in his bid to

indelible footprints equal in impact and epoch to those of the founding fathers. Babalola enjoined the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the Olubadanin-Council, the monarch’s immediate family and all sons and daughters of the ancient town and in fact all Yoruba, to take solace in the fact that the Oba lived an exemplary service-driven life.

will be remembered for his selflessness, forthrightness and commitment to a just and fair society, adding that his reign brought unprecedented development to Ibadan. In a statement signed by his Special Adviser, Mr Kunle Oyewumi, Kalu said “the passing of Oba Odulana is a colossal loss to Oyo State and the nation at large, considering his contributions to national development. “As a foremost traditional ruler of a cosmopolitan city, he used his vast wisdom and contacts to promote peaceful coexistence among all ethnic groups in his domain. “He was an elder statesman par excellence and a patriotic Nigerian, who placed people’s interest above personal pursuits in

By Dare Adekanmbi THE Ekarun Bamofin of Ibadanland and immediate past senator for Oyo South, Senator Femi Lanlehin, has described the late Olubadan, Oba Samuel Odulana, as a brave leader, who

ensure accelerated development of the ancient city. “He was an astute administrator, a parliamentarian of note and an associate of the first and last Prime Minister of Nigeria, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, who displayed high level of discipline, loyalty, confidence and hospitality to which a typical Ibadan man represents while with the former Prime Minister,” he said.

made indelible marks in the sands of time. In a condolence message signed by him on behalf of the Lanlehin family, Senator Lanlehin said Oba Odulana would continue to live on in the hearts of the people, adding that those who live for the people don’t die. Lanlehin said the peace witnessed in Ibadan during the reign of Oba Odulana did not come as a surprise, because he had demonstrated his peace-loving nature by fighting for global peace during the World War. “The late Oba Odulana was a brilliant mind, who imparted young minds positively. When he had the opportunity to serve in politics, he used his position for the uplift of society. We will sorely miss his wealth of ex-

all his endeavours. “It is unfortunate that he died at a time the nation needed his wise counsel on national issues. “He will be remembered for leaving behind a good legacy for his successor and family members to uphold. “A rare gem is gone,” Kalu remarked. The former governor urged the family of the late monarch to take solace in the fact that their patriarch did not just live long, but lived a purposeful life, one committed to mankind. While sympathising with the government and people of Oyo State, Kalu prayed God to grant the late monarch a blissful rest and also give his family the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.

He was a rare gem of immeasurable value —Akinjide By Dare Adekanmbi IMMEDIATE past Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Olajumoke Akinjide, has described Oba (Dr) Samuel Odulana as a rare gem of immeasurable value. In a condolence statement, Akinjide said the death of the foremost traditional

We lost a brave patriarch —Lanlehin

Awoleye extols late Olubadan’s virtues By Nurudeen Alimi

in the hereafter and give the people of Ibadan and Oyo State the grace to bear this great loss.”

He lived a fulfilled life —Soun

Olubadan was a great icon —Babalola By Nurudeen Alimi

culture and a melting pot for all Nigerians. “We pray Almighty God to grant his soul eternal rest

perience and fatherly role in Ibadanland,” Lanlehin said. He prayed that God will grant him eternal rest, while urging the immediate family to take pride in the consolation that their patriarch lived a life worthy of emulation.

ruler was a big loss, not only to the sons and daughters of Ibadanland, but to the country as a whole. She noted that the reign of the deceased paramount ruler witnessed peace and brought remarkable progress to Ibadan and Oyo State in general. “Papa was a man of character,principled and toed a path of honour. He was a quintessential leader, who served with integrity and fair play. “That he lived to serve mankind to a ripe age was an eloquent testimony of God’s favour on him and his subjects. He did not only live long, but lived well,” Akinjide said.

He was a symbol of unity —Ayorinde FORMER Pro-chancellor, Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso and former chairman, Nigerian Legal Aid Council, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, while commiserating with the family and all indigenes of Ibadan over the demise of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana, Odugbade I, said he spent nine illustrious years on the reverred throne of

Olubadan and his reign was peaceful and purposeful. “He was a symbol of unity and positive direction for the entire people of Ibadan and numerous others, who live and have any form of relationship with Ibadan. “He made us extremely proud of the institution of Ibadan monarchy. He will be greatly missed by all,” he said.

Friday, 22 January, 2016

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Friday, 22 January, 2016

Lassa fever: 55 under watch in Osun Oluwole Ige - Osogbo

S the dreaded Lassa fever disease continues to spread across the country, the Osun State government, on Thursday, said no fewer than 55 contacts traced to the index case recorded in the state have been placed under surveillance. Addressing newsmen in Osogbo, the state capital, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Temitope Oladele, said the state could not be said to have recorded any case of Lassa fever, arguing that the confirmatory test that would have confirmed that the index case died of the disease could not

be run. He maintained that “so far, none of those being monitored have shown symptoms of the disease,” just as he assured that the state was in contact with the hospital the doctor died, with a view to monitoring any new development.”

According to Oladele, “the 33-year-old doctor, who died in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTHC) on Monday, whose blood sample proved positive on first test, resided in an unnamed neighbouring state and only came to Osun on a visit.” While explaining that the

THE Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Dawud Makanjuola Akinola, has described the late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana, Odugade I, as a great father, highly skilled and highly disciplined

Jacob Segun Olatunji and Kolawole Daniel - Abuja SPEAKER of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, on Thursday, inaugurated a 50-man Special Ad hoc

Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution as amended. This came just as the chairman of the panel and deputy chairman of the House, Honourable Lasun Yusuf, explained why he

monarch that the people of Ibadanland will never forget his reign. Aare Musulumi stated this in a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan, on Thursday. Alhaji Akinola condoled with the immediate family of the late monarch, the

Oyo State government and the people of Ibadanland over his passage. He explained that the late monarch was full of energy and highly disciplined throughout his reign as the Olubadan of Ibadanland. He advised people not to mourn, but celebrate him.

available to Nigerian Tribune on Thursday, where he also expressed his optimism that the next Olubadan would build on the achievements recorded by his predecessor to take Ibadan to greater heights. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of the Olubadan, we share the pains of the good people of Ibadan and the state government of Oyo State; we also commiserate with you at this trying pe-

He remained committed to continued development of Ibadan —Alao-Akala By Wale Akinselure A former governor of Oyo State, Chief Adebayo AlaoAkala has described the news of the passing of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana, as most heartrending, noting that the late Olubadan was committed to the continued development of Ibadanland. Describing the passing as a great loss not only to Ibadanland, but to the Yoruba race, Alao-Akala, in a condolence message signed by his media adviser, Abraham Bolaji, said the late

Olubadan was an epitome of remarkable virtues, who lived a life worthy of emulation. Alao Akala also recalled with nostalgia how he gave the late Olubadan the staff of office about nine years ago. He prayed that the vision of the late Olubadan of an Ibadan state comes to a reality. He praised the wisdom, humility, sense of commitment to development, noting that the late Olubadan left behind an enviable legacy that would outlive his generation.

riod and may our prayers serve as comfort to you and your loved ones,” he said.

was not present at the inauguration, saying he had to represent the Speaker at the villa in official capacity. The Speaker, while inaugurating the committee, advised its members to avoid the temptation of starting afresh in the entire amendment process of document, saying a lot of public funds were spent in the botched Constitution’s fourtth Alteration Bill. According to him, it would be a disservice to the country if the work of the seventh Assembly on the review of the constitution was completely jettisoned. It will be recalled that the 1999 Constitution fourth Alteration Bill was passed by the seventh Assembly, but was not assented to by the former president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan due to some gray areas he pointed out to the lawmakers in the amended constitution. He assured Nigerians that

the House was committed to expedite and conclude the constitution amendment process. The committee was made up of one representative from each of the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, as well as nine principal officers of the House except the Speaker. Earlier, the Deputy Speaker, who was represented by the House Leader, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, charged the committee members to ensure that they amended all the areas of the 1999 Constitution that had hindered the effective and efficient governance at its various levels. He also expressed optimism that the committee would resolve administrative bottlenecks that militated against the passage into law of all bills initiated by the preceeding seventh Assembly on the constitution alteration process.

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However, Honourable Lasun, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Wole Oladimeji, noted that he did not intentionally boycott the inauguration. According to him, “what happened was that Speaker, Yakubu Dogara sent the Deputy Speaker to attend a presidential assignment at the Villa presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari. “It is a known fact that nobody could leave the venue of the assignment when the programme has not ended. Immediately the Deputy Speaker got to the National Assembly, he was informed that the the committee had been inaugurated. “So, there is no iota of truth that the Deputy Speaker shunned the inauguration. He was at the Villa to represent the Speaker while the inauguration was carried out at the National Assembly,” the statement read.

Dipo: 08078892049 Bisi: 08078892199 Musa: 08078892268 Gabriel: 08078892211

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SPEAKER of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Honourable Mudashiru Obasa, has described the late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana, as a dedicated, dynamic and highly resourceful monarch, whose tenure contributed significantly to the development of Ibadanland. The Speaker made this known in a statement made

cident of Lassa was reported. He, however, posited that massive sensitisation programme was already on at the grass roots level to educate the rural populace on how the disease could be contacted and the preventive measures that could be taken in averting it.

Why I was absent at inauguration —Lasun

He was a dedicated, resourceful monarch —Lagos Speaker Chukwuma Okparaocha - Lagos

Health with mobile lines giving out to people to report any suspicious case. Oladele added that doctors working in all local government areas in the state had been put on red alert, while other health practitioners had been mobilised to prepare ground in case any in-

Dogara inaugurates 50-man constitution review committee

Ibadan people will never forget Oba Odulana —Aare Musulumi By Tunde Ogunesan

second sample that should have been used for confirmatory test could not be taken from the index case before he died. He said as part of the measures to guard against any possible outbreak, a monitoring room had been set up in the state Ministry of

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Friday, 22 January, 2016

Arms deal: Judge stands down case for Dasuki’s appearance Sunday Ejike - Abuja

USTICE Hussein Baba Yusuf of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, on Thursday, hours and insisted that the trial would not be conducted until Dasuki had been brought before him as required by law. Operatives of the State Security Services (SSS), who had taken Dasuki to an unknown custody in the past six weeks, eventually brought him to the court around 11.00 a.m., amidst tight security. Justice Adeniyi Ademola, had, on Wednesday, ordered the Federal Government to produce Dasuki before him on February 16, to answer another sets of criminal charges brought against him by the government. Ademola maintained that it was wrong of the government to have expected the court to conduct a criminal trial in the absence of the defendant and in violation of the law. Three different courts where Dasuki was arraigned for criminal charges had granted him bail, but the bail orders were not obeyed by government which, instead, took the defendant to an unknown custody. However, Justice Yusuf could not go on with the Dasuki’s trial in a case filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly diverting over N19 billion. The adjournment was at the instance of the defence lawyers, Joseph Daudu and Mr Ahmed Raji, who had written to the court that they would be in Kogi State for an election petition case when the matter came up on Thursday. Counsel for the prosecution, Rotimi Jacobs and

other defence counsel in the matter did not oppose the request brought before the court by Dasuki’s counsel. The trial judge, Justice

Hussein Baba Yusuf, then fixed the trial for 11.00 a.m. today. Dasuki is facing trial along with a former Direc-

tor of Finance at the Office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu; a former General Manager at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation

A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Thursday, slated February 5 to deliver ruling on an application filed by the Federal Government, seeking to conceal and mask witnesses willing to testify on the Nyanya and Kuje bombing. Five alleged masterminds of the bombings: Abdulazeez Muhazab, Ishaka Salihu, Mohammed Jimoh, Abdulwaheed Nasiru and Abdullahi Nasiru, are facing trial following their arraignment on October 22, 2015. At the resumed trial on Thursday, Magaji Labaran,

public funds and criminal breach of trust. They all pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against them by the EFCC.

2016 budget: Senators argue over call for heavy taxation Taiwo Adisa and Ayodele Adesanmi - Abuja SENATORS, on Thursday, continued the debate on the general principles of the N6.08 trillion 2016 budget, with many of them calling for heavy taxation to make up for shortfall in revenue. Many senators submitted that instead of relying heavily on borrowing substantially for the implementation of the budget, heavy taxation is a better option. Senate Chief Whip, Professor Olusola Adeyeye, believed that without spreading the dragnet of taxation in the country to all needed areas, there would be no money to fund the budget, in view of dwindling oil revenue. He said the country needed to go back to the model of governance used during the First Republic, where every adult was made to pay tax and not now that only civil or public servants pay tax. “If we are going to move this country forward, we must go back to what we did in the days of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello and Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe. “Nobody in my village would go to his farm until he could produce his tax receipt. We need ingenuity to bring this to pass.We must begin to tax things like cigarrete and alcohol. Also, if anyone beats his wife, he will pay heavily. “Text messages cost N3.81 a page: if we add just N1 to a page of text message and we say that money belongs to government, we will make

billions. “We must install tolls on roads, but that is not enough: across the world, when you park at any airport you pay per hour; we must do what the rest of the world does,” he said. The lawmaker called on the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki , not to allow recommendations of Committee on Public Account against wastage in governance to be swept under the carpet, just as he called for cut in governance at all levels and more effective oversight functions by the various Senate standing committees. “We must go back to Operation 504: There was a time when our president rode 504, go and stand in front of Eagle Square, see cars judges, senators and ministers are riding,” he said. The Senate deputy minority whip, Abiodun Olujimi, warned that if the budget is allowed to pass as drafted, it may send Nigeria back into the list of pariah states. The budget, she said, only made projections for heavy revenues through massive borrowing, without stating any plan for repayment of such loans, insisting that as things are presently, the N6.08 trillion budget, which came with a deficit of N2.2 trillion, may end up having a deficit of N2.6 trillion, which will invariably make the country to borrow average of N500 million for its financing. “Right now Mr President, we have a deficit of $11 on every barrel of oil that we sell and in the budget, we

have a deficit of N2.2 trillion. The problem is if we need to borrow to manage this N2.6 trillion, it means we will be borrowing N500 million everyday of this year,” she said. Olujimi added that Nigeria needed a better budget, adding that though she believed there was the need for change, the change was not in the budget yet. Senator Dino Melaye, in his contribution, believed there was nothing wrong in borrowing in a situation Nigerians currently found themselves in the country, while pleading that money projected for borrowing this time would not end up in people’s pockets as it was in the past. According to him, “there has been a lot of agitations

the prosecution counsel, told the court it was essential to protect, mask the witnesses and conceal their identities, in order to make headway with the prosecution of the suspected terrorists. “We are not calling for a secret trial, but for the witnesses to be allowed with facial masks to testify,” he said. Justice Abdul Kafarati reserved his ruling after Nureni Sulyman, counsel for two of the defendants opposed the applications. Earlier, Ahmed Mohammed, Oluwasegun Owa and Aliyu Momoh, counsel for three of the defendants, had said they left the applica-

tion to the discretion of the court. Meanwhile, Mohammed Sulyman, counsel for the fourth defendant (Nasiru), brought an application urging the court to reverse the plea of guilty entered for his client during his arraignment on October 22, 2015. Sulyman, who made oral application to that regard, was advised by the judge to come formally through a written application. The prosecution counsel had said Sulyman wanted to obliterate the plea already made by the defendant through an oral application. “My Lord, this is a serious

about borrowing. There is nothing wrong with borrowing. The United States, the strongest democracy today, is the highest borrowing nation in the world. “But the question here is: what do you do with what you are borrowing? In the past, we have borrowed, but our performance is a beautiful nonsense. We have borrowed in the past and used it to the benefit of individuals. The Dasukigate is a typical example. “This time, because we have a progressive government, we have men in power who will administer with every sincerity of purpose of heart and commitment. Borrowing this time will be judiciously used to the benefit of the talakawas, the

mekunus and the palm wine tappers.” Spokesman of the Senate, Senator Sabi, described the budget as unique and innovative, very bold and courageous in the strategy and tactics. He said “Mr President this budget, being innovative, has shown that for the first time, like many of my colleagues have already stated, the capital budget has gotten about 216 per cent increase. This increase is also very obvious that we must take note of our past experiences, whereby capital budget implementation is usually not up to our expectations and I will like to implore that the MDAs must be strengthened in their implementation capacity.”

Cultists kill police corporal, 15 others in Rivers Dapo Falade - Port Harcourt PEOPLE suspected to be cultists struck in Ula Upata community in Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, killing 16 people, including a police corporal. This was as the state police command, while confirming the incident, said only eight people were killed by the cultists. An eyewitness, Mr Frank Alabi, claimed that 16 persons lost their lives to the rampaging cultists, saying he witnessed the incident. He said he was in his room in the village when he heard gunshots, adding that he

Nyanya/kuje bombings: FG seeks protection for witnesses Sunday Ejike - Abuja

(NNPC), Aminu Babakusa and a firm, Acacia Holdings, on a 19-count charge bordering on money laundering, illegal diversion of

move to circumvent justice. This is a terrorism case and, therefore, the counsel must be stopped from tossing the court up and down. “We are prepared to vehemently object such application, so he should be made to comply with the rules of court by filing a written application to the respect,” Labaran said. In his ruling Justice kafarati noted that “this a serious prayer that requires formal application, so you may want to come by way of a written application. This will give the prosecution the ample opportunity to also file his objection,” he ruled.

quickly ran into a nearby bush where he monitored all that happened. According to him, the assailants, after killing 10 persons in the Ula Upata community, shifted to Ahoada West to kill another six persons. “I saw everything. I was in my room when about five boys started shooting. The killing started about 12.50 a.m. “I was in my house when I saw the killers. They were five persons. They carried three AK-47 and two pump action. I called the DPO and the JTF. “One of those killed was a police corporal and nine others in the community before they later moved to Ahoada West to kill another six persons,” Alabi said. The eyewitness further claimed that one of the suspected cultists was arrested

by a JTF agent, who responded to his distress call. However, the state police command said it was aware of the incident, but insisted that only eight persons were killed by the suspected cultists. The state police spokesman, Ahmad Muhammad, in a short message, said the timely intervention of policemen saved the community of more death by the rampaging cultists. “The incident was more of cult-related heinous activities at Ula Upata community, Ahoada East Local Government Area. Eight persons were killed. “Quick intervention by our men saved the situation. One of the suspected cultists was arrested and an English pump action gun recovered from him. Investigation is right now ongoing,” he said.

Diezani returns to London police station MRS Diezani Alison-Madueke, former Minister of Petroleum, visited the Charing Cross Police Station in London, United Kingdom, on Thursday, according to TVC. According to TheCable, The former minister was detained at the station in October when the UK National Crime Agency arrested her on suspicions of bribery and money laundering.

The Westminster magistrates’ court later granted her bail, but seized her passport while she was asked to report at the station on October 5 but she did not. The court seized £27, 000 from her, while the agency applied for three separate cash detentions in the names of Diezani, Beatrice Agama (her mother) and Melanie Spencer, a Swiss national.

news

Friday, 22 January, 2016

EFCC arraigns Metuh for allegedly destroying evidence Sunday Ejike - Abuja

OR allegedly attempting to destroy a confessional statement made to operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the antigraft agency on Thursday slammed a fresh twocount charge on the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oilsa Metuh, before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It will be recalled that the PDP spokesman was granted N400 million bail on Tuesday by Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court, Abuja, in a seven-count charge of corruption, involving N400 million, part of funds meant for procurement of arms which he allegedly collected from the office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in November 2014. Count one of the charge contains allegation of destruction of a statement he had given at the EFCC to prevent it from being produced, while count two of the charge borders on allegations of mischief, all punishable under Section 327 of the Penal Code Act. After pleading not guilty to the said charges, counsel to the EFCC, Sylvanus

Tahir, asked the court for time to allow his team present witnesses and evidence in support of the allegations preferred against the PDP spokesman. The trial judge, who is also the Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Justice

Ishaq Bello, said the EFCC must unfailingly produce three witnesses at the next adjourned date. Counsel to the EFCC informed the court that the new charges, filed on January 18 against Metuh were not the same as those currently being heard at the Federal High Court in

Abuja. The court adjourned the matter till January 25, for hearing of an application for bail. In view of the fresh charge, the court directed that Metuh should return to Kuje Prison, where he had earlier been in detention.

...Why he was handcuffed —PDP govs Leon Usigbe and Jacob Segun Olatunji - Abuja PEOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum has observed that the party’s spokesman, Chief Olisa Metuh, was brought to court in handcuff in order to deride him and the opposition party. In a statement issued by the coordinator of the forum, Osaro Onaiwu, in Abuja, on Thursday, the governors described as “a new law,” the handcuffing, stating that the APC regime was a step away from full blown fascism. The forum said the action was to cast the party in bad light before Nigerians as a party of corrupt individuals even when they were yet to be convicted by any competent court. The governors said the All Progressives Congress (APC) regime was yet to learn from history, hence “its banal exhibitionism

and Telemundo antics of subjecting accused persons like Metuh to inhuman treatment.” The statement said: “The only reasonable conclusion we have reached is that the anti-corruption agencies and other institutions of state have allowed themselves to be dictated to by a single vindictive authority which takes pleasure in using power anyhow and in anyway in gross abuse of the constitution, African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and human liberty. “The cuffing of the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP exemplifies a terrible decay of power by the APC regime which sees itself bigger than the democratic state, Nigeria, which brought it to power. “For the avoidance of doubt, the forum is not against the anti-corruption mantra of the present

regime of President Muhammadu Buhari, but we insist it must be within the ambit of our constitution and appropriate laws. “Any other means is a descent into fascism with its attendant consequences in the long run.” The statement further observed that Section 34 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, frowns at all forms of degradation of man particularly inhuman or degrading punishment and treatment, of which Metuh was subjected to. The governors, therefore, called on security and anti-graft agencies to be mindful of how they take instructions from political officeholders “as the tide of power is constantly moving, as the APC will not be in power forever.” They also urged civil society to resist such ultraconstitutional actions before Nigeria becomes the private estate of the APC.

Military officers ordered to declare assets Chris Agbambu - Abuja ALL officers of the Nigerian Army who have not declared their assets have been ordered to do so immediately. The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, gave the directive during a conference with principal staff officers and directors serving at the Army Headquarters. He stated that the directive was in order, considering the fact that all military officers are public servants, as well as subject to both civil and military laws. Buratai noted that given the current drive of the country for probity and accountability, the Nigerian Army should be one of the key drivers for such laudable project. Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman who is the acting Director, Army Public Relations, later confirmed the directive and pointed out

that the Chief of Army Staff had done so soon on his appointment as Commander, Multinational Joint Task

Force in May 2015 and also on his appointment as Chief of Army Staff in July 2015.

According to him, copies of Buratai’s assets declaration are with the Code of Conduct Bureau.

War against terror: Police to take over from military in N/East Chris Agbambu - Abuja THE Force Management Team has taken a step towards restoration of civil authority in some of the liberated areas in the North-East by deploying Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, DIG Sotonye Wakama, and a team of intelligence officers to the area for need assessment and other scooping activities. Speaking on Thursday, in Abuja, during an interactive session organised by the Senate, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP

Solomon Arase, stated that the Police were carrying out a scooping mission aimed at relieving the military of some duties for law and order to be restored in the part of the country. The IGP noted that guaranteeing the safety of persons and property, and restoring public trust in the maintenance of order and stability remain the cardinal keys in re-establishing a working society after violent conflict. He further said the Nigeria Police Force would deploy more personnel and equipment to the North-

East to provide a secure environment necessary for the return of IDPs to their respective communities. The IGP observed that Police operational response will result to an improved quality of life for citizens. Arase called on all stakeholders, especially the press, to give maximum cooperation to Police officers and other law enforcement agencies to ensure the restoration of civil authority and successful integration of the people who were displaced by the activities of the Boko Haram insurgency.

It will be recalled that the EFCC had on January 12, accused Metuh of shredding a confessional statement he made to its operatives and pointed out that it would charge him separately for attempting to destroy major evidence in the case against him. The anti-graft agency held that tearing of statement is tantamount to wilful destruction of government property and a serious offence. EFCC said Metuh’s action, which amounts to obstructing operatives from performing their job, is also a criminal offence.

Destruction of oil facilities self-inflicted injury —Presidential Amnesty Programme Soji-Eze Fagbemi - Abuja THE Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brigadier General Paul Boroh (retd), has told stakeholders, traditional rulers and leaders in the Niger Delta that destruction of oil facilities in the region is self-inflicted injury. Boroh was speaking during his tour of the region, where he visited the palaces of the traditional rulers, which included The Olu of Warri, the Agadagba of Egbema Kingdom, the Amakosowei of Ogbe Ijoh, the Ovie of Uvwie, the Ebedaowei of Kabaowei, the Pere of Kabowei Kingdom and the Regent of Gbaramatu Kingdom. He said his mission to the region was to ensure that peace reigns and grievances settled through dialogue. He asked them to call erring youths to order emphasising that it is easy to destroy but difficult to rebuild. The Amnesty Programme coordinator said that a strategic thinker defends his territory against attack and destruction and not make it a battle zone. In his response, the Olu of Warri, HRM Omoba Godfrey Abiloye Ikenwoli Emiko, said the Niger Delta people do not want any destruction in the region and that all the people of the region, irrespective of ethnicity or religion, are one people.

Nigerian Tribune

Boko Haram: Troops repel insurgents in Dikwa James Bwala - Maiduguri NIGERIAN troops situated in Dikwa town of Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State has repelled attempt by desperate members of the Boko Haram insurgents to take over the local government. Shettima Sheriff, a resident of the area told newsmen in Maiduguri that the people of the area were impressed with the show of force by the military. According to him, “this is the first time that Boko Haram members failed in their series of attacks on the town. This shows that the country is moving forward and we are hoping that very soon all the insurgents will be dealt with and our people will return home.” In another development, hundreds of internally displaced persons from Ngala Local Government Area are returning home following relative peace in the area. Speaking to newsmen in Maiduguri, officials of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said it is the desired of the government to return all IDPs to their various local governments as peace returns to such areas.

Edo Reps member granted bail over forgery Banji Aluko - Benin City THE trial of the lawmaker representing Estako Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Honourable Philip Shaibu, commenced on Thursday in a Benin City High Court. Shaibu is facing a sixcount charge bordering on forged tax clearance documents in a case preferred against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Honourable Shaibu was alleged to have committed the offence in 2006 in documents he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) when he contested for Etsako constituency II seat in the Edo State House of Assembly. Shaibu, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to him. Counsel to Honourable Shaibu, Ken Mozia, pleaded before the court for the quashing of the arrest warrant issued against the accused and his surety, Honourable Osarodion Ogie.

Nigerian Tribune

Friday, 22 January, 2016

Lagosmetro

Edited by

Lanre Adewole

olanreade@yahoo.com

0811 695 4647

Alausa flyover: Court hears lawyer’s suit against FERMA, Fashola on February 25 Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare

Federal High Court sitting in Lagos will on February 25, 2016 hear a suit filed by a lawyer, Kabir Akingbolu against the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to challenge its decision, stopping the Lagos State Government from completing the construction of Alausa overhead bridge which will form part of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. Joined as co-defendant in the suit is the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who was the Lagos State Governor during the period which work on the bridge was put on hold by the Federal Government. The lawyer is asking the court for some determinations and orders which include determining that given the great economic and geo-political importance of the road as it connects Lagos which is the business capital of Nigeria to other parts of the country, whether the failure of the defendants to put it in good, safe and motorable condition is not a breach of their statutory duties. Specifically, he is praying the court for an order mandating FERMA and the minister to put the road in good, safe and motorable condition with immediate effect as well as an order directing the Federal Government and the body saddled with the responsibility of maintaining federal roads to resume work on the construction of Alausa overhead bridge with immediate effect. The Lagos State Government had embarked on the construction work in a bid to reduce the traffic gridlock and constant accidents that occur as a result of pedestrians crossing the expressway, but the construction was stopped due to the insistence by the Federal Government that the road is not a state road but a federal

road and the Lagos State Government had no right to commence the construction work on it. Akingbolu, in his Originating Summons before the court, condemned the action of the Federal Gov-

ernment, adding that since the construction work was put on hold about two to three years ago, no effort was made to complete the project. He further described this action as an aberration

and a total abuse of power, stressing that it was unfortunate that the Federal Government has failed to fix the Lagos-Ibadan expressway despite the hardship and loss of lives being experienced on the road

and recalled that recently, former President Olusegun Obasanjo was a victim of accident on the expressway largely as a result of the deplorable state of the road. He explained that the road had become “so deplorable

and a truly cringe worthy death trap that claims the lives of several people”, adding that as a result of the deplorable state of the road, the people, including himself, now spend several hours on the road as a result of traffic gridlock spanning especially from Warewa axis all the way down to the Redemption Camp and beyond. Hearing was adjourned till February 25, 2016 because on the date initially scheduled for hearing, the trial judge, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia did not sit.

Cultists By Olalekan Olabulo

Samsung Digital Centre along Opebi-Allen Avenue, gutted by fire on Thursday. Photo: Sylvester

6-hour inferno consumes Samsung store By Olalekan Olabulo Goods worth millions of naira were on Thursday destroyed as fire ravaged the popular Samsung Store on Allen Avenue, Ikeja. The fire, which started around 12:00 noon, on Thursday, was still raging on fiercely as of the time of filing this report. Though the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained as of press time, Lagos Metro gathered that it might have started from power surge. Operatives of the state fire service, who arrived at the scene of the incident, had to reinforce for more officers and fire trucks from nearby power stations. The burglary system around the burning store reportedly made it difficult for fire fighters to access the source of the fire, as they had to resort to using nearby

buildings. The arrival of the fire fighters, however, saved nearby buildings from being engulfed in the fire as most of the buildings were covered in thick and heavy smoke. An eye witness, who simply identified himself as Tony said “the fire started from the first floor and almost all the goods on the floor were com-

pletely lost in the fire.” He added that “the fire fighters did not arrive on time but we must give credit to them for a job well done. If not for them, many of the nearby buildings would have been affected.” The fire incident created serious traffic gridlock around Allen and Opebi as a large part of the Allen Avenue

road was blocked by vehicles from the state fire service, police and other emergency agencies. The director of the state fire service, Rasak Fadipe, while speaking on the incident, stated that “it is a very serious fire incident. We are on top of the situation. We met it well alive and we have deployed five fire trucks.”

There was confusion around Onipanu area of Lagos on Wednesday afternoon and early Thursday as one house and six shops were set ablaze by suspected cultists. The cultists, who were said to be on a reprisal attack, also vandalised about 10 vehicles, which were parked along the street in the area. Lagos Metro gathered that the clash started on Wednesday afternoon, when a popular cultist, Sodiq was abducted around Ilupeju Toll Gate. The abductors, said to be a rival cult members from Onipanu, headed by Lizarazu, AY and Hauwa were reportedly about to kill Sodiq, when policemen invaded Vono area, where he was taken to. Members of Sodiq’s gang

Controversy over missing Ejigbo sodomy victim AyomideOwonibi-Odekanyin Controversy has continued to trail the whereabouts of the victim of Ejigbo sodomy as trial of suspects continued. A witness, Mr Bassey Uket, on Thursday, tendered as exhibit before a Lagos High court sitting in Ikeja, two dane guns, two knives and charms recovered from the suspects arrested in the investigation of the torture and sodomy of three women in

Ejigbo accused of stealing pepper. Uket told the court that two cartridge guns, two knives and one expended cartridge was recovered by the police while charms were found on one of the accused persons, who confessed that the charms were for his personal protection. He further told the court that he visited the scene of the incident with members of his team led by one ASP Ibra-

heem. He further maintained that although the incident took place on February 11, 2013, they did not commence investigation on the matter till January, the following year when they were notified about the case. He, however, told the court that he was not sure if Juliana Agomo, one of the tortured women, was dead or alive. “We went to their home town, but we could not as-

certain whether the girl is truly dead. We have not seen or heard anything from her since then, though her father confirmed to us that she is dead. “The king of Ejigbo later told us when we visited his palace that Juliana is not dead and that we should not punish anyone unjustly,” he said. Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye adjourned the matter till February 16.

Nigerian Tribune

How hoodlums attacked me at Customs Seme post —Reporter By Akin Adewakun

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode (middle), with Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Wale Oluwo (right) and permanent secretary, Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Mr Bade Adebowale (left), during the governor’s inspection tour of Church Road, Agbelekale and Giwa Street, Aboru in Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA, on Thursday.

destroy vehicles, shops, building in Onipanu from Onipanu invaded Lizarazu father’s home at 4, Shosanya Street in Onipanu and set the house and six shops ablaze. A resident of Onipanu, who simply identified himself as Tobi told Lagos Metro that “it was between Eiye and Aiye cult members. They came here

yesterday with machetes and guns and started shooting into Lizarazu’s father’s house, before they set it ablaze.” The resident also continued that “they were there for more than one hour. They even vandalised some of the vehicles, parked along Sosanya and other streets.

“What happened was that the leader of the Onipanu group was abducted and attacked in the morning and his boys thought that he had been killed.” Residents of the burnt building were given no chance by the arsonists, who reportedly shot into their rooms, before setting

the building on fire. The image maker in charge of the state police command, Dolapo Badmus denied that the incident was a cult clash but insisted that it was a case of arson. She also stated that the police were on top of the situation and that investigations were on going.`

A Badagry-based journalist, Mr Yomi Olomofe has taken the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and other key officers of the Service to court over an attack, carried out against him, within the premises of the Service at Seme Border on June 25, last year, by some hoodlums. Giving an update on the incident that left him bed-ridden for some time, the Badagry Weekly Tabloid Reporter, expressed shock that he could be attacked on the premises of the service by hoodlums in the course of his duty, with men of NCS looking the other way. “I was attacked in broad daylight at the premises of the Nigerian Customs Service in Seme Border. Throughout the period of my ordeal, nobody from NCS lifted a finger to help me. The hoodlums left me because they thought I had passed on since I was beaten to a pulp.” Olomofe narrated. According to Olomofe, the case had been filed at the Federal High Court, with the support of the leadership of the NUJ, to enable him seek

Private school proprietors storm Lagos Assembly over multiple taxation ByChukwumaOkparaocha Proprietors of private schools, under the aegis of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) have complained due to multiple taxation which they said is making their life unbearable Part of the multiple taxation problems, according to the group, includes the collection of ‘questionable’ levies in the form of television and radio levies. Some of the members of the association, led by their Deputy National President, Chief Yomi Otubela, met with members of the Education Committee of the Lagos State House of Assembly, on Thursday, and intimated the committee on how they were being made to pay all kinds of levies by different agents of the government.

Apart from television and radio levies, Otubela also listed other levies charged them by different government agencies as including: signage levies, building approval charge, land use charge, industrial training levies, among others. The President of the association, Alhaji Akande Kamal, in his address disclosed that local government workers often come to lock up the doors of private schools under the guise of owing such ‘questionable’ levies. “They make us to register online every year with amount of money ranging from N5, 000 to N10, 000, when we have already been approved. Only new schools should be paying such money. The state government has also increased dues being paid by private schools by 400 per cent,

such that those that were paying N70, 000 now pay N250, 000. “Our members are groaning under so many levies such as business premises levy, industrial training levy, entertainment or merriment levy, building ap-

proval fees and most of the charges are not receipted,” he added. In his response, the Chairman of the Education Committee of the House, Honourable Lanre Ogunyemi, said that the committee and the House of Assembly

were collaborators with the schools proprietors in moving education forward in the state. He emphasised that everybody must come together to take education to a greater height as the state was the centre of excellence.

A passenger train, which caught fire at the Lagos District Office of Nigerian Railway Corporation, in Ebute-Meta, on Thursday. PHOTO: Nan

redress. Condemning the attack, the National President of the Union, Alhaji Waheed Odusile, reiterated the union’s resolve to defend the rights of members, while stressing the need for members to be their brother’s keeper. According to him, the Union was at first circumspect before going to court to enable the bruised-reporter fully recover from the injuries sustained during the attack, before going to court. While charging members to be actively involved in the union’s pursuit of justice for the harassed journalist, Odusile noted that journalists are increasingly becoming soft targets of hoodlums and agents of the state, adding that the only way to check this is by ensuring that perpetrators of such crime are made to face justice.

Fake NLDEA official sentenced to 4 years in prison AyomideOwonibi-Odekanyin A man, identified as, Okoro Anthony has been sentenced to four years imprisonment for falsely parading himself as an operative of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA). He was sentenced when he pleaded guilty to the offence before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos. Before the convict was sentenced, the NDLEA prosecutor, Mr Fingere Dinneys, informed the court that Anthony was arrested sometimes in December 2013, around Alaba Primary School, Alaba, where he was falsely parading himself as a Deputy Superintendent of Narcotics of the NDLEA. Dinneys further informed the court that fake NDLEA letterhead papers, a fake letter of employment and a fake letter of compensation was found with him. He was arrested and was subsequently charged with unlawful assumption of name, character and designation of an officer of the NDLEA, contrary to and punishable under Section 15 of the NDLEA Act Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

businessnews

Friday, 22 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Nigeria will have to devalue naira in 2016 —S&P

atings agency, Standard & Poor’s, reiterated, on Thursday, that Nigeria will have to devalue its currency, saying it expected this to happen at some stage in 2016 and in gradual adjustments. Investors have seen a devaluation of the naira as long overdue for Africa’s largest economy and biggest oil exporter, which has been battered by the tumble in crude prices. Despite growing pressure, Nigeria’s government has kept the naira pegged at around 198 to the dollar on the official interbank market, while restricting access to dollars. “Their line has been to try to hold it as much as possible, and they are trying to continue that policy...alongside the restrictions on imports as well,” said Ravi Bhatia, Director of Sovereign and International Public Finance at Standard & Poor’s. “But at some point they are going to have to move,

but I think they are going to try and do it incrementally and not (in) big jumps,” Bhatia told reporters in a briefing, adding he expected this to happen in

one or two increments. Nigerian non-deliverable currency forwards, a derivative product used to hedge against future exchange rate moves, indicated mar-

kets expected the naira exchange rate at 265.00 to the dollar in six months time, and at 284.00 to the dollar in 12 months’ time. Brent crude accounts for

about 95 percent of foreign earnings. A devaluation would only go some way to improve Nigeria’s situation, said Bhatia. “It will help a little, but

NECA calls for reversal of CBN N50 charges OlatundeDodondawa-Lagos

From left, Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Diamond Bank, Uzoma Dozie, Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Oluranti Adebule, Prof. Wole Soyinka and Founder, Nike Art Gallery, Chief Mrs. Nike Okundaye at the 2016 Diamond Bank Vision of the Child Conference held at Diamond Bank Head Office, Lekki on Thursday in Lagos. Photo: Sylvester Okoruwa.

CBN is not a manufacturer of foreign exchange, Tule tells BDC operators Chima Nwokoji-lagos

Following calls by the Bureau De Change (BDC) operators on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to review its policy that led to the stoppage of dollar supply to retailers,Moses Tule, CBN’s director, monetary policy has said that the bank does not manufacture dollars and pounds for sell. According to him, BDC operators were getting their forex from other sources before the CBN started selling dollars to them, they should go back to the same autonomous sources and get their normal supply. He said this in response to the demands of the Association of Bureau De Change Association of Nigeria(ABCON). The association had demanded among others, that: the decision of stopping sales of dollars to BDCs should be reversed; the N35 million caution fee should be reviewed; CBN should define in clear terms what it means by autonomous sources. Tule, in a live television program monitored in Lagos said, “You don’t set up a business and ask the government to give you the product to sell. It is never done. The central bank is not a manufacturer of foreign exchange. Foreign exchange is generated

the problems aren’t going to go away - there is no easy avenue for them really,” he said. He saw government talk of shifting to non-oil revenue as “overstated” and not easy to do. “(Nigeria) is going to face a very tough year in 2016,” he said Earlier in January, the naira hit a low of 305 on the parallel market.

through a combination of economic activities in the macro- economy that generate the foreign exchange which the CBN simply manages for, and on behalf of a hundred and eighty million people in Nigeria.” While accusing the ABCON of unnecessarily assuming a life of its own after been created by CBN and trying to hold the nation to ransom, Tule said the CBN is calling every Nigerian to make sacrifices and the BDCs cannot be an exception. The CBN’s ban stemmed

from dwindling foreign reserves and banks’ inability to settle dollar transactions. The CBN’s director regretted that any time there is a policy by the bank that affects BDCs, the very next moment you see them raising rates in order threaten the CBN to call them for discussion towards rescending the decision. “That is a life of its own. They are no longer acting as if they are working in tandem with the regulators to build a virile financial system,” he stated. Meanwhile, Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe, Acting president

of ABCON insisted that BDCs or the dollars being sold to BDCs are not the cause of the nation’s foreign exchange problem or the depreciation of the naira. Rather, it is the dwindling revenue from oil caused by decline in price of crude oil. He also accused CBN of indirectly blocking the “so called autonomous sources” of dollar supply and still wants BDCs to get their supply therefrom. BDCs through ABCON he stated, have always

been supportive of efforts of the CBN to ensure stability of the foreign exchange market and the exchange rate, as the subsector does not benefit from an unstable foreign exchange market. “Thus, the way forward is continuous engagement with ABCON on how to address the depreciation of the naira in the parallel market. Furthermore there is need for the CBN to review the scope of the operations of BDCs, and partner with ABCON to conduct regular training and capacity building programmes for BDCs.

‘FCMB will record growth in retail contribution’ FCMB Group Plc has stated that its subsidiaries, namely First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited, FCMB Capital Markets Limited and CSL Stockbrokers Limited, are well positioned to grow strongly this year. The holding company added that the subsidiaries would also deepen the financial services support they provide to customers and the nation at large with their array of products and bespoke solutions to further enhance customer experience in their respective target markets. This was revealed in a statement by the Managing Director of FCMB Group Plc, Mr Peter Obaseki. According to him, “2016

will be characterised by continued growth in retail contribution, stabilisation of wholesale banking revenues and increased focus on cost efficiencies’’. He added that the retail banking business of the Group, which is driven by First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited, continued to ”show greater resilience and earnings momentum over the years.” Obaseki disclosed that FCMB Group Plc would in the fourth week of January this year announce the completion of the banking subsidiary’s interim audit, which should pave way for the release of the 3Q15 earnings results of FCMB Group Plc.

According to him, “3Q15 earnings as at September 2015, will be materially below earnings for the same period in 2014, due to two factors: a spike in impairments particularly in the energy sector and the significant reduction in trade finance-related revenues due to foreign exchange illiquidity. This trend continued in 4Q15 and largely emanated from wholesale banking activities’’. He further stated that, “we will increase focus on cost efficiencies (opex, funding and risk) in order to restore earnings levels.” Commenting on the growth recorded by the bank over the years and its aspirations, the Group

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ladi Balogun, said, “we will continue to do the things we are doing well; driving low cost deposit growth, in order to bring down the cost of funds, through increased acquisition and collections. We will also continue to raise our performance in customer service by building a vibrant, credible and relevant banking brand that everyone wants to bank with. Overall, we are confident this progress and momentum will be sustained, as we continue to grow our market share through service excellence while improving our efficiency ratios.”

The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has expressed grave concern over the recent directive of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to all Deposit Money Banks (DMB) to commence the charging of N50 per eligible transaction in accordance with the provisions of the Stamp Duties Act and Federal Government Financial Regulations (2009). Speaking in Lagos on Thursday, the Director General of NECA, Mr. Olusegun Oshinowo, stated that: “there is a pending case at the Court of Appeal on this subject matter between Kasmal International Services Limited and. Access Bank & 23 others. NIPOST is aware of this development and all parties, as law abiding citizens, were expected to await the pronouncement of the court”. He stated further that “the power to administer the Stamp Duties Act is within the purview of the Commissioner for Stamps as provided for in Section 6 of the Act and not NIPOST or CBN and that the Act did not make the affixing of postage stamp mandatory, neither did the Act specify the value to be a N50 postage stamp”. He urged the Buhari administration not to introduce policies that will increase the burden on the citizens and firms within the economy. According to him, Nigeria should take a cue from other climes where, Stamp Duty’s applicability is limited to purchases involving large sums like a house purchase or importation of goods as against the position of applying N50 postage stamp to “all receipts given by any bank (or financial institution) in acknowledgement of services rendered in respect of electronic transfer and teller deposits.”

businessnews

Friday, 22 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Customs to consult CBN on possible review of forex policy

he Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) intends to consult with Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over the possible review of the bank’s monetary policy on foreign exchange affecting customs revenue generation. The Service Public Relations Officer, Mr Wale Adeniyi, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja. He said the consultation was to see how the policy could be fine-tuned to take care of the negative impact on customs revenue without necessarily negating the objective of the policy. “What customs is doing is to start engagement from the government agency to government agency; so we are going to be talking to CBN first to see what can be done in terms of review of policy. “We all understand the objective of the policy but we don’t want a policy that will achieve one objective

on one side and create some disruption and problem on the other. “The objective of our consultation with CBN will

be to see how we can finetune the policy to take care of the negative impact it is creating for our (customs) revenue without necessar-

ily negating the objective of the policy itself. “So we will start with that and we hope we will get some positive outcome,

mutually beneficial solution to the issue. “It is only if we don’t get beneficial solution that we hope to take

From left, Factory/Human Resources Manager, Nestle Nigeria Agbara, Mr Jones Aremu; Factory Security Officer, Mr Godson Orkeh; Manager, Communications and Public Affairs, Dr. Sam Adenekan; Country Security Manager, Mr. Uche Columbus; Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Agbara, Mr John Yemi Oyeniyi and the Factory Manager, Nestle Nigeria Agbara, Mr Verna Rukesh, during the presentation of 4.9 Million Naira cheque donation to Nigeria Police Force, towards the building of Police Recreation Centre, Agbara, by Nestle Nigeria in Agbara, Ogun State on Thursday. Photo: Sylvester Okoruwa

the matter to higher authorities,’’Adeniyi said. NAN recalled that the Comptroller-General of Customs, retired Col. Hameed Ali, said that the shortfall of N240 billion in customs revenue target was due to CBN monetary policy which banned 41 items on the Forex. Ali said that the service only generated N903 billion out of its N954 billion revenue target in 2015 due to the policy. “If you remember CBN policy on 41 items; when we did our analysis, the policy has denied us money to the tune of N240 billion. “So if we add that to what we have generated, it would have surpassed what we have. “So that is the downside of why we were not able to meet the target in 2015; but hopefully with all the tools we put in place and I hope that government will once again look at those policies and see how they can be fine-tuned,’’ Ali said.

Nigeria: Recruitment, training inevitable for food security —IITA Femi Ibirogba, Nanning, Guangxi, China

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nigeria, has called for recruitment of young, educated and upwardly mobile agricultural extension workers in Nigeria, with intensive

capacity development to meet up with the need for effective dissemination of information to farmers on new technologies, varieties and market opportunities. Put at 1:3,011, the ratio one extension worker to over 3,000 farmers drastically fell short of the

target of the Nigerian government to have one agricultural extension worker attached to 800 farmers, posing a serious challenge to the agricultural transformation agenda of the government. While presenting a paper on ‘The capacity of extension staff in managing

weeds in cassava systems in Nigeria’ in Nanning, China, during the ongoing World Congress on Root and Tuber Crops, Communication and Knowledge Exchange expert at IITA Nigeria, Atser Godwin, revealed that “Maximizing the benefits of improved weed management tech-

NUPENG decries imminent job loss at IOCs OlatundeDodondawa-Lagos

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), has expressed concerns over imminent job loss at International Oil Companies (IOCs) globally. The decline in crude price is affecting multinational oil companies including governments across the globe and the Union stated that the intending sack of workers will affect the Nigerian workers. The union described, in a statement signed by its National President, Comrade Achese Igwe, the sack threat as alarming which is attributed to the dwindling oil prices in the international market. NUPENG called on the federal government to halt the threat of loss of jobs in Nigeria by these multinational companies. The union said it condemned in its entirety the impending sack as it will not work with the current eforts of the Buhari administration

to generate employment instead of job loses. NUPENG added that it will amount to derailing the efforts of the government to provide jobs for

Nigerians.It stated further that the oil giants should cut cost by employing Nigerians in positions where expatriates hold sway and are paid ten times what our

people are getting. The union warns that it may be forced to embark on industrial action if the actions affect its members.

nologies in cassava systems by farmers entails that extension workers must have the capacity to transfer the improved knowledge from research stations to farmers.” He added that apart from grossly inadequate number of extension workers, his study indicated that the existing workers were older, lacked capacity development as a result of underfunding and basic requirements, causing inefficiency. The study specifically investigated the capabilities of extension staff of Agricultural Development Pro-

Ethiopian airlines reconnect New York June Ethiopian Airlines, the largest and most profitable airline in Africa, is pleased to announce that preparations are being finalised to launch service to New York’s JFK airport by the end of June. Ethiopian suspended flights to New York in 2004, to provide nonstop service from Washington to Addis Ababa, with connections to its network in East, Central and Southern Africa. Ethiopian’s network will once again provide a vital link between New York and Africa with this new service. Flights from Addis Ababa to JFK will depart Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday mornings, and will return from JFK to Addis Ababa the same

evening. Flights will make an intermediate stop in Lomé, home base for Ethiopian Airline’s partner ASKY Airlines, in both directions. Passengers from New York will enjoy faster flight options to a variety of cities with this new flight. There will be three weekly one-stop flights between New York and Addis Ababa, headquarters of the African Union and capital of one of the fastest growing economies in the world. There will be connectivity beyond Addis Ababa to and from major economic and tourist destinations in East, Southern and Central Africa and the Middle East, including Nairobi, Enteb-

be, Dar es Salaam, Kigali, Khartoum, Jeddah, and Riyadh. There will be connectivity between New York and many cities in West Africa with Ethiopian’s partner ASKY Airlines, via Lomé, including Lagos, Abidjan, Dakar, Libreville, Douala, N’djamena, Kinshasa, Bamako, Conakry, Ouagadougou, and Niamey. Ethiopian will be deploying the most modern aircraft in the world on this flight, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which not only offers unparalleled onboard comfort to passengers, but is also the world’s most environmentally friendly aircraft, with its lower fuel usage and noise emissions.

Ethiopian’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner is configured with 24 business class and 246 economy seats, all of which are equipped with on-demand video monitors featuring a variety of entertainment options. Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mr Tewolde GebreMariam, remarked, “We are thrilled to resume our service to New York, our fourth destination in the Americas. “New York is one of the world’s most economically powerful cities and including it in our ever expanding network will play a critical role in the expansion of trade, tourism and investment between the fast growing continent of Africa and the United

grammes (ADPs) in weed management in cassava systems in Nigeria. “The findings of the study,” Atser said, “showed that more than 80 per cent of extension staff have not had training that specifically targets weed management in cassava. “There is knowledge gap on weed identification, types of herbicides, cassava varietal identification, and computer skills among extension staff. “Furthermore, the extension system in Nigeria is male dominated and majority are 50 years and above. Radio, telephone and group discussion were the most used communication channels for technology transfer to farmers by extension staff.” IITA recommended training of extension staff on sustainable management of weeds in cassava systems with specific emphasis on weed identification, herbicides use and application, cassava varietal identification, gender and computer skills. The study concluded that efforts should also be made to employ younger extension workers with emphasis on females to narrow the ratio between extension agents and farmers, which currently stands at 1:3,011.

news

Friday, 22 January, 2016

Oil swap: Committee threatens bench warrant against oil chiefs Jacob Segun Olatunji and Kolawole Daniel — Abuja

HE House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the multibillion crude oil for refined products exchange (oil swap) arrangement scam on Thursday adjourned abruptly following the claim by one of the indicted oil marketers that the subject of the investigative hearing “is a subject of litigation” while another one refused to turn up. The Committee, however, gave the Aiteo Nigeria Ltd and one other till Tuesday next week to appear before it failure which it sad that it would direct the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to effect the bench warrant against their chief executives. At the continuation of the hearing yesterday, counsel to the companies, Mrs Chika Onyebuchi Uko, said a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Center for Rule of Law, had instituted a legal proceeding against

the investigative hearing which “makes the continuation of the hearing prejudiced.” She said her clients, Aiteo Nigeria Ltd and the other marketer would not appear before the Committee until the case was dispensed with. The furious Chairman of the Committee, Honourable zakari Mohammed, however, told the counsel that being an arm of government, what the House is doing was constitutional. Citing Section 89 (I) (d) of the constitution to back his

assertion, he asked Uko to provide a court order that bars the committee from proceeding with its assignment. The committee directed the counsel to inform her clients, that bench warrant of arrest would be issued against them should they fail to appear before the committee within 48 working hours. Aiteo, according to the records of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), was owing N256,073,201.82 in tax arrears while Ontario Nigeria

Ltd owed N11,254,070.60. The two trading companies as well as one Trafigura were said to have been indebted to the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) for unreturned products from the 30,000 barrels of crude they got from the deals. Briefing newsmen later, the Chairman of the Committee, Honourable Mohammed assured that the investigative hearing was very much in progress and warned all those already summoned to honour the summon in their own inter-

est as the committee had already secured their warrant of arrest should they failed to show up. On the fate of the third trading firm, Taleveras Nigeria Ltd, Mohammed said the company complied with invitations. He added: “Taleveras have been coming since the commencement of the hearing. They were here today as well but went to the former hearing room but before we left the new hearing room, their representatives met us. “They will be taken on Tuesday.”

SUSPECTED kidnappers have abducted an Islamic cleric, Alhaji Olayinka Oshinkoya, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Tuesday. Nigerian Tribune learnt that the abductees is the Chairman, Ansar ud deen Society, Ijebu chapter and was kidnapped near a Federal Government Radio Station, Paramount FM, on the Abeokuta-Siun-Sagamu Expressway. According to his brother, Abolore Oshinkoya, the Islamic leader was in Abeokuta for a meeting with the Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan. He explained to newsmen that when his elder brother alighted to urinate, three armed men in Honda car forced him into their car and whisked him away. The younger Oshinkoya said the unmarked vehicle made a detour towards Sagamu end and had since not contacted any family member, saying the matter was first reported at Trade Fair Police post and Ibara Police Station. He said “The DPO at Ibara tried to pursue the vehicle hoping that the vehicle might break down along the Sagamu way but all were to no avail.”

Leon Usigbe - Abuja VICE President Yemi Osinbajo has left Abuja to represent Nigeria at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. At the annual global event, he will be participating in a number of panels highlighting the prospects of the Nigerian economy under President Muhammadu Buhari and will also be meeting other leaders. This is the first participation of the administration in the Davos forum. According to a statement issued by his spokesman, Laolu Akande, in Abuja, on Thursday, he is expected back in the country on Saturday.

Nigeria, Ecuador move to boost commercial ties

Suspected kidnappers abduct Islamic cleric in Ogun OlayinkaOlukoya-Abeokuta

Osinbajo to represent Nigeria at World Economic Forum in Switzerland

Christian Okeke - Abuja

Suspected terrorists that bombed Nyanya and Kuje at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday. PHOTO: SUNDAY OSUNRAYI.

I’ll open up on Dasukigate —Falae Says it is plot to blackmail him, SDP JacobSegunOlatunji—Abuja THE National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and one time Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Olu Falae, on Thursday, raised the alarm that

some elements were out to discredit and blackmail him and his party for reasons best known to them which prompted them to accuse him of receiving N100 million from the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Da-

suki (retd). Addressing the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party in Abuja during the inauguration of its National Convention Committee, headed by Chief Korede Duyile, Falae assured the nation that he

Pandemonium as police officer kills tanker driver on Lokoja-Okene road Yinka Oladoyinbo - Lokoja THERE was pandemonium on the Lokoja-Okene Road Thursday morning as aggrieved tanker drivers blocked the road following the shooting of one of them by a police officer over alleged refusal to give the officer bribe. The driver of the tanker, Rufai Isa, was said to have died of gunshot wound sustained from the shooting, which was said to have occurred early late in the evening on Wednesday at Osara in Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State. Already, the Kogi State Command of the Nigeria Police has confirmed that

the officer responsible for the killing had been arrested and detained. It was gathered that the tanker driver was allegedly stopped by the policemen that were drafted to the highway to maintain security. However, arguments were said to have ensued between one of the policemen and the tanker driver, which resulted in the security operative fire at the direction of the tanker driver which eventually led to his death. When the news filtered to other tanker drivers plying the road, they mobilised to the scene and blocked the road with their trucks. The development was

said to have led to gridlock on the highway, causing tension as many travellers were trapped and held up. The aggrieved tanker drivers were said to have threatened to take law into their hands and cause breakdown of order following the death of their colleague. Nigerian Tribune gathered that when the situation was getting out of hand, the Commissioner of Police in the command, Bensan Gwana, moved to the scene to calm frayed nerves. The police commissioner was said to have arrived the scene at about 1:00p.m. on Thursday after travellers had been stranded for over 12 hours.

would open up on his involvement and that of SDP at a world press conference to be held either in Lagos or Abuja next week. Chief Falae stated that the action became necessary in order to put the records straight and for the blackmailers to shut up forever over the matter. According to him, “I have said several times and I will say it again before the NEC of our party that I did not receive a kobo from the former NSA, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd) as alleged that I Chief Olu Falae took a sum of N100 million from him. The truth of the matter was that I collected N100 million from Chief Tony Anenih of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for our party based on our alliance to work with the PDP during the last presidential election. “I collected the money. I transferred it to the account of the party and duly debated on how to share it for the electioneering campaign. The money was transparently disbursed and the records are there for anybody to crosscheck,” he further explained.

A major step towards enhancing commercial ties between Ecuador and Nigeria was taken on Thursday as Ambassador Leopoldo Rovayo Verdesoto paid a visit to Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) to explore possibilities of advancing developmental issues between both countries. Speaking with the President of the chamber, Tony Ejinkeonye, the envoy noted that it will not be out of place if Nigeria commences use of Ecuadorian products. He noted the chamber’s objective of promoting economic and industrial development by representing the common interests of the business community within the FCT and Nigeria in general. The envoy disclosed that other commercial issues discussed bothered on export promotions, especially in the view of decline in oil prices. He disclosed that there was an ongoing study of Nigerian market to determine the products that can sell. Verdesoto promised to link Quito and Guayaquil Chambers of Commerce with ACCI to enhance exchange of information.

Friday, 22 January, 2016

N Wednesday, 26 January, 2016 I will by God’s grace turn 73. Three years ago, I had celebrated my 70th birthday at Ilesa (my home town) with all pomp and pageantry. How time flies. On 26, January, I will be 73 but without any ceremony to mark the event. If anything at all, I am planning to invite members of my Otapete Methodist Cathedral Club, the Wesley Group to join me in a short Holy Communion Service to mark the event. There are reasons why I have decided against an elaborate ceremony of my 73rd birthday. I have lost my friends within the last seven months that I believe I must allow time and space to pass before I put on regalia of joy and happiness over their passing on into glory. Seven months ago, I had to travel down to Ifaki-Ekiti to join others in burying my primary school classmate and confidant, Solomon Dada ((KJW). He had died at the age of a little over seventy-three. Towards the end of November, the death of another childhood friend of mine, Benjamin Ajiboye was reported. He will be buried in April of this leap year. About two weeks ago, my childhood friend of near fifty years, Sunday Adebangbe Akilaya was reported dead from his residence at Ifaki-Ekiti. Tolu (Akilaya’s daughter) had woken me up from bed the very next morning of Akilaya’s death. It was a devastating blow to me. Ade Akilaya and myself were the glorious lamp carriers of the Ifaki-Ekiti branch of the then Papa Awolowo led Action Group (AG) when the politicians were going about Ifaki town collecting the membership dues of the Action Group members. That was where my friend and I began our political life. Ade Akilaya has now gone home and I am waiting at the departure lounge, awaiting the supreme call of God. I don’t want to die now but the reality must, however, be faced. Death remains a leveler for mankind. Ade will be buried on February 12 and 13, 2016. Few days ago, another childhood friend of mine at Ifaki, Abam, was reported to have died. Abam was famous with us his friends for the fact of his life which made him a washerman at an early age (perfecting the profession of his family). Abam was from the Ajiboro clan of Ifaki-Ekiti and he remained a jolly good fellow until his death. No date has been fixed for his burial. It is, however, a ceremony I pray to God to attend. Within the last one week a big brother of ours at IfakiEkiti, Uncle Ibitoye Aladeselu also died. Nigerians familiar with all my writings would have known that Ifaki-Ekiti has remained a permanent mention in the analysis of my life and times. I repeat again that though I remain an Ijesa thorough and thorough, I was born and brought up at Ifaki, a junction town in Ekiti State of Nigeria. My life history can never be complete without detailed narration and mention of Ifaki Ekiti. I have equally mentioned it here on this page about the fact that my first child, Gbonjubola Olayinka Babatope (now Mrs. Alao) was given to me (through God’s approval) by an IfakiEkiti princess Olasumbo Ojo. My beautiful daughter is now an official of the Ogun government and she with her sisters and brothers remain my precious jewels particularly at this age of 73. I have one regret and it is that I have been unable to build a house at Ifaki (which had been in my programme for a long time now). With God, all things are ever possible. The above were the reasons I personally resolved to have a very quiet celebration of my 73rd birthday. I will use this time to ruminate over the life and times of my departed childhood friends and commit their families into the hands of our God. As I have always said, I was born seventy-three years ago into the family of the late Papa Very Reverend Daniel and Mrs. Fehintola Babatope. My two parents were Ijesa but my father’s mother came from Ogbagi in Akoko Division of Ondo State. My paternal grandfather was a trader (Mercantilist - Osomalo) in his youthful days. He had taken his merchandise to Ogbagi when he set his eyes on a charming damsel, a princess of Ogbagi called Osatuke. My grandfather eventually married the damsel and he brought her home to the Odole Gidigbi Family House at Ilesa. Osatuke ended up giving my grandfather four children (three male and a female). There were, however, other wives of my polygamous paternal grandfather. They all jointly built a formidable Babatope tree of the Odole Gidigbi Chieftancy Family. One of my father’s half brothers, the late Papa John Babatope later became the Odole

With

Ebenezer Babatope

0805-500-1735 (SMS ONLY PLEASE)

73rd birthday notes (1)

Ebenezer Babatope

of Ijesaland. It is of note that my father, his elder sister, and the Odole, Papa John Ayo Babatope all died before I returned from General Muhammadu Buhari’s detention between 1984 and 1985. My mother, the late Fehintola Babatope came from the Kujembola Family of Oke-Oye in Ilesa. Her father was Papa Kujembola aka Abe Adase. My maternal grandfather was a very wealthy man who had properties at Ilesa, Ilorin and some parts of today’s Kwara State. I laughed when about ten days ago my cousin (Mr. Abiodun Awoleke), the son of my mother’s immediate younger sister) came to inform me of a big shop given to our wing of the family from the estate of my maternal grandfather now managed by the head of the family, Uncle Kayode Abe. This is coming forty-two years after the death of my grandfather. I knew both my paternal and maternal grandfathers well. They died when

The above were the reasons I personally resolved to have a very quiet celebration of my 73rd birthday. I will use this time to ruminate over the life and times of my departed childhood friends and commit their families into the hands of our God.

I was old enough to note men, matters and events of my life. My paternal grandfather died at his No. 101, Orinkiran residence in 1959 while my maternal grandfather died in 1973. My maternal grandmother Majolagbe came from Ilase, a town in Obokun Local Government of Ijesaland, Osun State. She had four children in all for her husband, Papa Abe Adase Kujembola. Two died while their marriage was still subsisting. The other two died many years after my maternal grandmother’s death, about 1930. I visit Ilase frequently today particularly to see my relation, Francis Ade Fadahunsi, a retired Customs Officer and now a prominent politician in Nigeria. It is interesting to report that in all the political contests, I have been involved in Ijesaland, the politicians from Ilase have not forgotten that I am of their blood. They have enthusiastically supported me and I have always benefited from my relationship with them through my maternal grandmother, that I never met in her life time. One of the politicians of Ilase is a man called Takoro. I intend to visit him soon so that I can learn more from my maternal grandmother’s line at Ilase. I will continue with my story next week. I must however say it clearly that my parents left eight children after their departure from this world. One of the eight, Tunde (the youngest) died about eight years ago). My father, the late Very Reverend Daniel Babatope died on April 11, 1984 when I was inside the Jos Prison. (TO BE CONTINUED) EBINO TOPSY – 0805-500-1735 (SMS ONLY PLEASE) NEXT WEEK 73RD BIRTHDAY NOTES (2) (BOOK YOUR COPY IN ADVANCE)

18 LETTERS TO THE

Friday, 22 January, 2016

editor

Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@tribune.com.ng or by sms to 08078891826. It MUST be accompanied by the full name and address of the writer.

Varsities, businesses should synergise

HAT is the essence of researches in universities in the country, other than that the papers are used to decorate the various departments. I visited an agricultural institute recently, and I discovered that if the final year projects of their ex-students had been implemented in the state where the institution is located, then no one should be unemployed. I saw how to go about starting up businesses in poultry, piggery, rabbitry, fishery, among other things, but unfortunately, the intellectual work only gave the students a score, and not a new life. By new life, I mean, some of these ex-students will be unemployed by now, while some will be at low-paying jobs, forgetting completely the creative researches they did in school that could make them future billionaires while creating

jobs for millions of people in the agribusiness sector. I must say that there is no synergy between our tertiary institutions and the public in this country, and that is why there is a large number of unemployed people in the country. Let me return to the agriculture sector again for analysis; if graduates of agricultural institutions can be backed with finance after their studies, then they should be able to set up something that will further create jobs for the people. We have universities of technology in this country, but I doubt if any has developed innovations that have been produced massively for the benefit of the business community. Our tertiary institutions are just for our children to have degrees, but this shouldn’t be so. When I look at those in the academic sector, I wonder what contributions they

have made to the society other than teaching their students. There is a billionaire professor at an American university; he was the first person the founders of Google consulted while setting up the search machine. Today, the ex-students are billionaires, as well as their

lecturer who assisted them nurture their idea of Google into a reality. I want Nigerian lecturers to be businessmen too; a person who teaches Fishery in a university should also have a fish farm, while someone who teaches Advertising can own an advertising firm. We need the

university to impact on our society. This is what is happening in the Medicine and Law fields; many medical professors have their private clinics, while some Law lecturers also have their private practices. I want this to be replicated in other fields, particularly the agriculture sector. This will even make

the lecturers to have something to fall back on when they are retired, after they might have encouraged their ex-students to practice what they were taught in school. •Nelson Ekwale, Benin, Edo State.

IMF’s advice for economic survival I want to support the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s President, Ms Christine Lagarde, when she said Nigeria should look towards generating more revenue from taxation at this period of economic upheaval. Apart from those employed by government and some private companies where taxes are deducted at source, a larger percentage of Nigerians don’t pay taxes. Some don’t willingly pay, while others don’t even know the importance of paying.

However, in developed countries, not paying tax, or even defaulting is a serious economic crime that can land a citizen in jail. While it is unheard of that someone is being prosecuted for defaulting tax in Nigeria, it is important that government sensitises the people on the importance of paying taxes. I must say that businesses, both large and small scale, are already burdened by tax, but government should encourage individuals, particularly those who

are not in formal employment to pay tax. Government can also start taxing houses/properties, luxury products like cars, yatchs, private jets, among others. For houses/properties, Nigerians who have the means are fond of building houses which they don’t even get to sleep in in a year. To know about this reality, one needs to go to some villages in the country, and one will find mansions that the owners only occupy for less than a week during festive periods. In most cases, these mansions are a waste of resources, and if government can begin to tax properties, then people will think twice before acquiring properties

for non-commercial purposes all over the country. Another product government can tax are luxury cars, yatchs and private jets. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Nigerians love the good things of life people buy the latest cars, which move on bad roads, but if government can come up with this tax, then it will go a long way in rehabilitating our roads. Same goes for private jets and other luxury products. Having said all these, government must ensure the judicious use of tax funds so as to encourage more people to pay willingly. •Femi Ipaye, Gbagada, Lagos.

Need for improved reading culture LITERACY has been identified as an important instrument through which any country can attain development. It is based on this belief that the government and people of Nigeria have taken the issue on how to improve literacy among children and adults very serious. Nigeria, prior to independence in 1960, had a history of dominance of Quranic schools in the North and Missionary schools in the South. All these promoted mostly religious literacy. Thus, the intervention of Islamic clerics exposed the Northern part of the country to Arabic literacy. With the advent of Christian missionaries the Southern and Western Nigeria were exposed to western education. Literacy rate among Nigerians and recent decline in reading culture with its social and economic implications has become a growing concern. The prevailing

poor reading habit among Nigerian youths is alarming because the situation is already adversely affecting the country socially, economically and politically. More so, government efforts at fighting illiteracy are being speedily thwarted by decline in reading culture among the general populace. The economic, social and political health of our nation today depends on building literate citizens that are able to read widely, write and apply it practically for development. Various efforts have been put in place by government at all levels including NGOs to improve literacy level and to also bring back the lost glory of reading culture in our modern and complex society. •Damilare Oyedele, Ile-Ife, Osun State. 08058134903 damilarey007@gmail. com

editorial

Friday, 22 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Containing the Lassa Fever outbreak

HILE it is very awful and breath-taking that no fewer than 70 people have died including two medical doctors, as a result of current outbreak of Lassa Hemorrhagic Fever, better known as Lassa fever, it is tragic and panic-inducing that the death toll is rising. This underscores the difficulty in combating deadly viruses in a country with fresh memories of the effects of the deadly Ebola disease and the grief caused by it. Though, it is noteworthy that the Federal Ministry of Health and several health authorities have assured Nigerians that Lassa Fever virus is under control, there are fears that the scale of the outbreak is being downplayed, given the large number of casualties. Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, which belongs to the arenavirus family of viruses, which also includes the Ebola-like virus, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Primary mode of spread is from rodent to man through contact with rodent excreta or urine in food, or during hunting and processing of rats for consumption. The virus has the capacity for person-to person spread, either within households during care for sick relatives or in health care settings. Exposure to blood and other infected body fluids, especially if the fluids contain blood, can result in secondary human spread. This type of transmission is the most likely route in health care settings. This nosocomial hazard can be minimised by proper and timely infection-control measures, careful management of infected patients, and, in some cases, administration of prophylactic therapy to health care workers after exposure. The first case of the current outbreak was reported by the Federal Ministry of Health to have occurred in Bauchi in November, 2015. Subsequently, the virus was reported to have spread to 16 other states, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Disturbingly, available statistics on suspected cases, recorded deaths and fatality rate are indicative of a renewed episode of Lassa fever outbreak, which accentuates the fact that the public health significance of the disease lies not only in its potential to cause significant mortality and morbidity at community level, especially during outbreaks, but also its potential for nosocomial spread. It is saddening that Nigeria is endemic to a disease whose rate of spread denounces any current campaigns on prevention and control. For us, the biggest worry at the moment is that given the large population densities of the states in which the

reported cases have occurred, the nation is at a very high risk of wide transmission and consequent high mortality rate if the spread of the virus is not effectively curtailed in good time. It is important for the Federal Government and all state governments to be aggressive in combating the outbreak of the dreadful virus. The figure of Lassa fever casualties is alarming; it is appalling that as of now, the number of people who have lost their lives to the disease is more than the casualties recorded during the Ebola outbreak. At this juncture, some pertinent questions arise. One, to what extent is the Federal Government collaborating with the state governments to stop the spread of Lassa fever through enlightenment, provision of laboratories for diagnosis, quarantine services and availability of vaccines required for stopping deaths and nosocomial spread? Two, to what extent is the Federal Ministry of Health resolute in combating Lassa fever with the resources, strategies, exactitude and scientific knowhow that were used for the timely eradication of the Ebola virus disease? Combating Lassa fever should be handled the way Ebola was handled to the admiration of the whole world, including the WHO. During the massive Ebola outbreak in 2014, the global body described Nigeria as a “spectacular success” story, praising the country for containing an “apocalyptic urban outbreak” with strong leadership and a rapid response. It is pertinent to note that environmental health inadequacies like poor sanitation should be addressed. Health workers should be put on the alert and enlightenment campaigns should be carried out for the public to know how to avoid the disease. Synergy between the Federal Ministry of Health and state governments should be robust this time round and both should do more to check foods being consumed by people and ask them to avoid those possibly contaminated by rodents and especially the rat that causes Lassa fever. This is because whenever Lassa fever is eventually conquered everybody takes the credit, including ordinary Nigerians. Finally, it is very important to note that maintaining a high index of suspicion by health authorities can only be based on adequate knowledge of the disease. Patient counseling and community campaigns can only be carried out by health workers who are themselves adequately informed about the disease. It is not just the usual business of treating for malaria and typhoid; there is a lot more to diagnose and be suspicious about, given the rate at which Lassa fever is spreading in the country.

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opinion Should we have a referendum on Biafra? 20

Friday, 22 January, 2016

marginalisation that are raised by any ethnic groups are not necessarily coming from a place of malice or discontent. We must consider and accept the possibility that these yearnings are borne from a deep-seated desire by these ethnic nationalities to chart a path for progress for themselves. None of us was there to negotiate the terms of this polygamous national union in 1914. The reality is that questions about the terms of our union are now new, and they are certainly not without merit. There is a reason there have been ten (10) different constitutions (1914, 1922, 1946, 1951, 1954, 1960, 1963, 1979, 1993 and 1999), in the life of a nation that is only a century old. Each one of these constitutions came about as a direct result of the never-ending enterprise of seeking to enhance the Nigerian union – a step further in the quest for a more perfect union. There has also been at least one far ranging commission that looked into the question of minority marginalisation (Willink Minorities Commission 1957) and a number of constitutional conferences whose recommendations were not adopted (e.g., the Abacha Conference of 1994, and the Jonathan constitutional conference of 2014). In all the national dialogues about Nigerian unity held till date, any questioning of the foundational principle of national unity has essentially been a no-go area. It might

be time to make an exception to this doctrinal principle that Nigerian unity is sacrosanct and cannot be challenged. I believe the Biafran secession debate is an area that is deserving of this exception. There are two reasons why a referendum on the Biafran secession case makes sense. Nigeria must understand how deep the sentiments for separation truly run: Supporters of Nigerian unity (and here we must concern ourselves only with those that are Igbo), contend that IPOB, MASSOB and other entities that are vociferously agitating for secession from Nigeria do not represent the silent Igbo majority. However, no one has ever taken a poll of the Igbo nation to understand how deep the sentiment for separation from Nigeria truly runs. It is in the interest of the Igbo nation and all Nigerians to put this matter to rest once and for all. Are the majority of the Igbo people like other ethnic groups, believers in a united Nigeria, with an enduring interest in forging a more enduring union by seeking more equity in the structure of the Nigerian state, and in its relationship with its composite parts? Or is the idea of a united Nigeria with the Igbo as an integral part of that union a figment of the imagination of Nigerian patriots? The Igbo nation has earned a right to a referendum: Nigeria must face up to the realities that the civil war did not buy us peace and unity. Peace can never be bought at any price. The only currency that guarantees peace is that of justice and equity. In prosecuting the Civil War, our forebears merely bought themselves time to make the case for, and develop a more perfect union. If in the 45 years since the guns fell silent, Nigeria has failed to make a convincing case for the Igbo nation to feel, know and believe that Nigeria is as much theirs as the Hausa, Ijaw, Efik, Nupe, Tiv, Igala, Yoruba, Kanuri, Fulani and others believe it to be, then it is in the interest of all patriots to know that, sooner rather than later. Much as many Nigerian patriots would prefer that the questions of separation be shelved forever, and that Nigerian unity should remain a sacrosanct matter, such willful ignorance can do the nation no good in the long run. Malcolm Fabiyi lives in Lagos.

pupils, before he killed himself. It was the closest thing to the Biblical massacre of the innocents. Now, those guns were lawfully acquired, bought by Adam Lanza’s mother with her money. No one can say why she bought them. A few people also had the knowledge that Adam had some psychological problems, but no one thought they were serious enough. He had seen a psychiatrist but not much was done. “Our hearts are broken today,” Obama said as he dripped tears on television. Now, a rational person would imagine that after this massacre of six-year-olds, the United States Congress would in revulsion move to pass a law to control guns, at least, to make sure that they are kept out of the reach of the mentally unstable. The National Rifle Association (NRA) made sure that no such thing happened as it has done through its history. In 2013, total number of deaths caused by guns in the United States as computed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, stood at 33,169. In Japan for that period the figure was under 70. The breakdown of the figures showed that 11,208 deaths were the result of ho micide; 21,175 deaths resulted from suicide; 505 deaths resulted from accidental discharge, and 281 deaths were due to firearms use of “undetermined intent.” Guns seem to be so accessible that in 2009, the Congressional Research Service estimated that there are 310

million firearms in the United States, and these exclude, of course, the weapons owned by the US military. Of that number, 114 million were hand guns, 110 million were rifles and 86 million were shotguns. That year the census figure for the United States was 306 million. The US President is also the consoler-in-chief. He has to pay condolence visits on behalf of the country, comfort the injured and the bereaved and it is easy to imagine the burden of receiving the body of soldiers killed in wars, then having to bury innocent people and console others in what often seemed like senseless murders. The Tucson massacre in Arizona on January 2, 2011 got the country’s attention as all the massacres with the distinguishing fact that a member of Congress, a most beloved Member of the House of Representatives, Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the head and no one knew she would survive. You would think the US Congress would be shocked to act. She was holding a constituency town hall meeting in a shopping complex before all hell was let loose. Yet the US Congress could not move a limb. “Guns don’t kill. People do.” That’s as close to the slogan of the NRA as one can get. The association can raise millions of dollars within hours. As everyone who followed the issue in the week could see, indeed, they were already making moves to capitalise on the President’s executive orders to begin fund-raising to oppose any attempt to control firearms under any guise. The President would want gun sellers to at least have a license. How can that be construed as unconstitutional? The President wants gun sellers to do some background check on anyone trying to purchase a gun, if only to know whether the buyer is of sound mind or has a criminal record. How can that be considered a bad thing? The President wants to strengthen mental healthcare so that the mentally disturbed could have easy access to care? How can this not be a good thing? The President wants to slow by a few hours the speed of gun purchases. Men have quarreled with their wives and gone off to buy guns as tempers ran high almost always leading to tragedy whereas a few hours wait might have got tempers to cool. •Obi is a global affairs analyst

By Malcolm Fabiyi

have always been a firm believer that Nigeria should remain one, united, indissoluble nation. It is an ideal that stems from a deep awareness of the unique possibilities that Nigeria offers, and an appreciation for the promise that it holds. There is no question that a strong and compelling case can be made for Nigerian unity, and there are many who would agree that there are sound historical, economic, and geo-political reasons why a united Nigeria makes sense both in an emotional and rational sense. The reality, however, is that from the very beginnings our union is one that has been plagued by doubts and clouded in uncertainty and distrust. In spite of those challenges, Nigeria has soldiered on. Through struggles, and even a brutal civil war, the Nigerian people have managed to take the union of convenience that Lugard consummated in 1914 and turn it into a partnership that is truly and uniquely theirs. Few people gave Nigeria any serious chance of survival. The death knell on Nigeria’s existence and corporate unity has been sounded very many times. Yet somehow, someway, a century later, Nigeria is still here, and Nigerians have managed to show the world that a nation split down the middle between Christians and Muslims can be united. 250 ethnic nationalities, each with its own unique and proud history, have found a way to call this land home. Yet, despite these victories, the path to Nigerian unity has come at a great price. Nigerian unity is a complicated matter. It is a marriage, and because of the multireligious and multiethnic dimension to its reality, it is a polygamous one. If monogamous marriages are complicated, then polygamous ones are even more so. History and our unique culture teaches us that even such unions, imperfect as they might be can survive and even thrive. I have come to realise now, that to love Nigeria, is to be open to discussing the reality that it is not a perfect union – and that what we must all strive for is to make it such. To love Nigeria is to recognise that questions about

The US gun curse By Lewis Obi

IT was in the once famous John Plowman’s Talks that I saw the saying that for every man there is one thorn bush, and he is fortunate if there are not two. And, so, even the United States, with all its natural gifts and enormous re sources, was not spared this limitation or affliction. It came in the form of guns. Earlier in the week, US President, Barack Obama, one of the toughest men alive, was wiping tears from his eyes on account of the tragedies that guns have continued to wreak in his country. It was not his first time to weep pub licly about this “affliction.” It only goes to show the extent of the powerlessness of government over an issue that has become a Frankenstein’s monster. But what would the United States have been without guns? No one is sure. But the Pilgrims, the Founding Fathers, found the guns a ready source of protection in such uncharted territories as they found themselves. Having to insert themselves in another man’s land meant the possibility of having to fight for survival. The Native Americans were not hostile at first until competition for resources, as always, kindled some hostilities. The guns helped in huge territorial acquisitions. The entire New England became theirs with minimal fighting. The original 13 states that eventually came together to form the United States of America in 1776 were freed from colonial rule and freed from domestic native intrusions by guns. And so, it was no surprise that the second amendment to the US constitution decreed that “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms (note the capitalisation of arms), shall not be infringed.” The first time President Obama dropped tears was on 14th December, 2012 when Adam Lanza, armed to the teeth, and having killed his own mother at home, forced his way into the Sandyhook Elementary School and opened fire on those little children, almost all of them six-year olds. Lanza killed 20 little children, six adults including some heroic teachers who tried to protect their

Nigerian Tribune

Friday, 22 January, 2016

fridaytreat Label owner disowns artiste

Meet Frances Udukwu, 2015 Winner of the Miss Africa USA beauty pageant

Rotimi Ige rotimiige@yahoo.com 0811 695 4636

Music Business 101 Tips for music business success

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Cinema

Nollywood puts best foot forward in

2016 with these upcoming movies

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Nigerian Tribune

Friday, 22 January, 2016

MUSIC BUSINESS 101

Nigerian artistes’ conduct; and music business lessons from the theatre of the absurd By Toyin Adeniji

t seems the year 2016 for the Nigerian music industry is going to be a dramafilled year both for the artistes/musicians and the audience alike. It is not yet clear if the new found craze of “beefing” is being used as a strategy for publicity, or an outright show or display of stupidity by the concerned stakeholders. Whether it is for publicity purposes, or a display of ignorance and stupidity, there remains in both scenarios opportunities for genuine music business lessons to be learnt from this theatre of the absurd called the Nigerian music industry. However, it is also obvious that some of the present crop of artistes/musicians roaming the streets and stages of the Nigerian music industry are not yet ready for the business of professionalization as artistes/musicians. There is a difference between being a music merchant – an opportunistic individual who trades with music as a means of survival or a means of getting rich; and being a music talent - a professional who makes a career and living as an artiste or musician out of music. Professional artistes/musicians consciously build and develop their music career by learning and mastering both the art and business processes of music as a professional career. Professional career artistes/musicians conduct their business with purpose, dignity, integrity and a sense of respect both for their music and their audience/market. The professional artiste/ musician understands that he/she is a business entity, and that there is an acceptable

way and manner in which organised businesses conduct their affairs. The artiste/musician is the most important element in the music industry supply chain responsible for producing songs – the commodity upon which the entire music business/industry is built. What is the sense in being a creator or producer of the commodity on which the music business is founded as an artiste and not know how to protect your business interest and intellectual property when the avenues for doing so have been provided? How can an artiste/ musician in this 21st century with access to the world of Information Technology not be informed about how to protect and copyright his music- his only claim and leverage to ownership in the music industry? What is the point of being an artiste/musician and not know that the most important and priced asset/possession in the music industry/business is your “song”? In fact, all of the rights provided for the artiste/musician as an author of a musical work under the Copyright law are derived from, and based on the song. It is therefore very disappointing to hear stories about artistes in the Nigerian music industry, who expends millions of Naira in producing and promoting their songs’ recordings and videos, but do not know or do not care enough to protect and copyright their works. One of such ugly story is that which recently emerged as a beef between the artiste called Dammy Krane and the popular pop artiste known as Wizkid. Dammy Krane took to social media to cry foul and alleged that Wizkid infringed on his intel-

lectual copyright by using some parts of his musical composition without permission. The situation led to an ugly turn at a club where both parties met and had physical altercations. Firstly, if Dammy Krane had done the needful which is expected of every songwriter by capturing and registering the song with the appropriate agency – Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON); there would not have been any need to physically confront or get involved in a messy situation with Wizkid. A discussion with Dammy Krane’s attorney for legal counsel, and possibly a simple friendly phone call (since both artistes are friends) to discuss the situation and bring to his (Wizkid’s) attention the alleged infringement would have suffice. If the alleged infringer remains adamant and uncooperative, then the situation is best left for the attorney to handle by instituting a legal case against the alleged copyright violator. It is unprofessional for the artiste as a business entity to act without discretion as Dammy Krane did by going on the social media to cry foul about copyright violation as if the social media platform represents the courtroom. While you can generate sympathetic responses from your fans/supporters or angry backlash from the opponents camp and create drama for spectators on social media; it does not in any way nor will it in any way provide justice, so it all amounts to a waste of time and an exhibition of a lack of discretion on a mass scale. It is shameful and undignified for the artiste as a business entity represented by the personality of the artiste/musician to get involved in compromising situations that can bring the integ-

Children’s fantasy book tackling antialbinism gets release date By Rotimi Ige The Quest for the Gem of Arubia, a children’s fantasy book by top movie critic, entertainment lawyer and film adaptation campaigner in Nigeria, Augusta.M. Okon will officially be released in March 2016. The beatifically crafted African story which tackles issues faced by the ‘Child Albino’ is spun around riddles, thrives in locations that indeed would trigger off one’s imagination and set the young minds on course for an exciting adventure. The story takes children on a journey of self- discovery, to

know who they really are and the greatness that lies within waiting for expression. Children learn that irrespective of the Nature of their birth, or what society, friends, families have tagged them as, they can achieve their dreams. In the book, the Kingdom of Nsewe has been thrown into confusion over the birth of a strange looking baby born under mysterious circumstances. Omorege grows up as a ‘reject’ by the people and is nicknamed ‘Odd boy’. Dominus, the evil one who was locked up in the valley of Acridon, in the realm of the Aspirathis two centuries ago escapes and

is determined to rule Nsewe including the seven kingdoms beyond the Human realm with an Iron rod. According to the ancient scroll of the kingdoms, once every century, a guardian is born to defend the kingdoms and prevent the evil one from ruling and is called the ‘Chosen One’. He alone can stop Dominus from succeeding. Armed with an ilujo and accompanied by the greatest Riddler of his day, the ‘Chosen One’ must face grave danger while traversing the kingdoms, overcome all challenges, and face his fears in his quest to get the Gem of Arubia to stop the evil one.

Meet Frances Udukwu, 2015 Winner of the Miss Africa USA beauty pageant She is a first generation African-American with Nigerian parentage. As the reigning first generation Nigerian-American born Miss Africa USA 2015, Frances Udukwu is the epitome of the African American dream, blending cultures for the 21st Century global market. She is a graduate of Temple University with a Bachelor’s of Science

degree in Public Health Systems, and has made herself a career in healthcare consulting. Frances has worked for the D.C. Mayor’s Office on African Affairs; has performed qualitative policy research on the impact of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) on the District’s African immigrant population, among other notable achievements. These

local yet valuable experiences have shown her capable of being a leader in every way. Following her success at the Miss Nigeria USA pageant, she founded a nonprofit called The Lead Girl Foundation. This organization is aimed at providing skills based training and mentoring to aspiring female entrepreneurs of African-American descent.

rity of the artiste’s brand into disrepute. Someone has said that “when purpose is unknown, abuse is inevitable”. The inability of artistes/musicians to define who they are as artiste/musician within the context of the music business I believe is the reason why some of them misbehave and misplace their sense of identity. Fundamental to finding success in the music business is when the artiste/musician is able to define their identity and purpose, it changes the way the artiste perceives his/her music, the way he/she treats the music as an asset and the way the artiste conducts himself/herself as a business entity. Every artiste/musician must as a matter of necessity learn to define who they are and abide by the values that best describe their identity and aspirations within the context of the music business. With all the recent actions and behaviours of so called big artistes in the Nigerian Afro-hiphop music scene, it is hard to imagine these artistes from Davido’s baby mama saga, Olamide versus Don Jazzy’s clash of ego on live TV to Dammy Krane versus Wizkid’s altercation as anything but professional, ordinary opportunistic music merchants. It is perhaps safe to conclude that the Nigerian music industry/business is still on a search for genuine professional music artistes/musicians that are not only talented but well defined and adapted for the critical position of role models and influencers that they are to the society, and established in the art and science of music business management practices.

Meet your artiste: Ewa Cole Commencing her musical voyage about 10 years ago as just a writer of poems and stories, the 21 years old Ewà Cole (real name – Olatunji Ewaoluwa Nicole) has always had her inspiration/ideas established and constituted based on her own mind, listening to music from Soul singers and most especially from music that speak of all trueness and verity; born on the 26th of March, she is a Computer Science graduate from Babcock University and she is set to release her 1st single of the year 2016, which would be her 2nd official single following the release of her debut single, “Alone (Wale),” which was put out in 2015.

Ewà Cole, who had and lived far away from very few friends during the early days of her life, began writing stories and poems at the age of 11; with no one to turn to, she sought her only friend, Music, which she could relate with from every viewpoint – due to it’s depth, Music meant a lot to her and she had begun penning down personal experiences, family and friends inclusive, including movies she watched and dreams she had (for those she could call back) – she has had quite a few singles over the years but she released her debut single in the year 2015 when she put out an awesome piece titled “Alone (Wale).”

Label owner disowns artiste Myche Entertainment, the label owner that handles the success story of Ojeniran Gideon Ademola popularly known as Prof Gee is not happy following the unappreciative attitude of the artiste. The company revealed that the artiste betrayed them and reneged in the agreement signed after winning the talent hunt show organized by them. According to the com-

pany, Prof Gee, disappeared when needed most by us, “he is not available for promotion, just when away with the company’s car which he supposed to have return after his reign as the winner of the talent hunt. How can he now said that the deal we had with him was not successful.” Continued, the company said, “We are only waiting for him to surrender the property of the company

with him to us before we take unpleasant action against him. Also to remind other label owners not to have any to do with him until we officially release him from our stable. He is indebted to us.” On the artiste’s rants that we are planning to collect the car back from him, he said, “It is our car and he is expected to return it after two years to be used for other purpose.”

society

Friday, 22 January, 2016

...celebrating the people

Nigerian Tribune

For Booking, contact Alaba Igbaroola alabaadewale01@gmail.com 08155975474

Day Odukoya and Iyore families became one Ogirimadagbo of Ilodo,Oba Isiaka Ajede and his Olori.

Professor Pat Utom and his wife.

The newly wedded couple, Ehize Adesuwa and Temitayo Akintomide

Honourable (Dr) Leke Kehinde and his wife.

From left, Mrs Rosemary Teriba, Mr Anthony Okpataku, Mrs Efe Doyle and Mrs Stella-Maris Nwaehike.

From left, groom’s father, Professor Onatolu Odukoya; the bride’s mother, Mrs Elizabeth Iyore; the couple; the bride’s father, Mr Emmanuel Iyore and the groom’s mother, Mrs Oluwatoyin Odukoya.

Friday, 22 January, 2016

Rotimi Ige rotimiige@yahoo.com 0811 695 4636 twitter: @rotifizzle twitter: @fridaytreat

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Directed by Jumoke Olatunde and produced by Nike Erinle, the upcoming film stars Dolapo Oni, OC Ukeje, Alexx Ekubo, Liz Benson, Linda Ejiofor, Paul Adams and Adunni Ade.

By Rotimi Ige

015 was a perfect movie year for all lovers of Nollywood movies. From “Fifty” to “Dry,” it was indeed a fun filled year. 2016 is here, and already we have great movies worth anticipating. From “Couple of Days” to “76,” here are 7 movies you all should anticipate. Beyond Blood Featuring most of Nollywood’s young talented actors, the movie premiered on January 15, 2016. The upcoming movie stars talented actors Kehinde Bankole, Shan George, Okey Uzoeshi, Joseph Benjamin, Bimbo Manuel, Francis Onwochei, Marion,

Wole Ojo, Uzor Ozimkpa, Ifeanyi Kalu, Bott, Carol King and Deyemi Okanlawon. Synopsis A captivating story of self-discovery, where a woman, after a series of uncontrollable events, decides to run away from her fears and consequently reaches her breaking point and gets caught in a cycle of unpleasant circumstances. Movie pundits have described it as a perfect movie for the family. Diary of a Lagos Girl Who doesn’t love a romantic comedy?

Synopsis “Diary of a Lagos Girl “ follows Bim (Dolapo Oni),a materialistic, single Lagos girl in search of Mr Right. Her ideal guy must drive a Range Rover, live in a gated community, possess a cutting edge fashion sense, come from an influential family, handsome, funny, be born again, wealthy among other things. “Diary of a Lagos Girl” premieres in February.

Nollywood puts best foot forward in

2016 with these upcoming movies

financial burdens. In his journey, he meets a charming go getterOmosigho (played by Suru L’ere Beverly Naya). Their meeting shoots off a It’s a Mildred Okwo film, so, yes! series of events that pressure Arinze into a That’s enough reason for you to get excited. Then again, who isn’t interested get rich quick scheme. in watching a movie which focuses on Synopsis how hard it is to make a decent living in The film features several of Niour country? geria’s new school actors including The film set in Lagos follows the life of Kemi ‘Lala’ Akindoju, AMVCA wina young, timid graduateArinze (played ner Tope Tedela,Enyinna Nwigwe by Seun Ajayi) desperate to beat his

and Gregory Ojefua. It also features cameo appearances from the movie producer Rita Dominic, Linda Ejiofor, Kenneth Okolie and Bikiya Graham Douglas. A release date is yet to be announced. 93 Days It might be controversial, but it’s one

movie everyone would love to see. The much anticipated Nollywood film was inspired by the late Adadevoh of First Consultants Hospital in Lagos, and her courageous team who joined hands in fighting the spread of deadly Ebola Virus Disease. Synopsis Starring Keppy Ekpeyong Bassy as Patrick Sawyer, the movie also stars Bimbo Akintola as Nigerian hero,

Dr Stella Adadevoh, Gideon Okeke, Somkhele Idhalama, Bimbo Manuel and veteran Hollywood actor, Danny Glover. An official release date is yet to be announced. Couple of Days A romantic comedy, the movie tells the story of three couples on a romantic getaway, and how they handle the realities of marriage and ‘happily ever after.’ Synopsis Starring Enyinna Nwigwe, Lilian Esoro, Adesua Etomi, Okey Uzoeshi, Kiki Omeili, Ademola Adedoyin, the movie also guest stars Nigerian rapper, Falz The Bad Guy, and is set for a February 5 release. 76 Every true fan of Nollywood should be excited at the release of the much anticipated and star studded movie “76.” Directed by Izu Ojukwu, the movie features talented actors likeRamsey Nouah, Rita Dominic, Ibinabo Fiberesima, Chidi Mokeme, Memry Savanhu, Adonijah Owuruwa, Daniel K. Daniel, Nelly Ekwereogu and Shuaibu Ebenehi Adams.

Synopsis Six years after the civil war, a young officer from the middle belt gets entangled in a romantic relationship with a beautiful O-Level student from the Southeastern part of Nigeria. Their budding romance was almost ruptured by endless military postings. Now heavily pregnantt her walls came crumbling when the news of her husband’s involvement in a botched coup attempt hits the headlines. Aunt Maria How interesting would it be to watch Femi Branch take a break from being a villain, and have him be a father whose love goes beyond the grave. Synopsis Produced by Branch, the movie s directed by Toka McBaror. Aunt Maria also stars Jude Orhorha, Laurel Fidel, Ibitola Branch, T. M Rex, Uloma Ezeokoli among others. A release date is yet to be announced.

Do you want your movies to be showcased in the Friday Treat edition of the Nigerian Tribune? Call Rotimi on 08116954636 NOW!

Friday, 22 January, 2016

travelpulse&m.i.c.e

’Wale Olapade 08161235359 wale11g3@gmail.com Winner, NMMA, Tourism Reporter Of The Year, 2014

When NANTA Western zone strengthened membership with reunion party

Speaker ,Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Michael Adeyemo (left) and Vice President, National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (Western zone), Mr Olumuyiwa Salami at the re-union party in Ibadan.

Stories By ’Wale Olapade

HE National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA) has taken the bull by the horns to reposition the association and its members to drive development and practical promotion of the travel industry. The reunion party was organised by the Ibadan chapter of the NANTA, under the leadership of the Vice President (Western zone), Mr Olumuyiwa Salami, who played host to members at Jogor Centre, Ibadan. The reunion party, which members described as timely and long overdue rallied travel stakeholders, friends and well-wishers from Lagos, Ibadan and other states under the zone. Preceded by a red carpet reception, the get together platform, though started far beyond schedule, but never a dull moment because it members who have not seen one another for a long time, did not only reunite but also reconnected members to cross-fertilise ideas, renew and seal business deals. The reunion party which was also to prepare members mind for the forthcoming association’s AGM and to make itself relevant and visible as partner in progress, in the development and promotion of tourism in Oyo State, had the Speaker ,Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable

Michael Adeyemo as the special guest of honour. Also at the event were the President of the Ibadan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Prince Abimbola Makanjuola, Regional Manager, Skye Bank, Mr Kazeem Ashagidiba, among others. Speaking at the event, the Vice President of NANTA, Western zone, Mr Olumuyowa Salami, who spoke with great enthusiasm, acknowledged the level of relevance and support the attendance of members has added to the success of the event, adding that it was the beginning of better things for the association.

Salami specially thanked the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Adeyemo for making it a date with the members of NANTA, thereby calling for the activation of a practical platform to join force with the stakeholders for things to further take shape in the state’s tourism sector. “Inasmuch as we know that Governor Abiola Ajimobi is trying his best in the development and remodelling of tourist sites, like the Agodi Gardens, but there is need for an extension of his good works to other sites, which could be done through public and private sector partnership. In his goodwill message, Rt. Hon Adeyemo, who promised to convey the association’s request to the governor, also appealed to NANTA members to protect the interest of the country and business from those who are not supposed to be in the business. He called on the Nigerian government to look into the areas of getting Nigerian visa from outside the country which he said was on the high side and a way of depriving tourists and visitors from coming into the country. “It costs so much to get Nigerian visa from outside, which is a detriment to the business of bringing people to the country, which also forms part of your business.” Some of the members, who spoke with Travelpulse&MICE, were happy to reunite after a long time, calling on the leadership of NANTA to make the meeting a regular event. One of them, Mr Jide Sarayi, Chief Executive Officer, Centre Point Travel, commended leadership of NANTA Western zone for the laudable reunion platform. According to him, “it was a good initiative from Salami, and I am happy to be here because I did similar thing 15 years ago. As a father in the industry, i will keep on supporting good initiative. Funmi Rotiba of Special Tours and Travels and Prince Gani Adebiyi of Tramart Travel and Tours, said it was the first of its kind and a welcome development. “ It was a platform that rallied all and sundry in the travel business, it was really a reunion of Travel agencies.

La Campagne creates first swimming pool with island NIGERIA’S premier African themed resort, La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort in Ikegun Village, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, has continued to dazzle the world with its creative impulses and historic feats as it has created the first ever swimming pool with an island spiced with a life coconut tree in the middle. This latest development is coming on the heels of the first tree house ever created by the resort. The building, a three-bedroom chalet laced with glittering African cultural motifs and a blend of sophisticated facilities and

De Zenith Hotel opens in Ibadan A new hotel with edge in accommodation and relaxation services, De Zenith Hotel and Suites has opened in Ibadan, Oyo State. Located at Ajeigbe area of the Ring Road, De Zenith Hotel and Suites comes with luxury and style to give the home away from home services to customers. Not too elaborate, but the well apportioned service accommodation, parades 15 rooms, cosy bar, restaurant and an open bar for in-house guests. According to the Chief Executive Officer of the hotel, Mr Tope Oni, who has decades of experience in the hotel industry, said he would bring his expertise as a services and hotel management consultant to bear in satisfying customers in the ancient city of Ibadan. “We are equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities, by standard of international trend to give the good people of Ibadan the right comfort zone to relax and still be central to meet up business engagements as we are accessible and also close to major shopping and business districts in town.”

aesthetic ambience for which the resort is noted, has at the last count risen to five in number and has become a prime and most sought after property in the resort. Obviously, the newly created swimming pool with an island and a life coconut tree is sure to surpass the enchanting appeal of the tree house in the days ahead. Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and with expansive, airy and breezy landscape, it enjoys a captivating and serene ambience with the swimming pool, which is oval shaped in nature affording ample seat out space and same as the island itself, which beside serving as lounging area can double as an outdoor dining space and hosting of musical bands for private entertainment among others. The living chalet attached to the swimming pool is also crafted in the mood of the tree houses and boosts three lavishly furnished bedrooms with panache and alluring African luxury, which is only meant for the royalty.

The Island swimming pool

Friday, 22 January, 2016 Group Politics Editor Taiwo Adisa - 08072000046 tai_adis@yahoo.com

Taraba: The story of a House without Speaker

Dia

Gov Ishaku

Jika

Taraba State House of Assembly has been on an indefinite recess since December 23, 2015 because it has no Speaker, with claims and counter-claims by stakeholders over the issue. SYLVANUS VIASHIMA writes on the ripple effects on the state so far.

IBRANCY of any democracy is measured in the effectiveness of each branch of government. That is, Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. Where one of the arms is weak and or loses its independence to any of the other arms, the democracy suffers. This is the situation that now prevails in Taraba State, as the autonomy of state House of Assembly is suspect. Some circles were alleged that it has become a tool in the hands of the executive for suspending legislative duties for about a month. The House had adjourned sitting for the Yuletide season on December 23 last year, shortly after receiving the 2016 appropriation bill from Governor Dairus Ishaku, for deliberation. Two days after adjourning for the season, the last legal straw, which the former Speaker Right Honorable Peter Abel Diah was holding gave way. The Court of Appeal sitting in Yola nullified his election and ordered a rerun poll in some of polling units on the grounds of substantial

non-compliance with electoral laws. His certificate of return was also withdrawn, as his main opponent, the candidate of the APC Emmanuel Bongo was leading with 33 votes. This created a leadership vacuum in the House. The Chairman, House Committee on Information Honourable Saleh Sa’ad, who featured on a local TV station in the state, also confirmed that the House of Assembly has been without a Speaker

since the Court of Appeal judgement was made and Diah’s certificate of return withdrawn. Whereas one would expect the House to reconvene and elect a new Speaker and continue with normal legislative process, the break that was supposed to last for the first week of January, has become ‘sine die,’ setting a “record of unprecedented legislative impunity”, as elder statesman Hassan Ardo Jika puts it.

They were elected to sit and legislate; not just to adjourn indefinitely at their discretion, while collecting their allowances. If it were ordinary civil servants, they would be shouting “no work, no pay

The question on the lips of most people in Taraba is, why the House would resort to enforcing a conspiracy of silence and choose to be on the indefinite break, rather than resume from their recess to elect a new Speaker and continue with their work when the budget proposal and other sensitive bills are pending? Honourable Sa’ad told Nigerian Tribune that he was not aware of why the House would not resume almost a month after adjourning for the Yuletide season. But, he denied knowledge of conspiracy by the executive to stall the resumption of the Assembly pending the result of the rerun election of the former speaker. However, a member of the House who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that the governor was doing everything to ensure that the House does not resume sittting until Abel Dia goes through the rerun poll. “The governor enjoys a cordial relationship with the Speaker and is parleys afraid that if the members reconvene, they have continues pg28

politics&policy

Friday, 22 January, 2016

RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari did not fly in Air Force One to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, where he participated in the 2016 World Future Energy Summit these past few days. Air Force One is a Boeing 737 BBJ, the flagship or the premier aircraft in the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF). Other aircraft in the fleet are one Gulf Stream 550, one Gulf Stream 500, two Falcon 7x, one Hawker Siddeley 4000, two Augusta 139 and two Augusta 101 choppers. You will expect that the 737 will be fitted with all the conveniences befitting a presidential aircraft - bedroom, bathroom, office, dining. Buhari chose to leave all that behind to use one of the two small Dassault Falcon 7X for the long Middle Eastern trip. His media office made sure that Nigerians became aware of that and must have convinced itself that the images pushed out of Buhari squeezed into the tiny aircraft on a state duty have helped to reinforce his austere nature which the administration desperately wants citizens to imbibe in these torrid economic times. Things are getting tighter in the county as government battles with economic fundamentals and people are suffering it in different ways but still believing that silver lining lies behind the dark clouds. Buhari apparently wants to lead from the front, in terms of cutting costs and living within ones means. Recall that he had come under pressure for retaining the inherited 10 aircraft in PAF and reportedly maintained them for about N6 billion for the short period he had been

inside

aso rock WITH LEON USIGBE 08078891838 leonusigbe@ yahoo. co.uk

Retiring Air Force One? in office. But the Presidency made strenuous efforts to roll back the criticism by arguing that while there are indeed 10 different aircraft in the fleet, it had not expended more than N2.3 billion on their maintenance as at that time, including payment of salaries and offsetting previous debts. The president came into office on a “change,” mantra promising among others, a lean government and less ostentation but here he was, keeping 10 aircraft for his travel convenience. Many Nigerians could not understand the rationale even though it is not as simplistic as they tend to see it. When the N6 billion PAF maintenance report surfaced and there appeared to be fiery reactions, the presidency was obviously indignant and thought it was an attempt to tar the administration. Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity) expressed frustration at what he described as a fictional report that had caused the government a lot of negative reviews, especially in the online

media. Shehu’s reaction demonstrated the obligations, should he be stripped of his sensitivity of this government to negative travel comfort at his age? I don’t think so. media reports. Second is the risk involved in the use of With no cheers coming from the economic small aircraft. I have had the privilege of front, it would appear that governmentWITH has LEON flying in 08078891838 PAF’s Dassault Falcon 7X on a leonusigbe@ yahoo. co.uk now decided to play to the gallery. The presi- number of occasions in my years of coverdent’s flight in a small Dassault Falcon 7X ing the Presidential Villa and I can say that may have been meant to send the message while it is luxurious, it does not always prothat he has heard the concerns expressed by vide a very comfortable flying experience. the critics and is now ready to do their bid- The aircraft is light and often at mercy of the ding as far as PAF is concerned. If this is the wind. In the air, it seems to the less able to case, the logical question will be: for how deal with vagaries of the elements unlike the long? If the president has reverted to the huge and unshakable 737. And when that smaller aircraft, what is the fate of the Boeing happens, the faint at heart wish they were 737 BBJ Air Force One? Is it going on retire- never in-flight. That is why I did not see the ment or for sale? We should find out soon. point in drafting the president into the tiny However, issues of the PAF may be be- capsule rather than the wise-bodied Boeyond the immediate understanding of the ing737 BBJ. lay folks. First is the nature of Nigeria. It is PAF may not need 10 aircraft to travel huge, it is rich and it is a regional power with but the comfort and safety of the Nigerian respect and enormous expectations from president should be paramount even when other countries and the president’s partici- it has become imperative to save cost in a pation is often required in meetings around dwindling economy to the satisfaction of a the globe. In meeting up with his universal critical public.

aso rock

The uncertainty over re-run election continued from pg 27

also elect a new Speaker and that person may not cooperate with the governor like Abel did. So he is desperate to make sure that the House remains under lock and key. The members are also afraid because any move by a member to ensure the House resumes could be considered a move against the governor. Most of the members are not happy with the current situation, but they are just afraid of the governor,” the source claimed. The Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media, Mr Sylvanus Giwa, dismissed the allegations as baseless and unfounded. According to Giwa, “the Legislature is an independent arm of the government and the governor does not have control over their activities. The running of the House remains an exclusive, preserve of that arm of government. In any case, the governor already has his hands so filled with activities geared towards moving the state forward that he can not waste the precious time at his disposal dabbling into legislative responsibilities.” However, to Ardo Jika of the APC said, “I gathered reliably that the seat of the former Speaker that has been declared vacant due to the nullification of his election will not be occupied until after the election for which the date has not even been set. But why will the governor be so bent on ensuring that Diah retains the speakership of the House? According to Hassan Jika, the governor believes if the speakership is taken away from Diah, the person coming on board may not be favourably inclined to protect the interest of the executive. But, there is political dimension to the game. According to sources close to the

This means the passage of the budget will be delayed, just as other legislative duties are bound to suffer. The rescue mission of the governor would also receive a bad hit.

government, Diah is a ‘Plan B’ in case the Supreme Court decides to nullify the election of Governor Ishaku of the PDP. The plan, according to source, is to have a trusted person as Speaker so that in the event of the Supreme Court ruling against the governor, the house would be able to quickly mobilise and impeach Senator Alhassan. “The governor and our party need a plan B just, in case the Supreme Court does not favour. The idea is that, Abel Diah is a reliable and trusted person who will not betray the governor or his party. It will be a great risk to allow someone else to come and take over the speakership of the House, especially now that the case at the Supreme Court is still hanging,” the source said. Again Giwa has categorically dismissed the allegations saying that the governor was optimistic of winning his case at the Supreme Court. “Why would the governor need a plan B when he is so sure of winning his case at the Supreme Court? There is no question as to that so those coming up with these frivolous suppositions are just idle people looking for relevance in the system where they have outlived their political relevance,” Giwa said.

What are the implications of the indefinite break by the members of the Assembly to the state? Governor Dairus Ishaku told Nigerian Tribune that the activities of the House do not in any way affect the smooth-running of the state. Ishaku, who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Media, said: “the governor has so much on his hands at the moment that he barely has time to take over legislative activities. This is not the first time the House is going on recess and that has never affected the smooth operation of the government.” However, according to Jika, “the indefinite recess affects everything. The entire system is affected. There is no more checks and balances in the government. The very reason for which the three arms of government are enshrined to operate simultaneously is defeated. As it is, nothing will move in the state. There are decisions the executive cannot take without the consent of the legislature. A lot of things at stake will be hampered. “In any case, they were elected to sit and legislate; not just to adjourn indefinitely at their discretion, while collecting their allowances. If it were ordinary civil servants,

they would be shouting “no work, no pay”. Is that how to represent the people that voted you to represent them? Is that the legal provision? Does it mean they are only there to represent their own pockets and not the interest of their constituents? Where are the sweet promises they made their constituents during campaign?” Taraba is one of the least developed states in the country and Governor Ishaku rode to power through his persistent promise that he was on a mission to salvage the state from the pathetic situation. During the presentation of the budget proposal to the state Assembly, Ishaku stated that the budget was a rescue one and as such urged the members to give due consideration so as to move the state forward. Responding, the deputy Speaker, who presided over the House, promised the governor and the entire people of Taraba a diligent and speedy consideration and passage of the budget. A month later, the House is still on recess and has not sat over the budget for once. This means the passage of the budget will be delayed, just as other legislative duties are bound to suffer. The rescue mission of the governor would also receive a bad hit. While the opposition members of the House seem reluctant to comment on the issues, the public is enraged that the legislators’ overriding concern is their welfare and not the interest of its menu. Already, the leader of the main opposition party in the state, Jika has threatened that, if the House did not reconvene to do the needful soon, the people would be mobilised to take actions against their legislators. Meanwhile, there is the question of what will happen should the former speaker lose at the rerun election.

29 politics&policy

Friday, 22 January, 2016

Why I am against plea bargain —Buhari Concerned about the state of the nation, the Senator representing Oyo North Senatorial District and the Chairman Senate Committee on Appropriation, Dr Abdulfatai Buhari speaks with TUNDE BUSARI on war against corruption among others.

HEN the news that the federal government budget was missing in the Senate broke, how did you feel as a member? Honestly, I didn’t feel anyhow because before that news, there was another that the senators were going to use N30-40 billion to purchase cars. I saw it as another rumour (as usual), remembering a day in the early part of our dispensation I was told that we were getting N6-8 million as wardrobe allowance per month. At the end of the day, it turned out to be N600, 000 for the four years. Up till today, nobody has apologised. In the paper, they said there are two budgets one presented by the president and another by Ita Enang.

With the concern that you have expressed over the inconsistencies in the judiciary system, are you also concerned that the corruption war of President Muhammadu Buhari may not succeed? It will succeed if all Nigerians support him. We have not reached the oil sector, aviation and sport. This is just an issue of arms deal. We have not reached budget implementation. How much did we get in those years from the oil? How much did we spend and how did we spend it. We have not reached there. So it depends on the reaction and support of Nigerians. The moment Nigerians stand firm and genuinely support what he is doing, forget about the judiciary, they will sit up.

Assuming the budget was truly missing what is the implication? Talking to you from experience at the National Assembly, even if there is any issue on the budget, nobody needs to steal any budget. It is not a one-page memo. The one that the president presented to us is not the one we are going to send back. If you know what is called a budget, you will understand that the Senate appropriation committee will work on it. The two committees, including that of the House, will have a joint meeting together we get the standard and opinion we now take it to various chamber. There will be a joint meeting to iron them out. So when we approve it, that is the time it becomes a budget amendment proposal. If the president signed it, it becomes budget of the Federal Government of Nigeria. There seems to be some lapses in the information management of the House. Don’t you think it needs an official information management team to effectively manage what goes out to the public? We have a Chairman Senate Committee on Media, Senator Abdullahi, he is doing his job. It is journalists that should crosscheck their facts. I was also shocked when I read in a report that N37-40 billion is being used to purchase car by the Senate out of N112 billion meant for the Senate, House of Representatives, National Assembly Commission and the National Public Complaints Commission and one other making six. The moment you hear National Assembly, everybody thinks it is just the Senate and the House of Representatives. It is funny. These are some of the things that are fact. Look at the issue of vehicles, ministers we screened get two each. One is called the official car, the other one is called a back-up car. They have another car for their DSS officers, the Police and siren car, making five. Yet, nobody talks. We should learn how to give the legislatures their honour when they are performing their duties. When you see lapses, criticise them. We are operating a bi-camera legislature, which is a combination of the lower and upper chambers. All over the world, democracy is very expensive and it is either we are ready for democracy or not. The Judiciary and the executive always have a free day because people see them around. I said to people that personally I will not take any car if they are buying a car it for N120 million.

What is happening now is sad. One of my colleagues from PDP came to me and said that the corruption fight is one sided and I told him that it is true. But I asked him if it is true that the accused stole that money. He could not reply me. I again asked him ‘is it true that somebody collected N10 billion to go and pray in Mecca?’ He left because he knew the direction I was going to. I deliberately used that example for Nigerians to leave out sentiment of this issue. If we find somebody stealing our money and he is asked to refund it. I was so happy when I read in the paper that those houses were confiscated from a former top military brass. It will serve as a deterrent. If it is true that the guy has stolen our money, seize it and give it to the federal government. Another person who has the same intention will sit up but if the court tries them and they are released, they will come out to enjoy their loot. We won’t be able to sanitize this country.

Buhari What kind of car will cost that much? Are you buying a helicopter? Quote me, the total amount of the vehicle they are going to buy is less than 4 billion against the N40 billion naira rumour and that N4b is for 109 cars for the Senate. Go to an High Court Judge, he has a car. He even has utility car that does errand for him. Go to a deputy director in the Federal ministry, he uses the same car we are planning to buy. For God’s sake, give us that respect and honour. What is your view on the issue of corruption in the nation? Is it not funny that since 1999 when we started this democracy, no single person has been jailed for corruption? Yet, every day we will be shouting corruption. Look at another funny aspect only one person (Bode George) was jailed. He served his

term and the president quashed it. As far as our law is concerned nobody has been jailed for corruption. Also, look at the different judgment of election petitions tribunal from the same law. They remove somebody because of a reason and retain somebody for the same reason. A House of Representatives member from Edo State and a House of Assembly member in Plateau State were removed because they did not conduct proper primaries and that was the same thing that was used to remove the governor of Taraba but the appeal court upturned it. I feel concerned about the inconsistencies in the judgments. But Nigerians are hoping that many people will be jailed in the ongoing trial over $2.1 billion arms scam?

The total amount of the vehicle they are going to buy is less than N4 billion against the N40 billion rumour and that N4 billion is for 109 cars for the Senate. Go to a High Court Judge, he has a car. He even has utility car that does errand for him.

What is your position on plea bargain some are recommending for President Buhari to resolve the looted fund issues? I am never one of advocate of plea bargain. I believe in the law of deterrent. Let people face the consequence of their act. Chinese law says ‘don’t steal money and if you steal execution is the price.’ The chairman of the electricity company was involved in $20,000 deal which is less than N5 Million naira. He was executed. Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, most of these countries say ‘don’t bring drugs into our country, if you bring drugs, penalty is execution’. You that is going with it already know the consequence of what you are going for. I don’t believe in plea bargaining. When you steal N20 million and they say you should take N10 million and bring N10 million. It is silly. People will continue to steal money. Collect the whole money and send them to jail. Let us create a special court or give EFCC power to be able to prosecute in that special court. The only thing the court does is corruption cases. We can even call it anti-corruption court. It would expedite action on corruption. By the time we do that people will sit up. Some are of the opinion that President Buhari lost power in 1985 because of his perceived anti-elite policy. The country is greater than any individual. The same example that you gave now is the one that gave Buhari the second coming. That is, if you stand by the truth, no matter what happens, you will still gain it. Credibility with which he was known then opened door for him 30 years after.

30 politics&policy

Friday, 22 January, 2016

Oke-Ogun will produce governor in 2019 —Hon Olabiyi Honourable Kola Olabiyi represented Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/ Iwajowa Federal Constituency between 2011 and 2015. To mark his 50th birthday today, he is floating a foundation with scholarship awards to Oke-Ogun indigent tertiary students. In this interview with DARE ADEKANMBI, he speaks on why it must be the turn of OkeOgun to produce a successor to Governor Abiola Ajimobi. Excerpts:

for Oke-Ogun with every atom of strength I have. Why should the Ibadan zone be dominating others in Oyo State? I don’t have any regret for always supporting a just cause and for always defending Oke-Ogun.

OW has life been since you lost the last election? It has been up and down, just like when we were in the House of Representatives. I still solve people’s problems up till today. That is part of my nature. My wife’s birthday incidentally coincides with mine. She was 40 on January 21, while I am 50 today, January 22. This calls for celebration and throwing of a party. I always look at things critically before taking a decision. Instead of throwing a party, I decided I would use the money to help the downtrodden. So, I am floating a foundation committed to helping poor people fund their education through award of scholarship. We are staring from home, Oke-Ogun, giving scholarship to two people from each of the 10 local government councils in OkeOgun. As time goes on and if Jesus tarries, we will extend it to every part of the state before the end of this year. Why should I throw a lavish birthday party when there are so many people in Oke-Ogun who cannot go to school because of money? So, we decided to help poor people with the little resources God has put in our care. What has been your experience in politics so far? It has been very challenging, interesting, intriguing. But one thing I will never compromise in my political career is loyalty to the leaders. Loyalty is not 99.9 per cent. It has to be 100 per cent. The period I spent in the Army, where loyalty is not divided, helped me a lot and this is why I will remain loyal to leaders like Chief Michael Koleoso, Chief Titi Awakan, Chief S.A Adelere, and others. When you look at politics in Oyo State and the way it is, we really need to sit down at a table and strategise on the way forward. The fact remains that between 1999 and 2015, no senator has been elected twice. So, are we actually building leaders in the state in terms of public service? If you do four years and you come back home, if you are not a real grassroot person, it will be difficult for you to align back to the grass roots. This is why I will commend Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for what he is doing in Lagos. He is building leaders in Lagos and other states. If you are a leader and you don’t have a successor, no matter how successful you are, you are a failure. Look at Asiwaju Tinubu, whose leadership school produced Honourable James Faleke who is now the deputy governor-elect of Kogi State. Faleke started in Lagos as council chairman for three terms and then proceeded to the House of Representatives before his current position. This is how to build leaders with the consistency of being in government for years and acquir-

Olabiyi ing knowledge to lead people. You refused to join the APC as an ACN lawmaker and went to the Labour Party on the platform of which you contested in 2015 and lost to an APC candidate. Do you regret not joining the APC? No regrets at all. It is about the survival of a race and a geo-political zone. People may not see it the way some of us are seeing it. But I thank God now that people are meeting over what is known as Oke-Ogun project. I am glad many people in Oke-Ogun are now seeing the light we saw a long time ago. When I got into office as an ACN lawmaker, the major issue that caused disaffection was the issue of the leadership of the party. I said then and I still hold the same view now that Chief Koleosho is not only the leader of APC in Oyo State, he is also the leader of all progressive elements in the state. I want to put it on record that some progressive elements are in other parties apart from APC which has the majority of them. Those who left the APC are still progressive-minded. Maybe because Chief Koleoso is from Oke-Ogun, some people ganged up against him and

said he would not be the leader. The same set of people ganged up against Barrister Adebayo Shittu, when he was nominated as a minister. I had to speak to Nigerian Tribune in defence of Barrister Shittu. Though I am still a Labour Party person and he in APC, the issue of Oke-Ogun is very critical. It is not about me but about my children and the generation yet to be born in the zone. I was disturbed when I learnt of a meeting held in Ago-Are in the residence of one of our leaders. They rose from that meeting with a petition against Shittu. I had to call Nigerian Tribune to react against such ungodly behaviour. Shittu is the first minister that will come from the political class in Oke-Ogun, though we have had a minister before. But he was not a politician. The interest here and which is very constant, is Oke-Ogun. If I find out that any part of the South-West is denying Oyo State its fair share in what belongs to the SouthWest, I must, as a matter of necessity and calling, defend my state. But I am first of all from a geo-political zone within Oyo State and the politics we are playing is that of the geo-political zones within the state. So, naturally, especially when it is just, I will fight

In fact, the clamour for an Oke-Ogun governor in 2019 should start from Ibadan. But because power is not served a la carte, we have to fight for it. It won’t come on a platter of gold.

You placed adverts in newspapers to mobilise support for Shittu because you want an Oke-Ogun man to be the governor of the state in 2019. Is that correct? Naturally, it is the turn of Oke-Ogun to produce the governor of Oyo State in 2019. This is because, since the creation of the state, it is only two zones I think that are yet to produce the governor of the stateOke-Ogun and Oyo zones. I am not saying it should be Barrister Shittu. It can be anybody. But the next governor must come from Oke-Ogun zone in 2019. We have very many eminently qualified people that can be governor from Oke-Ogun. We have helped Ibadan zone to produce the governor. So, I don’t think it will be difficult for Ibadan politicians to support an Oke-Ogun governor. In fact, the clamour for an Oke-Ogun governor in 2019 should start from Ibadan. But because power is not served a la carte, we have to fight for it. It won’t come on a platter of gold. We have to fight and struggle for it. For some of us that watched the struggle for June 12, that struggle produced Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as governor. President Barrack Obama is American president today because of the struggle of Martin Luther King who paid the supreme price. This is what I tell my people from Oke-Ogun. They can’t just sit down and complain. They must be ready to stake their lives, resources and many other things. We must stake everything to ensure Oke-Ogun becomes governor in 2019. With the population we have in Oke-Ogun and the number of local governments we have got, if we play our politics well, nothing will stop us from getting the governorship in 2019. Since we are going to be governor of Oyo State and not Oke-Ogun, we have to discuss with other zones and network and our leaders are already doing that. We are seriously meeting at our own level and we are looking at how to achieve this without any acrimony. You were rumoured to be interested in the deputy governorship slot to pair with Senator Femi Lanlehin. Will you take a shot at the governorship if other zones agree that the next governor will come from Oke-Ogun? Lanlehin never told me as of that time that he wanted to be governor. Besides, our combination will not work because he is a Christian as I am. We have not matured to that level in Oyo politics. For now, I don’t have gubernatorial ambition. The whole struggle is about Oke-Ogun, about how do we get one of us to be governor in 2019. All of us can’t be governor or minister. In a span of a century, if every elected lawmaker in a federal constituency is doing only one term, we can’t have more than 25 in 100 years. In all these calculations, power belongs to God and He gives it to whomever it pleases Him to give it to. When the time comes, we will all sit down and look at the pros and cons of the contenders and see who can see who can win the election and get things done. It is not enough to contest an election. It is very important to also look at presenting somebody that will be acceptable to other zones. I am in constant conversation with Chief Koleoso and I know our leaders are working together for an OkeOgun man to be the governor in 2019.

Friday, 22 January, 2016

hers By Olaronke Jaiyeola Baba oko to gbafe Ebi o ma gbodo pa wa Eleyinju anu to se mu yangan lawujo Owo ounje ati aso ta a wo la wa gba ooo

hese are the praise lines mostly sang for in-laws by communal African wives (obinrin ile) in Yorubaland to show respect and earn monetary rewards, as well as their in-laws’ acceptance. Yoruba, an ethnic group in the southwestern part of Nigeria, is known for its richness in culture and tradition, which cannot be taken away from her. Respect to the Yoruba, is a path of honour and is synonymous with food, which must be served to people, given to whom it is due, as at when due. Yoruba cannot trade respect and honour for anything, as it is passed or handed on from generation to generation. The culture of respect begins in the home, where a younger person is not expected to call the elders by their names, but put appellations like ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ before their names. This gets carried on into marriage, leading to the concept of obinrin ile. Olobinrin ile is an agelong practice among the Yoruba, which places the onus, as well as great responsibilities on married women to do everything called chores in their in-laws’ places, whenever they go visiting or have any occasion. The responsibilities include, but are not limited to cooking all meals for any family event, washing all the dishes, fetching water to be used, serving of guests, as well as clearing and cleaning the mess after such an event. Also, it’s expected of ‘iyawo ile’ to pay a sort of obeisance to her brothers\ sisters in-law, by spreading either her veil or headtie on the floor while chanting/singing her in-laws’ praises, while the in-laws in return, spray her money or put such on her veil/headtie. These practices, to the Yoruba, depicted respect every married woman must exhibit to gain acceptance of her in-laws. Also, an obinrin ile is expected to be at her in-laws’ place a day or two prior to any event at her in-laws’; failure to do so might attract high sanction. She is not expected to arrive at the event in the company of her husband, as doing so implies disrespect. Narrowing it down to the nuclear/ immediate in-law’s family, the obinrin ile, according to the Yoruba culture, is expected to go visit her in-laws often and with each visit comes herculean tasks of washing her inlaws’ clothes, cooking throughout her period of stay, doing dishes (even for the youngest member of the family), sweeping, etc, practically doing all the chores. That way, she displays high sense of respect and responsibility which are regarded as virtues, thus ‘buying’ herself acceptance. This practice, which has been with the Yoruba for so long, seems to be becoming eroded by the day, with civilisation and globalisation now taking the centre stage. Do we just assume or conclude that civilisation, education and globalisation are responsible for its gradual drift towards oblivion? Back then, women did no paid jobs, as all they did was to follow their husbands to farm and on return, catered and cared for members of their households. It’s succinct to say that they had ample time at their disposal to fully or wholly abide by the tenets of the norm obinrin ile. Reverse seems to be the case now, as many

Editor: Yemisi Aofolaju yemiaofolaju@yahoo.com 08055001741

Communal African wife:

The pains, the gains

women these days are either complementing their husbands’ take home with theirs or are even the breadwinners. Women are now found in almost all professions and shoulder enormous responsibilities that give them limited time to spend with their immediate families, let alone with in-laws and doing the obinrin ile thing. Instances abound of today’s women experience with reference to the ‘iyawo/obinrin ile’ norm; with a mind-boggling question: Could these be the reasons for the tradition’s gradual erosion? Butressing the importance of the ‘olobinrin ile’ of the olden days, Chief (Mrs) Abiodun Duro-Ladipo, aka Oya/Moremi, a veteran Yoruba actress and legend, said Yoruba families enjoyed communal living back then, which was healthy for family living. “And in the olden days, all married males in a family lived in a very big compound with their wives in rooms allocated to each of them in houses within the compound. “The eldest of the wives was referred to as the ‘Iyale’; all other wives reverred and looked up to her as mother. “The iyale, by virtue of her position, was their spokesperson, whose words were highly respected. Thus, the other wives, alongside their children, called her our mother (Iya

They married the families and not their husbands, as against the ‘my husband and I’ syndrome of nowadays’ practice

wa). She organised the other wives of the clan every morning, as they saw to the cleaning of the compound, fetching of water, cooking of meals and other chores in the compound. “All the children of the family all slept together in the passage and every morning they woke, they greeted all the elders, from room to room and the parents, in return, answered by calling them their ‘oriki’ e.g ‘Aremu’, ‘Asake’, among others, and showered prayers on them. Tell me, how will such a child not know and enjoy the essence of greetings? “Aye ti baje ni, ‘Good morning’ is the order of the day now. They also cooked food in the same pot and ate together. After every hard day’s job on farm, they retired home and had tales told to their children by the moonlight. There, morals and ways of living were taught and formation of a strong character was built in them. There was love and unity amongst all; the children’s discipline was also everybody’s job,” she said. She recalled that in the days of our forefathers, venturing into marriage, among other things, was not as we have it now. “For instance, in Ekiti, we have what is called “oluku.” If a man sees a good family, he seeks to be their family friend, with expectation of marrying one of their daughters later in life, if not for himself, for his son. “The daughter of the good family becomes bethrothed and from then, the in-law-to-be begins to take gifts to the girl’s family, which included food items, brooms and a cock yearly, until the girl becomes mature for marriage. ‘’Then, wedding rites would begin and food was the main engagement item taken to the bride’s family. They would have all the bride’s wrappers (probably three or four ‘ofi’) in what we call ‘oke’, as those were all she had as belongings. They lived a life of contentment. “They would eat pounded yam, goat meat and drink palm wine as they merry while the bride got married off to her husband.

“For the period of being bethrothed, the girl must not pass through the frontage of her husband-to-be’s house, as they were shamefaced; they married as virgins. Any lady without this virtue brought shame on her parents, as against what is obtainable now, where those in courtship cohabit. “Then, girls were made to marry whoever their fathers chose, as they had no choice but to accepted it the way it came and lived with whatever the package came with. “Though they had no say or choice of who they married, there was nothing called divorce as we have it now. Come to think of it, you saw the man, said you loved yourselves and married, even at times without your parents’ consent, why the divorce afterwards? Women of old stood with their men for their children’s sakes. “They married the families and not their husbands, as against the ‘my husband and I’ syndrome of nowadays’ practice. “After the wedding then, the woman becomes one of the iyawo iles, and that behoves on her all duties expected of an obinrin ile. “Expectedly, obinrin ile dared not call anyone in her in-laws’ family by name, no matter how small in age he/she was. The bottom line was, as long as such was not born in the wife’s presence. “They coined out alias or pet names for their inlaws, especially those younger than them e.g ‘idi ileke’, ‘owu rubutu’, ‘akowe’, ‘yeye oge’, ‘baba oko mi’, etc; they treated them with respect. “Yoruba believes that as you treat your inlaws with respect, their spirit will always pray for you and it will affect your children’s lives positively as an obinrin ile. “This generation does not see it in this light, Mrs Duro-Ladipo remarked. “This is not our culture, it is Western craziness and it’s derobing us of our values,” she lamented. Continues on pg32

hers Is the tradition drifting into oblivion? 32

Continued from pg31

“obinrin iles support anyone who has an occasion. And since all occasions have food as the main thing, they do all that have to do with the cooking, ranging from fetching of woods, cutting, fetching of water, cooking, grinding, serving, among other things. “And no matter what, they knew their positions hierarchically and that is dependent on when they came into the family. The older wives dished out instructions to the younger ones on such occasions and they carried these out without questioning. They weren’t disrespectful as this generation,” she added. Temitope Adeyemi, a banker and mother of two, who lives in Lagos, while narrating her experience, said she would aptly describe it as “my ordeal in the hands of my in-laws in the name of olobinrin ile.” A native of Ondo State, Temitope got married about three years ago to Gbenga Osinowo (not real names) from Osun State and a few months into their marriage, the husband’s family had to celebrate their mother’s 70th birthday. It was a Saturday and Temitope, in company with her husband, arrived in Osogbo, her in-laws’ city. On getting home, to her dismay, they were ‘welcomed’ by her angry mother in-law, who started tongue-lashing her for coming same day the event would hold and for not also making herself available for cooking being an ‘obinrin ile’. All explanations given to pacify her fell on deaf ears, as Temitope was ordered to the backyard, where she was expected to commence washing plates to be used during reception. On getting to the backyard, she also met

other wives, who also were very cold towards her and had to even leave the entire work for her to continue, as they murmured among themselves as to whether she was the only educated or working-class wife. Amid tears, Temitope did the chores, expecting her husband to try make a case for her, but that never happened. After the event, Temitope was summoned to a family meeting, where she was made to know of the family’s expectation of her as ‘obinrin ile’ during subsequent occasions. Temitope held her calm as they departed Osogbo for Lagos, and in the car, she made her decision known to her husband that she will never follow him to any of his family’s occasion, as she expected him to fight and stand by her, but he was mute all through. Since then, Temitope had never showed up at any of her in-laws’ events, using her job as an excuse, especially now that she is the custodian of the keys to her bank’s strong room. Lara’s experience was not pleasant too, as she termed it ‘pure slavery’. Lara recalled it was just two months after she put to bed of her child and her husband’s family had a wedding of his sister. She said she, her husband, and their two months old baby arrived at her in-laws’ place and the next thing she was told was that she should hand over the baby to the mother in-law and join other wives outside to prepare for the event (engagement). On sighting Lara, being the youngest of them all, the other wives all handed off washing of the pepper and tomatoes to be used, leaving her to do all the washing, as well as ordered her to ensure the firewoods were burning well. Lara, who was asthmatic, was struggling with the choking smell of pepper,

Friday, 22 January, 2016

as well as from the smoke emitting from the fire. When she could not bear it anymore, she slumped and they all scampered for water to resuscitate her. There and then, her husband took her to a nearby hospital and that was the end of such ‘slavery’ treatment being meted to his wife, which could have cost them her life. Similar to Lara’s case was Tayo’s, who said it was Sallah celebration and her family had to travel to her husband’s village to celebrate with his parents. Tayo said they arrived in the evening and a few hours after their arrival, her husband’s uncle also arrived with his wife and they brought a cow, which was expected to be fried before the next morning. Since they arrived so late, they couldn’t find any caterer (olopo) to do the cooking, but the uncle insisted that since the obinrin iles were around, they should see to it that the cow was slaughtered, butchered and fried against the next day. Tayo, alongside her seniors tried to gather and find a way round it; they decided they could rent the big pots for cooking, get firewoods that night from the neighbourhood and call on a butcher around to slaughtered the cow; but the uncle refused, insisting that they should just find a way round it themselves, not involving anyone or renting any utensil, but make do with what was on the ground. Tayo said her husband was her saving grace that night, as on inquiring for the wife’s whereabouts, came, held her hand and made her leave the place without doing a thing. He told the uncle, who fought with him for doing such, that his wife also had just arrived, was tired and couldn’t do any of such that

same night. Shedding more light on the norm, Dr Jimoh Amzat, of the Department of Sociology, Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, Olobinrin ile simply means housewives. “In family A, all the wives of all male members of the family automatically become members of olobinrin ile. This, irrespective of whether or not they reside in same place.” Dr Amzat corroborated the fact that there is hierarchy i.e the iyale, irrespective of age, commands respect from others, adding that the females of family A are usually called iya oko, irrespective of their age and thus command respect from olobinrin ile.” Dr Amzat corroborated the fact that there exists hierarchy within the group, i.e the ‘iyale’, irrespective of her age, commands respect of all other members of the olobinrin ile. Expatiating on the effect the olobinrin ile tradition has on human relationships, Dr Amzat said the group exhibits a form of social ranking/ hierarchy, based on the time of marriage, which signifies a chain of respect and communication within the family. Message, he said, only needs to be passed to the most senior wife (iyale) and all other wives would be duly informed and appropriate action would be taken. Comparing how it was then and what we have now, Dr Amzat reiterated the fact that olobinrin ile tradition is still being practised in compound families and rural areas; in urban areas, when there is an opportunity to gather for any occasion, they still regard them as obinrin ile, though not as functional as it used to be. “I will not specifically say this generation is missing out on anything. We only have new structures or measures of functional equivalent of obinrin ile. It’s like asking whether we are missing something by no longer travelling by donkeys or horses in this generation. While such was enjoyable then, we now have better means. While the practice of the obinrin ile is not dysfunctional for the society, we now have other coping mechanisms. “Now, we have professional and even traditional caterers (olopo), launderers, maids, who now take over some functions of the obinrin ile of old during festivities or ceremonies. “As more women are taking up paid jobs outside the homes and getting advanced degrees, it gets flinty for them to participate in such obinrin ile gathering and cooperative domestic chores.” On what seems lost in the process of watering down this cultural practice, Chief Duro-Ladipo said “sense of respect and humility had been lost, with divorce rate on the increase. This is because in the olden days, women had no greed and were contented with the little they had, but westernisation/ civilisation had taken so much from us than it ever blessed us. Women now promote equality and campaign for liberation/emancipation.”

People’s views on the drifting tradition Mr Julius Olufemi: “Family structure (eto molebi) gave birth to the ‘olobinrin ile’ tradition. Before a woman is accepted wholly into a man’s family after wedding, there are some rituals (oro) that are carried out. Each family has its own, but the only common one to all Yoruba is seniority or hierarchy, with the eldest wife accepting the new bride, by either pouring water on her feet, which symbolises ushering in of peace as she steps into the family or breaking of calabash with her feet, and the number of pieces to which it breaks indicates the number of children she will have. “Whenever there is an occasion in the family/clan, it’s the duty of the obinrin ile to do all the work. It’s also a sign of disrespect for a new wife of the clan to call, even a baby she met in her in-laws’ house by name, it is a sign of disrespect for the child’s mother. Obinrin ile must be respectful to her

brothers/sisters in-law; one of her brothers in-law, in the olden days, might call the bride by her oriki e.g Asake. “Most women cannot do this nowadays; times have changed. So-called stupid civilisation have eroded our culture and tradition. “‘ My husband and I’ did not have a place then, as they all lived and did things together. The wife is married to the family, not the husband as it’s the belief today. “Equality is being forced down the throats of Africans and it’s eroding on cultural heritage. We have lost it and I don’t think we can retrace our steps. “The more we flirt with the Western culture, the more we injure ours. We have almost lost our language. Obinrin ile practice in the real sense is gone, we can never get it back.” Mrs Florence Olatunji: “What is ob-

tainable now is so different and relaxed than we had it in the past. Things have changed due to civilization. It is a slap on the image/culture of Yoruba. “The most junior wife respected the elderly ones. They knew their positions and respected their seniors, irrespective of whether they were older than the senior wife. “Though gossips and gists dotted moments of cooking during occasions, the obinrin iles were united and progressive. “We dared not call brothers/sisters inlaw by name, we respected and still do up till date. Mrs Ebun Aluko: “I am the eldest wife of my husband’s immediate family. Though we practise obinrin ile tradition, but an improved version. Whenever there was an occasion, I call all other wives and we contribute money to hire cooks, clean-

ers, servers, it’s that simple. We are all working-class women and there is no time for all those olden days’ practices. “On the issue of calling my husband’s brother/sister by name, I don’t call those older than me by name, but the younger ones, though I respect them and they also respect me. If I called them aunty, uncle, how can they come to me for money then? Chief Oluwole Daniel: Obinrin ile knew how to cook, sweep, wash and respect her in-laws in the olden days; they were disciplined and resilient. The younger ones never disrespected nor clamoured for equality with the older wives for any reason. They respected their brothers/sisters inlaw, not as the children of nowadays, who take pride in calling them by their names and even send them on errands at will. This generation no longer do the needful in terms of giving honour to in-laws.”

Friday, 22 January, 2016

Friday, 22 January, 2016 PHOTOS: YEMI FUNSO-OKE

MRS OLUFUNSO ADEGBOLA (NEE IGE) RECEIVES HONORARY AWARD FROM FRENCH CONSULATE â&#x20AC;&#x201D; CHEVALIER OF THE ORDER OF ACADEMIC-PALMES DINNER AT ALLIANCE FRANCAISE

From left, General Consul of France in Nigeria, Mr Laurent Polonceau, awardee, Mrs Funso Adegbola and Head of Cooperation and Cultural Affairs, Mr Arnaud Dornon during the presentation of Academic Palmes dinner held at Alliance Francaise on Wednesday.

From left, Mr Arnaud Donor, Mr Gbenro Adegbola, Barrister Kayode Adegbola, General Consul of France in Nigeria, Mr Laurent Polonceau, Barrister Ayotunde Adegbola, Mrs Funso Adegbola and Ag. Director of Alliance Francaise, Ibadan, Mr Nicolas Michelland.

From left, Dr Tony Marinho, Mrs Funso Adegbola, Mrs Irene Oshinbolu and Arch Sukky Onadeko.

General Consul of France in Nigeria, Mr Laurent Polonceau decorating Mrs Funso Adegbola.

From right, Mrs Modupe Oyeleye, Mrs Taiwo Owoeye, Mrs Wura Ogunleye, Mrs Motun Ige (left) and others.

From left, Principal, Vale College, Mr I.O.O. Akanbi, Vice-Principal, Mr G. Atebefia, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and Vice-Principal, Admin of Vale College, Mr Billy Oladimeji.

Professor Jide Owoeye (right) discussing with Mr Muyiwa Ige.

Professor Femi Ogunbiyi, Dr (Mrs) Kemi Fadipe and Dr Dele Fatoki.

Barrister and Mrs Obafunso Ogunkeye.

Mrs Funso Adegbola, Mrs Sade Taiwo, Mrs Funso Adegbola and Ambassador Ronke Adefowope.

Friday, 22 January, 2016

eyesof islam

HE rise of Muslims to the zenith of civilisation in a period of four decades was based on Al-lslam’s emphasis on learning. This is obvious when one takes a look at the Qur’an and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) which are filled with references to learning, education, observation, and the use of reason. The very first verse of the Qur’an revealed to the Prophet Muhammad on the night of 27th of Ramadan in 611 AD reads: “Read: In the name of thy Lord who created man from a clot. Read: And thy Lord is the Most Generous Who taught by the pen, taught man that which he knew not.” (Quran, 96:1-5) The pursuit of knowledge and the use of reason, based on sense observation is made obligatory on every Muslim, man and woman. The following traditions of the Prophet (SAW) supplement the foregoing teachings of the Qur’an in the following way: •“The acquisition of knowledge is compulsory for every Muslim, whether male or female.” •“The ink of the scholar is more sacred than the blood of the martyr.” •“Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.” •“God has revealed to me, ‘Whoever walks in the pursuit of knowledge I facilitate for him the way to heaven.” •“The best form of worship is the pursuit of knowledge.” •“Scholars should endeavour to spread knowledge and provide education to people who have been deprived of it. For, where knowledge is hidden it disappears.” •“Someone asked the Prophet (SAW): “Who is the biggest scholar?” He replied: “He who is constantly trying to learn from others, for a scholar is ever hungry for more knowledge.” •“Acquire knowledge: it enables its possessor to distinguish right from the wrong, it lights the way to heaven; it is Our friend in the desert, our society in solitude, our companion when friendless- it guides us to happiness; it sustains us in misery; it is an Ornament among friends and an armour against enemies.” The Islamic Empire, for more than 1,000 years, remained the most advanced and civilised nation in the world. This is because Al-Islam stressed the importance and respect of learning, forbade destruction and developed in Muslims, the respect for authority, discipline and tolerance for other religions. The teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah drove many Muslims to their accomplishments in science and medicine. By the 10th century, their zeal and enthusiasms for learning resulted in all essential Greek medical and scientific writings being translated into Arabic in Damascus, Cairo and Baghdad. Arabic became the international language of learning and diplomacy. The centre of scientific knowledge and activity shifted eastward and Baghdad emerged as the capital of the scientific world. The Muslims became scientific innovators with originality and productivity. For example, Islamic medicine is one of the most famous and best known facets of Islamic civilisation and in which the Muslims most excelled. The Muslims were the great torchbearers of international scientific research. Some of the best and most eloquent praises of science ever written came from the pens of Muslim scientists who considered their work to be acts of worship. One of the secrets of success in any pro-

Saheed Salawu yinkadejavu@yahoo.com 0811 695 4643

The pleasures of learning

fession is to be the most learned or bestinformed person. Learning is a pleasure. It is not, then one should cultivate the enjoyment associated with learning. Although the pleasure of learning is universal, there are many dull incurious people in the world. There are several reasons for this. Some people are made dull by bad teaching, isolation and following a routine lifestyle. For some people, it is the pressure of hard work and poverty. For those who are rich, their ephemeral and trivial delights come in the way of the pleasures of learning. The human mind can survive not only poverty but also even wealth with luck, determination and guidance. Learning is a natural pleasure. This pleasure is inborn and instinctive. The pleasure of learning is one of the essential pleasures of the human race. Without learning, survival itself is threatened. It is said that the propagation of the human race might be endangered if the knowledge of sex through seeing, reading or hearing is withheld from everyone. The process of learning starts right after birth. It is true that babies who can barely talk investigate problems with all the zeal and excitement of explorers, make discoveries with the passion and absorption of dedicated scientists. At the end of each successful investigation, one can see on the tiny face, an expression of innocent and pure heartfelt pleasure. The process of physical growth stops when a boy or girl reaches puberty, that is, with the onset of menarche in the girls and with the change in the voice

The pleasure of learning is one of the essential pleasures of the human race. Without learning, survival itself is threatened.

and growth of moustache and beard in boys. After puberty, it is impossible to increase the height both in boys and girls. It is only possible to increase their widths by fattening. On the other hand, the mental faculties grow from birth until death. At some point in our lifetime, the physical body becomes sick or ill and gradually dies; even the emotions become duller. But the mind continues to live, and even grows more lively and active, enjoys itself more, works and plays with more expansion and delight. There are many examples in the history of Art, Music and Science, of both men and women who significantly contributed and lead mentally productive lives at their ripe old ages. Learning extends our lives into new dimensions. It is cumulative. Instead of diminishing in time, like health and strength, its dividends go on increasing, provided one continues to learn throughout life and integrate the thoughts and make learning harmonious. One should make it a point to learn at least one new information each day. Now, one can learn even during sleep. This is accomplished with headphones attached to the ears and repeats playing of phonographs or taped cassettes. This method of sleep-learning is found most useful in linguistics- to learn new languages. The pleasure of learning is not confined to learning from textbooks, which are too often tedious. But it does include learning from book magazines (periodicals), newspapers and movies. When you stand in a big library in front of thousands of books, do not think they are lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves. Each has its own voice, which is as inaudible as the radiobroadcast waves falling directly on the ears. Just as one switches on the radio to hear, so does one just need to open a book to hear the voice far distant in time and space. One can hear the voice speaking, mind to mind and heart to heart. Reading of books gives you two different delights. One is the pleasure of understanding the unknown and the unexpected. The other pleasure is of deepening one’s knowledge of a specified field. The Prophet Mohammad told Muslims to be active in their search for learning, crossing oceans and continents if necessary. The more learned you are the more money you

can earn. It is fitting here to tell you the story of Diogenes, the great Greek philosopher who lived during the time of Alexander the Great. Diogenes was a very learned man and he shunned both power and wealth. Hence he was called a cynic. He was known to have wandered searching for an honest man carrying a lantern during day and night. He gave up everything he possessed, except a coconut shell for drinking water. One day he saw a man drinking water forming a cup with his hand. After seeing this Diogenes threw away his last possession, “the coconut shell. The name of Diogenes spread throughout Greece. Alexander the Great heard about Diogenes and one day decided to see him. Mounted on horseback, Alexander the Great went to Diogenes who was sitting on the ground. Alexander said “Oh Diogenes, I have heard a great deal about you and your life. I am very much impressed by your life and it is my earnest desire to help you in whatever way I can. Please let me know your desires so that I can fulfil them,” to which Diogenes replied “Your Excellency, my only request is that you get aside and allow the sun’s rays to fall on my body.” Alexander the Great was deeply moved by Diogenes’s reply and said “If I were not Alexander the Great, I would be Diogenes.” Now, the point here is that Diogenes never went to Alexander the Great, but that Alexander the Great came to Diogenes for he was such a learned philosopher. There are many people in this world who have played themselves to death, or eaten and drunk themselves to death. Nobody ever died because of thinking or learning. People who avoid learning or abandon it find no joy in life. They find that life is drained dry. No learner has ever run short of subjects to explore. The pleasures of learning lead to happiness. One can live longest and best and most rewardingly by attaining and preserving the happiness of learning. Learning is everyone’s birthright. Everyone — young or old, rich or poor, male or female — has access to learning. Exercise your birthright. Remember, what you have learned cannot be stolen by others. Source: ww.irfi.org

islamicnews

Friday, 22 January, 2016

Chess forbidden in Islam, rules Saudi mufti

AUDI Arabia’s Grand Mufti has sent shock waves through the world of chess by issuing a fatwa that it is forbidden in Islam. The Telegraph said the pronouncement caused consternation among international grand-masters led by Nigel Short, Britain’s most famous exponent of the game, who issued a message of support to Saudi Arabia’s young national chess association. The fatwa came on the eve of one of its biggest events a championship in Mecca, the religion’s most holy place. The secretary of the association, however, announced in response that he was not unduly worried by the ban, which was reiterating a previous policy of Saudi clerics which the government had never seen fit to implement. Musa bin Thaily confirmed that the ban was “by fatwa” but he went on to issue a lengthy string of polite

tweets expressly designed, he said, not to “bring shame on my country.” The tweets consisted of a series of pictures of Saudi Arabia’s chess stars and games and tournaments being played with apparent full acquiescence of the authorities since the first fatwa of this sort was issued 40 years ago. “Chess activities in Saudi have prospered in recent years because the ban wasn’t strictly enforced. Tomorrow is the start of Makkah (Mecca) chess event, my best wishes for the staff and best luck for all players,” he said. The Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, was asked whether the fatwa against chess still applied. The fatwa has meant, for example, that bringing chess pieces into the country is formally forbidden. He said that it did as “chess was a part of gambling.” He also said it was a waste of time, might interfere with prayer times and arouse

competition between players. The Qur’an bans gambling, which is formally illegal throughout much of the Muslim world, an injunction which means that even playing cards for fun is banned from cafes, including in otherwise liberal places like Dubai. However, while the religious police have great power in Saudi Arabia, they are still subject to oversight from the government as well as the clerics. In practice, chess is treated like popular music - allowed as long as it is not advertised too widely. Chess was likewise banned in Iran after the Islamic revolution there in 1979, but permitted again in 1988 as long as it was not used as a subject for gambling. The irony is that chess was introduced to the West from India via historic Persia at the time of the Muslim conquests, and the word “checkmate” comes from

the Persian “Shah Mat,” or “the king is dead.” Local chess sets feature kings with crowns adorned by crescents rather than the more usual crosses. Bishops are called “ministers.” Mr Short told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC): “I don’t consider chess to be a threat to society. It is not something that is so depraved as to corrupt morals.” However, after Twitter reaction to Mr Thaily, he retracted his comments. “An important story but not as significant as thought,” he said. He also commented sarcastically: “I have decided henceforth to avoid dangerous topics like feminism and stick to safe subjects like Islam.” The Grand Mufti is considered a conservative even by Saudi Arabia’s traditional standards, and has rigorously argued in favour of keeping the ban on women drivers.

From left, Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation, Abdullahi Shuaib; United States Consul General, Lagos, Mr Friday John Bray and US Special Representative for Religion and Global Affairs, Dr Shaun Casey, after an anti-corruption roundtable with religious leaders, on Tuesday.

Meeting of Islamic nations focuses Saudi-Iran fallout A top Iranian diplomat is in Saudi Arabia attending an extraordinary meeting at the headquarters of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC,) the world’s largest body of Islamic nations, to discuss the Saudi-Iran diplomatic crisis, The Associated Press has reported. Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Seyed Abbas Araqchi, is the first Iranian official to visit the kingdom since Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran after a mob ransacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran to protest the execution of a promi-

nent Saudi Shiite cleric. Saudi Arabia then called for a meeting to discuss the fallout among foreign ministers of the 57-nation

OIC, which includes Iran, but is headquartered in the Sunni kingdom. In his remarks at the OIC meeting Thursday, Saudi

Foreign Minister, Adel alJubeir, accused the kingdom’s Shiite rival of inciting sectarianism in the region.

Group organises lecture on hijab AHEAD of February 1 World Hijab Day, stakeholders will, on Sunday, converge on Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to discuss the significance and relevance of hijab to Muslim woman. The public lecture being facilitated by the Bodija Muslim Youth Forum (BOMYOF) will hold at the Islamic Centre, Housing,

Bodija, Ibadan, starting from 11.00 a.m. A statement by the chairman of the forum, Abdurrahman Balogun, stated that the topic of the lecture is “Hijab: Why the controversy?” A scholar, Malam Abdulhakim Ishola, the statement said, would deliver the lecture alongside other discussants.

According to the statement, the choice of the topic was aimed at correcting some misconceptions about hijab in Nigeria as well as creating positive awareness on the use of the head covering by the Muslims in the country. There have been calls for the ban of hijab owing to the security challenges in the country.

muslim

sermon

with AbdulJaleel Solaudeen 0703 030 7232

Al-Ibaadah (worship)

“I have not created jinn and men other than they may worship Me.” Q51:56 Al-ibaadah or ibaadah is an Arabic word drawn from its verb root ‘abada,’ which means worship or pay adoration unto. Al-ibaadah in Islam has been defined as anything which Allah (SWT) loves and is pleasing unto Him (SWT) whether in word or action. It can be summarised as all lawful acts done in consciousness of Allah and all acts of kindness done with the intention of pleasing Allah. It also includes avoidance of unlawful acts out of obedience to Allah (SWT). It is also the encouragement of righteous deeds and forbiddance of evil deeds. Human beings and jinn were created for the purpose of ibaadah, i.e. to worship Allah (SWT). Allah the Supreme makes it clear in the Qur’an: “I have not created jinn and men other than they may worship Me.” Q51:56. Ibaadah is the manifestation of the (inner) belief which a Muslim has enclosed in his breast and the faith he professes with his tongue. It is also a display of one’s obedience to Allah and complete submission to Him. Engaging in acts of ibaadah is an obligation of every Muslim, male or female. Ibaadah, as defined above, is thus an act that is exclusively reserved for Allah. Allah alone deserves to be worshipped without associating partners with Him in any form. Ibaadah has various forms and types. Scholars of Islam have categorised ibaadah into four, the first being Ibaadatul badaniyah, i.e. physical act of worship. This category of ibaadah is that which a man does with his body. Acts of worship like solat, sawm (fasting) and hajj (holy pilgrimage) fall under this category. Solat, which is a daily routine, is performed with the body and it involves standing, recitation with the tongue, bowing, prostrating and sitting. Most parts of our bodies are in action during solat. It is forbidden in Islam to bow or prostrate for any being, no matter how highly placed – not even a king or emir. Allah (SWT) says in Suratul Jinn: “Wa annal-masaajida lillahi fala tad’u ma’a llahi ahad,” meaning “And the Masaajid are for Allah alone, so involve not anyone along with Him.” Q72:18. The second category of ibaadah is ibaadatul maaliyah or those acts of worship that are associated with our wealth. These include giving zakat (the obligatory alms giving) and sodaqah (voluntary spending). It somehow includes hajj for pilgrims living outside Makkah. Islam encourages spending our wealth to assist the underprivileged and the downtrodden within and outside our immediate environment. Paying what is due from our wealth as zakat is a compulsory act of worship and this must follow the guidance of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Zakat and Sadaqah perform a significant function in freeing a society from want and ridding it of crime and other societal evils. Almighty Allah makes it clear that worship is not limited to facing the Qiblah during solat alone. “True piety does not consist in turning your faces towards the east or the west but truly pious is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the Angels and the revelations and the Prophets and spends his substance, however much he himself may cherish it, upon his next of kin, the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and on freeing from bondage, then he is constant in prayer (solat) and pays his zakat and they are those who keep their promises and also are steadfast in prosperity and adversity and in time of baas (danger) . These are those that have proved themselves true and these are indeed the pious. (Q2:177). From the foregoing verse, it can be deduced that ibaadah does not refer to what is practised within the four walls of the mosque alone; nor on Eid days. It includes spending our wealth in the way of Allah to establish His deen and also bring succour to His servants. Ibaadatul maaliyah is a kind of worship, established to purity the wealth of the giver and also serve as relief to the recipients. Zakat also has its nisab (fixed amount, from which it must be paid, but sadaqah has no specification. Also, sadaqah is not limited to wealth; it includes those good, sincere actions directed towards ameliorating the problem of a fellow Muslim or any being for that matter. The Holy Prophet (SAW) was reported to have said, “All the joints in every person are bound to perform charity every day when the sun rises. To act justly between two people is charity. To help a man with his mount, lifting him unto it or hoisting up his belonging on to it is charity. Every step you take to the mosque for prayers is charity. To remove a harmful object from people’s path is charity.” (Bukhari and Muslim). This shows us how to apply the concept of ibaadah in our daily lives. The hadith also shows that ibaadah has varying degrees.

news

Friday, 22 January, 2016 Friday, 22 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

EFCC arraigns CCT chairman’s PA over N10m bribery allegation Sunday Ejike - Abuja

he Personal Assistant to the chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Ali Gambo Abdullahi, was on Thursday, arraigned before Justice Chizoba Orji, of a Hgh Court of the Federal Cpital Territory (FCT), by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). According to the charge, Abdullahi was said to have given officials of EFCC false information about the N1.8 million he allegedly collected from a former official of the Nigerian Customs Ser-

vice, Rasheed Owolabi, who is standing trial before the tribunal over asset declaration. Owolabi had accused the chairman of the trbunal, Justice Danladi Umar, of demanding N10 million from him to influence his case before the tribunal. He had also admitted that

he paid N1.8 million to the tribunal chairman through the Zenith Bank Account No.†1002849471 belonging to Abdullahi, the CCT Chairman’s Personal Assistant. But Abdullahi in his statement to EFCC, said the N1.8million, was paid into his account by Owolabi to

2013, at Abuja ,within the. Judicial division of the court did made a statement to one Abdulmajeed Ibrahim, a detective with t EFCC ,while in the course of the exercise of the duty of his office that the sum of N1.8million paid into your Zenith Bank Account Nuumber 1002849471 on Decem-

ber. 12, 2012 by one Rasheed Owolabi was a payment made to assist you to settle your father’s hospital bill which statement you knew to be untrrue and thereby committed an office contrary to section 39(2) (a) of the EFCC Act. 2004 and punishable under section (39) (2) (b) of the same act.

Arewa Patriotic Assembly flays VOA, BBC over police promotion

Senate to subject it to public scrutiny From Chris Agbambu and Ayodele Adessanmi The Arewa Patriotic Peoples Assembly has condemned the Voice of

America (VOA) and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Hausa Service, for trying to sow seed of discord in the Nigerian Police, on the

Ondo boosts industrialisation, completes Omotosho power plant soon Ondo State government said on Thursday, that power supply to industries in the state would receive a boost soon, saying that work at the Omotosho power plant is almost completed. Speaking with newsmen during an inspection tour of the project site in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area, the state Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, said

assist him settle his father’s medical bills. According to the charge number CR/137/15, the accused was said to have been inconsistent in his statement to the commission. The two count charge read: “That you Ali Gambo Abdullahi, sometimes in August

the project has reached 80 per cent completion. Addressing the media in company with Commerce and Industry Commissioner, Chief Ayo Abiola, Akinmade expressed delight on the quality of the work being done at the site, even as he assured that no effort would be spared to get the project completed as scheduled. Also speaking during

the tour, which had in attendance, the management staff of the ministry and members of the state Chamber of Commerce of Industry, Mine and Agriculture (OSCCIMA), the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Abiola, described power as a strong driver of viable economy, stressing that the project when completed.

saturday, 23 JANUARY, 2016

lopsidedness in the deployment and promotion in the force. Addressing newsmen in Abuja, on Thursday, Isa Tijani and Deacon Alackson Duniya, president and secretary respectively, noted with regret that even though, the voice and name of the person interviewed, were not disclosed but requirements of best practices, that is so touchy and important, requires that adequate verification and investigations needed to be carried out to avoid generating crisis in an already polarised country. “As the hope and representatives of the Nigerian future, we are always interested in what affects the

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How Nigeria can turn around its Why I left USA for economic situation Nigeria —Osas, Tinsel Star —Kalu Idika Kalu

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What Afenifere knew about N100m from Anenih —Secretary

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Life as a female chaplain is ... —Dr (Mrs) Janet Olajire Oluwoye, Head of Chaplain, Bowen University

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prospects of unity and the corporate growth of our dear nation”. Isa added that cases of insurgency, political unrest as well as acts of criminality by some Nigerians in recent time, have imposed on all true patriots, the duty to remind all and sundry that crisis of any form, be it ethnic, religious or regional, would not do the country any good. Meanwhile, the Senate, on Thursday, indicated its readiness to subject the alleged lopsidedness in the police promotion to public

scrutiny to know whether the promotion is in order or not. It will be recalled that a police officer had in an interview with a foreign radio station alleged that the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, was favouring a section of the country in the promotion of police. However, the chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Abu Ibrahim said the Inspector General of Police had submitted the list of the police promotion under his watch to the committee.

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I, formerly Miss Oyewola Aminat Adeola now MRS. AKANNI AMINAT ADEOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Miss Ajayi Mercy Omobolanle now MRS. TAIWO MERCY OMOBOLANLE. All former documents remain valid. TESCOM, Oyo State and general public take note.

I, formerly Miss Ibrahim Temitope now MRS MOKOLADE TEMITOPE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Mrs Fatai Bose now MRS ARANSI ADENIKE GRACE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Popoola Ayoka Faridat now ADAMSON AYOKA FARIDAT. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Oladepo Isa Abdulazeez now OLADEPO ABDULAZEEZ ABIODUN. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Olayiwola Olugbenga Ayodeji now OLAITAN OLUGBENGA AYODEJI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Mrs. Yekini Adenike Adesoji now MISS OJENIYI ADENIKE ADESOJI. All former documents remain valid. Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters and general public take note.

I, formerly Miss Bukoye Olaitan Kuburat now MRS RAIFU OLAITAN KUBURAT. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Alimi Rihanat Olabisi now FASASI RIHANAT OLABISI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. I, formerly Miss Isaiah Loveth Charity now MRS SHADARE LOVETH CHARITY. All former documents remain valid. Commission authority concerned and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Popoola Adeola Olufunmilola now MRS. KALEJAIYE ADEOLA OLUFUNMILOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Duyilemi Mercy Rereloluwa now MRS. OGUNJOBI MERCY RERELOLUWA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Bella Peter Ekpeyoung now MRS BELLA EZEKIEL AMURE, born on the 28th May, 1973. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Justina Okwu Odoemela now MRS JUSTINA OLATUNBOSUN OLOJEDE. All former documents remain valid. UK Embassy and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Ashiru Ramon Fatai now ASHIRU RAMON GBOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Okunola Awawu Folake now MRS. ADEJIMI AWAWU FOLAKE. All former documents remain valid. Osun State Universal Basic Education Board, Osogbo and general public take note. CORRECTION OF DATE OF BIRTH

I, AIYEGBO IFEOLUWA AJOKE was born on 26th December 1966 not 26th December 1964 as it was mistakenly writting in some of my documents. Henceforth, my date of birth is 26th December 1966. All documents bearing these date of birth refer to me and remain valid. General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

I, AWAWU YAKUBU am the same person bearing AWAWU SULE. Henceforth, I want to be known and addressed as AWAWU YAKUBU. All documents bearing these names refer to me and remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Ganiyu Khadijat Oladayo now MRS GANIYU-ADEGOKE KHADIJAT OLADAYO. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Olaniyan Oluwakemi Sarah now MRS OLATOYE OLUWAKEMI SARAH. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Ilori Opeyemi Oluwakemi now MRS SALAUDEEN OPEYEMI OLUWAKEMI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Fakore Taiwo Atinuke now MRS OLUWAFEMI OLADIMEJI TAIWO ATINUKE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

I, Balogun Divine E. am the one and the same person as Balogun Divine Adeboye. Now, I wish to be known and addressed as BALOGUN DIVINE ADEBOYE E. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Usifo Edith Bose now MRS ENADEGHEUSIFO EDITH BOSE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Friday, 22 January, 2016 CONFIRMATION OF NAME

I, Moses Gbemisola Midonmitan am the same person as Moses Gbemisola Olanike. Now, I wish to be known and addressed as MOSES GBEMISOLA OLANIKE. All documents bearing these names remain valid. MAPOLY and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Jolly Emmanuel O. Akpo now JOLLY E.M. AKPOBOLOKEMI. All former documents remain valid. Banks and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Ijeoma Cynthia Agu now MRS IBEGBUNA IJEOMA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Friday Ikechukwu Brown Onuoha now FRIDAY IKECHUKWU BROWN. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, SAMUEL TEMITOPE ADESINA am the same person as SAMUEL TEMITOPE ADEWUNMI ADESINA. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Miss Ewulo Kabirat Mojisola now MRS OLALERE KABIRAT MOJISOLA. All former documents remain valid. TESCOM, Oyo State and general public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Aliu Taiwo Oluwakemi now MRS IDOKO TAIWO OLUWAKEMI. All former documents remain valid. The Nigeria Police Authority and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Agbola Oluwabunmi Omobolanle now MRS ADEWUMI OLUWABUNMI OMOBOLANLE. All former documents remain valid. Toun Memorial Specialist Hospital, National Open University of Nigeria and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Olaniyan Latifat Oluwakemi now MRS ODUWOLE LAFIFAT OLUWAKEMI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Miss Ayinde Rasheedat Opeyemi now MRS TIJANI RASHEEDAT OPEYEMI. All former documents remain valid. TESCOM, Oyo State and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Isiaq Moruuf O. now ISHAQ MORUFF OLATUNDE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME

I, Abiodun Quadri Ayomide am the same person bearing Ibrahim Quadri Ayomide. Now, I wish to be known and addressed as IBRAHIM QUADRI AYOMIDE. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Miss Abiola Olupona now MRS ADEBOWALE ABIOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Ekundayo Olajumoke Nafisat now MRS ADEFEHINTI OLAJUMOKE NAFISAT. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, MUSTAPHA MUDASHIRU am the same person bearing MUSTAPHA OYINDAMOLA AJIBOLA MUDASHIRU. All documents bearing these names remain valid. EcoBank and general public take note.

I, formerly Oludayo Adeoye Onabiyi now OLUSEGUN OLUDAYO ONABIYI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Miss Ojobaro Olufunke Esther now MRS KORODE OLUFUNKE ESTHER. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Miss Titilayo Mary Matthews now MRS FATURIYELE TITILAYO MARY. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Alhazan Lateef Oyeladun now ALHAZZAN LATEEF AYANLOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Edekin Yemisi Folasade now MRS AKINRINDE YEMISI FOLASADE. All former documents remain valid. Nigeria Police Force and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Okiti Moses now INIMOTIMI MARKSON YAWEI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Adeparusi Oluwabukola Adefunke now MRS ODUWOLE OLUWABUKOLA ADEFUNKE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Azeez Morili Apeke now AZEEZ MORILI OPEYEMI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Olusegun Funsho Lydia now MRS JOSEPH FUNSHO TUNRAYO LYDIA. All former documents remain valid. Nigeria Police Force and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Adeniran Margaret Bose now MRS ADESOYE MARGARET BOSE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Prince Emmanuel Onyedikachi now NWEKE PRINCE ONYEDIKACHI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

I, Akinkunmi Oluremi Janet am the same person as Akinkunmi Amope. Now, I wish to be known and addressed as AKINKUNMI OLUREMI JANET. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

I, Bob-Iwe Kenneth Bryne Nwawuto am the same person bearing KEN BOB-IWE. All documents bearing all the names refer to me as the same person.General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Mrs Ezinne Agbai Olugu now MISS EZINNE OKORO. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Miss Tajudeen Ganiyat Olabisi now MRS AMOO GANIYAT TAJUDEEN. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME

I, Aboderin Taofeek Aderemi am the same person bearing Aboderin Ayiki Aderemi. Now, I wish to be known and addressed as ABODERIN TAOFEEK ADEREMI AYIKI. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Omole Oluwafunso Oluwaseyi now OMOLE FUNSO SAMSON. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Zainab Ibraheem now NURUDEEN ZINAB LABAKEMI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Ebinum Emeke now ENEBUSE EMEKA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Miss Dairo Kuburat Mojisola now MRS RASHEED ODUNTAN MOJISOLA ADEOLA KUBURAT. All former documents remain valid.General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Odumosu Yetunde now ADEWALE TAIWO. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. I, formerly Alhaja Atinuke Rashidat Shonubi (nee Busari) now ALHAJA ATINUKE RASHIDAT BUSARI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Mrs Memunat Sunday now MRS MEMUNAT IDRIS. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Isiaka Ajayi Sunday now AJAYI SUNDAY HENRY. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Abdulal Hawali Fatai now ABDULAHI ADEKOLA ATANDA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Mrs Adefarati Modupe Alice now MRS ADEWUNMI MARGARET MODUPE. All former documents remain valid. Local Government Staff Pension Board, Secretariat, Oyo State and general public take note.

I, formerly Miss Olajide Folasade Atinuke now MRS OLAFISOYE FOLASADE ATINUKE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Olayiwola Omolara Apinke now ADEREMI OMOLARA APINKE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Okesola Kabiru Demola now SAKA KABIRU BOLAJI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Miss Rasheed Sherifat Ajoke now MRS OYEDIRAN SHERIFAT AJOKE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Adeyemi Oluwatosin Omolara now MRS IKOMI OLUWATOSIN OMOLARA ADEYEMI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Faturiyele Opeyemi Omolaso now MRS BAMIDELE OPEYEMI OMOLASO. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Fola Iyabo Musilimat now MRS OCHOKWU IYABO MUSILIMAT. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Dada Christianah Omolara now MRS OLADELE CHRISTIANAH OMOLARA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME

I, Shittu Gazaliyu Oyeleke am the same person bearing Oyebamiji Gasaliyu and Shittu Gazaliyu Oyeleke. Henceforth, I want to be called and addressed as SHITTU GAZALIYU OYELEKE. All documents bearing these names remain valid. Skye Bank Plc and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Adejumo Mujidat Adebukola now MRS FAKEYE MUJIDAT ADEBUKOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Mr Jeremiah Oludare Ajayi now MR JEREMIAH OLUDARE AJAYI AYODELE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Miss Ale Oore-Ofe Lydia now MRS ADEGBENLE LYDIA OORE-OFE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Oladipupo Dasola Omolola now OGUNTOMILOYE DASOLA OMOLOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Durojaye Toluwani Dayo now MRS GANIYU TOLUWANI DAYO. All former documents remain valid. Nigeria Embassy and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, Mr Ali Sadiku Adebayo Asifu am the same person as Ali Adebayo and Sadiku Adebayo Asifu. Henceforth, I want to be called and addressed as MR ALI SADIKU ADEBAYO ASIFU. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Oladoke Felicia Bolanle now MRS IDOWU FELICIA BOLANLE. All former documents remain valid. Oyo SUBEB, Itesiwaju LGUBEA and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss AkindeleObe Abiodun Funmilola now MRS AREMU ABIODUN FUNMILOLA. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

I, formerly Salami Mutairu Ariyo now SALAWUDEEN MUTAIRU ARIYO. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly John Joseph Smart now JOHN JOSEPH OLUWATOBI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Aiyedatiwa Tunde Smith now OMOSUYI O L O R U N J U W O N EMMANUEL. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Olasehan Funmilayo Bola now MRS LAWAL FUNMILAYO BOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

I, Edward Mobolaji Samuel am the same person bearing Edward Bolatito Victor. Henceforth, I want to be called and addressed as EDWARD MOBOLAJI SAMUEL. All documents bearing these names remain valid. First Bank Plc, FCMB and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Adegboyega Wasilat Abiola and Hamza Wasilat Abiola now MRS ADEBAYO WASILAT ABIOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Mr Madiu Belau now MR. AYINLA OKUNOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Muideen Amusat now TIJANI MUIDEEN ADEBIYI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Miss Rhoda Micah now MRS DORCAS KARAM MANASSEH. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Tijjani Abubakar S. now TIJANI SADIQ. All former documents remain valid. First Bank Plc and general public take note. CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Olorode Olubunmi Folasade now MRS ADEGBILE OLUBUNMI FOLASADE. All former documents remain valid. Access to Basic Medical Care Foundation and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Yusuf Kafilat Omobolanle now MRS DARAMOLA OLAYINKA OMOBOLANLE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Afolayan Moyinoluwa Folakemi now ADELEKE MOYINOLUWA FOLAKEMI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Miss Oguntunsin Omoyemi Eunice now MRS AYODELE OMOYEMI EUNICE. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Alimi Rukayat Abolore now MRS SABIU RUKAYAT ABOLORE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Idris Florence now JACKSON VICTORIA ASIKOMI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Adebisi Kafayat Adebola now MRS JAIYEOLA-ADEBISI KAFAYAT ADEBOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Mrs Francis Mary now MRS IGBEKHUE MARY. All former documents remain valid. Skye Bank Plc and general public take note.

I, formerly Miss Adeyemo Olajumoke Tinuade now MRS AYANO OLAJUMOKE TINUADE. All former documents remain valid. Nigerian Bar Association and general public take note.

I, formerly Miss Adewumi Rachael now MRS ALADE RACHAEL EBUNOLA. All former documents remain valid. Local Government Service Commission, Abere, Ede South Local Government and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Yetunde Helen Oginni now MRS YETUNDE HELEN SALAMI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, Mr Musa Raji am the same person as MUSA SADIKU. All documents bearing these names remain valid. Wema Bank, Zenith Bank and general public take note.

news

Friday, 22 January, 2016

ICPC re-arraigns Yusuf Agabi, 4 others over fraud at N/Delta ministry Sunday Ejike - Abuja

he Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), on Thursday, re-arraigned Yusuf Agabi, a former director at the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and governorship aspirant in Nassarawa State, under the Peoples

Democratic Party (PDP), before Justice Adegboyega Adeniyi of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), High Court, Apo. Agabi, who was earlier in 2015, arraigned before another FCT High Court, in Maitama, alongside four others, had written a petition to the Chief of Judge of FCT, Justice Ishaq Bello, asking that the mat-

ter be reassigned. Consequently, the matter was re-assigned and Agabi was on Thursday, re-arraigned with four others, for fraudulently obtaining a sum of N100 million from the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs in a 46-count charge preferred against them. Yusuf Agabi, while being a public officer as a Dir-

ector of Finance, at the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, was alleged to have received for himself a sum of N100 million belonging to the Federal Government from one Kabiru Paloma, knowing same to have been obtained fraudulently from the bank account of the ministry, an offence contrary to Section 13 and punishable under section

Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko (middle), cutting the tape during the inauguration of Lokoja Mega Terminal. With him is the state governor, Captain Idris Wada (second left); his wife, Alima (left); deputy governor, Chief Yomi Awoniyi (third right); state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Samuel Uhuotv and the state Commissioner for Transport, Honourable Abdulrahman Wuya, on Wednesday.

Navy arrests ship found with 183 Nigerians, 41 illegal migrants from Gabon The Eastern Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy, on Thursday, in Calabar, Cross River State, said it had intercepted a transport vessel, “Av Agamba” with no fewer than 183 Nigerians and 41 illegal migrants. Rear Admiral Atiku Abdulkadir, Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) of the command, who made the disclosure while addressing journalists in Calabar, said the ship was intercepted at the shoreline on its arrival from Gabon. Abdulkadir explained that the ship was, however, allowed to berth at the jetty because a majority of the passengers were Nigerians. He added that the Federal Government had placed a ban, restricting the dumping of illegal immigrants in Nigerian ports. The flag commanding officer said out of the 183 Nigerians, 93 were children, adding that 83 of the children and majority of the adults had no travelling passport, but came into the country with “emergency travel certificates.” Abdulkadir said the Navy would confirm whether the children were brought into Nigeria illegally, adding that there was the need to profile them and trace their origin. “We also have 41 foreigners on board this ship, out of which four are from the Central African region

while others are from West African. “Over 35 of them again are with emergency travel certificates and no passport. We are trying to work with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to re-assure ourselves that they are not

of any dangerous character. “It is a big concern to us that people are coming into this country without proper travel documents. “Now that there is Lassa fever and other health challenges, we also want to ensure that those that are here

are of no health threat to the people around,” he said. Abdulkadir said the police and the Department of State Security at the jetty would check the Nigerians on the ship to ensure that they pose no threat to the security of the nation.

68 of the Corrupt Practices Act 2000. He was also alleged to have, on separate occasions, in 2013, collected N400 million from Kabiru Paloma, a sum of N50 million from Daniel Obah and another sum of N8.9million from Babadoko Mohammed, obtained fraudulently from the accounts of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs. Akpore Okeroghene, a Deputy Director of Finance, at the ministry ,was also accused of receiving N25 million at separate occasions and through a proxy, Kabiru Paloma, as well as N6 million and N2 million respectively, from one Nuhu Gadu and Solomon Sunday Tom. The third accused person, Ayinla Abibu was also alleged to have received N60 million through a proxy, Zeocat Nigeria Ltd, with which he used to build a house at Ogbomosho, Oyo state for himself. He was alleged to have received a total of N91. 4million through a proxy, Joykings Nig eriaLimited. Idowu Adewale, a deputy director of accounts in the ministry, was also said to have received a sum of $100,000 from Kabiru Paloma, as well as using documents to wit: payment vouchers of the ministry, which were defective in material particular and designed to mislead his principal for the purpose of fraudulently obtaining various sums of money from his principal.

I don’t have any house in Dubai —Fayose Ekiti State governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has declared that he does not have any house in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), challenging anyone with information of any property linked to him in Dubai to publish the details. The governor, who also said he was ready to waive his immunity to be prosecuted if any house is linked to him in Dubai, said he was not a kind of person that will deny his assets. Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said it was painful that the people who seized power in Nigeria through falsehood and propaganda were still lying eight months after assuming office. “I’m not among those lily livered Nigerians that will deny their assets anywhere, he said. “They are in the Federal Government and they should have access to all information both in Nigeria and abroad. I, therefore, challenge them to check books on owners of all

properties in Dubai. “If they trace any house to me in Dubai, the Federal Government should make public all the details including pictures, location and title documents. “The government should also confiscate such property

and I am ready to waive my immunity to be prosecuted.” The governor also reiterated his commitment to speaking the truth at all times, not minding whose ox is gorred, adding that; “No amount of their falsehood and propaganda can silence me.”

“They have taken their propaganda to the most ridiculous height and it is shameful that after taking over Nigeria by falsehood, they are still lying to deceive Nigerians just to cover up their lack of solution to the country’s economic problems.”

...Ex-speaker reiterates support for him

immediate past The speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Honourable Dele Olugbemi, has reiterated his unflinching support for Governor Ayodele Fayose. Honourable Olugbemi, who admitted that he once had disagreement with the governor over certain issue, which made him to reject his appointment as commissioner in the State House of Assembly Service Commission, said he only disagreed with the governor on principle and that has not stopped his support for the governor and his government.

In a statement issued on Thursday and made available to news men in AdoEkiti, the former speaker emphasised that he will never return to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and urged those pestering him to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to stop bordering themselves. The former speaker described Governor Fayose as a visionary and honest leader, who rewards loyalty, adding that those who genuinely stood by the governor and the PDP in the past are now enjoying the reward of their loyalty with many of them now mem-

bers of the State House of Assembly, commissioners and special assistants. He said; “From my relationship with Governor Fayose, he cut the picture of a blunt person who will never lie to anyone no matter what he stands to gain. He is passionate about development of Ekiti State and anyone whose main interest is that of Ekiti must support him. “As for me, even though, we disagreed in the past, I will continue to stand with him, support him and pray for him in the overall interest of Ekiti State and our party, the PDP.”

Nigerian Tribune

Apc chieftain to sponsor 180 students on extramural studies

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Oyo State, Mr Oladiran Alabi, has resolved to sponsor extramural coaching classes for students of Ibadan South West Local Government Area, scheduled to write the 2016 May/ June WAEC examination. This initiative, according to Alabi, is in consonance with his commitment to improving the educational standard of students as well as the state government’s desire to raise the bar of education in the state. The APC chieftain disclosed that the coaching exercise scheduled to commence from February 5, will hold at UMC Primary School III, Ibadan. Specifically, the classes will cover English, Mathematics and Yoruba, while 15 students from the 12 wards in the local government will be beneficiaries of the programme. He enjoined interested students to pick up application forms from APC wards in their respective areas and return completed forms on or before January 30.

IYC condemns pipeline vandalism Collins Nnabuife - Abuja

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), umbrella body of Ijaw youths in the country, has condemned those behind the vandalism of oil and gas pipelines in Delta State and urged the Federal Government to be meticulous in fishing out the culprits and avoid punishing the innocent. Members of the council, who are spread in the coastal areas of the Niger Delta region, said that the vandals behind the destruction of the pipelines could not be their members as they were never violent in their agitation for improving the well-being of the people of the region. The IYC distanced its members from the destruction of the pipelines during a courtesy call on the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru and the Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Professor Claudius Daramola, in Abuja. The president of IYC, Udengs Eradiri, said in his remarks during the visit: “IYC condemns totally the destruction of pipelines in the Niger Delta; vandalism is a crime against humanity and Ijaws are peace loving people.” Responding, Pastor Uguru praised the IYC leadership for peaceful approach to issues in the development of the region and assured them that the ministry will continue to discharge its obligations to the people.

news I remain Bayelsa Speaker —Konbowei Benson 41

Christian Okeke - Abuja

ONOURABLE Konbowei Benson, on Thursday, in Abuja, described as untrue and a lie of the highest order a claim that an Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt had on December 9, 2015 nullified his election into the Bayelsa State Assembly, saying that he still remains the Speaker of the Assembly and member representing Southern Ijaw Constituency four. Benson, while speaking to select journalists in Abuja, noted that he has sufficient proofs†that the judgment for the day was delivered in his favour. He maintained that there was no enrolment order from the court asking him to vacate his seat or for reason of a different thing that was said in the court, neither was there an order that he should meet the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a different date of election. “INEC has not informed

Friday, 22 January, 2016

me of any notice of enrolment or whatever that they have also received. There is nothing,” he said. Benson described the alleged judgment against him as just a purported claim by a party with the intention to cause confusion. “The falsehood being circulated in both the social, electronic and print media by members of the APC should be disregarded as it represents the desperate ambition and interest of only the peddlers of this falsehood. “What transpired in the open court was that the

case was dismissed for lack of merit by the presiding Judge of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ejembi Eko, represented by Justice Muhammed Lawal Garba (JCA). “This judgment was delivered in the presence of several lawyers including my lawyers, lawyers of INEC, that of the APC and several others who were in the court for other matters on the 9th of December 9, 2015. “Therefore, a judgment delivered in the open court could not have been given a counter judgment secretly and handed over only to the

lawyers of the APC who are in possession of this purported judgment. “It is on the strength of the above that I categorically and unequivocally state that I am and still remain the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and the member representing Southern Ijaw Constituency four. “I have contacted my lawyers who have sufficient evidence to the effect that the Appellant suit by the candidate of the APC was duly dismissed for lack of merit thereby upholding my election into the Bayelsa State

House of Assembly. “I use this medium to call on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to properly investigate this matter in order to save our Judiciary from this huge embarrassment and bring the perpetrators to book. “I, therefore, enjoin members and staff of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, and indeed, all Bayelsans to continue to keep faith with the state assembly as we are poised to making laws that will impact positively on the lives of Bayelsans while commending them for standing by the truth.”

Alphonsus Agborh -Asaba REPAIR works on 40 township/link roads in Delta State has commenced with some of them fully completed while others are awaiting either asphalting or priming. The roads which are in Asaba, Agbor, Ughelli, Warri and its environs. were captured by the Director Labour Ageny (DLA), saddled with the responsibility of rehabilitating, executing and maintenance of roads in the state, in its 100 days in office. Director-General of the agency, Honorable Franc Enekorogha disclosed this at a press conference in Asaba, noting that so far, 517 roads across the state were identified for rehabilitation. He stated further that despite the economic challenges, the state government is determined to fix the township bad roads before the commencement of the rainy season.

Police move to restore civil authority in North East

NYSC Foundation moves to recover N14.8m from loan beneficiaries Adetola Bademosi-Abuja NATIONAL Youth Service Corps (NYSC) foundation has unfolded plans to recover about N14.8 million from its loan beneficiaries, who are mostly ex-corps members. It said the decision which was taken at the last desk officers meeting in 2013, was to keep up the purpose of the foundation. Speaking in Abuja, on Thursday, at the opening ceremony of the 2016 desk officers Workshop, the Executive Secretary of the foundation, Mr Adebanjo Akinnigbagbe underscored the need for all desk officers to assist in monitoring the loan beneficiaries. According to him, the loans were taken from a revolving loan, adding that debtors should be constantly visited to ensure that the monies are paid back as promised. “In view of a great sore, the Foundation has, I want to remind the Old desk officers and inform the new ones about a decision taken at our last meeting in 2013. “This is in effect that desk officers should assist in monitoring our loan beneficiaries who, as at today, owe us N14,808,000. “This assignment has become even more relevant and of great importance to the Foundation today because it is money taken from a revolving loan,” he said

Repair works on 40 township roads begin in Delta

From left, Prince Adetunji Ogunwusi, Chairman, Primewaterview Group; Mr Idowu Tawoju, Manager, Skye Bank Plc; Chief Kenny Matins, the celebrant and Mr Dele Agekameh, CEO, Quicklink International Network, at the birthday party organised for Chief Kenny Martins, in Lagos, recently.

PDP Rep candidate sues Faleke, others over double representation Ayomide Owonibi -Odekanyin - Lagos HONOURABLE Olakunle Okunola, has filed a suit before a Lagos Federal High Court, seeking the removal of the All Progressives Congress (APC) representative member, Honourable James Faleke from the National Assembly, over double representation. Honourable Okunola a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was the House of Representatives candidate for the Ikeja Federal Constituency 1, for the March 28, 2015, election. The PDP member, in a suit marked FHC/L/CS/1680/15, is seeking a declaration of the court, that the nomination of Honourable James Faleke by APC as its candidate for the House of Representatives, and also representing the Ikeja Federal Constituency 1 of Lagos State, among others, amounts to multiple nomination. He is asking the court to declare the action as unconstitutional, null, void and of no effect whatsoever, and as such is contrary to section 37 of the Electoral Act of

2010, as amended. The plaintiff alongside his political party, PDP, also wanted the court to declare that the transfer of Faleke’s membership from the Ikeja Federal Constituency 1 of Lagos State, to the EkinrinAde Ward of Ijumu Local

Government Area, Kogi State, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), automatically terminates Faleke’s membership of the Ikeja Federal Constituency 1 of Lagos state, and consequently extinguishes Faleke’s contin-

ued representation of Ikeja Federal Constituency 1 of Lagos State in the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, under section 68(1)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended 2010.

Military/police raids on Rivers in order —Group Dapo Falade - Port Harcourt A group of activists, operating under the aegis of the Niger Delta Civil Society Coalition (NDCSC), has said the ongoing police and military raids on homes of suspected kidnappers and cultists in some parts of Rivers State, is a sure way to curb insecurity in the state. The coalition also said the operations of the security agents were lawful, as they were within the ambits of the constitution of the country. Speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt, on Wednesday, the chairman of the group, Anyakwee Nsirimovu, said the operations would go a long way

to reassure residents and people of the state of the security of their lives and property. He expressed worry over the rise in insecurity in the state, occasioned by constant rape, kidnapping and intimidation of residents and people of the state by armed young men. “The human rights community supports, fully and unequivocally, what the authorities are doing. You cannot have two coercive forces in a sovereign environment. “The only force that is authorised to carry arms in any nation is the police and the military. There is nothing in our constitution that says, to qualify for citizenship, you have to be a mili-

tant. It is an aberration and that cannot be tolerated. “So, what the authorities in Rivers State are doing is within the ambits of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; they are within the law. “What they are simply doing is to ensure security for the citizens and residents of Rivers State. I think the realisation by the police authority and all the security forces in Rivers State that time is up for these criminals to be removed, for me, it is a welcomed development. “Rivers State is unsecured at the moment. Typical instance is that night life is almost crippled in the state. By 9.00p.m in Port Harcourt, you can’t get any chemist open.”

NIGERIA Police management team has taken a step towards the restoration of civil authority in Adamawa, Borno, Yobe and some of the liberated areas in the North-East, as it has deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Department of Operations, Sotonye Wakama, to move with a team of intelligence officers to the area, for need assessment and other scooping activities. Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja, during an interactive session organised by the Senate, the InspectorGeneral of Police, Solomon Arase, stated that the police is carrying out a scooping mission, aimed at relieving the military of some duties for restoration of law and order in the affected parts of the country. The IGP noted that guaranteeing the safety of persons and property and restoring public trust in the maintenance of order and stability, remain the cardinal keys in re-establishing a working society, after violent conflict. He further said the Nigeria Police would deploy more personnel and equipment to the North-East, to provide police security and to create a secure environment necessary for the return of IDPs to their respective communities.

Friday, 22 January, 2016 42 news 2015 elections: We‘ll probe ‘nullification’ of 82 elections —INEC

Jacob Segun Olatunji—Abuja

he Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, on Thursday, assured the nation that the Commission had resolved to probe the nullification of 82 elections conducted in 2015 general elections. Prof Yakubu gave the assurance yesterday, in Abuja, during a consultative meeting with the media and some Civil Society Organisations. The Commission had earlier disclosed that as at Tuesday, 82 elections have been nullified while two cases were yet to be decided in Osun and another two in Bayelsa states. According to Yakubu, ”So we have 82 elections nullified by the court of Appeal, two of the 82 will

proceed to the Supreme Court. The governorship elections, Rivers and AkwaIbom, but the others have reached the end of the road as far as litigation is concerned because they don’t go beyond the court of appeal. “But in addition to the nullified elections, we have 15 other elections where petitioners were declared

winners by the court. The court did not decide that we should conduct a re-run, they said that we should issue certificate of return to those declared winners by the court,” he stated. Yakubu promised that INEC would study the circumstances that led to the nullification of the elections and evolve measures to tackle issues that have to do

with the commission as an institution. It would be recalled that in the aftermath of the 2011 general elections, a similar exercise was undertaken by the then INEC chairman, Attahiru Jega, following a disturbing trend whereby 19 out of the elections conducted by INEC were nullified by the courts for non compliance with the

Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) among other reasons. In all, 34 elections were nullified that year for various reasons, while 20 were nullified in 2007. However, the report of the committee that conducted the probe was never made public nor its recommendations implemented till date.

Share/Tsaragi:

Commission of inquiry starts public sitting Biola Azeez- Ilorin

The judicial commission of enquiry on Share/Tsaragi communal clash in Kwara State, constituted and appointed by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, is a factfinding one and not a court of law. Speaking during the inaugural public sitting of the commission in Ilorin, on Thursday, its chairman, Justice Sulaiman Akanbi of the state High Court said the commission was not out to try, prosecute or deliver judgement on any party. It is recalled that the two neighbouring communities of Share and Tsaragi engaged in a renewed communal clash on Saturday, December 19, 2015, while valuable property was destroyed. The chairman of the commission of enquiry, who said that it had six weeks to complete its assignment, added that it had received 20 written memoranda from interested members of the public. Justice Akanbi said that the terms of reference of commission was to investigate and ascertain immediate and remote causes of the violent communal clashes between Share/Tsaragi; ascertain extent of loss and damage to lives and property following the civil disturbance; determine the conduct of any persons, group of persons or associations that in any way contributed to violent clashes; investigate and identify persons or group of persons other than security personnel who possess firearms during the civil disturbances.

From right; Former Managing Director of Access Bank Plc, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole; President Muhammadu Buhari being presented with a plaque by the former Nigerian High Commissioner to United Kingdom, Dr Christopher Kolade (left), supported by Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar, during an audience with the President, at the State House, Abuja.

Ex Benue dep gov, ministers, other to defect to APC Good riddance to bad rubbish —Moro Johnson Babajide- Makurdi

FORMER deputy governor of Benue State, Chief Steven Lawani, one time minister of state for Niger Delta and Education; Chief Sam Ode and Dr Jerry Agada respectively, will tomorrow defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The trio and their supporters are from Benue South senatorial district, the senatorial district of former senate President, Senator David Mark, whose rerun election is likely to hold in February. The Nigerian Tribune reliably gathered that the defection of the politicians will be made official at the flag off campaign of the senatorial candidate of APC, Comrade Daniel Onjeh. At the event which is slated to hold in Otukpo Local Government Area, the tradio political seat of Idoma nation, other prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members, including former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Chief Mike Okibe Onoja, are bid to defect to the APC. But in a swift reaction, the immediate past minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, stated that the politicians are feather weight who cannot change the decision of the people of the senatorial district in the coming rerun election.

Moro explained that the same crop of politicians had benefitted immensely from PDP, stressing that whatever the reason of Nigerians to vote out PDP in the last general elections, “all these people are apparently part of the failure of PDP.” He dismissed the insinuation that the purported defection of the politicians would have negative impact on the rerun election of Senator Mark, stating that most of the elective candidates from the senatorial district from

state house of assembly to National Assembly are members of PDP. In tomorrow flag off campaign of APC senatorial candidate, the national leaders of the APC, including Senator Bola Tinubu, Chief John Oyegun, national chairman of the party, Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe, who also hails from the same Ogbadibo local government area of Benue State as Onjeh, as well as the state governor, Samuel Ortom, Senators George Akume and

Barnabas Gemade would be in attendance. The APC is deploying everything in its arsenal to ensure that it wins the election. Onjeh has boasted that he will defeat Mark and liberate Idoma people from shackle of underdevelopment inflicted on them by the PDP for over 16 years. Appeal Court in November, last year nullified the election of former senate president, Senator David Mark and ordered a rerun election within 90 days.

Waste of judicial time: Court awards N10,000

against Siegener Sabithos Ltd By Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare and John Umoh

Justice A.A. Aderemi of a state High Court sitting at Ring Road, Ibadan on Thursday, awarded the sum of N10, 000 as cost against Siegner Sabithos Nigeria Limited in favour of Odu’a Investment Company Limited, as punishment for wasting the time of court and Odu’a Investment in a suit which was instituted by Siegener itself. The court gave the order awarding cost in favour of Odu’a in line with the provisions of Order 49, Rule 9 (2) which states that the party against which cost is awarded will not be heard by the court until the sum awarded is paid to the party

who the ruling favours. Siegener Sabithos had filed a Motion on Notice before the Court asking for a declaration that the forceful lock up of its office premises situate at Ground floor, Cocoa House and the disruption of their business by Odu’a Investments on October 14, 2013 as a breach of the tenancy agreement between them as the act was carried out without lawful authority together with aggravated and exemplary damages. The company is also challenging the propriety of the order to force its office door open on the ground that the said order was made during the pendency of an application for stay of execution pending before a

magistrate court. Siegener in its application is also contending the propriety of the said order on the ground that it was done contrary to the tenor and intendment of Order 7, Rule 3, Court of Appeal Rules. But at the resumed hearing of the matter before Justice Aderemi of Court 5 on Thursday, Odu’a Investment’s counsel, Olutayo Oyewale, had informed the court that he has an application dated August 3, 2015 seeking to dismiss the application of Siegener on the ground that there are no triable issues in the said application and it is an academic and deal appeal, adding that he is sure that Siegener is not opposing his application.

Nigerian Tribune

FCT minister bans arbitrary allocation of lands in Abuja Christian Okeke - Abuja

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammadu Bello, on Thursday, banned arbitrary allocation of land in the territory. He said all land allocations must henceforth follow due process and be done through the FCT Land Use and Allocation Committee. The minister gave the directive in a meeting with senior officials of the Department of Land Administration on Thursday, at the banquet hall of his official residence at Gwarinpa I District. He insisted that relevant rules must be followed to bring sanity to the subsector. At the meeting, the minister directed the Satellite Towns Development Department (STDD) to immediately relocate to Karshi satellite town to enable it focus on its mandates. According to him, the relocation has become necessary to enable the department perform its functions effectively.

Abandoned children Eniola Amosun: a baby girl of about a year old was delibrately abandoned by a woman suspected to be an insane person. The subject was abandoned when she was 5 months old and all effort in tracing the wherabout of her mother proved abortive. Blessing Amosun: a girl about 2 years old was delibrately abandoned by her mother. The subject was left with nanny at Adeyemi day care in Adiyan Road, Agbado on August 31, 2015. Hence, all effort in tracing the whereabouts of her mother proved abortive. Anyone with useful information on the whereabout of their mothers/relatives should please contact the nearest Police Station or the Director of Scoical Welfare Services, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Oke-Mosan Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Eniola

Blessing

Friday, 22 January, 2016

foreig naffairs

08116954632 with seyi gesinde foreignn ewseditor@gmail.com

WHO confirms new Ebola case in Sierra Leone, second in less than a week Sierra Leone has confirmed a new case of Ebola, its second in less than a week, marking a further setback in efforts to end a two-year West African epidemic that has killed more than 11,300 people. Health ministry spokesman Sidi Yahyah Tunis described the new patient as a 38-year-old woman, a relative who had helped care for the earlier victim Mariatu Jalloh. Jalloh died from the disease on Jan. 12, and tested positive for Ebola posthumously.

Bomb, shooting attack rock Mogadishu restaurant Witnesses told VOA a car bomb exploded on Thursday at a popular beach-side restaurant in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Gunmen reportedly stormed the restaurant and opened fire after the explosion. The attack occurred in the capital’s Lido beach area.

UK inquiry indicts Putin over murder of ex-KGB agent

Davos: Leaders fear EU could fall apart within months, beg Britain to stay

urope’s leaders have issued a passionate plea for Britain to remain in the European Union, fearing that Brexit could set off a disastrous chain of events at a time of existential crisis for the EU project. Manuel Valls, the French prime minister, said the whole of European civilisation is under grave threat and the region must stick together in its own self-defence, warning that the departure of the UK would be a fatal blow. “It would be a tragedy,” he said. Mr Valls warned that the European system is alarmingly fragile. “Europe could lose its historical footing and the project could die quickly. Things could fall apart within months,” he told the World Economic Forum in Davos.

“We are involved in a world war against terrorism. We’re going to have to live with this threat for years,” he said, insisting that Europe must go on the offensive to defeat ISIS and jihadi forces in Libya, the African Sahel, and Syria. Wolfgang Schauble, German finance minister, implored the British people to vote yes to Europe in this year’s referendum. “It would be a disaster otherwise,” he said. Political leaders in Berlin are deeply concerned that British withdrawal could change the balance of power and the internal chemistry of the EU, leaving Germany with an unwelcome hegemony that would strain the Franco-German partnership to breaking point. Mr Schauble has warned in the past that if the EU

is unable to stop one of its more prosperous members from walking out in frustration, hard-headed investors in Asia, the US, and around the world, will take it as evidence that the EU is in terminal decline. Separately, Mr Schauble gave a strong hint that there can be no bail-out funding for Greece unless the International Monetary Fund agrees to take part. The IMF has refused to do so until there is debt relief on a sufficient scale to clear the way for recovery. Mr Schauble said the German Bundestag has stipulated that any new money is contingent on IMF participation, and it would dangerous to reopen this tortured issue. “It would be like walking into a room full of dynamite carrying a lighted candle,” he said.

otherNEWS

President Vladimir Putin probably approved a 2006 Russian intelligence operation to murder exKGB agent Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive polonium-210 in London, a British inquiry concluded on Thursday, prompting a row with Moscow. Reuters said Russia, which had declined to cooperate in the inquiry, described Britain’s handling of the case as opaque and biased. Litvinenko, 43,

an outspoken critic of Putin who fled Russia for Britain exactly six years to the day before he was poisoned, died after drinking green tea laced with the rare radioactive isotope at London’s Millennium Hotel.

Putin

...Cameron considers sanctions against Russia In response to the public inquiry’s conclusion that President Vladimir Putin and the FSB “probably” sanctioned the assassination, Mr Cameron said: “What happened was absolutely appalling and this report confirms what we’ve always believed, and what the last Labour government believed at the time of this dreadful murder, which is it was state sponsored action.” But he was forced to defend his Government’s response to

the report, which has been criticised as too weak, the Telegraph reported. “What we’ve added today, rightly, is further asset freezes, writing again to the prosecuting authorities to see what more can be done. “We must now read the report in its entirety and take everything into account but be in no doubt, this shocking event was reacted to years ago when it happened, and we’re toughening our action again today,” Cameron said.

Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti bans chess, says it’s gambling, waste of time

Muslim scholars usually put chess, a skill-based game, in a different category from games of chance. PHOTO: THE GUARDIAN.

Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti has ruled that chess is forbidden in Islam, saying it encourages gambling and is a waste of time. The Guardian said Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh was answering a question on a television show in which he issues fatwas in response to viewers’ queries on everyday

religious matters. He said chess was “included under gambling” and was “a waste of time and money and a cause for hatred and enmity between players”. Al-Sheikh justified the ruling by referring to the verse in the Qur’an banning “intoxicants, gambling, idolatry and divination”. It is not

clear when the fatwa was delivered. Grand Ayatollah Ali alSistani, Iraq’s supreme Shia religious authority, has previously issued rulings forbidding chess. After the 1979 Islamic revolution, playing chess was banned in public in Iran and declared haram, or forbid-

den, by senior clerics because it was associated with gambling. But in 1988, Iran’s then supreme leader, Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini, lifted the ban and said it was permissible as long as it was not a means of gambling. Iran now has an active confederation for playing chess and sends players to international games.

I’ll cry if I speak at Malia’s graduation, President Obama says Malia Obama’s high school will have to find another commencement speaker when she graduates this year because her father, President Barack Obama, has said he’ll be too emotional to get through a speech without crying.

Obama told lunch guests at the Jolly Pumpkin Brewery in Detroit that he’ll just “cry and sit there” when her 17-year-old daughter graduates. He said he’ll be too overcome to say anything. The president visited

Detroit on Wednesday to discuss a resurgence in the auto industry, but also took the opportunity to address the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. “If I was a parent in Flint, I’d be beside myself over my kids’ health,” Obama said ac-

cording to CNNPolitics. Malia is a senior at the private Sidwell Friends School in Washington, a private school that charges $37,750 in tuition, according to its website. She is expected to start college in the fall.

Obama and daughter Malia pictured walking across the South Lawn of the White House. PHOTO: AFP/GETTY IMAGES.

Friday, 22 January, 2016 Editor: Kehinde Oyetimi featuresdesk@yahoo.com 081 118 450 48

features

Remi Fani Kayode

Jan. 15th 1966:

A night of blood, slaughter By Femi Fani-Kayode

n the night of January 15th 1966, a coup d’état took place in Nigeria which resulted in the murder of a number of leading political figures and senior army officers. This was the first coup in the history of our country and 98 per cent of the officers that planned and led it were Igbo. From the political class those that were killed included the following: Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the Prime Minister, who was abducted from his home and whose body was dumped somewhere along the Lagos-Abeokuta road. Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Premier of the old Northern Region, who was killed in the sanctity of his own home together with his wife, his driver and his security assistant. Chief S.L. Akintola, the Premier of the old Western Region, who was gunned down in the presence of his family and Chief Festus OkotieEboh, the Minister of Finance, who was brutalised, abducted from his home and whose body was later dumped in a bush.

From the ranks of the military those that were murdered included Brigadier Zakari Maimalari, who had held a cocktail party in his home a few hours earlier that evening which was attended by most of the young officers that participated in the coup. Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun who was shot to death in his matrimonial bed along with his eight-month pregnant wife. Others included Col. Ralph Shodeinde, Col. Kur Muhammed, Lt. Col. James Pam, PC Yohanna Garkawa, PC Haga Lai, Lance Corporal Musa Nimzo, Sgt. Daramola Oyegoke, PC Akpan Anduka and Ahmed Ben Musa. Sadly, the mutineers came to our home that night as well and they brutalized and abducted my father, Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode, the Deputy Premier of the old Western Region. What I witnessed that night was traumatic and devastating for me and my family and, of course, what the nation witnessed that night was horrific. It was a night of carnage, barbarity and terror. The events of that night set in motion a series of events which changed our history. The consequences of the

Tafawa Balewa events of that night are still with us till this day. It was a sad and terrible night: one of blood and slaughter. What I witnessed was as follows. In the middle of the night, my mother came into the room which I shared with my older brother, Rotimi and my younger sister Toyin. I was six years old at the time. The lights had been cut so we were in darkness and all we could see were lights from three large vehicles. The official residence had a very long drive so it took the vehicles a while to reach us. We saw three sets of headlights and heard the engines of three lorries drive up the drive-way. The occupants of the lorries, who were uniformed men and who carried torches, positioned themselves and prepared to storm our home whilst calling my father’s name and ordering him to come out. My father went out to meet them after he had called us,, prayed for us and explained to us that since it was him they wanted he must go out there. He explained that he would rather go out to meet them than let them come into the house to shoot or harm us. The minute he stepped out, they brutalised him. I witnessed this. Interestingly, the first thing they said to him was “where are your thugs now?” My father’s response was “I don’t have thugs, only gentlemen.” I think this made them brutalise him even more. They tied him up, threw him in

Okotie-eboh

All of a sudden one of the soldiers came up to me, put his hand on my head and said: “don’t worry, we won’t kill your father the back of the lorry and then stormed the house. When they got into the house, they ransacked every nook and cranny, shooting into the ceiling and wardrobes. They were very brutal and frightening and we were terrified. My mother, Chief Mrs. Adia Adunni Fani-Kayode, was screaming and crying from the balcony because all she could do was focus on her husband, who was downstairs. “Don’t kill him, don’t kill him!!” she kept screaming at them. I can still visualise this and hear her voice pleading, screaming and crying. I didn’t know where my brother or sister was at this point because the house was in total chaos. I was just six years old and I was standing there in the middle of the house, surrounded by uniformed men who were ransacking the whole place and terrorising my family. Then out of the blue something extraordinary happened. All of a sudden one of the soldiers came up to me, put his hand on my

head and said: “don’t worry, we won’t kill your father, stop crying.” He said this thrice. After he said it the third time I looked in his eyes and I stopped crying. This was because he gave me hope and he spoke with compassion. With new-found confidence I went rushing to my mother who was still screaming on the balcony and told her to stop crying because the soldier had promised that they would not kill my father and that everything would be okay. I held on to the words of that soldier and that night, despite all that was going on around me, I never cried again. They took my father away and as the lorry drove off, my mother kept on wailing and crying and so was everyone else in the house except for me. From there they went to the home of Chief S.L. Akintola, the Premier of the Western Region, a great statesman and nationalist and a very dear uncle of mine. My mother had phoned Akintola to inform him of what had happened in our home. She was screaming down the phone, asking where her husband had been taken and by this time she was quite hysterical. Chief Akintola tried to calm her down assuring her that all would be well. When they got to Akintola’s house he already knew that they were coming and he was prepared for them. Instead of coming out to meet them, he had stationed some of his policemen and they started shooting. A gun battle enContinues on pg45

features

Friday, 22 January, 2016

A night of blood, slaughter

Ahmadu Bello

Akintola Continued from pg44

sued and consequently the mutineers were delayed by at least one hour. According to the Special Branch reports and the official statements of the mutineers that survived that night and that were involved in the operation, their plan had been to pick up my father and Chief Akintola from their homes, take them to Lagos, gather them together with the other political leaders that had been abducted and then execute them all together. The difficulty they had was that Akintola resisted them and he and his policemen ended up wounding two of the soldiers that came to his home. One of the soldiers, whose name was apparently James, had his fingers blown off and the other had his ear blown off. After some time, Chief Akintola’s ammunition ran out and the shooting stopped. His policemen stood down and they surrendered. He came out waving a white handkerchief and the minute he stepped out they just slaughtered him. My father witnessed Akintola’s coldblooded murder in utter shock and horror because he was tied up in the back of the lorry from where he could see everything that transpired. The soldiers were apparently enraged by the fact that two of their men had been wounded and that Akintola resisted and delayed them. After they killed him, they moved on to Lagos with my father. When they got there, they went to the Officer’s Mess at Dodan Barracks. When they took my dad away, everyone in our home thought he had been killed. The next morning a handful of policemen came and took us to the house of my mother’s first cousin, Justice Atanda Fatai Williams, who was a judge of the Western Region at the time. He later became the Chief Justice of Nigeria. From there we were taken to the home of Justice Adenekan Ademola, another High Court judge at the time, who was a very close friend of my father and who later became a Judge of the Court of Appeal. At this point the whole country had been thrown into confusion and no one knew what was going on. We heard lots of stories and did not know what to make of what anymore. There was chaos and confusion and the entire nation was gripped by fear. Two days later my father finally called us on the telephone and he told us that he was okay. When we heard his voice, I kept telling my mother “I told you, I told you.” Justice Ademola and his dear wife, Auntie Frances, were weeping, my mother was weeping, my

brother and sister were weeping and I was just rejoicing because I knew that he would not be killed and I had told them all. I never got to know who that soldier was that promised me that my father would not be killed but I believe that God spoke through him that night. I also believe that he may well have been an officer because he spoke with confidence and authority. These individuals who carried out this coup were not alone: they had the backing from certain elements in the political class who identified with their cause. Some have said that it was an Igbo coup whilst others have said that it was an UPGA (referring to the political alliance between the Action Group and the NCNC) coup but that is a story for another day. Whatever anyone calls it or believes, two things are clear: the consequences of the action that those young officers took that night were far-reaching and the way and manner in which they killed their victims was deplorable and barbaric. Such savagery had never been witnessed in our shores. There has never been another night like that and the results of the events of that night were devastating and profound. In my view not enough Nigerians appreciate this fact. Some in our country cannot forgive those who participated in the mutiny and, though I do not share that sentiment or disposition, this is understandable. Others believe that those young men (they were all in their 20’s) did the right thing and they say that those killings were necessary and heroic. This is a sentiment which I not only despise but which I also find unacceptable and appalling. There is nothing heroic about rebellion and the murder and carnage of innocent and defenseless men and women. The coup affected the country in a profound manner because the events of that night led to a counter-coup six months later.

My father witnessed Akintola’s cold-blooded murder in utter shock and horror because he was tied up in the back of the lorry from where he could see everything that transpired.

This counter-coup, which is commonly referred to as the “revenge coup”, was a devastating and disproportionate response. Yet it did not stop there. Sadly after that came the horrendous pogroms and slaughter of no less than 30,000 Igbo civilians in the North. This led to the civil war in which millions of people died, including innocent children. This was also horrendous and deplorable. Yet the bitter truth is that if the new Head of State, General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, had done the right thing and actually prosecuted the ringleaders of the coup, who were Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, Major Anufuro, Major Ademoyega, Major Timothy Onwuatuegwu, Captain Emmanuel Nwobosi, Captain Okafor, Captain Ben Gbulie and all the other young officers that planned and executed the coup of January 15th after it was crushed, there would have been no northern revenge coup six months later. I have not added Major Emmanuel Ifejuana (who was actually the leader of the coup) to the list because he could not have been locked up or prosecuted by General Aguiy-Ironsi simply because he ran away to Ghana immediately after the mutiny in Lagos failed and after he and his co-mutineers were routed by Lt. Col. Yakubu Jack Gowon. For some curious reason after the coup was successfully crushed, General AguiyiIronsi just locked these young mutineers up and he refused to prosecute them. This bred suspicion from the ranks of the northern officers given the fact that Aguiyi-Ironsi himself was an Igbo. The suspicion was that he had some level of sympathy for the mutineers and the fact that they did not execute him during the course of the mutiny only fueled that suspicion. The northern officers also felt deeply aggrieved about the wholesale slaughter of their military colleagues and key political figures that night. In my view that, together with Aguiyi-Ironsi’s insistence on promulgating the Unification Decree which abolished the federal system of government and sought to turn Nigeria into a unitary state, made the revenge coup of July 29th 1966 inevitable. The revenge coup was planned and led by Major Murtala Mohammed (as he then was) and it was supported and executed by other young northern officers like Major T.Y. Danjuma (as he then was), Major Martins Adamu and many others. This is the coup that was to put Lt. Col. Yakubu Jack Gowon (as he then was) in power and when they struck it was a very bloody and brutal affair. The response of the northern officers to

the mutiny and terrible killings that took place on the night of January 15th 1966 and to General Aguiyi-Ironsi’s apparent procrastination and reluctance to ensure that justice was served to the mutineers was not only devastating but also frightful. Hundreds of army officers of mainly Igbo extraction who were perceived to be sympathetic to the January 15th mutineers were killed that night including the Head of State General Aguiyi-Ironsi and the Military Governor of the old Western Region who was hosting him, the courageous Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi. This was very sad and unfortunate. What happened on the night of January 15th 1966 was unacceptable and uncalled for. I completely disagree with those who think that there was anything good about that coup, the counter-coup of July 29th 1966 or indeed any other coup which took place in the history of our country. This is because blood calls for blood: when you shed blood other people want to shed your blood too. The minute that the shedding of blood in the quest to get power becomes the norm we are all diminished and dehumanised: and this applies to both the perpetrators and the victims. The January 15th coup set off a cycle of events which had cataclysmic consequences for our country and which we are still feeling till today. Coups may have occurred in other countries in Africa but that did not mean that any had to happen here. In any case, the amount of blood that was shed that night and the number of innocent people that were killed was unacceptable. It arrested our development as a people and our political evolution as a country. Had it not happened, our history would have been very different. May we never see such a thing again! Yet regardless of the pain of the past I believe that we should do all we can to put these matters behind us. We must not allow ourselves to become prisoners of history. Rather than being propelled by pain and bitterness and becoming victims of history we must learn from it and be guided by it. We must move on. We must learn to forgive even if we do not forget and, equally importantly, we must establish and accept the truth about those ugly events and understand what actually transpired. What happened that night traumatized the nation. None of us has been the same since. I identify with that because I was a part of it, I witnessed it and I was a victim of it. Yet by God’s grace and divine providence my father’s life was spared: not because he was special but simply by the grace of God. Every day I think about those that were killed that night and I remember their families. We share a common bond and we are all partakers of an ugly and frightful history. I tell myself: “were it not for divine providence my father would have also died and I would not have been what I am today because he was the one who educated me and did everything for me.” If nothing else I know there was a purpose for that. We must resolve among ourselves that never again will people be attacked in their homes, dragged out, abducted and shot like dogs in the middle of the night. Never again will women, wives and children be slaughtered and terrorised in this way. Never again shall we witness such barbarity and wickedness in our quest for power. Never again must any Nigerian suffer such indignity, brutality and callousness. May the souls of all those that were murdered on January 16th 1966 continue to rest in peace. Fani-Kayode, former aviation minister, sent this through ffk2011@aol. com

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Friday, 22 January, 2016

Stakeholders applaud Geography Green Schools Project By Paul Omorogbe

IS Konsult, a company that specialises in Geographic Information System (GIS) training and consulting, with the help of Environmental Research Systems Institute (ESRI) based in the United States a foremost manufacturer of GIS software globally have embarked on a nationwide project that seeks to revive the ailing science subject of geography in the nation’s secondary schools. ESRI used GIS software in some high schools in the US to help students understand geography better and empowered them to solve environmental problems. The desire by David Afolayan, the GIS Konsult boss, to replicate the project in Nigeria formed the genesis of the Geography Green Schools Project. According to him, ESRI made a donation of software about N3billion to Nigerian schools under the project. The project uses what Afolayan calls ‘geomentors’ who are users of geography and geography technology to adopt secondary schools and mentor the students and teachers therein. At each school chosen for the project, he stated that, “we present ESRI’s software donation to the schools during the launch. We also display the capability of ESRI’s ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Desktop to the students and teachers. The Geography teacher in each school is then trained to use ArcGIS resources with Geography Curriculum content. Basically, we have integrated the ESRI technology with our local Nigerian Geography Curriculum content and teachers are encouraged to utilize this in their class lessons and activities. We had the first launch in St Louis Girls Grammar School, Ibadan on November 5, 2015.

Facilitators of the Green School project “The project is meant to reach all the regions of the country over time. However, the southwest of Nigeria is hosting the pilot phase currently. About 19 schools in Ibadan have been reached so far including Loyola College, Government College, Apata, St Louis Grammar School, Mokola and others.” Recently, the GIS Konsult team visited St. Anne’s Girls School, Molete, Ibadan. The students were worked through the presentation and other activities as done in other schools as outlined by Afolayan. “The attitude of students to academics is low, and it is affecting geography. Geography is a subject that requires teaching

aids like maps and the like. We don’t have such facilities nowadays and teachers have to improvise! These are some of the challenges facing the students and study of geography,” said the Head of Department, Social Sciences at St Anne’s Girls School, Molete, Ibadan, Rev Cannon Femi Oyewusi, adding that the project was a welcome development. “Geography is a subject that I love and it should be taught with a lot of teaching aids,” a Geography teacher at St. Anne’s Girls School, Modinat Adekunle said. Adekunle said her job would become a lot easier thereby.

Afolayan is confident of the global impact of this project in the years to come. “We are putting in the hands of students tools that will help them see solutions to the world’s problems,” Afolayan added making reference to United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals for the next 15 years which he said have a geography component. Adekunle sees a new dawn for geography in the light of this project. “Geography seems to be going the way of History as a subject that is not important. This initiative will help restore Geography as a key subject that all Science and Commercial students should offer,” she concluded.

At career fair, entrepreneurship takes prominence Given the dire economic challenges reflected in every sector of the country as a result of fall in oil price, calls for Nigeria to think outside the box and begin to look beyond oil have become more pronounced. Experts believed that the agricultural sector, among many money-spinning sectors, such as hospitality and tourism, is the next thing to oil. That it is high time Nigeria finally settled for it if its leaders truly care about the economic situation of the poor citizens. To this end, leaders and young Nigerian students were charged at a career fair, entitled “Nurturing Tomorrow’s Young Minds Today,” held at St. Louis Grammar School, Mokola, Ibadan, recently, to further discuss unlocked opportunities in many sectors of the economy. Speaking at the event, the convener, Lauretta Togonu Bickerseth, who represented AWARD (African Women in Agricultural Research and Development) and Wavecrest College of Hospitality, in her address, explained that nurturing tomorrow’s young minds today is the key to training successful women leaders. Revealing what informed the event, she said as an AWARD fellow, and having been trained in the area of women empowerment, it was important to give back to the society, and to also expand the vision and mission of AWARD for Africa.

Also speaking was Mrs B. Okutimiyang, who advised young ones to become entrepreneurs at a very early age, noting that for her, starting at age seven prepared her well for the future. “An entrepreneur is someone who provides solutions and services to people’s need. And every young girl can actually do that, so I want young ladies to look inside of them and ask what is that service I can contribute to humanity and help the world be in a better place. Then, you can work on it, learn about it very well and when they are polished, people will run after you,” she said. Inspiring the students, the founder of MitiMeth, Achenyo Idachaba, revealed some key factors to become a successful entrepreneur. According to her, quality education, work experiences (internships), right principles and the mindset to find solutions to societal problems are most important. “Having gotten a solid education, different work experiences inform of internships, I still had the mindset to do something different. So, I noticed water hyacinths were a threat to some areas. After sometime, I turned that environmental problem to a solution. Now I make creative hand-crafted products from water hyacinths,” she stated. Speaking earlier, the principal of the

Stateholders at the event school, Mrs M.A Ibitoye urged the students not to only prepare themselves for the kitchen but also find a way of impacting the society. Meanwhile the Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Pastor Gabriel Olusoji, represented by Pastor Yande Ayanlowo, in the commissioner’s address noted that parents needed to give appropriate training and support to their children to become useful to the society. Taiwo Olamide, a student, who bagged an award as the overall best student in

Biology, described the event as an eyeopener for both young ones and the government. “It was a wonderful programme because it has changed my own perspective about agriculture. I used to think it was only meant for our forefathers. But now I can see youths can really do a lot with it,” she said. Other resource persons at the event were Mrs Bimpe Alabi, an event expert, and the founder of Lifebuilder, Mrs Grace Oluwatoye, who shared how the students could make money from planting and selling Moringa.

Friday, 22 January, 2016 Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060

Why I am hot in EPL —Ighalo By Ganiyu Salman NIGERIAN international and Watford FC striker, Odion Ighalo has traced his success so far in England, to his attributes saying he is well suited for the English Premier League style. Ighalo, who has scored 13 goals this season in the EPL, it will be recalled, was also instrumental in the promotion of the Hornets to the EPL from the English Championship with 16 goals. “Maybe the Premier League suits my style more than the other leagues I have played in, and so I have scored more goals. It is very physical and very tough, and I know I am a physical player. I also have good technique and pace, so if you add those things together as a striker you’re going to do well here,” he told FIFA. com. The former Udinese forward stated that Watford enjoys low ratings in the EPL this season which has been a source of strength to him and his teammates. “It is good for us when people start talking about Leicester. We have been working hard, but people have not been noticing us. I have been scoring goals, and [strike partner] Troy Deeney has

Ighalo

also been doing very well, but we have been playing under not as much pressure.” “We are fighting to get the 40 points we need to play Premier League next season and then everything that comes after that we will thank God for. But we are not thinking of anything else now,” said the Edo State-born player. Ighalo noted that playing in the EPL is a dream come true for him. “Since I was young, I dreamed of playing in the Premier league. As a child in Nigeria I watched the Premier League on television. It

has not been easy because I have gone through many countries. But maybe God said it is my time now to have this breakthrough in England. So I am happy and enjoying every moment of it. But I also want to keep working at it and am learning every day,” said Ighalo who won the EPL Player of the Month award for Decemb e r 2015.

We will win Olympics gold for Buhari —Dream Team VI player NIGERIA’S U-23 defender, Seun Olulayo says that the Dream Team VI will win the 2016 Olympics football gold for President Muhammadu Buhari for gratifying the team. Coach Samson Siasia’s boys were given N500,000 by the Federal Government for winning the 2015 African U23 Championship in Senegal at a reception held at the State House, Abuja on Thursday. According to the Sunshine Stars’ player, Buhari’s gesture will stimulate his side to victory at the Rio Olympics billed for August this year. “That is my biggest highlight in my career, Olulayo told Goal. “It’s not easy shaking hands with the President of Nigeria because we made the nation proud. “We [Dream Team VI] have vowed to win the 2016 Olympics for him to appreciate him for his honour. “It will not be a stroll in the park for us, but we will certainly do all it takes to make him [Buhari] happy as well as all Nigerians,” he said.

Having missed out of the London 2012 Olympics, Siasia who led Nigeria’s U-23 team to a silver medal finish at the Beijing 2008 Olympics will be aiming to lead the country to win her second Olympics football gold medal in Brazil.

CHAN 2016: Adepoju warns

Eagles ahead Tunisia clash By Adebayo Taoreed

ORMER Nigeria international, Mutiu Adepoju has warned the Super Eagles to be well prepared as they face the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia today in their seco nd group C game at the ongoing African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda. The match holds at 2pm Nigeria time at the Stade Regional Nyamirambo, Kigali. The home-based Eagles had in the opener on Monday spanked

Glo Premier League: IfeanyiUbah ‘imports’ 6 Brazilian,

2 Malian, 3 Cameroonian players By Olawale Olaniyan And Olaoluwa olowoyeye

FC IfeanyiUbah, a Glo Premier League side has flown in six Brazilian, two Malian, two Ivorian and three Cameroonian players ahead of the new soccer season scheduled to kick off next month. Speaking with Tribunesport at their training camp in Ibadan on Thursday, Chairman of the club, Mr Chukwuma Ubah disclosed that his team has already secured the signatures of two Ivorian play-

ers. Ubah stated that the other foreigners in their camp will have to undergo trials before they would be finally signed if they meet the team’s set standard. “Coming to Ibadan would enable us to have good preparation. “Here, we have six Brazilian players, two Ivorians, two Malians and three Cameroonians at the moment with two coaches, one goalkeeper trainer and an assistant coach both from Brazil as well.

Eagles striker, Chisom Chikatara

“It is not as if we came out to pick a particular set of players from a certain country but the idea is to look out and get players that will add values to our team,” Ubah said. Other players who trained on Thursday in the camp of the Onitsha-based side were ex-3SC defender, Mutiu Adegoke, Newman Usman who last played for Sunshine Stars as well, goalkeeper Laide Okanlawon and former Nembe City striker, Samuel Akinbinu, among others.

the Menas of Niger Republic 4-1 to occupy top of the ladder. Adepoju, noted that Tunisia coached by Henryk Kasperczak with only a point will not settle for anything short of victory adding that, the Sunday Oliseh men must therefore be at their best to seal their passage to the quarterfinal of the competition today. “They played very well in the second half [against Niger] and they scored goals - they were beautiful goals and well planned in for which I think the team is improving,” “I’m sure the Niger win will motivate them. I just think they shouldn’t relax. “They should continue working hard because the next match won’t be easy as the last one be-

cause the Tunisians will want to come out and win so that they can qualify, so they won’t find it easy as they are up for what they did in the last game, they should try and improve on it,” the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winner told Goal. The former Real Sociedad star stated that the true assessment of the players and the technical crew will be known after the championship in Rwanda. “It is not a matter of challenge or no challenge; any of the players that the coach thinks is good for the team should be invited. “They are just starting so we shouldn’t be talking about challenge or no challenge when they invite them.”

... As Glo charges Nigeria to go for victory GLOBACOM, has urged the Super Eagles’ Team B, to do everything humanly possible to beat their Tunisian counterparts when they clash today at the ongoing African Nations Championship in Rwanda. “Beating Tunisia and sealing the quarter-finals ticket is possible

given the quality of the players in the Eagles camp,” Globacom said in a statement in Lagos on Thursday. “We also believe in the capacity of coach Sunday Oliseh to fashion out a winning formula, especially after the confidence-boosting victory against Niger.”

SIDELINES

FRIDAY, 22 JANUARY, 2016

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Armed thugs were said to have sacked a community in Edo State on Monday over a land issue. Among those who were sent out of the village was, wait... the traditional ruler of the village. The sacking of a traditional head of a community by an unruly people only points to the fact that these, indeed, are the end times.

President Muhammadu Buhari (middle) and Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Solomon Dalung in a group photo with members of the 1985 Golden Eaglets squad during the presidential reception in Abuja on Thursday.

Buhari showers cash on ’85 Eaglets, others

Says I don’t want another Olympics debacle Leon Usigbe-Abuja

HE 1985 world conquering Golden Eaglets were big winners as President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, splashed various cash awards on footballers and athletes who have made the nation proud under his administrations. Buhari however, used the occasion to warn the sports authorities in the country to guard against the debacle recorded at the London 2012 Olympics, as Nigeria prepares for the Rio Olympics billed for August this year. “We must not allow a repetition of the unsavoury experience at the London 2012 Olympics where Nigerian athletes failed to make it to the podium,” he said Meanwhile, each member of the Nduka Ugbade-led FIFA U-16 China ’85 world champions during Buhari’s military administration, was rewarded with N2million while their coaches got N1.5million each. Buhari directed that the next of kin of a member of the team, the late Kingsley Aikhionbare who died in 1996 should collect his money on behalf of his family. The President also announced N1.2million for Odunayo Adekuoroye who won bronze at the 2015 World Wrestling Champi-

onship in the United States, while her coaches are to share N6million. Similarly, members of the men’s National Basketball team, D’Tigers, who won the AfroBasket Nations Cup last year in Tunisia were rewarded with N600,000 each, while the team officials got N250,000 each. Also, Nigeria’s U-16 team who won silver at the 2015 FIBA Africa U-16 women’s basketball championships received N400,000 each with N150,000 going to each of the team officials. The president also appreciated the efforts of members of the Nigerian team who won gold medals in the 2015 IPC Asian

Open International Powerlifting Championship with N600,000 each; those who won silver got N450,000 each as their coaches got N450,000, while their team officials were rewarded wih N250,000 each. Also rewarded were the champion of the World English Language Scrabble, Wellington Jighere with N1.5million, while his coach and the team secretary got N1.2million and N450,000, respectively. WBC silver cruiserweight champion, Olanrewaju Durodola, received N1.5million while each player who won the 2015 U-23 African Cup of Nations was rewarded with N500,000 each.

The U-23 head coach, Samson Siasia was given N500,000, while the assistant coaches and other team officials received N300,000 each. Members of the Golden Eaglets who won the FIFA 2015 U-17 World Cup were given N1.2million each; their head coach (Emmanuel Amuneke), N900,000; assistant coaches, N600,000; team secretary, N300,000; medical team, N300,000 and other officials, N200,000 each. In his remarks, Buhari expressed delight to have hosted the athletes, just as he noted that Nigerian athletes, despite prevailing challenges, have always proved to the rest of the world that the Ni-

gerian spirit is indomitable. He noted the consistency, determination, willpower and penchant for success being witnessed in the sports sector and urged the managers of this sector to keep up the momentum. He pledged the Federal Government’s continued efforts to ensure that the nation’s sportsmen and women continue to excel in international competitions. “In line with our belief that the ‘labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain’ we will be saying thank you to our 1985 Golden Eaglets’ players and officials by using the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports template for rewarding outstanding athletes,” Buhari said.

CHAN 2016: Chikatara fit for Tunisia game As Eagles seek q/final ticket By Adebayo Taoreed THE camp of the Super Eagles has received a boost ahead of today’s group C clash with the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia, at the ongoing Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda, following the clean bill of health given to Chisom Chikatara. Chikatara, it will be recalled, a hit the headlines after scoring

a hat-trick as a substitute in the 4-1 defeat of the Menas of Niger Republic in the group opener on Monday. The Abia Warriors player, however, was down with diarrhoea for two days, which he has just recovered from, as Tribunesport gathered that he has been certified fot for today’s cliffhanger. “The guy is okay and his recov-

ery is a source of joy even to his team-mates. As for the selection of players, only the coach knows who to play or start, but the joy is that we don’have injury worry in the camp,” a source told Tribunesport. The fleet-footed player is excited by his recovery as the Eagles victory today will guarantee them a place in the quarter-final of the

biennial championship. “I’m in good shape now. The doctor has done a good job in helping me to stop the diarrhoea. “I have fully recovered from diarrhoea and my focus is on our next game against Tunisia,” Chikatara was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, the game holds at 2pm Nigeria time at the Stade Regional Nyamirambo, Kigali.

Printed and Published by the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, Imalefalafia Street, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. E mail: editornigeriantribune@yahoo.com Website: www.tribuneonlineng.com MANAGING DIRECTOR / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: EDWARD DICKSON. EDITOR: DEBO ABDULAI. All Correspondence to P.O. Box 78, Ibadan. ISSN 2712. ABC Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation. 22/1/2016.