24th January 2016

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 2,030

SUNDAY, 24 JANUARY, 2016

www.tribuneonlineng.com

Olubadan stool:

pg5

Nigerian Tribune

Oyediji fights back

•Says ‘I paid N170,000 to get promoted as Seriki’ •Akinjide, Adelabu, Anozie extol late king’s virtues

@nigeriantribune

N200

Nigerian Tribune

Kogi: Kinsmen

dump Faleke, back Bello •As group drums up support for incoming pg51 governor

Reps may consider pg4 hanging for can make me remarry treasury looters Only one

condition —Regina Chukwu

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AFTERMATH ARTISTS VILLAGE DEMOLITION 2

Customers lament new bank charges

pg4

Herdsmen invade village, kill farmer in Nasarawa pg49 •As police arrest gun manufacturer

PHOTO 1: Some artists ponder over their fate as their stalls were demolished and art works destroyed at the artists village, National Theatre premises, Iganmu in Lagos, on Saturday.

PHOTO 2: Some of the destroyed art works after the demolition. PHOTOS: NAN

FG sacks top civil servants over employment pg8 racketeering, Minister reveals

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24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

life&living Public water supply

A long forgotten luxury?

Water, they say, is life. But its provision across the nation remains a challenge, with no end in sight. DAPO FALADE, GBEMI SOLAJA, SAM NWAOKO, JUDE OSSAI, EBENEZER ADUROKIYA, BIOLA AZZEZ, ADEMOLA ADEGBITE, OLUWOLE IGE and OLAYINKA OLUKOYA and examine the state of public water supply in Nigeria and what corporations are doing to salvage the situation.

A water vendor in Lafia, Nasarawa State

S

INCE time immemorial, water has remained the most sought after resource by all of creation. Water and human beings are inseparable; it sustains life.

However, from Lagos to Port Harcourt, and from Ilorin to Sokoto, access to this vital resource has, for decades, remained a great challenge.

In Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the state of public water supply is pitiable, as residents look for alternative ways of getting water. Most residents of the Pacesetter State now resort to borehole and wells. Sunday Tribune’s findings showed that getting water from public taps has become tough and, in most cases, unrealistic.

Mr Akeem Ligali, an vulcanizer whose shop is along Gate-Oje road, said the public water drawing point close to his shop was always a bedlam whenever water flowed. Ligali, who noted that such drawing points existed along the Gate-Molete road, said water supply had greatly improved in the city.

However, Mr Bayo Akinola, a landlord at Podo village, Ibadan, said he did not enjoy water supply from the government. He said that the house, which he moved into five years ago, was yet to enjoy government water supply.

A ministry’s optimism Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Mr Soji Oguntola, speaking on the state of water supply in the state, declared that about 60 per cent of areas, especially the old settlement areas in Ibadan, had access to water mains.

Oguntola remarked that new settlements and other areas cut off the water supply chain due to bad pipes would benefit from the ministry, saying the plan of the state government was to make potable water available to everyone in the state before 2019.

To boost water production, he said, Eleyele waterworks and Asejire waterworks were undergoing rehabilitation, just as a new waterworks was being constructed in Eleyele waterworks. He added that construction work on new water works and water supply expansion was going on in different parts of Oyo State, including Ayete, Igana, Oko, Igboho, Igbeti, Ilero and Ogbomoso.

However, he declared that work schemes for places like Ogboro, Sepeteri, Ago Are, Tede, Oke Iho and Otu, as well as another for Iseyin, were already being planned and would also be implemented soon.

In Kwara State, in areas where public taps are connected by the water corporation of the Kwara state government, potable water supply is not regular. These areas are long established communities as hinterland of Ilorin metropolis such as Oja Oba, Gaa Akanbi, Ibrahim Taiwo area, Including such areas as Murtala Mohammed areas and parts of Fate GRA, Airport, Odota, parts of Offa Garage areas and Adewole estate. In some instances, while many communities get water supply at an average of two days in a week, others get once in a month.

The reason for the dry taps in this current dry season was not unconnected to the strike embarked upon by the staff of the water corporation over unpaid six months salary arrears and funds from cooperative society. The action, according to the workers, was taken after several warning strikes to press home their demands. As it is, it is a common sight to see residents of the state capital carrying kegs and various containers as early as 6 am in search of water for their household chores, particularly when their homes do not have boreholes.

Continues pg 3

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life&living

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Why the taps remain dry Continued from pg 2 For such areas like new and springing communities such as Gbagba, Eyenkorin, Oke Oyi, Elekoyangan, Osin, Ita Alamu, Olunlade and the rest, tenants, landlords and house owners in such communities resorted to self help by digging well or borehole to get water for use.

While the state government has blamed paucity of fund on the inability to complete the three-phase water reticulation project in the Ilorin metropolis, started since years of the immediate past administration, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed had said that the water project for the state capital and other towns in the state would be catered for in the N20 billion loan being sought from the capital market.

The situation in Rivers If its appellation is anything to go by, the expectation is that there would be abundant public water supply in Rivers State, since it is a state with many sources of water. However, public water supply is almost noneexistent in the state known as the “Treasure Base of the Nation.”

Indeed, water supply through borehole is the rule in virtually every home in the Port Harcourt metropolis. Given the non-availability of public water supply, prospective tenants make the availability of boreholes a top priority in their quest for accommodation in the state capital.

According to Sunday Tribune’s findings, the last time residents of the state had access to what could be regarded as a steady potable public water supply was during the Dr Peter Odili administration. Since then, most of the people living in the state have come to terms with the stark reality that access to potable water supply is a mirage.

The prevailing precarious water situation in the state is, however, astounding, given the huge federal monthly allocation accruable to the state.

It became more worrisome in view of the fact that a loan facility, totaling $280 million from the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB), was made available to the state for water and sanitation projects. The $280 million loan, applied for by former Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s administration in 2012, got legislative approval from the state House of Assembly in July, 2014. Yet, the people of the state are not better off!

Speaking on the situation, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Port Harcourt Water Corporation, Miss Denny Fiberesima, said continuous efforts were being made to ensure water supply in every home within the Port Harcourt metropolis. According to her, the delay in ensuring steady public water supply was necessitated by the need to put all the equipment and already-laid pipes in a good stead in order to avoid wastages when eventually the taps are turned on in the homes.

Speaking with Sunday Tribune, on Thursday, she said: “Port Harcourt Water Corporation, formerly known as the Rivers State Water Board, was corperatised by the Rivers State Water Sector Development Board in 2012 and major office work started in 2014.

“Between then and now, we have embarked upon a comprehensive rehabilitation exercise to put our equipment and pipes in order. This is to check most of the equipment and pipes that may have been damaged as a result of road construction to prevent wastage during water supply.

“Our major area of concentration is the Port Harcourt metropolis. We have been running a pilot scheme at the Eagle Island, where most of the homes are getting water.

We pump water to that area for about eight hours daily; four hours in the morning and

Ata Tabita

evening.

“We have been supplying them water freely before. But now, we have started a billing process whereby we will be charging N160 per cubic metre. This is part of the effort to stabilise the system and ensure steady water supply within the state capital, as soon as possible.”

Lagos of plenty water, none to drink Water is far from the reach of many in Lagos. With an estimated population of over 20 million, and projected to be 29 million by 2020, the most populous city in Nigeria is in dire need of a rehabilitated public water supply system. According to some residents, it has become increasingly difficult to access water in the state.

The late Afrobeat creator, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, echoed the importance of water in his hit song: “Water, e no get enemy.”

Unfortunately, Sunday Tribune’s checks revealed that only about 30 per cent of the population in the metropolis has access to public water facility through the Lagos Water Corporation (LWC), while the rest of the population are left to sort for water from any means available to them.

For Kunle Arowolo: “Over 98 per cent around here in Egbeda live on borehole water. Government’s tap water doesn’t function here at all. What we have mostly around here are politicians constructing boreholes for a community and it is correct to say that this can only cover just about five per cent of the population.

“What is common here is landlords providing boreholes for their houses and those who cannot afford it subject their tenants to suffering. Local vendors have made life in Lagos easier now because they supply water, but for how long will one have to manage water?”

According to Arowolo, most people around in the area complain a lot, especially large families. “It is not easy buying water, especially when you have little children and you need to use water every now and then.

Let the government revive the water corporation. It is for the good of everybody. In this country, citizens have to do everything themselves, and that is why there is no orderliness. People manage to build houses, and have to look for how to generate water too; the government is useless.”

However, factors such as increasing population, climate change, wastage, failure to pay water bills and inadequate power supply have also contributed to the unsteady nature of the public water system, and theexponential growth in the population of the state in the last three decades has resulted in shortage of water supply According to Otun Olalekan, who lives in Jakande Estate, Ejigbo and also the Secretary General, Bungalows CDA, “public water is non-existent here. Over one million residents lack access to clean public water taps.

However, boreholes and wells litter the estate, both in density high rise buildings and bungalows, with millions of naira expended in procurements. It is a sad situation.”

Kunmi Arire, who lives in the Shitta area, Surulere, lamented that government water system wasn’t constant. She added that many residents buy water from vendors.

“When I was living at Bariga,” he recalled, there was water supply to the houses, but the water corporation said there was no payment of water bills and they stopped supplying water.”

A water agenda It will be recalled that, sometime ago, the state government unveiled an agenda to boost water supply. The state’s policy statement entitled: “Lagos Development Plan: 2012-2025,” assured residents that its primary aim in view of prevailing situation was to provide potable water for all residents at sufficient quantity and at economic rates to cover operational costs.

However, speaking recently in Lagos, Managing Director, Lagos Water Corporation, Shayo Holloway, asserted that Lagos needed a water supply strategy that would

include plans and strategies to address all the gaps and challenges that the state water supply system faces.

Another resident in Shibiri, Ajangbadi Ojo Local Government, lamented that public water system was non-existent. “Every compound owns a well,” he added.

For Vera Ohame, “I live in Ketu and I use borehole, but also I learnt that the few areas that still have access to public water supply are experiencing epileptic supply. At times, the water goes off for two weeks, or on and off several times in a day. Like today, it did not run.”

According to Adekunle Ajayi, in Ijesha, Surulere, residents experience erratic supply. He added that, sometimes, residents are forced to part with N20 naira for a keg of water. Hear Ajayi: “I must confess it is not easy, but who do we complain to, our leaders have ears, but they cannot hear. ” Another resident, Mr Akinyemi Temitope, painted a pathetic picture of the water situation in his area. For Akinyemi, it is Mai ruwa local water vendor to the rescue. “I have long given up on the public water system. I don’t have the luxury of time to wake up in the middle of the night, like some people do, to fetch water that will last me for days, when the water supply guys decide to be kind occasionally in the middle of the night.”

For Omoh Johnson who lives at Itire area of Surulere, “thinking about public water here is a mirage. If you count 10 houses, you will just see one borehole and what happens is that many buy from these local vendors and you can imagine how many kegs a large family would have to buy. I spend nothing less than N1, 200 in a week buying water and I use it alone, yet I have to manage. Lagos is not a place where you practice good hygiene at all. Where is the water for that? I’m afraid for this country, where are those days when water used to be supplied to homes, where is water corporation and what are they doing? The ministries are not functioning like they were. Let Ambode do something about these and I pray for him because he is new.

The Water Corporation GMD, who also assured residents of quality water supply, disclosed that water from the waterworks usually undergo laboratory analysis to ensure that quality meets the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard prior to discharging into the pipe network.

“Quality may have been compromised by illegal long service connections in some areas by members of the public seeking water from distant water mains, as these connections pass through drains to avoid damage by vehicular traffic,” he said, adding that, to arrest the challenge, LWC was rapidly expanding water mains in various areas, giving priority to areas with high concentration of long service connections.

“With this intervention, customers can lawfully take service connections directly from the frontage of their properties,” he maintained.

Waterless Delta Public water in Delta State has collapsed and totally gone into extinction over two decades ago. This is in spite of several political rhetorics and millions of naira sunk into the project by past successive governments to resuscitate it.

From Asaba, the state capital, to the entire Delta North, down to Delta Central comprising Oghara, Sapele, Abraka, Ughelli and environs down to oil-rich Delta South of Warri, a drop of public water is as scarce as the egg of an eagle. Sunday Tribune gathered that there used to be surplus public water in the not-too-distant past in most parts of the state such as Asaba, Warri, Continues pg 10

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news

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Reps may consider hanging, amputation for treasury looters Muhammad Sabiu-Kaduna

T

HE Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Honourable Umar Yakubu Barde, has said some concerned members of the House “have started talking on how to enact laws that will ensure that looters are either hang or their hands amputated.”

Speaking in an interview in Kaduna, Barde, who represents Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, noted that he is a believer in the fact that people should be punished for offences committed and that such punishments must be

commensurate with the offences.

The lawmaker, who dropped the bombshell that anyone who steals from the treasury in billions should be hanged, said: “We are living in a very funny country where people who steal N1,000 are put in jail for years, while some people steal billions and use the loot to escape justice. That is not good enough. If you ask me personally, I will tell you that we have started discussion; I’ll let the cat out of the bag.”

Barde, who urged Nigerians to take bold stand on the issue of corruption, said: “If you ask me, I will tell you that

if someone steals from N1 million to N100 million, he or she should have his hand cut off. There is nothing wrong with that; so that when we see you on the street, we will

know that you stole, which was why your hand was cut off and those who steal in billions should be hanged.”

“I and some members in the National Assembly

are of the belief that Nigeria should have special court for corruption cases; speciallydedicated courts, because if you look at the quantum of corruption in the country to-

day, you will pity Nigerians.

“So, why don’t we have dedicated courts to try all these corruption cases so that justice could be dispensed of quickly?,” he queried.

Surrender yourself to EFCC, APC elder tells Tompolo Adetola Bademosi - Abuja

CHIEFTAIN of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Arerebo Bodi, on Saturday, asked ex-militant leader, Chief Government Ekemupolo popularly known as Tompolo, to submit himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for questioning.

Bodi said it was important for the ex-militant to honour the request of the commission, rather than blaming the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva and other chieftains of the party.

Bodi, who spoke yesterday at an event organised in his honour in Abuja, said that Sylva was instrumental in the appointment of Senator Heneiken Lokpobiri as a minister and also General Paul Boro as Special Adviser on Amnesty Programme; saying that the former governor could not have lobbied to be minister as claimed by Tompolo.

“The young man [Tompolo] needs to know that Sylva is the one God used to make Lokpobiri a minister and Boro a special adviser.

So, for Tompolo to accuse Sylva and APC leaders in the state as orchestrators of pipeline vandalism in Delta, is false.

“We are aware of Tompolo’s attitude; he is using boys to destroy pipelines and attributing it to other people,” Bodi said.

Meanwhile, the APC chieftain also called on the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Timi Frank, to apologise to the state chapter of the party, noting that he “never did anything worthwhile to support the party in the state,” noting that “even during the two governorship primaries, Frank was absent.”

He urged Frank to imbibe attitudes that would qualify

him as national scribe of the party, a position previously occupied by the present Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

From left, Senator Adamu Aliero; Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and the Emir of Gumel, Alhaji Ahmad Muhammad Sani, at the Emir’s palace, during the wedding Fatiha of Senator Abdullahi Abubakar Gumel’s daughter, in Gumel, Jigawa State, on Saturday.

Bank customers lament new charges

By Sulaimon Olanrewaju

BANK customers, especially current account holders, have been lamenting the new regime of charges introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Across section of account holders who spoke with the Sunday Tribune at the weekend said it seemed as if the CBN was determined to shortchange them to rake in revenue for the government and the banks.

“The CBN is a regulator and regulators are supposed to protect the interest of the customers, not encouraging operators to fleece customers,” Mrs Jumoke Agbaje, a civil servant said.

The CBN had, within the spate of three days, introduced two policies which increased charges paid by bank customers.

The first is the policy on stamp duty charges on deposits.

With the policy, the apex bank has made it mandatory for money deposit banks and other financial institutions to charge their customers N50 for every transaction above N1,000.

The CBN gave the directive in a circular titled ‘Collection and Remittance of statutory charges on receipts of Nigeria Postal Service under the Stamp Duties Act’.

The apex bank hinged the new directive on the need to boost government revenue.

The statement said that

the charge will be on all receipts issued by banks or financial institutions in acknowledgment of services rendered in respect of teller deposits and electronic transfers for a value of N1,000 and above transferred into an account either electronically or through a bank teller.

The CBN said that the new charge is in accordance with the provision of the Stamp Duties Act and Federal Government Financial Regulations 2009.

The apex bank explained that the stamp duty charge excludes deposits or transfers made by self to self whether inter or intra bank and any form of withdrawal from savings accounts, adding that the charge is to be borne by the receiving accounts.

However, the CBN gave further clarifications later in the week following grumblings in many quarters.

According to the CBN, “The implementation of the Stamp Duty Act at this point in time emanated from a Federal High Court order that the CBN should direct deposit money banks under its supervision to commence the collection of the duty on behalf of the federal government.

“Consequently, the money deposit banks have been directed to commence the collection of the duty.

“Banks are to collect the N50 stamp duty and remit same to the Nigerian

Postal Services (NIPOST) on behalf of the customer.

“The N50 stamp duty is charged per transaction and NOT per volume. Hence, irrespective of the amount, the sum of N50 is to be charged provided such a transaction is N1,000 and above.

“There are however some exemptions and these include payments of salaries and wages, payments and deposits for self-to-self transactions whether inter or intra bank among others,’’ the statement said.

The second policy is Transaction Maintenance Fee of N1.00 per mille, which compels banks to charge their current account holders a transaction maintenance fee of N1.00 for every N1,000.00 for customer-initiated debit transaction .

In a circular signed by Kevin Amugo, Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Department, the CBN, premised the new policy on the need to boost the revenue of commercial banks.

The circular reads, “The revised guide to bank charges (RGBC) which came into effect on April 1, 2013 provides for a phased elimination of commission on turnover (COT) charges in the Nigerian banking industry, under the guidelines, a zero COT regime was to come into effect from January 2016.

“The CBN noted that while the gradual phase out was being observed some banks continued to charge

Account Maintenance Fee in addition to the reduced COT rate, which in effect amounted to double coincidence of charges.

CBN said it was not unaware of the impact of dwindling oil prices, operation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and other market turbulence on the viability and stability of the banking system.

It added, “In furtherance of the mandate to promote and safeguard a sound financial system in Nigeria, banks are by this circular reminded that the 2016 zero COT regime as jointly agreed during the 311th Bankers Committee meeting of February 12, 2013 has come into effect.

In the interest of stability of the banking system, a negotiable current account maintenance fee not exceeding N1.00 per mille (1/N1,000) may be charged in respect to all customer induced debit transaction”.

The new policies have attracted an avalanche of complaints from bank customers.

In his reaction to the development, a businessman, Dr. Dele Ogun, said the CBN was treating the banks with kid gloves.

“While the Stamp Duty charges may be overlooked, you cannot say the same for the Transaction Charges,” he said. “From all indications, CBN introduced the new policy to enable banks make some money. But that is a disser-

vice to business. It is high time the CBN let the banks realize that the era of making money without hard work is gone. The banks need to make right investments to make money, not just by practicing armchair banking.”

Another bank customer, Evangelist Tolu Ojikutu, of Way of Holiness Church, said the introduction of the new policies was a punishment to bank customers.

According to her, “What is the point in introducing new charges for online transfers when already banks charge for online transfers? It is like paying twice for the same service.

The CBN will need to take another look at the policy.

Alhaji Musa Mandara, a textile merchant said the N1.00 per every N1,000 payment may look negligible. “But if you are a volume player, you will realize that it is a lot of money.

It looks as if all the policies of the government are targeted at those who try to earn a honest living in this country. What the CBN is doing is to take back what it said it was giving us. The CBN had said that there would no longer be COT. But what is this? COT by another name?

For Mr Ezekiel Adiukwu, a trader, bank charges are unnecessary. As he explained, by depositing money in banks for safe keeping, customers were providing easy funds for banks to do a number of businesses.

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news

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

I paid N170,000 to be promoted as Seriki —Oyediji Akinjide, Adelabu, Akintola, Eze Anozie speak on Olubadan

By Tunde Ogunesan

T

HE last may not have been heard from the Seriki line in the tussle for the Olubadan stool as the Oyediji family line, in their quest to reclaim their position in the race to the stool, and through the head of the family, Chief Adebayo Oyediji, has revealed that he paid the sum of N170, 000 in 2007 to the late Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade 1, for his promotion as Seriki Olubadan.

Oyediji made this revelation at the weekend speaking to journalists at his Monatan office on the claim of the Ashipa Balogun Olubadan, High Chief Tajudeen Ajibola, that he is the Osi Seriki.

Oyediji said Ajibola got it wrong from the outset, as he is the present Otun Seriki and that he applied to be promoted as Seriki but was denied despite his financial commitment.

Though, Oyedeji said the payment was not receipted, he clarified that he had a copy of the application letter, informing that the council denied him the opportunity to become the Seriki and probably the future Olubadan. “I applied to be elevated to the post of Seriki Olubadan as the next chief to the late Adisa Akinloye, but the application was rejected after paying N170,000. I ought to have been promoted, but the Olubadan-in Council refused to promote me as the next Seriki,” he said.

Oyediji insisted that the Seriki line was in position to produce the next Olubadan going by the available records. He added that “the line was sidelined by some chiefs for their selfish interests.”

Oyediji also revealed that some Seriki title holders had risen to become Olubadan, wondering where the idea of Seriki’s exclusion from Olubadan emanated.

He argued that 1989 judgment of an Oyo State High Court had favoured the line’s qualification for elevation to the Ekerin Olubadan position whenever two consecutive positions are vacant either in the Balogun or Otun line.

Oyediji maintained that, with the demise in November 2015 of two High Chiefs, Sulaiman Omiyale (Balogun line) and Omowale Kuye (Otun line), the room was open to

the Seriki line to present their candidate as the third

line in Ibadanland.

Meanwhile, former At-

torney General of the Federation, Chief Richard

Akinjide, SAN, Chief Niyi Akintola, SAN, and the

Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, signing the condolence register during his visit to the residence of the late Olubadan Of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana, in Ibadan, on Friday. With him are from left, Otun Olubadan, High Chief Lekan Balogun and the eldest son of the late Olubadan, Prof. Femi Lana. PHOTO: NAN

Mrs Moriyike Lana (widow) (right) receiving a letter of condolence from Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Chief Bayo Adelabu (left) and Professor Femi Lana (middle) during the condolence visit to the late Olubadan’s residence at Monatan, Ibadan, on Saturday.

Former Minister of Justice, Chief Richard Akinjide (right); Mrs Moriyike Lana (widow) (second right) and Professor Femi Lana, during the condolence visit of Chief Akinjide to the family of the late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba (Dr) Samuel Odunala, at his residence, Monatan, Ibadan, on Saturday. PHOTOS: D’TOYIN

deputy governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Chief Adebayo Adelabu, were among those that paid tribute to late Olubadan of Ibadan, at his Monatan residence yesterday.

Akinjide, who described Oba Odulana as his grandfather, said: We were in the parliament together and when I was federal minister of education, he was also a minister, so we have the same pedigree. I will continue to come here because we are going to do the burial together.

Akintola also described Oba Odulana as a fantastic ruler. “His death was a personal loss to me, in particular on January 6, I was giving testimonies on our traditional rulers in far away Houston, Texas. I was given the opportunity to analyse our traditional rulers across the country vis-a-vis the Dasukigate, and I was given testimonies about Kabiyesi Odulana. I said Kabiyesi can never, and would never, be involved in such disgraceful, dispical act. The Olubadan had principles that stood him over and above many of his peers. On his part, Adelabu, who came to relay the message of the CBN Governor, as well as his family, said “the late Oba Odulana lived a worthy and exemplary life.

He stood for justice, excellence and hardwork. He was always on the side of the masses and he was very committed to the development of Ibadan, Oyo State and Nigeria in general. It is a challenge to all of us that his vision should come to reality,” he said.

In another vain, the Eze Ndigbo Nala, Ibadan, and the vice president, Council of Ndi-Ezendigbo in Diaspora (Southern Nigeria), Eze Dr Alex Anozie, has congratulated the Olubadan elect, Chief Saliu Adetunji. “We congratulate the next Kabiyesi on behalf of all Ndigbo in Ibadan and Oyo state, just as we use this opportunity to condole with the family of the late Olubadan, Oba Odugade, who we are sure is resting in the bosom of the Almighty God. “I express our deepest sympathy to the people of Ibadanland and Yoruba people over the loss. We are mouring with the race, Nigeria and Ibadan people all over”, he said in a release available to Sunday Tribune

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24 January, 2016

crimereports

Sunday Tribune

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

I was scared of being harmed by syndicate members —Suspected criminal receiver Stories by Oluwatoyin Malik

F

OR Mr Ganiyu Rasaq, an indigene of Saki town, Oyo State, the news that his car was among the 16 vehicles recently recovered by the operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Oyo-Ogbomoso annex, Oyo State Police Command, sounded unbelievable. But it lends credence to the fact that criminals can only run but cannot hide forever.

Mr Rasaq lost his car, a Honda Accord 2004 model, to armed men who invaded his home in February 2015. But in January 2016, almost a year after the loss, the armed robbery victim received a call from the police that his car had been recovered.

Celebrating the recovery of 16 vehicles and arrest of six suspects connected with them, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Leye Oyebade, described the robbery syndicate involved in the snatching and re-sale of the vehicles as “notorious.”

According to the police commissioner, “the gang unleashed terror on Saki town early in 2015 and attacked one Ganiyu Rasaq, carting away hi valuables.”

He added that the syndicate members moved from one place to the other, trying to conceal their identity and presence. “But after months of intelligence gathering and high-level investigation, the criminal hideout of the gang was located in Ibadan.

“In a well- coordinated operation which lasted for hours and was led by the Officer-in Charge, the SARS operatives swooped on the criminals and rounded them up.”

He gave the names of the suspects as Noah Nasiru a.k.a Niyi (36), Adeyinka Oluwatobi (28), Badejo Oluwafemi (39), Dare Bamigboye (42), Dare Solola (40) and Oluwole Adebowale (39).

Among the recovered vehicles were a Honda Pilot, six Toyota Camry of different models, two Toyota Si-

The suspects with some of the vehicles recovered from different parts of Nigeria enna Buses, a Honda CRV, two Honda Accord, an Infinity SUV, a Nissan Primera, a Toyota Highlander, and a Honda power bike.

CP Oyebade disclosed that the vehicles were recovered in Kaduna, Abuja, Kogi, Kwara, Ondo and Oyo States, adding that investigations were still ongoing.

He warned people against buying vehicles at what they term as ‘reasonable’ price, saying that it could be an indication that the vehicles were stolen.

Crime Reports had an interview session with the arrested suspects. Below are the excerpts of their confessions: Oluwatobiloba Adeyinka (28) I am from Iwo town in Osun State. I bought stolen vehicles. I didn’t know at the beginning but I later knew that the vehicles were snatched. Some of them were also removed from where parked. I started the business in 2015. Noah was my business partner.

“Our numbers were given to the car snatchers, Wale and Juwon, by a prison inmate called Jagun. The inmate had brought the idea to us before his arrest and subsequent remand in prison, but we had yet to agree with him before his arrest. We bought Sienna, Camry (Muscle), Pilot, Highlander from the robbers. We bought Sienna for N400,000; Highlander for N700,000; Pilot N450,000; Camry N500,000. We later had a quarrel when Noah refused to give me my own share from the sale of the vehicles.

Noah Nasiru(36) “I am from Saki. I start-

ed buying cars from robbery gangs about a year ago. Juwon and Wale got our names from a prison inmate at Maximum Prison, Kirikiri, Lagos State when were initially released from prison.

“They called us and said they used to have stolen cars. They first brought a Toyota Sienna, a Honda Pilot and a Toyota Camry.

We found two guns used to snatch a Honda Accord

inside the car.

“The car was brought by one Dele. It was Tobi who called me to inform me of the vehicle and he showed interest in using the car. I told him to call Dare Bamigboye a.k.a.

Olubadan and it was Olubadan who discovered the gun when he went to wash the car. Olubadan asked for the guns but I gave them to Juwon when he brought us a vehicle.

Other vehicles recovered from us include Infinity, Toyota Camry (Big Daddy), Primera, Honda CRV and Honda Accord (Bulldog). Those who bought the vehicles from us were unaware that they were stolen. Juwon and Wale are currently in the prison.

Dare Bamigboye (42) I used to help dealers smuggle cars into Nigeria from Benin Republic.

I knew Noah through his elder brother. Last year, Noah (Niyi) called me when he learnt I had no job. He offered me a job to drive a vehicle to Abuja. Initially, he did not tell me the vehicles were stolen, but I later learnt after the second trip. The first trip was with a Toyota Sienna and the second one was a Toyota Camry. It was in the third one, a Honda Accord, that I discovered two guns.

Buyers said guns were meant to secure filling stations —Arms dealer FOR those who wonder on how guns find their ways into the palms of criminals all over, the reason is no longer far-fetched as the Ogun State Police Command recently busted the activities of a cross-border arms dealer, Taiwo Adeku (33), a citizen of Benin Republic, who was caught with 10 locallymade pistols.

Arrested with the suspect was an 18-year-old girl, Sofia Opeifa, who claimed to be Adeku’s stepdaughter.

She was reported to have helped the first suspect in carrying the bag containing the guns. Crime Reports gathered that the suspects were arrested on January 6, 2015, by the Special AntiRobbery Squad (SARS), led by the Officer-in-Charge, CSP Gbenga Megbope.

Before his recent arrest, Adeku, popularly called Ejima, confessed to have brought no less than 42 guns into Nigeria, but claimed that his buyers told him that they were meant to be used to secure petrol stations where they worked as security guards.

The suspects with pistols recovered from them In a press briefing held recently in Abeokuta, the

Commissioner of Police, Abdulmajid Ali, who spoke

through the command’s spokesman, DSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, told Crime Reports that revelations by a notorious cultist, Kazeem Tiamiyu, who was arrested in connection with several cult activities and murders in Ogun State, led to the apprehension of the Beninois.

Speaking with Crime Reports, Adeku said: “I was arrested because the SARS operatives caught me with 10 locally-made pistols. It was Tiamiyu who called and asked me to bring them.

“He said he and his friends were using the guns to secure petrol stations. I am a blacksmith but the blacksmith making the guns used to give them to me to sell. I used to sell the single barrel pistols at N18,000 while I sell the double barrel at N20,000.

The blacksmith would give me a commission of N3,000 over each of the guns.

“This is the fourth time I would be bringing guns to Tiamiyu from Benin Republic. I brought five guns the first and second time, and brought seven before the latest one.”

7

crimereports

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Security guard machetes man for refusing his N5,000 request

By Oluwabamise Ademola

I

F things had worked out as planned by Afeez Wasiu and Adeoye Akeem, a man, Mr Kazeem Alaka, popularly called ‘Doctor’, and who has his laboratory at Awotan area of Apete, Ibadan, would have been a dead man by now.

But the man was saved

by Providence after he received several machete cuts from Afeez, a security guard manning Twin Empire petrol station, Apete and a shopping complex opposite it which houses the victim’s laboratory.

Crime Reports learnt that Afeez, in connivance with his partner-in-crime attacked Mr Alaka in his office at about 2a.m. on Friday, January 15, 2016, inflicting machete cuts on him. He was said to have told the man that he was going to kill him silently.

Alaka’s sin, according to information gathered by Crime Reports, was that he refused to grant Afeez’s earlier request that he be given N5,000. Mr Alaka had told him that he also had financial obligations that would make it impossible for him to oblige the suspect’s request.

Irked by this, Afeez was said to have gone back to the man’s office at about 2a.m. to attack him by giving him several blows of machete on the head, hands and the entire body.

Meanwhile, his friend, Akeem, reportedly hid somewhere, waiting for a call from Afeez to know when he would come to pick their victim’s car, a Honda Accord (Bulldog).

When Alaka saw that shouting would not help as no one was close by, he reportedly struggled with his assailant until he fell from the first floor, where his office was situated, to the ground.

Not done, Afeez descended the stairs and went to his victim to continue the attack, until the man pretended to be dead.

With the belief that the his victim was dead, Afeez quickly stripped him of his trousers, from where he removed the man’s car key and a sum of N16,000. He also went into the man’s office, packed his computer system, stabiliser and other items, and loaded

them into his car.

As he lay on the ground, Mr Alaka heard the engine of his car being kicked to life. He reportedly crawled towards a nearby mosque to see if he could get help but Afeez trailed him to the mosque, stuffed his mouth and ears with sand, and started hauling stones at him. For the second time, Alaka feigned death. After Afeez left, the lab technician was said to have crawled to a place behind the mosque where he remained until morning when he feebly cried out to Muslim faithful coming from prayers to rescue him.

Crime Reports gathered that he was taken to

Al-Amin Hospital, Awotan from where he was taken to the University College Hospital, Ibadan last Saturday for further treatment.

Before the incident, Afeez was reported to have benefitted from Alaka’s benevolence, as the man had given him monetary gifts several times without him asking.

After the case was reported at Apete police station, the police promptly arrested Afeez but he proved the criminality in him when he escaped from the police with handcuffs when they took him to his house for a search. The police were said to have restrained

themselves from shooting to stop him because of the population density of his residence. But they began an immediate manhunt for the suspect, and, based on information, re-arrested him shortly after, though with the handcuffs already severed off his wrists.

Other accomplices arrested with Afeez were one Isiaka Ganiyu, who allegedly assisted him in cutting off the handcuffs and one Ganiyu Waliu, a herbalist who was found with Ganiyu and who was said to be privy of the cutting off of the handcuffs. Recovered from the suspects were the victim’s car, his belongings, a saw, a cutter, cut-

lasses and the destroyed handcuffs.

Speaking with Crime Reports after his arrest, Afeez confessed thus: “I am from Iseyin. I was a barber before I started working as a security guard. I stopped smoking marijuana about a month before I attacked Mr Alaka. It is the devil’s work.

“It was Akeem who told me he needed N5,000 and I told him we would go and rob Mr Alaka. He asked whether he would be the one to attack the man and I told him not to worry, saying that I would do the job myself. It was also Akeem who invited one Baruwa to come and buy Alaka’s car.

The suspects

Akeem and I planned attacking Mr Alaka. Please have mercy on me. I know I am guilty.”

In a counter claim, Afeez’s partner-in-crime, Akeem, said that he was invited by Afeez to help him drive the victim’s car because he (Afeez) did not know how to drive. He added that he knew the vehicle belonged to Mr Alaka but said he was not the one who asked Afeez to go and rob the man. He also claimed that he had enough money in his account and could not have told Afeez that he needed N5,000.

On how he got involved, Ganiyu said that Afeez came to him at Awotan junction at about 10p.m. on Saturday in handcuffs and asked of Akeem.

“Since I knew him as Akeem’s friend and the fact that Akeem and I were living together, I helped him to cut the handcuffs with a saw I was using for my aluminum frame work,” Ganiyu stated.

Waliu also told Crime Reports that he was staying with Ganiyu and was present when Ganiyu came to tell Akeem that his friend, Afeez, had been arrested and handcuffed by the police.

Confirming the arrest of the suspects, the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Leye Oyebade, said that the suspects would be charged to court after the completion of investigation.

Police parade 9 suspected armed robbers in Kwara Biola Azeez - Ilorin

THE Kwara State Police Command has paraded nine suspected armed robbers along with recovered items, among which were a locally-made pistol and aToyota Sienna bus.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin during the parade, the state Commissioner of Police, Sam Okaula, said that three of the suspects were arrested by a team of Special AntiRobbery Squad (SARS) operatives during intelligence patrol along Ilorin-Ogbomoso federal highway at 11a.m on Monday, January 18.

“The SARS operatives arrested one Fatai Usman, (25) with a locally-made

pistol in a vehicle with registration number LAGOS EPE 623 DC, driven by one Ogundepo Ogunniyi, male (45). Investigation led to arrest of his gang member, Aina Shina, at Otte area of Kwara state”, the police commissioner said, adding that efforts were on to arrest others currently at large.

In another development, the police boss said that three robbery suspects, namely Mahman Allen (28), Mohammed Abubakar (45) and Bello Umar (30) were arrested on January 12, 2016.

“The victim of the robbery, one Sule Mohammed of Wonkoru farm, reported at Gwanara police station that on the said

date at 2a.m, while he was sleeping at his camp, five men armed with gun and other weapons, invaded his residence and started demanding for money.

When he declined to give any money, the bandits struggled with him but he was able to inflict machete cuts on one of them on his head while they all took to their heels.

“Operatives swung into action and the blood stain on the ground was traced to where the first suspect was arrested with injury on his head. In the course of investigation, two other suspects in connection with the case were arrested.”

Okaula also paraded one Toyota Sienna space bus

with registration number SMK 199 CC Lagos, allegedly stolen by a paraded suspect, Ongro Stephen (26).

“On January 18, 2016, at about 9p.m, a team of FSARS Operative Harmony patrol on stop-and-search along Ilorin-Jebba federal highway intercepted the bus driven by the suspect of Number 9, Powerline, Off Badore-Ado Aja, Lagos state.

The police boss said that the suspect has confessed to have stolen the vehicle from his employer, one Mrs Oluwasolape Akinola, female, of No 27, MaCarthy street, Onikan, Lagos Island.

“Also, on January 10, 2016 at about 9:00am, one

Owosho Olufemi, male of Agun area Babajebu street, Offa reported at F-SARS office, Offa annexe that on the same date at about 8 a.m., while he was at home with two of his friends, two armed men armed with gun invaded his residence and carted away his gold necklace valued at N62,000, one BlackBerry phone valued at N35,000 and one HP Toshiba laptop both valued at N75,000 at gun point.

“During the robbery operation, the victims were able to identify one of the robbers later known to be Nasiru Ademola. Also arrested was one Abdulmalik Olagoke who was alleged to be a member of the armed robbery gang”, he said.

8

news

24 January, 2016

FG sacks top civil servants over employment racketeering —Minister

S

OME top officials of the Civil Service have been dismissed by the Federal Government for extorting money from applicants and offering them employment illegally.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the disclosure on Saturday in Lagos during a meeting with select On-Air-Personalities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was part of the minister’s five-day consultations with critical stakeholders in the media industry.

Mohammed said that the officers had included the names of the applicants in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel System (IPPIS) before the fraud was discovered.

“The first scandal I met in one of the parastatals when I assumed office was the illegal employment of 400 people. This scandal started with very senior officers up to level 17 in that department.

“They sent out letters and text messages asking people to apply for jobs for a fee of N400,000 and they were given letters of employment. They did not stop

there. They invited these people to go and be captured on the IPPIS and they even took cameras to hotels to get them captured. At the end of the day, the bubble burst.”

“One of the victims told these officials, ‘you cannot take my money and still disengage me. I have a valid letter.’’’

That is how we got to know that there is a dedi-

cated account these people pay to.

He said that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was doing all it could to make the IPPIS tamper-proof.

Sunday Tribune

He described On-Air Personalities as “very important’’ in the media industry and urged them to leverage on their platforms to educate people on government’s policies.

Onaiyekan calls for synergy between FG, religious institutions THE Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has called for synergy between the Federal Government and religious institutions to curb corruption in the country.

Onaiyekan made the call on Saturday in Abuja while speaking with newsmen at a priestly ordination of nine priests at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria, Pro- Cathedral Catholic Church.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), he said that the church was ready to cooperate with the government in the fight against corruption.

He advised Christians to contribute in their own way to tackle the problem, adding that the Catholic Church had fought and condemned corrupt practices for 20 years.

He said: “there should be a clear synergy between government institutions and religious institutions to come together in the corruption battle.

“There should be some arrangements whereby government and religious leaders can sit down and

see how they can contribute towards the fight against corruption.

“If the governments want people to change, they have to get religious institutions involved. They (religious institutions) are experienced in that aspect, but if you are not reaching out to them, then people will not listen,’’ he said.

From left, Vice Chancellor, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, Professor Saminu Abdulraman; Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie; Governor Muhammed Abubakar of Bauchi State, and Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Prof. Suleman Bogoro, during ATBU’s 2010-2014 combined convocation ceremony in Bauchi, on Saturday. PHOTO: NAN

Buhari expresses concern on ranking of universities PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has expressed concern over low ranking of the country’s universities.

According to the News

Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the president expressed the concern on Saturday in Bauchi at the 19th to 22nd convocation ceremony of Abubakar Ta-

Traders in Anambra protest plan to use names of dead persons as eligible voters Suzy Oruya-Onitsha TRADERS at the Abada Market Niger Bridge head, Onitsha, Anambra State, on Saturday, shut their shops in protest against alleged plan by their leadership to use names of over 150 dead persons of the market who died about 40 years ago as

eligible voters during the election of new executives, billed for Tuesday.

It was gathered that the traders commenced the protest against use of dead persons by the market leadership through the market crier, stating that the old register of the traders would be used instead

Why I left Oshiomhole’s govt —Former commissioner Banji Aluko-Benin City A former commissioner for Land and Survey in Edo State, Donald Boi Osikena, has disclosed that he left the Adams Oshiomhole government because his responsibilities as commissioner were usurped by the governor.

Speaking when about 500 women were received into the peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Udaba, Etsako Central Local Government Area of the state, Osikena, who defected to the PDP last year, alleged that his ministry was being run from the government

fawa Balewa University, Bauchi.

Represented by Prof.

Julius Okojie, Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, he

house.

He said, “Approvals for lands and certificate of occupancy were being issued from government house without informing me. I reasoned that I didn’t want to go to jail early in life, so I left.”

Also at the event, the women, who joined the PDP, were received by the Edo State chairman of the PDP, Dan Orbih, and other leaders of the party including a governorship aspirant, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and the vice chairman of the party in the Edo North, Henry Duke Tenebe.

While welcoming the women, Orbih assured the women that a PDP government in the state would prioritise women empowerment and welfare, encouraging them to become apostles of change in Edo State by supporting the PDP. Ize-Iyamu, who also addressed the crowd, said he supported the emergence of an Afemai man in Oshiomhole to fully reintegrate the Afemai people into the politics of the state, assuring them that the Afemai people will not lose anything as Oshiomhole leaves office.

of the comprehensive list produced by the state government through the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Commerce about three months ago.

Reacting, one of the traders, Mr Oraka Nwabueze, said: “how can they say that when a comprehensive register of list of names of eligible voters in the market have been compiled and a new register produced and ID Cards issued to the eligible voters by Anambra State Government?”

The traders protested peacefully, carrying placards, and went to the House of Assembly and Government House where they laid their complaints through their spokesman, Chief Okaudo.

At the House of Assembly, Mr Chugbo Enwezor, responded on behalf of the legislators commending the traders for their non violent approach and pledged to call on the Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Commerce, Mr. Ifeatu Onejeme, to ensure the wish of the traders is done.

said that “it is worrisome that no Nigerian university is quoted among the top 100 universities in the world.

“We rank below a thousand. If we do not aspire to be among the world class universities, we cannot boast of robust system capable of making the country among the top economies of the world.

“We have abundance of talents who excel elsewhere but appear incapacitated at home. This is unacceptable.

Whatever makes our abundant talents fail at home and excel abroad must be identified and neutralised for our benefit and that of our future generation,’’ Buhari said.

He blamed incessant strikes by teachers as “major bottlenecks to progress of the country’s university system.”

The president called on the state governments to

support and encourage universities situated in their states because they were responsible for harnessing local talents and promotion of local innovations.

Oba Rufus Aladesanmi, Chancellor of the institution, urged the graduating students to explore ways of self employment.

Aladesanmi further urged them to contribute to the technological and economic development of the country, noting that in spite of large number of students that applied for admission, few were admitted due to few facilities.

The chancellor called on stakeholders to urgently find both short and long term solutions to the problem.

Prof. Saminu Ibrahim, Vice Chancellor of the institution, said that the institution was graduating 8,127 students for its 19th and 22nd convocation.

9

news

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Why we want confab reports implemented —Gani Adams

A

S the nation’s economy and politics appear headed for the rocks, the national coordinator of the Oodu’a Peoples Congress (OPC), Chief Gani Adams, has advocated the full implementation of the reports and recommendations of the 2014 constitutional Conference convoked by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

According to the OPC leader, there had been too many lopsidedness in Nigerian politics, which also had grave effects on the relationship among the various constituent units, the economy and the structure of the federation, all of which had been addressed at various levels of deliberations during the confab.

Adams stated this last Wednesday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during an interactive session with members of his organisation.

He said the second phase of their agitation would focus on the implementation of the report of the constitutional conference.

His words: “We know that the implementation will not be easy, because even in the national assembly, there are lots of impediments against Jonathan while he was in power, but we have decided that for us to have struggled to get the Confab done, we need to agitate for the implementation too and we are prepared to fight for it to be implemented.

“There were lots of hurdles before the confab was organised and it will surprise you to know that most of our people that we believe are progressives in the West are actually antagonists of the confab.

And for a nation to be restructured, it won’t come easy and so, we must be

ready to fight for it. Many people do not even know the content of the conference,” he added.

He, therefore, commended the anti-corruption crusade of the President Mohammadu Buhari, which he described as a welcome development, but warned against using it as a tool to persecute imaginary opponents of the govern-

ment.

“The issue of anti-corruption is being highly politicised, I am giving my 100% support to President Buhari to make sure that the system is sanitised, to put an end to corruption in our country or bring it to the barest minimum. But I am not in agreement with doing so on the basis of selection; we have about three ministers in President Buhari’s cabi-

GOVERNOR Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has admonished judges and others working in the temple of justice not to pervert justice or allow themselves to be intimidated to give wrong rulings or judgments.

Governor Fayose, who stated this when magistrates in the state paid him a courtesy call in his office, noted that “whatever is done on earth will be subjected to scrutiny by God.” A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, on Saturday, quoted the governor to have said that “those having the power of life and death should be conscientious enough to know

loses, automatically, campaign mockery and attacks ends because it is politics, a game of numbers, if you lose today, you might be a winner tomorrow and being a winner is not the criteria for demonising the loser.”

While justifying why the OPC supported President Jonathan during the 2015 general election, Adams stated “when you are a

leader of a group, people look up to you for direction and they follow the direction given to them during the last election based on the fact that I was among the delegates that attended the national conference; former President Jonathan gave the opportunity for the nation to organise the conference and gave me the privilege to be a part of the conference with a promise to implement the outcome.

If you noticed, we didn’t campaign for any governor during the campaign, we were campaigning solely for Jonathan and we don’t have any apology for that.”

9 killed as blizzard paralyses US East Coast

President Muhammed Buhari (left) discussing with the Osile of Oke-Ona, Egba, Oba (Dr) Adedapo Tejuoso and Senator Lanre Tejuoso during the Osile’s visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

How Glo CAF awards created buzz across the world THE epochal 2015 Glo-CAF Awards recently held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja gained worldwide acclaim, as the event trended across various cities in different parts of the world with copious mentions on the internet and various online platforms in Asia, Africa, Europe, Middle East and America.

The conviviality of the event, which has been dubbed the Oscars of football resonated from New

York to Hamburg, Nairobi to Istanbul, Warsaw to Cape Town, Daresalam to Houston, Paris to Accra, Ibadan to Seattle and Itabashi in Japan to Kaduna, Nigeria.

All news media; traditional and contemporary, gave the event spotlight, as highlights of the annual awards night were beamed. Different activities that were featured during the gala attracted comments, views and opinions

Don’t pervert justice, Fayose charges judges Sam Nwaoko-Ado Ekiti

net that have been alleged and indicted of corruption and they are still in his cabinet. There are lots of people that were strong supporters of President Buhari during the elections that have not been probed,” Gani Adams opined.

According to him, “it is a norm for a candidate to either win or lose; in America, we have the democrats and republican, if one

that a day of accountability would come.”

He said: ”The positions we occupy today whether as governor or magistrate is temporary and we have an account to give. It is important that we fear God. We must not bow to pressure and do the wrong thing.

Your actions and inactions as magistrates are more important than your welfare.

“I want to draw your attention to something sinister that is going on in the judiciary, I read in the papers that some people in authority now go and dig into the financial papers of judges and use that to subtly blackmail them to give rulings and judgments their ways.

“You have the power of life and death, please do the right things. Don’t make yourself tools in the hands of the devil. Some have compromised because they have made themselves tools in the hands of the devil.”

On the requests made by the magistrates, the governor said they would be looked into within available resources.

He added that the state government would soon provide a befitting accommodation for the judiciary.

Earlier, the leader of the group, Magistrate Adesoji Adegboye, called on the government to implement the Magistrate Court Law and see to the setting up of the Judicial Training Institute among others.

of people across the world.

Issues ranging from the performances of musical artistes to the hosts of the event, theme fashion, award winners and the ambience of the venue were the fulcrum of the basis of trending conversations on the social media.

The hosts, Ghanaian actress, Juliet Ibrahim and South African Robert Marawa were resplendent and, this did not escape the prying eyes of the sea of spectators round the world who took up social media spaces to comment on their choice of wardrobe and composure, with special focus on Juliet Ibrahim’s outfit and Marawa’s last outfit for the night, an agbada attire which majority of the global viewers complimented.

Twittering about the sports cum showbiz fiesta, Sylvester Mahwai wrote: “Igwe Robert Marawa did a splendid job #GLOCAF AWARDS 2015, while Samson Omale@samomale 1 said: “please@ robertmarawa wear this agbada during the next Thursday Live with Marawa programme.

For Morris Greene@Mohgrin said @robert marawa, Mr. Marawa’s compering was world-class, hope he wears the agbada and fila (cap)on next Thursday live

with Marawa on @DSTV. Baring his mind on Juliet’s performance and outlook, Emeka Henry @ iemekahenry said: “Juliet, you made every moment of #Glo Caf Awards 2015 count with your French connection, stunning beauty and panache,” while Emmanuel Ehis West @ehis_west said @juliet Ibrahim, you rock the Glo Caf Awards tonight, you look so sweet on that dress you put on…smile, nice one…stay blessed.”

A massive blizzard bringing more than 2ft (60cm) of snow and punishing winds is advancing up the United State (US) East Coast.

More than 50 million people across more than a dozen states have been warned to stay at home as it moves North.

The nation’s capital, Washington, could lie under a record 30in (76cm) of snow by the time the storm passes on Sunday.

At least nine people have been killed and a state of emergency declared in 10 states. Transport services have been cancelled, and homes are without power.

The weather system affects a huge swathe of the country, from Arkansas in the South to Massachusetts in the North-East.

Supermarkets ran out of food amid a rush for supplies before the first snowflakes fell on Friday.

Idoma youths converge on Otukpo for David Mark Ayodele Adesanmi-Lokoja

HUNDREDS of thousands of youths in Benue South senatorial district have converged on Otukpo, the traditional capital of Idoma nation, to canvass support for the re-run election of former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark.

The youth, under the aegis of Idoma Dream and Idoma young Professionals, had met in Abuja, to endorse Senator Mark before moving home to campaign and sensitise the people on the need to return the former Senate President.

Led by its national coordinators Maxwell Ogiri and Oche Odengs,

the youth listed various achievements of Senator Mark in the development of Benue South to include but not limited to roads and health projects, construction of the multiBillion naira Oweto /Loko bridge, the facilitation of a Federal University in the zone, annual scholarship to students, as well as the construction of the multibillion naira Otobi water dam to boost water and electricity among others.

They reasoned that Senator Mark had performed well and would do more if given more opportunity.

“It is better to stay with Senator Mark we know than to start something we don’t know.

10

life&living

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Even when water runs, rusted pipes waste it...

Continued from pg 3 Sapele, Agbor and a few other towns. But today, all the water corporations in these places have gone underground while public taps have gone dry.

Checks at the office of the Delta State Water Corporation office at Airport road in Warri showed that the expanse of land has been taken over by wild animals and bushes. A worker, who would not want to be identified, simply referred to the premises of the corporation as “a snake zone.” Ditto for the water corporation boards at Sapele, Abraka and Ughelli.

A resident of Ughelli told Sunday Tribune that the last time he saw a public tap run was in 1993 when he got to the town. In Sapele, a respondent said “no public tap water. It was in the past that we used to have such. The water board in Sapele is dead.

More than two decades ago, no one has sighted any public water running, we all rely on private boreholes of natural water from brooks and streams around us.”

In Asaba, Ogwashi-Uku and environs, the story is the same as public water is said to have dried up a long time ago. “We rely on private boreholes or brooks to get water. It’s difficult to get public potable water in the entire Delta North. We rely on big men,” an indigene of Ogwashi-Uku who works in Asaba, disclosed.

The most pathetic of the situation is that of Warri and environs. This is because, before the exit of the immediate past Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, frantic efforts were made to resuscitate and restore the near moribund water corporation board in the city to its former glory. In spite of huge sums of money spent to replace underground pipes and build water outlets in strategic places all over the twin cities of Effurun and Warri, there is nothing to show for it as of today.

Sunday Tribune had, in early 2014, reported the test-running of the refurbished public water system in Warri under the supervision of the then Commissioner of Water Resources, Dr Chris Oghenechovwen.

But after the test-run before the 2015 general election, nothing has come out of it.

Feelers have it that, at the nick of inaugurating the project before the exit of the Uduaghan-led administration, the non-payment the salaries of workers of the board and contractors working on the project scuttled the plans, at the expense of most residents whose joy and dream of enjoying potable water from the government were dashed.

The workers staged protests against the inauguration of the project outside the yard gate, as well as the refusal by government to compensate the owners of some stalls and houses destroyed during the project.

The Commissioner of Water Resources, Mr Fidelis Tilijie, could not be reached as of the time of filing this report. But an official at the water board in Warri, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, lamented the situation.

He said: “The water project has been in existence since 1993 during the Ibrahim Babangida administration. Then, the project was handled by an Israeli company, but when the government was unable to agree with the contract fees, they abandoned the project. So, after many years, the Uduaghan-led administration came in and the project was contracted to Lilica Nigeria Ltd. Again, the government was still unable to pay them. Then came another company, AG Gold Trust Ltd, which took over.

“They started the project, but when the political contest between Ifeanyi Okowa and Great Ogboru was about to commence, the project was again abandoned because of lack of payment.

“There are different consultancy compa-

A rusted pipe in Osun

Mrs Bolanle Idowu

nies contracted to complete the project. We have the electricity department handled by Pini Pianti, but the same lack of payment made it handicap. The pumping sector is handled by Joe Hansen limited, lack of payment has also halted their activities,” he narrated.

Sunday Tribune, however, gathered that Mr Fidelis Tilijie, after his appointment as commissioner, visited the board, telling the workers that he had come for business and not jokes. Unfortunately, overgrown weeds harboring dangerous reptiles, as well as non-payment of salaries of staff, especially security men, for close to a year now, have been the lot of the water board. Sadly, most of the water outlets dotting several parts of the oil-rich city have been vandalised by people who neither protect nor appreciate public facilities.

Nasarawa’s water challenge In Nasarawa State, the walk to proper hygiene, sanitation and potable water seems to be an endless task. Findings by Sunday Tribune revealed that many rural communities, including Lafia, the state capital, do not have access to potable water. Many residents trek as far as three to four kilometers before getting water on a daily basis!

The continuous neglect of the issue of water in the state by Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura’s All Progressives Congress (APC) administration has brought untold hardships to the entire populace. Investigations further revealed that many indigenes have suffered health challenges, while some are at the edge of extinction, due to lack of potable water. The taps and pipes are no longer functional. In the rural communities, streams are the only option, while boreholes serve the urban dwellers.

A nursing mothers, who did not want her name in the print, told Sunday Tribune that, sometimes, she might not get water for her children to take their bath before going to school in the morning, lamenting that “I am one of the Ta’al supporters, but we don’t actually know what is wrong because we don’t have water, whether through tap or borehole sunk by the state government, council chairman or lawmaker.”

Miss Ata Tabita, an unemployed indi-

gene of the state who graduated since 2010 from the Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), said the situation was so sad at Lowcost Estate on Shendam road, as she could not remember the year when water ran from the tap within the compound she lived in. She has to trek some distance everyday to beg people within the neighborhood who have boreholes in their residences to allow her to fetch water, or resort to mairuwa.

In his own account, a corps member serving at Government College in Lafia, Mr Tingu Emmanuel, said since he came to the town, he had been buying water to do all the domestic activities, urging the state government to come to the aid of the people of the state.

Also, Miss Peace Cyril, a student of the Nasarawa State Polytechnic, lamented that she had to queue for almost one hour before getting free water on a daily basis because she could not afford to buy water everyday.

Emmanuel Dominic, also a student of Mass Communication, corroborated Cyril’s statement, saying they suffered a lot before getting water on a daily basis.

In his own contribution, Ker Ker Sunday, appealed to the state government to provide water for the people, saying that non-availability of water had brought untold hardship to them.

When contacted on phone, the acting General Manager of the state Water Board, Mr Simon Ibi, said the board normally pumped water a day interval, saying some areas might experience difficulties because the pipes and system at the water board were designed many years ago. He added that efforts had reached an advanced stage to rehabilitate and run more pipes for the benefit of the entire populace.

In Enugu, too In Enugu State, water supply has become a perennial problem. It has not been easy for rural and urban dwellers to access good water for quite a long time. Investigations by t Sunday Tribune in Enugu revealed that residents of Enugu metropolis are worst hit, consequently making the business of water supply by owners of water tankers to boom in the state.

Many residents of Enugu depend on private boreholes for water supply, which poses health hazards, even as the water supplied by tanker drivers is not good, either. In some cases, children walk long distances to fetch water from streams. Ironically, many residential quarters in Enugu and other major towns in the state have pipe-borne water

facilities, yet the taps are dry.

Speaking to Sunday Tribune in Enugu on the water situation in the state, the Director of Public Relations of the Enugu State Water Corporation, Sir Matthias Nriji, explained that the challenges facing the corporation were frequent power outage and vandals’ activities which, he said, were responsible for the irregular supply of water in the state.

“We have been having incessant power failures in recent times. For five hours, the power is not there. We have three water schemes at Aajalli, Oji and Iva Valley. But due to constant power outage, we cannot do much,” he added. The Water Corporation image maker said a lot of water equipment had been destroyed by hoodlums.

He, however, said the present administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was not leaving any stone unturned in the rehabilitation and extension of pipe-borne water in the state, recalling that Enugu joined other states in the country in 2004 to benefit from the World Bank water project. It will be recalled that the immediate past administration terminated some water contracts by removing old pipes and laying new ones for alleged poor performance.

Water situation in Osun In Osogbo, capital of Osun State, the supply of water which is one of the basic necessities of life has not been regular for the consumption of the teeming populace Investigations conducted by Sunday Tribune indicated that residents only have access to water supply from Ede waterworks once in about two weeks, thus forcing them to source for it in wells and other boreholes owned by private individuals. However, whenever the water runs from the public taps, sizable quantities of it are often wasted by the many rusted and ruptured pipes, installed decades ago, dot the major cities in Osun State.

Speaking to our correspondent, a resident identified as Kazeem Makanjuola, said “in Osogbo, we have not been enjoying water supply from the state government”. He stated, “sometimes when there is water, a majority of the pipes are already broken, thereby wasting what should have been fetched by the people. The situation is very bad since Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s government came on board.

“The state government embarked on the construction and rehabilitation of some roads and in the process many water pipes were disconnected or damaged. Though, Continues pg 11

11

life&living

24, January 2016

Sunday Tribune

And all govts are ‘making efforts’ supported programmes promptly.”

As part of the solutions to the problem, they also suggested that the “Ekiti State WASH policy should be reviewed in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 6,” just as it was noted that the “WASH Media Network already existing in the state should be strengthened.”

Continued from pg 10 they promised to fix it up, till now, nothing had been done in this regard. These are part of the reasons why we don’t enjoy water in Osogbo,” Makanjuola remarked.

Apparently corroborating Makanjuola’s view, another resident Mrs Bolanle Idowu, who is a trader in Alekuwodo area of Osogbo, lamented the poor water situation, just as she urged the government to make water supply one its topmost priorities.

Speaking on the efforts made by the state government to improve the supply of water to the people, Special Adviser to the Governor on Water Resources, Mr Tawakalitu Williams said the government had invested about N2.5billion on the rehabilitation of Ede Waterworks. She maintained that with the development, about 13 local governments in the state would have access to adequate water supply.

“Water pumps have been laid while new transformers and generating sets purchased to guarrantee uninterrupted power supply.

When the rehabilitation work is completed, the facility would give the state 180, 000 cubic metric of water,” Williams asserted.

Ogun’s parlous water situation Public water supply within Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, is nothing to write home about. Most taps both in the public places and in different homes are without water flowing in them. The development is as a result of the ongoing road expansion and construction in some parts of the state.

Some areas have never enjoyed water supply at all from the State Water Corporation, ostensibly because of the peculiar topography of the state capital. However, other areas are still enjoying water supply due to their closeness to different water substations around them.

In recent times, residents of the state, especially Abeokuta, go in search of water endlessly, due to the inability of the agency in charge of water to meet the needs of the people. Most people resort to buying water from those who have boreholes, while some source for water at all costs from any source.

Many residents who cannot afford sinking of boreholes dig wells.

The public water situation in other parts of the state is not different from the Abeokuta scenario, as investigations conducted by Sunday Tribune showed. Some residents in Ota, Ijebu-Ode and Sagamu areas of the state decried the non-availability of water in their localities. Though the state government is making efforts to ensure that public water supply is regular in different homes, it is confronted by the challenge of regular electricity supply to power the main stations in the state.

What about Ekiti?

Public water supply in Ekiti State is virtually non-existent. This has remained so for a number of years, with successive governments in the state making efforts to reverse the poor water supply in the state, especially the state capital and major towns. Not a few people in Ekiti State recall that Mr Ayodele Fayose became a darling of the Ekiti masses through his free water supply tanks ahead of the 2003 election.

During the tenure of Chief Segun Oni, there were numerous water-fetching points built around the state, with pipes laid and sundry work carried out to ensure that potable water was available to the people of the state. However, the initiative was encumbered by what some of the stakeholders in the sector saw as the limitation of the project, which was the inability to get water to the fetching points. This killed the initiative but the water-fetching points, constructed in nooks and crannies of the state, still

A long trek in search of water?

stand, without water.

When Dr Kayode Fayemi assumed office, he set up machinery to address the situation. His aide in Public Utilities, Mr Kayode Jagede, announced a number of strategies by the administration to tackle the malaise.

One of the major steps towards achieving the goal was the launch of a “Water Roadmap” in 2013.

Fayemi also laid pipes from Ureje in Ado Ekiti to Mary Hill and Oke Ila areas, with a view to pumping water to a reservoir at the Area. During the visit of the state government officials to the areas, the people expressed hope that the project would succeed, as they were suffering from acute water shortage owing to the fact that they live on a hill.

However, the project never really took off, just as the efforts of the administration to bring Ero Dam, which has the capacity to supply water to about 13 of the 16 local government areas of the state in its optimal functional capacity, ended in failure.

When the current administration of Governor Fayose came on board in October 2014, it also set about making potable water available to the people. But most of the efforts by the state Water Corporation are, according to it, being hampered by funding, and poor revenue occasioned by the refusal by consumers to pay water bills.

General Manager of Ekiti State Water Corporation, Mrs. Olabisi Agbeyo, told a recent gathering in Ekiti State that paucity of funds had greatly hampered the plans of the corporation to fulfill its mandate of making potable water available to the people. She noted that in one of the years gone by, the corporation got less that 20 per cent of its budgetary allocation.

But the people of the state would have none of the alibis: what they want is water. A resident, Mr Idrissa Ojomo, told Sunday Tribune that it was inexplicable that water still runs in the pipes that had been in existence “since the time of the oyibos in Ado Ekiti.” According to him, “public water runs only in those ar-

eas it used to run in the colonial days and post-colonial days, so how come we’ve not been able to replicate this over the years we’ve been battling with public water supply?”

Ojomo said he would blame the situation on “insincerity on the part of our leaders,” saying “if they take it as seriously as they want us to believe, there would have been a solution to this water supply problem.”

Mrs Adeyemi Ademiju said: “Look at all the new areas that are springing up, they can’t get pipes laid to those places.

So, there’s actually no hope for the situation.” She said she knew water runs in some communities in Ekiti State where she said the Ero Dam pumps water, “but you hardly get water in Ado Ekiti.”

The Water Sanitation and Health (WASH) related agencies have observed that “a paltry one percent of the state’s budget was allocated to the state’s WASH sector,” and also noted that “most of the pipes of the Water Corporation have been damaged during road constructions.”

They recommended that “the state government should allocate up to 10 per cent of the annual budget to the WASH sector and pay its counterpart funds for donor

Public water runs only in those areas it used to run in the colonial and post-colonial days, so how come we’ve not been able to replicate this over the years?

And even in Edo....

Pipe-borne water is long forgotten in Edo State. Starting from Benin, the state capital, to other communities such as Ekpoma, Uromi, Ewu, Auchi, Igarra and Fugar, the pipes do not produce drinkable water. In Benin, not even the buried pipes could be seen to serve as a reminder of what used to exist. Many reckon that they have been lost to road construction.

From the traditional areas around the Oba Palace such as Ogbe, Ebo Street, Oba Market and Ring Road to the upper class area in the GRA and the new communities such as Upper Sakponba, Silouko Road, Ugbowo and New Benin, the story of total absence of pipe borne water is the same.

Over the years, the state government has worked with organisations such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) office, World Bank and UNESCO to provide borehole water to many rural and urban communities. But bringing back the old pipeborne water was no longer in the agenda of the state government. This much was underlined by the amount allocated to water provision in the 2016 Edo State Budget. In the budget that is still before the state House of Assembly, N100 million was proposed for water provision, making many to say that the state government was not taking water provision seriously.

In the absence of pipe-borne water, bore holes flourish. A house anywhere in Edo State is never complete without a borehole.

A house without water can only rely on other houses that have boreholes for water supply. Unlike some other parts of the country where water is sourced few meters down the earth, water is not easily sourced from the ground in Edo State. The water situation in Benin is even better than that of the central and northern parts of the state.

Such is the shortage of potable water in Edo that the most popular and visible constituency project by lawmakers in Edo State is construction of boreholes with large storage tanks. This could be seen in both the rural and urban areas, with the name of the facilitator boldly written on them. In some areas, it is hard to see houses without boreholes, while the few ones in the neighbourhood without boreholes have so many neighbours to rely on for water supply.

Sinking boreholes is above the means of many people. Findings show that it costs between N250,000 and N400,000 to install a borehole in Benin. It, however, costs more in towns such as Ekpoma, Uromi, Auchi, Igarra and Fugar because of their terrains. Sinking a borehole is said to costs as much as N600,000 because the town sits on top of a hill, while the cost was put around N500,000 in towns such as Ekpoma, Uromi and Irrua in the Central senatorial district.

According to a former student of the Auchi Polytechnic, Patrick Omoregie, tankers, in the past, used to fetch water from the river and sell to the marketers, who in turn sold it to the people, including students of Auchi Polytechnic. The water was used for purposes other than drinking.

He said, “Life was indeed difficult for people living in Auchi then including the students. People were going to the streams to fetch water. As a result, many students suffered typhoid fever and other diseases.”

Sadly, there is no end in sight for the longsuffering populace.

12

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

feature Umuahia: Still a jewel on the anthill SAM NWAOKO, who was in Umuahia, writes on aspects of the town and its residents.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu

Bende Roundabout from Aba Road, Umuahia

U

MUAHIA has managed to retain its allure over the decades. Long before it was declared a state capital in 1991 by the government of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), which created Abia State, the town had been known for its peace, beauty and neatness. Sometime in the 1980s, the town was ranked second only to Owerri in cleanliness, when an amorphous title of “The neatest Town in Nigeria” was the issue then.

Even today, from the very straight Nnamdi Azikiwe Street, which seemingly runs into an architectural beauty called Mater Dei Catholic Cathedral, to the cool, quiet Ojike Street to the boisterous Ozuakoli Road and the indifferent Bende Road, Umuahia is still largely a very neat town, when compared with so many others in the country. A common feature among the streets is that they all have the same quality of tarred roads and its most unlikely that you’d find an unpaved road in the city.

Mr. Ogums Ikechi recalled that “the administration of Dr Sam Mbakwe of the old Imo State planned and developed Umuahia and it is heartwarming that the roads

constructed over 35 years ago are still a beauty to behold and remain solid.” Ikechi, a popular newspaper distributor in the town, said “go to any of the streets: Crother, Umuwaya, Niger, Eket, Aba Road, etc, they are still there in good condition and all the successive governments have been doing is maintain them and ensure they don’t degenerate.” He said “why can’t we have the same quality of roads in the country because all we see nowadays are failed roads, shortly after their construction.”

Each of the streets seems to have its unique texture.

Small as the city centre might be, there would be varying dispositions to people from Cameroon Street, Jos Lane, Abiriba Street, Accra Lane, etc and those from Hebert Macauley Street, Finbarr’s Street, School Road and the like. This underscores the dichotomy of the peoples that abound in the town. Interestingly, commerce seems to define the various streets more than the calibre of people found in them.

According to Mr Chinedum Nwabueze, a resident of the town, “the kind of businesses you would find in Bonny Street or Ahoada Street are quite different from what you

would see at Ajayi Crowther Street or Ojike. Even when someone sells fresh tomatoes at a street like, say Azikiwe, the presentation of the same merchandise would be different from the way you’d find it at, say Ibeku Street.”

Gate, the melting pot Nwabueze’s explanation tells of the difference in the kind of life a visitor would find at Okpara Square, Gate or Goods Shed and the adjoining Bank Road, which was known as Library Avenue or Club Road and sundry uptown Umuahia streets.

Indeed Sunday Tribune even witnessed a commotion at its denouement at Gate, an area of the town which Mr. Dan Ugochukwu described as “the centre of it all in Umuahia.” He contended that “most visitors to the town usually arrive at Gate or anywhere around there.” From the perception of the residents of the town, it was deduced that Gate is almost always the terminus for most commercial vehicles arriving in the state capital and thus, it is Continues pg14

13

A

24 January, 2016

S a frontline and relentless advocate of free education, and leader of the only party which has a credible commitment to free universal education at all levels. I wish heartily to congratulate the Federal Military Government for the decision, as announced in the Head of State’s Budget Speech, to make secondary education tuition-free with immediate effect. I am happy about the decision, because it comes as a welcome relief to parents and guardians in many parts of the Federation.

Though some well-meaning people might consider it belated, yet I see it as timely measure, in spite of the fact that the costs of textbooks and boarding are still to be borne by the parents. In my view, every step, however limited, taken towards the attainment of free education at all levels, as defined and described by the Unity Party of Nigeria, is praise-worthy, and in the right direction.

In any case, the decision should now lay to rest the ignoble and unpatriotic attempts by the other parties, especially the NPN, to ridicule and daub as impossible the avowed promise of the Unity Party of Nigeria to introduce free education at all levels as from October 1, 1979.

What the federal military government has now done eloquently fortifies the validity of what I have said in the past and riterated on February 23 and on March 28 that there was no difficulty or magic about making education free at all levels from October 1, 1979.

Those who have the will and are prepared to face the challenge can execute the programme any day. And this is what the Federal Government has demonstrated.

Once again, I wholeheartedly congratulate the Federal Military Government on what they have been able to do in relieving many parents and guardians of some of their crushing burdens. And I seize this opportunity to assure the electorate that we are more determined than ever before to accomplish our four cardinal programmes.

The electorate can now see for themselves that those who say that free education at all levels is not feasible as from first of October this year are the enemies of their welfare and progress, who should be totally rejected at the polls. The instant favourable reaction to the decision of the Federal Military Government, and critical reference to the advocacy of the Unity Party of Nigeria, on the matter, are both hypocritical and thoughtless.

Our campaign on the issue will continue with unflinching vigour until we accede to power, when in addition to what the Federal Military Government has done we will ensure that: 1. Education at all levels will be both tuition-free and textbook free, and no payment of any kind or description will, as at present be made in any school or educational institution;

Awo’s thoughts PATH TO NIGERIAN GREATNESS

Perspective of free education policy at all levels 2. All loans to students will be written off on October 1, 1979 and: 3. Secondary education will become both free and compulsory from 1980, and no pupil will sit for entrance examination to enter a secondary, or have to go more than five kilometers to get a secondary school.

These are outstanding issues on education; and, from all accounts, there is no iota of doubt in the minds of the vast majority of our people that Unity Party of Nigeria is the only organisation which is determined and has qualified men to tackle these outstanding issues successfully.

The false quips of my detractors and my defence For some time now, a number of accusations have been levelled against me in the press in discussions. Hitherto, I had refrained from answering them because I did not judge the time ripe for dealing with them. But presumably because we are moving nearer and nearer to October 1, 1978, I am being daily inundated with letters and personal calls by many friends and well-wishers who want to know my answers to the accusations. In the circumstance, I feel obliged to give to the public what they have, for some time, been demanding of me.

Space does not permit a detailed treatment of the accusations so far levelled against me. However, a complete cata-

Sunday Tribune

logue of all of them, together with detailed and, wherever possible, documented answers to them will be published in due course. My critics and accuser can conveniently be classified into three main groups and subgroups.

The first main group. This consists of some of my former colleagues in the banned Action Group who remained loyal to my leadership until my release from prison in August 1966, but who, at different times since then, are no longer, to borrow a well-known constituentassembly phrase, “in Awo’s camp.”

The members of this group were prominent in the old party hierarchy, and are well regarded in Nigerian politics. Because of their persistent denigrating campaign which tends to make it appear as if the whole world has deserted “Awo’s camp,” I have tried to take a careful census of them, and their statal distribution.

There are about eight of them: two in Ogun State; one in Lagos; two in Ondo; one or two in Eastern States, one in Benue; and one in Bendel. Naturally, these detractors have their adherents in their home state and, presumably, elsewhere as well. Whether these adherents are large or small in number will very soon be tested in the electioneering contests that are about to begin, and decisively verified at the polls before October 1979.

The first group can be further divided into three subgroups.

The first sub-group: Only three of my detractors to be precise, on their own volition, ceased to have political association with me. There was no quarrel at all between us and as far as I know, there was no disagreement between me and them as to political goals and methods of attaining them. For my part, I still regard them as friends in every social sense of that word; and I have no cause to believe that they have ceased to regard me as such. They have not cared to state the real reasons for their action.

These associates so far remain veiled and unspoken.

However, two real reasons are discernible from their political manoeuvers and utterances in private and public at different stages since 1996. I am satisfied that one real reason for their unfriendly attitude toward me is that they no longer cherish my leadership simply because they too believe that they can carry and should lead in their own right. Accordingly, since 1996 they have been organising, sometimes subtly and sometimes blatantly, support for themselves in opposition to me. Each of them aspires to be Head of the Government of the Federation – the very office to which they know I aspire.

To be continued

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14

feature

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

We’ll ensure structural sanity —Gov Ikpeazu Continued from pg 12 a bubbling business environment, with all the paraphernalia of overcrowded community. Thus, it is expected that crime and sundry vices would abound.

The commotion was as a result of the arrest of no fewer than seven young men by the police in the evening of Thursday, January 21, at Gate. Witnesses said they youth were gambling right in the open and in the midst of the plenty traders, at the foot of the fence of the demolished Umuahia Main Market. They had already been sat in a police van (that took them away) by the armed personnel by the time Sunday Tribune arrived at the scene.

As the traders resumed the display of their wares after the pandemonium, one of them explained how she had been let off the hook by the law enforcement agents.

She said: “Some boys were gambling here, right here beside us in the glare of everyone of us. But you can’t say anything because they might pick on you. I don’t know how the police got to know about it and they landed here suddenly. One of the policemen held some of them but before he could get help from his colleagues, two of the boys escaped in different directions.

“When the others wanted to run away, they were threatened with guns and they surrendered. One of them came and sat beside my groundnuts and the policemen spotted him and decided to take me along with him. I explained that I’m selling groundnuts and showed them my wares.

They let me go. It was the same for a man selling clothes, beside whom they were playing the game. He was also let go when he showed them his goods.”

At a corner of the fence which has carved out the expanse of land that was once the main market, is a manned military patrol vehicle. But the soldiers, who were about 60 meters away from the pandemonium seemed to be on a different mission from that of the policemen. However, not a few residents who spoke with Sunday Tribune confessed admitted that despite its serene outlook, Umuahia is not totally free of crime. According to them the culprits operated from dens they claimed were located in communities outside the city.

“You’re looking for igbó! [Indian hemp]?

Then go to the outskirts in Umuahia South and Umuahia North. Not in the town like that,” a bewildered respondent had answered.

The Umuahia spirit It isn’t in doubt that Umuahia is Ibeku land. Indeed, the town is often called Umuahia-Ibeku. And there is the aphorism: “Ibeku Ukwu Ogurube” some people in the town recall. The Umuahia spirit, according to a publication by the Ibeku Egwu Asaa Cultural Union entitled “The Ogurube” rose from the strength of the people in industry, education and community. There are seven communities that make up Ibeku and they are Isieke, Afara, Ndume, Amaoforo, Emede and Ossah. These communities, the publication stated, were founded by the seven sons of Ibeku, who himself was the son of Ogurube. The communities excel in hospitality but they’re brazen and unfazed when their rights are trampled upon. And the Umuahia man’s relationship with his neighbour is captured by the magazine as “to project the extent protected respect-reciprocity.”

The changing face The streets are still the same decades af-

Straight Azikiwe Street terminal at Mater Dei

Catholic Cathedral

ter the town was built. The drainage is still functional and there are no structures in wrong places. The names of the streets are still the same as they were in those days.

But the old structures are gradually giving way to new, storey buildings. This, according to Ndubuisi Awa, “is in response to the needs of the modern day.” An example was Bonny Street, where an elderly woman interacted with Sunday Tribune.

She sat, in resplendence, in front of her printing shop of 35 years. She was relaxed and willing to converse. Her countenance and disposition towrads life and the changes she had witnessed about the town, captures the true spirit of Umuahia and its hospitality. Call me Madam Onyeañula she said, twice. She would not give her first name but she freely gave her views about Umuahia then and now.

“A whole lot of people have relocated to their villages. So many others too have died over the years but I thank God we ares still here. But it’s no longer what it used to be.” In her Bonny Street, a rich blend of petty trading and sundry small businesses, Madam Onyeañula expressed happiness that “the structure and the planning of the town does not allow for erecting structures anyhow, that’s why you can easily say I’m going to Bonny Street or Abiriba Street without the tricycle (Keke) man wondering what you mean.” Thus, unlike in the hinterland, in the town, there’s a pattern.

She however observed that “those who have made money have rebuilt their houses to more modern structures, like the one down the street. So, in Bonny Street, nay Umuahia, it is a blend of ancient and modern, both in human and architectural terms. For the woman in her 60s, the changing face is “normal and expected.” She went philosophical: “Change as we hear today is not a new thing. It had started since God created the earth. When you’re no longer interested in a place, you change to another place. That’s why I came to Bonny Street in 1980.”

On the relative peace enjoyed in the town, she said Umuahia was a world different from places like Aba, Onitsha, Port Harcourt and Lagos. “Here, you can hear your neighbour unlike in those places.

And we don’t really have violence because there’s actually no need for it. To foment violence is to set yourself back and it is everyone that would suffer the consequence,

Downtown Eket Street with mixture of old and new structures so there’s no sense in violence.”

However, her persistent lamentation however was about the relocation of the Umuahia Main Market. This, according to her was one of the unpopular actions of the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Theodore Orji. She admitted that the government developed the new market and equipped the location with amenities but said “it is too far.” She said “the new market is far and people don’t want to go there despite the provision of amenities. The relocation of the market is like a sore in the mind of the people of the state and other who were there.”

The poor state of the Nigerian economy and people’s low income was also an issue, and this time among all of the people in the street. Some of the respondents spoke like they were living in a different Nigeria when they made demands such as “government should make money available.”

What’s the future?

The state government under Governor Okezie Ikpeazu said it is ready to ensure that the extant structural sanity in the town is not tampered with. For instance, the state government is currently running a programme it said was “Zero Tolerance to Potholes.” Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Godwin Adindu said among other things that “revitalisation of 52 water schemes and installation of street lights along roads in Umuahia, Aba and Ohafia” had been done by Governor Ikpeazu and assured that more would come.

Madam Onyeanula

Perhaps, the most notable of the things about Umuahia currently is the about zero level at which the operations of the Biafra agitators is in the town. At the newspaper distribution centre in the town, the argument wasn’t wether Biafra was an issue but how to go about it.

Indeed, the proper planning carried out

by Dr Sam Mbakwe during his reign as governor of old Imo State between 1979 and late 1983, is still being enjoyed by the people today. It is rare to read about flood in the town. Are the relevant planning agencies still being engaged when considering the new, unplanned residential areas springing up daily around the country?

The example of Umuahia should serve as a lesson.

15

24 January, 2016

homes&interior s r

Spice up your home with POP ceiling designs A PART from serving the purpose of protecting the home from various hazards, the ceiling also functions as a form of beautification for the home. A simple, well designed ceiling spices up the home and makes it a place of class and taste. For some, the ceiling is rather what easily skips minds, while for others, it is just the simply white and flat design. But a great ceiling design, The Plaster of Paris (POP), whether it is in the living room or the dining area, the kitchen or the bedroom, can give a room a unique look that leaves an indelible impression in the minds of those who step in.

Modern ceilings can do a whole lot more than just provide a plain white roof. With the amazing number of designs on offer and the way in which architects are playing with both form and function, you can obviously include beautiful LED lighting units as part of an elaborate and exquisite roof design.

From providing a sleek and stylish modern alternative to offering the classic look by employing pendant lamps and chandeliers, an innovative roof design can do wonders to any existing room when combined with proper lighting technique.

The perfect Plaster of Paris (POP) ceiling design varies for each room and each home and depending on the available space; the surrounding walls and the overall theme of the house, there are innumerable patterns and colours to choose from. From tray ceiling to beam ceiling, cove ceiling to the highly popular drop ceiling, these beautiful ceiling inspirations give a room that exclusive and exceptional feel .

Sunday Tribune

Remi Anifowose And Seyi Sokoya oluremi_anifowose@yahoo.com seyi_sky@yahoo.com 09090652322, 09090402865 08075166585

16

24 January, 2016

T

HE day Nigerian media unveiled Prince (now Oba) Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi as Ooni-elect, I was a guest newspaper reviewer on a morning magazine programme of a popular Lagos Television station.

The anchors, two ladies (guessed they are spinsters, though I never pried) engaged in an animated appreciation of Nigerian Tribune’s cover page before the camera rolled.

They didn’t keep me guessing for too long. “Tribune has created commotion this morning o” the more vivacious and endowed of the two screamed. She turned the cover to me.

Majestically emblazoned was a near-perfect comely cut of the Ooni-elect in embroidered white agbada and purple cap, which accentuated his pricey princely visage.

“Bobo yi (this guy)-guess tradition accepts calling Kabiyesi names behind him-is just too handsome. I’m crushing seriously on him. I can’t just hold back. I’m in love with this guy. He is rich and so handsome,” she kept rambling, much to the embarrassment of her partner, who though was equally smitten, decided to nurse her feelings within.

To calm her frenzied sister down, she said “he is married now and beyond your reach”. The besotted one fired back, “says who. It is his likes that care better for their women.

The wife will be joking if she thinks there won’t be iwuye wife (second or more wives, which tradition allows for kings). It was an effort getting her started with the review.

But it wasn’t only daughters of Eve with their forbidden fruits that are crushing on the Arole Oodua. Heavens are, since the day he cast his own majesty aside to acknowledge God’s majesty, going the way of celestial beings who cast down their crowns to worship the King of kings. A monarch who worships in my local assembly decided to acknowledge his own new-found majesty after his coronation as the traditional ruler of a town in Ogun State. On his thanksgiving day, instead of taking the blessings on his knees, he decided to go with tradition that forbids traditional rulers from physically going down for anyone again after mounting the stool. He simply bent his neck a bit.

Then Oonirisa got heavens crushing on his humility and acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty, and the Kabiyesi in my assembly followed suit. Is Yoruba race also not crushing on this x-generation Solomon, who is definitely operating in higher anointing and wisdom in breaking the barriers of disunity in Oodua enclave? When a child operates in divine wisdom, which is higher than human reasoning, he will lead his father. I’m privy to

AHEAD of the election that swept him into office on May 29, 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari had left no one in doubt that his presidency would be an extension of his earlier shot at the nation’s highest office with respect to the fight against corruption.

He had said repeatedly while canvassing for votes that one or two things would happen; the nation would either kill corruption or it would be a victim of the vice. He went ahead to convince the people that he would rescue the country from the throes of corruption if given the opportunity. So, Nigerians voted for him.

Just as he did in 1984 when, as soon as he settled down into office, he arrested suspected corrupt people, tried them and got them sentenced, President Buhari, shortly after getting into office last year, set the machinery in motion to tackle the menace of corruption. However, unlike what it was like during his stint as a military head of state when the constitution was on suspension, and the special military tribunals set up to try individuals suspected of corrupt practices wasted no time in dispensing with such cases, the wheel of justice in the current dispensation has been slowed down by the technicalities of law, especially the aspects which presume that the accused is not guilty until convicted and as a result must be treated with dignity. Also, the aspect which states that anyone who is not standing trial for murder or treasonable offences is entitled to being granted bail. To beat the legal technicalities, the executive has devised a strategy of slamming fresh charges on suspects granted bail by the courts and consequently holding on to them rather than allowing them to savour their freedom.

This is a brazen disregard for the rule of law and the constitution the president swore to uphold. It is akin to blasting the pillar that upholds our nation. Any disregard for the rule of law is an invitation to anarchy, and when anarchy is allowed to set in, the society loses its essence.

Make no mistake about it; corruption is the bane of this country. The nation’s poor education system, the rundown health facilities, poor road networks that we have to contend with, the paralytic refineries that are unable to satisfy our needs, poor electricity supply, high

0811 695 4647

olanreade@yahoo.com

Crushing on Ooni

peace and reconciliation efforts ongoing in Yoruba land, cutting across socio-political divides, designed to bring warring factions together. Arole Oodua has been central to this unity project.

If some peace agenda would not be publicly talked about for now, what about the impactful high-profile historic “gate-crashing?” It was one singular move that erased mutual suspicion among about two-thirds of the race. It takes a man of courage to do what could be a huge embarrassment if such an adventure backfired. It shows strength of character when you have minimal concern for what could go wrong and focus on the huge benefits of such risk panning out right. Arole Oodua could be bounced in Oyo! He was not invited and security provid-

With Sulaimon Olanrewaju 08055001708

lanresulaimon@yahoo.com

The president’s predicament

poverty level, high level of unemployment and others are all products of corrupt practices. So, corruption affects everyone in the country and everyone remotely or closely associated with corrupt practices which have brought Nigeria into this parlous state should face the music. I am of the opinion that impunity has thrived in the country because we have had the misfortune of having in the saddle people who only played lip service to fighting corruption.

Sunday Tribune

ers could be over zealous when under the guidance of a scurrilous fellow. It is a possibility in Oyo, considering the overt schism between the Ooni and Alaafin thrones.

I have heard stories of an alleged pre-programming of Oyo scenario for maximum media blitz, by a common friend of both Alaafin and Ooni. This friend allegedly wants something big in Yorubaland which only Alaafin can offer and allegedly set up the historic reconciliation for maximum support across Yorubaland if and when the desired “big deal” is offered.

There is also an argument about Alaafin knowing about the Ooni’s visit ahead of the coming of his guest, because there was no way one of the tens of accompanying traditional rulers, would not have informed the would-be host.

Theories, especially, conspiratorial ones, are part of the unusual, especially when the undercurrents can’t be easily decoded. Whatever was, and still behind the move, the fact is that a negative historic gate has been broken and the race can’t remain the same again. When a needless fire was about being stoked over the chairmanship of Osun Traditional Council just about the time of Ooni’s installation, I had concluded on penning support for what is fair, right and constitutional which is Ooni’s incontestable claim to the group’s headship, regardless of his age, before providence and behind-the-scene deft leg-works restored order.

Coronation speeches, just like political inauguration empty promises, are not always serious in nature and not expected to be taken seriously. The sweet talks are always packaged for the grandeur of the occasion. The popular Item 7 always washes such empty boasts down the valleys of forgetfulness, albeit deliberate amnesia on the part of the makers of the promises and compulsive inertia on the part of those who should hold them accountable to those promises. So whoever considered Ooni’s promises on coronation day as a mere ritual could be excused. But he is walking his unity talk and living his entrepreneurial dreams.

I rarely pay early compliments, because people change with circumstances. But the morning can also be an acceptable gauge for the evening. Oonirisa has started well with God, humanity and even female admirers. With age and physical wear and tear, his female admirers may not be so smitten again but God and humanity will continually be kind to him if he doesn’t depart from this current path. Kabiyesi, your morning has begun well, by God’s grace and mercies, you will finish strong.

Therefore, the president deserves every support he can get from every Nigerian to make a success of this fight against the corruption. Nigerians should not see the war as ‘the president’s war’ but ‘our war’.

But should the president fight the war against corruption his way or according to the law? Should he not observe the rule of engagement which is that the rights of the accused should be observed? If the president should disregard the laws of the land because of his determination to stamp out corruption from the land, he will be a civilian dictator. And civilian dictatorship is an oxymoron that should have no place in democratic dispensations.

I have heard and read a number of people say that what we need now in the country is the approach employed by the president. And I respectfully disagree. My reason?

Most full-blown dictators usually started as benevolent dictators. Our guide in this respect should be the words of John Acton, who said “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.”

If because of the exigency of the moment we allow the president to interpret the law the way it suits him, it will get to a point that he will trash the constitution and nobody will be able to question him. No man should be entrusted with absolute power.

So, instead of resorting to self-help, the president should to do two things; strengthen the judicial system to plug any escape route for anyone who might want to explore the weakness in the system and also strengthen the policing system. The executive should sponsor bills that will strengthen the judiciary and make it difficult for judges to adjourn cases ad infinitum. What we need is a new set of laws that makes it possible for a criminal case to be dispensed with within 180 days just like election matters.

If the fear of the executive is that granting those on trial bails will facilitate their escape from the country, the executive should strengthen the police to keep tabs on them such that nobody on trial will be able to leave the country without the knowledge of the police.

Nations are built on the strength of institutions, not the might of individuals.

17

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Only one

condition

can make me remarry

—Regina Chukwu

I’m through with politics —Julius Agwu

Manager denies hooking up Funke Akindele, JJC

18

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Tade Makinde tademt2@yahoo.com 08055001753

Ile-Ife set to hold Easter Fiesta

By Adeniyi Sijuade RESIDENTS of Ile -Ife, Osun State, are definitely going to start the year with another milestone event after the installation of His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, as In-House Entertainment LTD, is set to make the proposed IleIfe Easter Fiesta a memorable one.

Speaking with Journalists in Ile-Ife on Thursday, the project director, Mr Ayo George, said “Ile-Ife is definitely the place to be this Easter. The city is blessed and we have a new king whose passion for youth development is incredible.

“The event is the first of its kind in the city and it would be showcasing music, culture and the rich traditional heritage of the city. Its fresh and the prospect for support even at this stage is

overwhelming. For all of us, it’s a coronation concert of some sort,” he told reporters.

15 musicians and Ife budding talents are expected to perform at the maiden edition of the event scheduled to hold during Easter.

The organisers are presently rounding off partnership talks with a financial institution, two sports-betting companies and some other brands that have an eye for youth development.

“Both old and young people have bought into the event and we are going to, musically and culturally, shut down the city with the support of relevant stakeholders,” he added.

From left, Dayo Taiwo; Assistant Project Director, Moses Olufade; Chief Press Secretary to the Ooni of Ife, and Ayo George, the Project Director.

Manager denies hooking Funke Akindele, JJC up

By Tade Makinde

S OB Flamez unveils ‘Race’ video RAPPER, OB Flamez, real names Amaobi Neache, has released a new single entitled “Race”. He has also released a video for the single.

Taken from his forthcoming EP, which is to be released later this year, Race comes on the back of OB Flamez introductory single, ‘HalfLove’, which was released last year.

Co-produced by the act and Francoblvck, Race is a conscious effort from the Londonbased artist which was inspired by his journey through life. “Everyone has a purpose in life and sometimes we meet roadblocks on our journey, regardless of these, we’ve gotta keep pushing hard and pray to God to guide us through,” he said.

The video was shot on location in Leicester Square.

TEVE, friend and manager of JJC, has denied reports that he hooked up actress, Funke Akindele, amidst reports that the two are now in a passionate relationship.

When R asked him on Thursday if the report was true, he asked when the story was published and immediately denied it. “I have met Funke on different occasions, but we are not that close, let alone introduce her to my artiste.

“Abeg, who talk that one ohhh? It's not true,” he said.

Reports had it that the actress and JJC Skillz, who was once linked with another actress, Kate Henshaw, are now into a sizzling relationship which began few months ago. Both were reported to have agreed to keep the affair on the low, but Funke, who now regularly shows up at JJC’s resi-

dence at Prime Water Garden, Ikate, Lagos, has let the cat out of bag as she was spotted there recently.

Funke’s publicist, Biodun Kupoloyi, however, denied receiving any call from any blogger to get Funke's side of the story, just as he denied the dating story. “Funke has been on location for weeks shooting ‘Jenifa Season 4’. This story is not true in any way.

I have heard that a blog has published something like that on-line, but I can tell you it is not true. Also, it is a blatant lie that repeated calls were made to me and I didn’t return them. You got, me now. How come the blogger didn’t? Its all lies, Kupoluyi told R. Funke's marriage hit the rocks in 2013, while JJC already has there children from three ladies.

A snapshot from a post shared on JJC’s Instagram page three weeks ago, to which Funke commented and used the word ‘boo’ to qualify JJC, stirred up interest in the relationship between the two.

Que Peller releases video AQUILA Records artist, Que Peller, has released the video for his single, Eleniyan.

The video was shot on location in Lagos by Frizzle and was assisted by dance maestro, Kaffy.

Que himself did not fail to deliver an amazing input, constantly engaging onlookers with his trademark dance steps, and of course, his magic; he turned money into leaves and at another instance, a henchman into an old man.

The star-studded flick has cameo appearances by Wizkid, Olamide, Tilla, Lil Kesh, Base One, CDQ, amongst others.

“Eleniyan video is certainly worth all the anticipation. The video has, “without any doubt, made a grand entrance with this one,” he told R on Thursday.

19

razzmatazz

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

See My Baby, sings Zafi B, Maleek ZAFI B has released her fifth single entitled ‘See My Baby.’ It features Maleek Berry.

Zafi, whose acting credits include Holby City, Dr Who and the Oliver Twist musical, believes she is destined for stardom following the success of her four releases, including collaborations with Mr 2kay, Atumpan and Moelogo.

The Screen Nation Awards nominee said she is vigorously forging ahead with her burgeon-

ing music career as is evident in her new collaboration with Maleek, who has produced songs for Wizkid and Wande Coal.

Packed with captivating lyrics and a feel-good vibe, the clubfriendly precision of ‘See My Baby’ was described as “ingenius in its simplicity” by the young star who is on the cusp of great things in 2016 and who turns 19 today. She is celebrating her birthday with the release of her new single.

9ice settles tiff with Tony Payne, Ruggedman Apologises to media

By Seyi Sokoya THE 36th birthday celebration of Abolore Adegbola Adigun, a.k.a 9ice, and also the owner of the Alapomeji Ancestral Records (AAR), held last Sunday at Club Rumors, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.

At the bash, the artiste revealed that he is now a more matured person and used the ocassion to apologise to whoever he had offended over the years, especially his friend, Ruggedman and also the press.

9ice, who did not leave out the mother of his first son, Tony Payne, among those he amicably resolved issues with, stated that he and his former wife have both come together as one because they both have a child to raise.

For the first time in five years, 9ice debunked the widely spread news alleging that Ruggedman had an affair with Payne, saying that it was not true, just as he confessed that the whole issue got out of hand before he could handle the situation and Ruggedman had to protect his image in the matter.

“I had recorded the song before the incident and my conversation with him when the issue was tensed was off record. But before I knew it, the whole thing was all over the paper. Anyway, this has become history. Payne and I have forgiven each other. And as for Michael Stephens, Ruggedman, we are good friends, even before now. I am even putting on one of the wears from his fashion outfit,” 9ice told guests and well wishers.

He also expressed his apologies to the press, especially the way he reacted to media reports on his spat with Ruggedman.

"Forgive me for my sins. I am matured now and I appreciate you all for your esteemed support over the years, especially

during the last general election.”

Mayor Akinpelu said 9ice was his favourite artiste and still remains so, especially with his lyrics among other artistes. “9ice, Reminisce and Olamide have made people realise that Yoruba Language is the language of the

gods.”

Seye Kehinde also described 9ice as an asset and a force to reckon with in the Nigerian entertainment industry.

The birthday, tagged “9ice wine and dine with Press” was attended by Bash, Anthony Anifite and Puffy T, among others.

Event promoter, others fete SA consul general EVENT outfit, Inspiro Productions, and Hotel 1960, operators of Prince of Anthony, Classic and Eagles’ Park Boutique Art Hotels in Lagos hosted the outgoing Consul General of South Africa, Ambassador Mokgheti Monaisa, his wife and members of the SA

community in Lagos. The event was kicked off with an art exhibition by the Henri Moweta gallery at the Prince of Anthony Boutique Art in Anthony village.

It was a convivial evening of music and dance. On the bandstand was Afro Jazz guitarist, Adeh, who

was intermittently joined by Orliam, Tee Mac, Obadikah Brass Band and few other musicians.

In his vote of thanks, Ambassador Monaisa thanked the organisers, Akin Adeoya and Ayoola Sadare respectively for a wonderful evening, just as he stated that the relationship between Nigeria and South Africa could only grow stronger stating that with the continued collaboration between the two countries, the African continent would be the better for it.

Present at the event were Consul Generals of Germany and Equatorial Guinea. Others were Akin Adeoya, Ayoola Sadare, Steve Ayorinde, commissioner for information & strategy Lagos state, Thobi Duma, Nondumiso Ngubane, Prince Adeniyi, James Agama, Olumide Abdulkareem, Femi Ajidagba and Ayo Durodola of the American Embassy, to mention a few.

Sony BMG signs distribution deal with Davido

By Tade Makinde DESPITE the distractions caused

by Davido’s admirer and mother of his daughter, Imade, over care giver duties, the embattled musician has become the first African to be signed on by United States-based Sony BMG. Sony broke the news on Twitter on Thursday, while Davido did same on his Instagram page few hours later.

Excited Davido said on Insta-

gram: “to all that doubted me,it’s a done deal. 1st African artistes to sign a global record deal. My story is just starting. My mother is smilling in Heaven right now. Sony music entertainment! Owo ti wole.

A source close to Davido said the musician travelled to US from London after a brief appearance in Gambia. He is expected in Nigeria any moment from now.

20

glitz

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune With Segun Adebayo &Seyi Sokoya tegbollistic@yahoo.com seyi_sky@yahoo.com 08116954644 08132577840

How my mum shaped my career

—Thespis, Joke Muyiwa’s only child

H

ow did you discover your talent for music?

I didn’t start with music, I started out as a drummer. I have been a drummer since I was nine and I play drums very well. I used to play drums in the church. It was there that I later decided to develop myself in it, so when I was 15, I learned how to drum at a music school.

Along the line, I began to fall in love with music. The music school opened my eyes to what music really entails. Having discovered this, I decided to make use of the opportunity and I added music to my drum sessions. I have never regretted this rare opportunity.

How has it been since you ventured into music?

As I said earlier, I don’t have any regret. Though the experience has not been much, I started barely two years ago, but I have been able to live up to expectation. I have been enjoying the atmosphere and the industry. I have tried to do some researches and study the industry within the two years.

This is why I decided not to rush to record songs. Having cross examined the industry for about two years, I think it is time for me to begin to flaunt my talent and carve a niche for myself.

What has been your drive for music?

Aside the fame, connection and money, which one may get as rewards, and which could also serve as a drive, I have developed passion for music so much that it has really shaped my life for good. Music always makes me think. I look up to people like Asa, Lagbaja and the late Fela Anikulapo. At present, my record label, Blaqstunnaz Entertainment and I, are working assiduously to release songs. But then, we are not in a rush to be noticed. We are also not resting on our oars in our collective efforts to give the best to our fans. I believe I will get there someday and I am convinced that I will affect the industry positively with my type of music.

Do you consider yourself fortunate to have been signed by a record label despite the fact that you are still struggling to become a star?

I will have to subject that to God’s handiwork, and my resilience to push my music career forward. I remember that I got this opportunity on a day that I performed at a show and a lady walked up to me and commented that my performance was awesome. She later asked if I would love to be under a record label. Afterwards, I embraced the gesture and as God

He is fresh in the music industry, but determined to become a legend. Abayomi Ayeni, a.k.a Thespis, the only child of popular actress, Joke Muyiwa, and a graduate of the Performing Arts from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, is also an actor. In this interaction with SEYI SOKOYA, he speaks on his drive and vision in the entertainment industry. Excerpts: would have it, I was formally signed under the record label.

The relationship has been awesome and I am sure that we have a direction.

As an upcoming artiste, what has been your greatest challenge?

Acceptance and convincing people has been one of the major challenges that upcoming acts face. It has been a great task to convince, as well as draw people’s attention to one’s song, especially when they are not familiar with it. But we are getting there. Despite these challenges though, I don’t see it as a barrier because all the stars that we have today started from somewhere. I see this as a stepping stone and part of the dues I have to pay to ascend to the top in the industry.

You studied Performing Arts in the university. Why music instead of acting?

The discipline is not restricted to acting alone. It also involves music. The two are interwoven. That is why you see that it’s easier for some actors now showing their strength in music. Acting is not strange to me, my mum is a professional in the field. That has served as leverage for me to raise my game with ease. Even if that has not been her profession, I still love performing acts. I believe I can act well and also sing.

How many songs do you have to your credit?

So far, I have recorded over ten songs. For a start, my record label released two entitled: “Bass Line” and “Buga”. The first single was released last December and I was impressed with the outcome. I could remember that the twitter trend was massive. I give thanks to God that we are getting there.

I see myself as a resourceful person and a blessing to my generation.

Do you have any plans for collaboration with other artistes?

Definitely. Plans are in the pipe line to engage in collaboration with Teckno, Wande Coal and Solid Star, among others. I love their flavours of music.

Where would you like to see yourself in the next five years?

By His grace, I see myself as a resourceful person and a blessing to my generation. In five years’ time, I must have affected the world positively with my music.

How would you describe yourself?

I am a cool headed person. I don’t talk when I am not supposed to. But some people who are not close to me usually say that I am proud, especially because my mum is a popular actress. Only those who are close to me always defend me and convince people that I am a very nice person. The fact that my mum is a prominent actor doesn’t mean I should misbehave. I am a normal human being and I have to act like a responsible person. I have never allowed her fame to get into my head. Also, I love food. I can eat five times in a day.

How did you come about your stage name?

Interestingly, I have got my stage name even before I started music. According to my mum, his colleague, Dr Laide Nasir, popularly known as Pana, gave me the name Thespis because I was born into the theatre world. I grew up hearing the name and I have been answering to that alias since my tender age. So, I see it as part of my names.

It is clear that you have your mum’s support, what of that of your father’s?

I would not want to dwell much on that because my mother told me that he died when I was 15 years old. I won’t what to emphasize much on that because it has been my mum from day one.

Would you say your mum influenced your education and music career?

No, she didn’t. I already fell in love with Performing Arts as well as music early in life. I rather see her as an advantage because she has really helped me not to get into wrong hands. Her impact on my career also serves as a guide for me to remain focused and also to flourish.

21

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

With Segun Adebayo and Seyi Sokoya tegbollistic@yahoo.com, seyi_sky@yahoo.com 08116954644 08132577840

Ademulegun Adeola Michael, a.k.a Ibile to the fullest, was the revelation of the 2015 Mare Festival held in Idanre, Ondo State, where artistes like Paul Play, Tu Face, Ara, and others performed. The Rufus Giwa Polytechnic graduate of Nutrition and Dietetics, in this interview held at the Royal Birds Hotel, Alagbaka, Akure, Ondo State, speaks with ABIODUN AWOLAJA about his music and his dreams.

Excerpts:

A

If you meet DMX, how would you feel?

Whao! It would be like I have seen the president. This is because I love him so much. I have always dreamt of an opportunity to see him. If I do, I would prostrate and tell him he is the greatest rapper I ever heard.

Since you started performing as an artiste, what would you say are your most memorable moments?

Let me say my Mare performance, and my first time on stage in December last year when we were having our departmental association week. The members of my department were like, “you call yourself a rapper, then come on stage and show us what you got now!” Whao, it was like I was in hell! Everything was turning upside down. The beat was going to the right and I was going to the left; I wasn’t moving with the beat. Yesterday was like a dream come true for me. Having the opportunity to perform in the presence of the governor (Dr Olusegun Mimiko) was a dream come true.

RE you related to the famous Army officer, the late Brigadier Ademulegun?

Yes. When did you start music?

It was November last year.

Why did you pick interest in rap, a genre that most people would consider relatively unpopular?

I was inspired by a friend of mine who is also a rapper. He inspired me so I was like, let me go into that lane and see what happens. Rap is actually very popular now, unlike the days of Lord of Ajasa or Dagrin. Everybody wants to rap now. Even the solo singers do it. It is a lie that rap does not last. It will make people always remember you. As a rapper, you have a very easy way to express your mind and feelings.

But many people consider rappers to be criminals because of their fixation with crime, drugs, booze and women?

They are correct. This is because of the origin of rap. It started from very notorious places in Carlifornia and New York, with gangs of smokers and drug dealers.

So, people would naturally think that all rappers are criminals and smokers. But the situation in Nigeria is different. We know how to function in our own world.

Certainly, a rapper can change society.

Take Olamide as an example. He has been impacting hugely on the nation.

The way you performed yesterday (at Mare 2015) was very amazing; people brought objects like handkerchiefs, microphones and phones and you rapped about them, right on the spot. Where did you find that kind of gift?

It’s an inspiration. What I try to do is put in the best and prepare for anything.

Which schools did you attend?

I started my primary education at Fourah Bay Primary School in Owo, Ondo State and then attended Rufus Giwa Polytechnic Staff School and from there I moved over to the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic. I have completed my OND now and I am going for my internship.

What course did you graduate in, and what next after your internship?

Nutrition and dietetics. I do not intend

What comes to your mind when you are performing?

When I am performing, different ideas are on my mind, coming with the inspiration. You need to tell the people what is going on at the moment. We get what we say from the streets and give it back to the people.

How old are you now?

I’m 21.

Where do you see your music in the next five years?

In the next five years I am feeling like I would be one rapper that others would look up to in the Nigerian music industry.

Meeting DMX would be my greatest moment —Deola to go for the HND programme. I intend to proceed to Adekunle Ajasin University for my university education.

Are your parents in support of your music career?

My mum is in full support but my dad is not. But we are working on it.

Who is your inspiration in music, the people you look up to, perhaps in the Nigerian music industry or

abroad?

My best artiste, the world over, is DMX. That is my role model. I have none in Nigeria. That is the artiste I look up to because I like his style, his everything; the way he bends his music. His genre, his stage charisma, his style of rap---I just love everything about him. He’s my role model and that’s why I chose his path, to follow suit. I particularly love one of his songs entitled Prayer.

One thing about being a rap artiste or any other artiste is that women would do crazy things to you. Have the women been troubling you already?

(Laughs). You know, it is normal and it is natural for all artistes now. But we know the way we do our thing. Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.

As an artiste, it is 100 per cent possible for ladies to come your way and impose on you. But you need to face your music, as your number one priority. You can go for other things later.

What happened after you performed yesterday?

Whao! It was amazing. When I left that stage, people were like, “Let me have your autograph. Let me snap a picture with you. Let me get your number,” and let me do this or that. Thank God I had the manager beside me. It would have been more difficult to get out of the place.

Do you have an album already?

Not yet but I’m working on it. I recorded tracks like March 26, following the robbery that happened in Owo, Ondo State, then. I wrote Oju Aye and Dear Enemies and two others.

22

24 January, 2016

entartainment

Sunday Tribune

with Segun Adebayo tegbollistic@yahoo.com 08116954644

Akin Ogundokun resurrects ijala in new album

Kcee, Tiwa Savage, Dr Sid thrill MTN customers

T

HE Lagoon Restaurant typically plays host to diners looking for a wide range of continental cuisine but lately it has also been playing host to MTN subscribers as one of the MTN SIM regis-

tration Mega centres!

MTN customers who visited the Lagoon Restaurant recently to update their SIM registration details received a pleasant surprise as a host of MTN music ambassadors were on hand to receive them.

Some of the celebrities who thronged the centre included ‘Doro Diva,’ Tiwa Savage; ‘Kabiyesi Crooner,’ Dr. Sid; Kcee; Sound Sultan and more.

MTN ensured that their customers enjoyed a premi-

um experience at the centre; they interacted freely with MTN Music Ambassadors while updating their SIM details in a relaxed atmosphere complete with refreshments from the impressive Lagoon Restaurant lounge.

I’m through with politics —Julius Agwu

the economy is affecting all of us. I believe we should feel the pains now and enjoy the dividends later.”

DIFFERENT genres of Yoruba music have been relegated to the background; some of which include Ijala (the hunter’s song) and Apala, but there are some exceptional people like Akin Ogundokun, popularly called ‘Wirinwirin’, that have taken time to study and come up with a gospel album using these genres.

The 45-minute album with 6-track opened with an Ijala track that extols God and thereafter prayed for a meaningful life. The second track, which is the longest in the album, is also full of praises with original songs. He spiced the track with well known choruses in English, Igbo and pidgin that he sang in Apala. The third track is about the greatest gift that nature bestows on anyone which is a child; it is equally a prayer for those praying for the fruit of the womb.

The fourth track of the album is very creative in its mix of Yoruba and English words with a Yoruba hymn in Apala. The fifth track is a prayer for all categories of road users: pedestrians, riders and all automobiles drivers. The sixth and the last track is for his alma mater, Obafemi Awolowo University.

This album equally gives

Chassis set to drop ‘Mumu Button’ video

A

FTER miraculously surviving a brain surgery that kept him out of the country for months, ace comedian, Julius Agwu appears to be retracing his steps and focusing on other plans aside from politics.

It will be recalled that Agwu was rumoured to be aspiring for the governorship seat of Rivers State during the 2015 elections, but the dream never materialised as Agwu later opted out of the race after it

emerged that his chances of winning were slim.

Shortly after the elections, many expected to hear from him about his next political plans, but there was no news from him.

At a world press conference held in Victoria Island, Lagos State, the veteran comedian unveiled his plans for the new year, just as he hinted that he would not be going into politics again.

He also used the medium to inform his fans about the rebirth of his comedy show,

Life as I see It’, which comes up on February 7 at Eko Convention Centre, an adding that the show would feature international and local artistes. The show, according to Agwu, will be hosted by world famous comedian and actor, Steve Harvey.

Speaking on his decision to quit politics, he said “I’ll never do politics again. I’m now fully into comedy evangelism and entertainment.

Nigeria is in serious mess. I know Buhari has a mission and the present situation of

THE long wait for one of Nigeria’s fast-rising hip hop sensations, Chassis’s new video, Mumu Button will soon be over if the words coming from the singer are anything to go by.

From the look of things, Chassis is putting his best foot forward with the new visuals which was said to have been shot on locations in Lagos and Ibadan.

Chassis dropped the audio of the song towards the end of last year with his fans calling on him to release the visuals.

The wait appears to have been over now as the Lagosbased entertainer has come out to say that he would be dropping the new video in a matter of weeks. In a release made available to E during the week, Chassis apologised to his fans for the delay in releasing the visuals, saying that he had to make sure all the logistics and plans are perfected before dropping it.

“I sincerely apologise for the delay. It was not something I could avoid, but the wait is over now as I will be dropping the video in few weeks.

rise to the Apala variant of the school anthem.

Sifter drops ‘Chop Am’ BUGATTI Records artise, Sifter, has dropped his much-anticipated single, ‘Chop Am’. The new single, which was dropped last Saturday has been the talk of the town. Those who have listened to the new jam have been heaping praises on the talented singer for doing a great job.

Some of his fans who have been dropping their comments about the song since last week Saturday confirmed that Sifter is fastbecoming the type of artiste that Nigerian youths are beginning to fall in love with and it is only a matter of time before he finally gets to the level where he does not have to introduce himself to them again as his songs and personality will do the job for him.

Speaking on how he feels about the new song and what he’s working on at the moment, the Ololufe creator, said he has always known that he’s loved by Nigerians, but he never knew the love was that much. “I feel very happy that Nigerians have come to appreciate my work and it is an indication that my stay away from the country does not really matter in the game. As long as my songs are appreciated and my fans love it, I don’t feel threatened at all.”

23

24 January, 2016

sundayzest

Sunday Tribune

With Victory Oyeleke victoryoyeleke@yahoo.com

Baiyewu, convicted of rape, jailed 24 years in UK

N

igerian Oluwadamilare Baiyewu, 22, of Fairlawn in Greenwich London, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday, 21 January to 24 years imprisonment after being found guilty of multiple offences against two women in December 2014.

Church volunteer Baiyewu was arrested after the women were attacked near Binsey Walk, in Thamesmead and detectives connected both crimes and linked them to him.

In the first crime, which occurred on 2 December 2014, a 17-year-old female was grabbed from behind and had, a knife pointed at her. The attacker attempted to drag her towards an underpass but she broke free and escaped.

A week later, in the same vicinity, at about 7 pm, another 17-year-old woman was grabbed from behind as she got off a bus.

Putting a knife to her throat, the attacker

threatened to kill her and pulled her into a secluded area where she was violently raped.

Baiyewu was tracked down after DNA recovered from the rape linked him to the crime and a manhunt ensued. He was arrested and placed on an identity parade where his first victim correctly identified him.

Described as a manipulative rapist masquerading as a pillar of the community, DC Christ Hammond of the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command said: “He volunteered at a local church, creating the image that he was a pillar of the community, which I believe was an attempt to mask his true nature as a sexual predator.

“I would like to praise his victims for having the strength to come forward to police and give their evidence in court. The Met is committed to supporting victims of sexual

The number of rapes and other sex crimes reported to police is at its highest level since current records began, new figures show.

Sex offences reported to forces in England and Wales rose by 26,606 in 2015, an increase of 36% on the previous 12 months, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found.

The 43 forces recorded just under 100,000 sex offences in total, the highest figure since the current method of reporting began in 2003.

A graph showing the changes in the amounts of different crimes reported shows sexual offences, violence against the person and fraud has risen while robbery and theft has seen a small drop The ONS report said forces recorded 33,431 rapes and 66,178 other sexual offences, a total of 99,609 that was the highest since the National Crime Recording Standard was introduced 13 years ago.

Recorded separately, rape reports rose 39% year-on-year and other sex crimes 35%.

The report noted: ‘It is thought rises in police recorded sexual offences are likely to be due to an improvement in recording by the police and an increase in the willingness of victims to come forward and report to the police.

‘Previous increases in the number of sexual offences reported to the police were shown to have been related in part to a rise in the reporting of historical offences following ‘Operation Yewtree’, which began in 2012.

‘Analysis of records from the Home Office Data Hub indicates that both current and historical offences continued to rise in the year ending September 2015 compared with the previous year. However, the major volume contribution to this increase comes from current offences.’

As well as sexual offences, police forces recorded a 4% increase in gun crimes, the first time firearms offences have risen since 2008. Knife crimes also rose by 9%.

Overall, crime reported to police last year increased by 6% over 2014 to 4.3 million

Rapes and sex assaults soar to the highest level

offences, with the ONS attributing it to ‘a greater proportion of reports of crime being recorded in the last year, following improved compliance with national recording standards by police forces’.

The rise in total recorded crime is the biggest year-on-year jump since 20012002, statistics show.

The rate of sexual offences has doubled in the past year, from one in every 1,000 people to two in every 1,000.

London’s Metropolitan Police accounted for almost a quarter of the increase in knife

assault and bringing their attackers to justice.

“The streets of Thamesmead are now a safer place without the presence of Baiyewu.”

He added: “Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Baiyewu refused to accept his guilt. He manipulated the legal system to cause two trials to be adjourned which caused both victims further distress.

“I would like to thank the two victims in this case who maintained their commitment to the prosecution despite Baiyewu’s deliberate attempts at prolonging proceedings.

“Thankfully their will to see Baiyewu pay for his crimes enabled the trial to proceed at the third attempt and Baiyewu was rightly convicted of all charges.”

Baiyewu would serve a minimum of 16 years in prison and will then be on license for eight years.

crime offences. There was also rise of more than a quarter (26%) in recorded rapes involving a knife or sharp instrument, while possession of a knife or sharp instrument rose by 15%.

Banking and card fraud was up 8% year on year, while total fraud incidents were up 5%.

The fraud rate per 1,000 people has crept up slightly, from 10 to 11.

Better recording of crimes was also thought to have affected reporting of violent crimes. The ONS said offences of vi-

Oluwadamilare Baiyewu

olence against the person rose by 185,666 to 885,440, up 27% over the year previously. At the same time the Crime Survey for England and Wales ‘showed no significant change compared with the previous year’s survey’.

Jack Dromey, Labour’s shadow police minister, said: ‘The Tories have slashed police officers by 17,000 and broke their promise to the public to protect frontline officer numbers. Now we see the biggest increase in recorded crime in a decade.

‘The first duty of any Government is the safety and security of our citizens. By overseeing the sharpest decline in police numbers anywhere in the EU, the Tories are letting the British people down.’

Police Minister Mike Penning said: ‘We continue to see a rise in police recording of violent and sexual crimes.

‘The Office for National Statistics is clear that this rise reflects improvements in recording practice and a willingness of victims to come forward - this is something we welcome.

‘We are also providing much greater transparency on what happens to crimes once they have been reported to the police.

‘The Government has made reducing violence, including knife crime, a priority and continues to work closely with the police and other organisations to tackle the drivers of these crimes.’

Courtesy: Daily Mail

24

24 January, 2016

makeover

Sunday Tribune

Photo: www.fashionpheeva.com

Rita Okonoboh 08053789087 rosarumese@gmail.com

e c a l p k r o W

: p u e k a m

d n a s o D

to Durojaiye, “People sometimes assume that applying heavy makeup will make it last long, but this is a wrong assumption. Foundation for work should not look too cakey; it is how you prepare your face that matters.

If you use good primer, it will make your foundation last longer. Without primer, for someone with normal skin it ought to last for four hours, but with primer, it will last for about eight hours.”

s t ’ n o d

Lips Loud lipstick colours should be avoided as much as possible, and rather go for nude or light lipstick colours. Leave the bold lipstick colours for parties and dinner events.

Eyes Eyeshadow application is not really important for the workplace. However, if one has to use eyeshadow, go for colours such as brown or gold but it should be applied lightly. Eyeliners can also be used. For young people, black eyeliners are better, but for older people, brown or white eyeliners.

By Yetunde Tijani

N

ot a few times, women are usually at loggerheads on what style statements are appropriate or otherwise, for the work place. In this interaction with Makeover, Rilwan Durojaiye of Rilwan Beauty Makeovers, shares few tips on beauty tips for the office.

Hairstyles Short hairs are the best for work place. Styles like braids (provided they are not too long to ensure ease regarding management) and weavons work well for the workplace. Natural hair can also work for the office, as long as it is appropriately styled.

Blush Blush application is good for the face because it adds colour to the face and helps a person look younger. For the office, go for colours such as light pink or purple. Application should be very light.

Foundation Foundation should be applied lightly, as heavy makeup is only appropriate for events. According

Beauty advice for women over 30 The life-changing age, 30, usually comes with its perks and risks. To stay beautiful, Natasha Burton of Daily Makeover, shares beauty tips for women aged thirty and above.

Step up your cleansing game You may have always heard it’s important to clean your face in the morning and to never go to bed with makeup on, but it’s even more important in your 30s when cell turnover slows down. When you’re younger, new skin cells are created and slowly work their way to the surface over a 28-to-30 day period. As we age, this period gets longer, allowing the dead skin cells to clog your pores and make your skin appear dull.

To combat this change, look for a foaming cleanser that’s soap-free (and stay away from milk or lotion-based cleansers that are too hydrating and rich for younger skin). You don’t need to waste your money on cleansers that claim all kinds

of fancy active ingredients. A cleanser is rinsed off quickly, so you don’t really get to reap any of those supposed additional benefits.

Moisturize smarter No matter your skin type, you must moisturize your skin. (For those with oily skin, try gel creams, which offer the benefits of moisturizing without the heavy feeling associated with traditional creams.) You may also want to find a product with hyaluronic acid (also known as sodium hyaluronate), which is greatest moisturizing ingredient available today— it draws up to a thousand times its weight in moisture from the air and binds it to the lower layers of the skin.

Help your skin produce collagen Collagen plays a key role in firming to our skin but, after age 25, the amount of collagen produced by our bodies drops more and more each year. Don’t turn to

products that claim to contain collagen (the collagen molecule is too large to be absorbed and used by our skin). The trick is to use ingredients that can get your skin to increase the production of collagen, such as L-ascorbic acid (i.e., the purest form of vitamin C).

Don’t neglect your eyes Your eyes don’t show the signs of aging yet, but that doesn’t mean you can skip taking care of them. Start using an eye gel or a light gel-cream that will target puffiness, dark circles, and hydrate the delicate eye area. Don’t jump to the heavier creams yet, as these will weigh down the skin around the eye. Stay focused on the key ingredients you need to protect your youthful appearance and to prevent future damage like Argireline (an acetyl hexapeptide that features a mechanism that rivals Botox injections) and hyaluronic acid to properly hydrate the skin around your eyes.

25

24 January, 2016

relationships

. . . issues, family, sex

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The past is your present Every relationship has memories, good and bad. However, if you’re at the point in your relationship where you stay stuck in the good times, which unfortunately, seem to be all in the past, it may be time to leave. The past should not hold you back from enjoying the present, no matter the current challenges. If you are at the point when you wish how things could be, and neither of you seems willing to work towards making things better, then the relationship may be in trouble. Life is for the present and the past is the past for a reason. If you are absolutely sure moving forward is impossible, then it is time to leave.

There is no growth As much a wonderful person as an individual is, a relationship is meant to make one an even better person. A good way to judge the quality of a relationship is to determine just how better both individuals are becoming. Whatever area you both choose to grow, the important thing is to make significant improvement on personal levels, and positively too. That is why it is important to have a clear personal direction about what you want to do with your life before getting involved with someone else. That way, one can decide on time if the relationship will improve him/her before wasting months and years on building it. Compatibility is not necessarily in liking the same movies or music; it extends to life goals, educational achievements and even moral standards.

If you experience no positive growth in a relationship, it may be time to consider leaving.

Random Fact

Rita Okonoboh 08053789087 rosarumese@gmail.com

Photo: www.thesheet.ng

here are times in a relationship (friendships or romantic unions), when one gets to that point when you think you just can’t go on. Whether it’s gut feeling, abusive behaviour, or just general indifference, it is important to note that not all relationships will end in happy marriages. Below are a few signs o know when to call it quits:

Unwillingness to put in effort No matter the challenges faced in a relationship, the willingness to put in effort into making the relationship work is a sign that the relationship will improve.

However, if one party simply refuses to bring in the needed determination to make things work, then it is pointless.

Whether it’s a bad habit that needs addressing, constant quarrels, refusal to communicate, or something else, life is too short to be wasted on efforts that will eventually amount to nought. A relationship is a partnership and only team work will make it better. If your partner seems fed up with the relationship, and you find yourself agreeing, then consider saying your farewell.

Sunday Tribune

7 signs

it’s time to

move on

Both parties expect change While a relationship may change a person, the change should actually be a reflection of some positive streak, which is already present, even if it in the subconscious. However, going into a relationship with the belief that a spouse will change from bad to good will affect the relationship negatively. While nobody is perfect, it is important to realise that every relationship is a potential marriage, else why bother? One must consider the long term

One must consider the long term effects of a bad habit, and if you’re absolutely sure your life’s work on earth is to bear such burden, then by all means stay.

If not, move on

They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for. —Tom Bodett

effects of a bad habit, and if you’re absolutely sure your life’s work on earth is to bear such burden, then by all means stay.

If not, move on. The world is full of people.

Another dimension is if a partner expects you to change, especially if you know you won’t, even if you pretend you might. there is no point wasting each other’s time, when eventually the relationship will not work.

Nothing gets better It is a given that a relationship will experience challenges, but if your fears for the future are becoming too regular, then you may need to reconsider. Working with the expectation that the relationship will miraculously get better, especially when the circumstances surrounding the relationship points otherwise, moving on might just be the best option. Apples don’t fall from mango trees.

Your standards differ Being in a relationship with someone

whose values are a far cry from what you hold dear and expecting that union to work, is almost like expecting to chew paracetamol and expect it to taste like chocolate. As much as each person is expected to have his/her opinion about what is important, it is also necessary that your values align. Otherwise, find a way to move on.

You’re constantly hurt A relationship may bring pain at certain instances, such as an insult, forgotten birthdays and anniversaries and even the occasional spat. However, there should be a limit and it is necessary to know when something is an honest mistake and when the partner openly disrespects or is simply taking you for a ride. Also be cautious of if you find yourself always justifying their actions. Abuse of any for is negative for a relationship and may just be the needed sign to leave. Better now than when you become so battered, you lose all hope of ever picking yourself up.

Win a gift this Valentine’s Day

Dear Readers, In celebration of 2016 Valentine’s Day, Sunday Tribune will reward the best love notes.

To qualify, simply write a note to your loved one (maximum of 50 words), followed by your full name, address and phone number and email to tribunelovenotes@gmail.com or by text to 08053789087.

Deadline: 4p.m., Wednesday, 10th February, 2016.

Gifts to be won include: • Swaroski heart necklace + earrings

by Comely Hands • Dinner tickets • Movie tickets from Filmhouse • Makeover by House of Nsoleke • Photoshoot session • Valentine’s Day Cake by Macrobakes.

26

24 January, 2016

With Akintayo Abodunrin akinjaa03@yahoo.co.uk 08111813058

Some writers reading from Ashraf Fayadh’s ‘Instructions Within’.

For Fayadh, Nigerian writers demand freedom The writers want the government of Saudi Arabia to free poet and visual artist, Ashraf Fayadh, sentenced to death for ‘apostasy’

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IGERIAN writers led by Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, on Thursday, January 14 joined their international colleagues to demand for the release of poet and visual artist, Ashraf Fayadh, sentenced to death by the government of Saudi Arabia for ‘apostasy’.

Born in Saudi to Palestinian refugee parents, the 35-year-old artist’s brush with the authorities began in 2013 when someone filed a complaint that he was promoting atheism. He was released the following day but was rearrested in 2014 and charged with apostasy through his collection poems, ‘Instructions Within’ published in 2008. Fayadh was also charged with taking and storing photos of women on his mobile phone in contravention of Saudi’s anti-cyber crime law.

He was subsequently tried in a general court and sentenced to four years in prison and 800 lashes. However, an appeals court overturned the original sentence and sent the case back to the general court.

The court thereafter sentenced Fayadh to death for apostasy on November 17, 2015.

Thursday’s reading held at Freedom Park, Lagos Island and themed ‘Solidarity with Ashraf’ was one of about 120 such events held globally in support of the artist at the behest of the International Literature Festival, Berlin. Similar readings to draw attention to the plight of Fayadh

Ashraf Fayadh coordinated by PEN-Nigeria were held in Ibadan and Ile-Ife. Fittingly, eminent literary icon, Soyinka, was part of the event which started with a protest march around Freedom Park.

Following a short address from Jahman Anikulapo reiterating the purpose of the reading organised by a coalition of writers’ bodies including CORA-Arterial Network, Wole Soyinka Foundation, PEN Nigeria (Lagos chapter), Association of Nigerian Authors, AJ House of Poetry, Lagos International Poetry Festival (LIPF) and Culture Advocates Caucus, Soyinka took the floor.

He began by disclosing how he got to know about Fayadh’s plight and how his troubles highlight the parlous condition of humanity in the face of fundamentalism. Soyinka called for religious tolerance among people of different faiths, noting that there is no superior or inferior religion.

‘Humanity is my religion’, Prof Soyinka said at the event He noted that many injustices have been perpetrated in the name of religion, citing the example of the nine members of the Tijanniyah Sect in Kano who were sentenced to death for blaspheming Prophet Muhammed.

“People are being sentenced to death all over the world for expressing their opinions, what else could this be but Boko Haranism? Religion is an act of faith; it is a personal affirmation. We don’t subject to any article of faith that says system one is superior to the other. We don’t deserve to be sentenced to death, imprisoned or harassed,” he said.

The writer who has himself suffered repressions also touched on the proposed banning of the Hijab by West African presidents because of the Boko Haram insurgency. He argued that their main reason for banning it should be out of respect

for the women who he feels are being subjugated.

“West African Presidents shouldn’t restrict talks about Hijab to just security; it should be about respect for the human dignity. Who decreed that women should walk around like mounds,” he said adding however that women who consider the Hijab fashionable should be left alone.

Continuing, Soyinka noted that his Yoruba traditional religion does not prescribe or force itself on others and wondered why we believe in dogmatism of others but neglect our own belief system which says live and let live.

“We have not structured humanism; my religion is humanism; and nobody has the right to infringe on my right to my faith,” said the activist who ended his speech with a poem entitled ‘Anthem to Humanism’.

Executive Editor of The News/PM News, Kunle Ajibade prefaced the two excerpts he read from his award winning novel, ‘Jailed for Life’ with an account of how he and his colleagues ran foul of late dictator, Sani Abacha and were subsequently jailed.

“Our offence then was to have published articles that said that the soldiers and some other people tried and condemned to death in the phantom coup that Abacha and his people cooked up did not deserve to die,” Ajibade said.

Artistic Director of the National Troupe of Nigeria, Akin Adejuwon, assured that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration will respect the rights of citizens, including artists, adding that the struggle for the emancipation of artists is left to the creatives themselves.

Ex-newspaper editor and Ogun State Commissioner for Information, Kayode Samuel, lamented that Nigerians collectively lack memory and continuously hanker after messiahs only to be disappointed. He urged Nigerians to stop worshipping leaders, noting that we are our own worst enemies as we allow our rights to be trampled upon.

“When we do not raise enough questions, when we clap all the time for our oppressors even when they infringe on other people’s rights; when we without question declare political leaders as our messiahs without due interrogation of their actions, we are indirectly approving their consistent abuse of our rights, and disrespect of our human dignity,” said Samuel who stressed that it was time Nigerians stopped worshipping leaders and take charge of their destinies.

Aside the speeches, the occasion also witnessed readings and performances. A group including Dagga Tolar, Deji Toye, Olu Okekanye, Frank Halim and O’Yemi Afolabi read ‘Disputed’ taken from Fayadh’s ’Instruction Within’.

Afolabi, a children literature activist and newspaper columnist thereafter returned to read three short poems; ‘Unequal Opportunities’, ‘Logic’ and ‘Conclusion’ from the same collection while Tolar read a self-composed lengthy poem titled ‘The Laments of Trees’.

Other writers who read at the event were Folu Agoi, Edaoto Agbeniyi, Ajijola Habeeb, Efe Paul Azino, Toyin Akinosho, Chioma Nwandu, Uche Nwadinachi, Reginald Chiedu Ofodile, and Balogun Olusegun.

27

arts&culture

24 January, 2016

Soundbender: Music, mathematics and poetry fused A review of Beautiful Nubia’s album, Soundbender, by Tope Salaudeen-Adegoke

F

OR a performer who has consistently released albums—and not just studio works— for over two decades, no one would be surprised by the plus ultra of the rhythmic and lyric refinement on Beautiful Nubia’s latest album.

Beautiful Nubia, Nigeria’s foremost contemporary folk artiste (he is erroneously described on MTV Artistes’ profile page as a reggae artiste just as Salif Keita is too), is the doctor of sounds performing auscultatory diagnosis of the communal ailments and revealing the socio-political infirmities of the continent on his 11th studio album titled Soundbender.

Beautiful Nubia draws the strength of his music from the Yorùbá copious corpus of folktales, folksongs and proverbs. This musical evangelist presents the wisdom, the impeccable understanding, and the wonders of Yorùbá culture to the world, preserving the rich legacy of the Yorùbá inheritance so that the world benefits and appreciates it. Another artiste worthy of mention for performing similar service to the world is the Fuji musician, Saheed Osupa.

The understanding of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, the philosopher, on music and mathematics when he said, “The pleasure we obtain from music comes from counting, but counting unconsciously. Music is nothing but unconscious arithmetic” is apparent in the album. On the album, the poetry of musical mathematics is palpable to the listener. Beautiful Nubia bearing his musical calculations in mind imbues the album with terpsichorean notations calculable to the listeners as they respond to the tune. Certainly, mathematics is mankind’s first language, and mathematical aesthetics can be discerned on the album. The algorithm coded in traditional percussions and classy instrumentals in rhapsodic cadences, deeply mellisonant, corroborates that.

The artiste has again affirmed that there is just a thin line between music and poetry – and that thin line is performance. In the track, “Lights of Spain” for example, a listener may easily want to tag it a poem because of the figurative expressions on the lyric. And in a way, it is. You can count the stanzas, the feet and meter on the lyrics. His poetic lyrics are simple yet rich and set him aside from the noise-making artistes who shout empty words at listeners. And the steadfast accompaniment of the Roots Renaissance Band enhances the album.

As with the traditional king’s messenger bearing message and armed with his instrument for attracting attention, the album is more than a message delivered on an errand for a king. It sums up the different shades of understanding, the contemporary hopes, difficulties, and aspirations of the people, using rich Yorùbá folklores and language to preach continental messages.

The 15-track album opens with ‘Àrà.

The track is a call to dance and pays homage to his fans. ‘Outsider’, ‘Akáwogbékùn’ and ‘One Good Soul’ ring out the pain of an alien in a foreign land and also exhort good people to be steadfast in their convictions. ‘Dreaming (On a Breezy Night)’ is laid in dialogic metaphor, in trance-like manner the Yorùbá

Soundbender Cover water deities, Olókun and Yemoja, are invoked in the song for sustenance to the wearied hearted. ‘Ìrètí-ògo’ is almost a gospel. It prophetically awakens hope and enjoins the virtuous never to yield to doubt. ‘Yo’Wo’ is a warning to the malevolent ones who bask in evil to desist from evil ways. The soft tune and vocal solemnity of the song is enough a warning. ‘Lights of Spain’ travels through the Sahara and Mediterranean with migrants that seek hope on the other shores. Like in Jumoke Verissimo’s poem, “Sighs of the Mediterranean Sea” in Migrations edited by Wole Soyinka, this track accounts the hardships and horrors that this type of migrants’ experience on their sojourn of fleeing and becoming.

Other songs on the album include ‘Ten Lashes’, which condemns the pseudoactivists who promote their selfish interests while pretending to be fighting the oppressed causes. ‘Abukéshin’ and ‘Songs of the Trickster’are free adaptations from the many Yorùbá folktales about the notorious trickster, Ìjàpá. The two tracks say much about the political tricksters of today, too. ‘Anyone, Everyone’ is a track that engulfs the soul in anguish. ‘Lékeléke’has

featured on one of Beautiful Nubia’s albums before, but the perfection he seeks has led to it featuring anew on this album.

Anyone who has been to any of his concerts will know that the song is very dear to him. Partly spiritual, partly metaphorical, the sacred bird that lends its name to the song title flutters helplessly in the face of man’s wickedness. ‘Paean to Sorrow’ is a satire condemning wars and glorification of the so-called super powers. It reminds us of the place of ordinary folks who get entangled in such wars. The displaced refugees of Sudan and Syria readily come to mind. ‘Àkojáde’completes the album with a reminder that none shall outlive the earth.

Soundbender is a message against the tyranny of the wicked and confronts many evils in the land, speaking the complaints of the oppressed. It has a relevant social analysis of the configuration of the worldsociety. It challenges and urges us to work out collective solutions to the inequities of the current configuration. It is an album that is local in thematic preoccupation, yet global. Beautiful Nubia’s use of deep Yorùbá words that are fast going out of usage and various Yorùbá dialects proves him to be a cultural revivalist.

The EniObanke cult must be given credit for the album. The tri-musicalangle that is made up of Beautiful Nubia and his Roots Renaissance Band, deserve accolades for their consistency, for their masterly compositions and renditions, and of course, the ever-growing cult of fans around the world. The fans complete the triangle and should be appreciated for sustenance and receptivity to the positive messages of Beautiful Nubia’s music. It’s like what Brian Eno described as “scenius” when he said genius is individual while scenius is communal. The communality of his music endears him to his audience and fans because of the collective emphasis of the album. So, in a way, it can be safely

said that EniObanke is scenius.

However, the artiste’s Yorùbá words are without ‘akiset’, to use the English of Àlàbá, a character in Wolé Sóyinká’s Alápatà Àpáta. The tonal marks that help to distinguish meanings are not used in the album’s liner notes. And it is not the first time Beautiful Nubia is guilty of this. His official website, where there are Yorùbá words, and his previous albums, which have Yorùbá titles, lack tonal marks.

Readers who do not have a deep understanding of the Yorùbá words are likely to confuse or misunderstand the words. The marks are a feature of Yorùbá language.

And to write without tonal marks is to disrespect the language. You won’t find Spanish, French or Dutch without their distinctive accent markers. It should be emphasised that Yorùbá is not inferior to these languages. In fact, Yorùbáis richer than some of these languages in clarity of expression.

Beautiful Nubia does not feature other artistes on his albums. This is deliberate and perhaps, needs re-evaluation.

Although his music is somewhat personal, there is the need to feature, maybe, emerging artistes to encourage them into his musical genre and to contribute more to the music industry. Also collaborations across Africa with the likes of maybe Angelique Kidjo, Youssou N’Dour, or even Salif Keita is now necessary. Such collaborations would reach out to more of his francophone fans.

And, on a last note, one sincerely hopes that music videos of the songs on Soundbender will be made and will enjoy as much airplay as his other songs, which have been enjoying steady airplay in Ottawa, New York,(even China)and other cities of the world on MTV and other top international music channels.

•Salaudeen-Adegoke is an editor, literary critic and poet from Ibadan, Oyo State.

Writers from 3 countries resume at Ebedi Residency THE Ebedi International Writers’ Residency, Iseyin, Oyo State has began its operations for 2016 with the hosting of writers from three African countries.

The writers who have resumed at Nigeria’s first privately funded writers’ retreat are Ghana’s Moffatt Nii Addokwei, Cameroun’s Dzekashu Macviban and Stanley Princewill Balogun from Nigeria. They will spend six weeks at the Residency established six years ago by medical doctor, writer and politician, Dr. Wale Okediran.

Addokwei, who holds a Masters degree in Fine Arts and a Diploma in Journalism from the University of Ghana, worked as a reporter with Daily Times of Nigeria from 1977 to 1979. When he returned to Ghana, he remained in the media, working as a radio announcer and later Theatre Manager of the Ghana Arts Council among several others. Several of his plays have appeared on NTA as well as on Ghana TV stations.

The actor who has also appeared in several TV series and films is currently Public Relations Adviser of the Ghana Writers Association. He plans to use his time in Ebedi to complete his poetry collection as well as a new book of fiction. He will also mentor some secondary school Students in Iseyin in the areas of drama and public speaking.

Curator, writer and freelance journalist based in Yaoundé, Cameroon, MacViban

Dzekashu MacViban Charles holds a BA in Bilingual Letters (English/ French) from the University of Buea. In 2011, he published a collection of poems titled ‘Scions of the Malcontent’, founded Bakwa magazine and in 2012, participated in the Kwani Literary Festival in Nairobi as part of the Moving Africa programme.

After a one year gig at the Ann Arbor Review of Books, he subsequently wrote for Goethe.de, The Africa Report and IDG

Connect. His fiction has been featured in Wasafiri and Jungle Jim among other places and mentioned in The Guardian on an article about sci-fi in Africa and his nonfiction and poetry have been translated into Spanish, German, Italian and Japanese.

In 2013, he was curator of the Cameroon leg of the Spoken Word Project, organized by the Goethe-Institute and in 2014 he received a Wiki Indaba grant. MacViban will use his time at the residency to complete a novel-in-progress entitled, ‘Couscous Clan’. He is also expected to teach some of the secondary school students in Iseyin the French Language.

Balogun is a poet, online sports writer with poojablog.com, house painter and undergraduate of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State.

He found an undying love for literature, poetry in particular, towards the end of 2013 though he had loved literature since childhood. His poem ‘Adventures of a Poet’ recently won Second Prize (Silver) at the 5th Korea/Nigeria Poetry Feast organized by the Korea Cultural Center. He was also poet of the week for the month of March on EGCreativity; a Nigerian blog dedicated to the promotion of poetry.

Balogun will use his time in Ebedi to complete his poetry collection and will also mentor secondary school students in Iseyin in Poetry and House Painting.

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Sunday Tribune

Sunday Tribune

24 January, 2016

glamour

T

he journey so far.

It has been all good.

I bless God. I get to feature more in other people’s productions and it has been a great feeling. Acting has been paying my bills. Of course, the fact that I am also a producer is an added advantage. Yes, it has not been easy but that is where contentment comes in. You have to cut your coat according to your cloth and all will be well.

can make me remarry —Regina Chukwu

Coping with competition.

Competition makes the game interesting and makes one strive to be the best.

If competition is missing, then most of us will be stagnant. Like I said earlier, I am trying very hard to up my game in all ramifications but not in a desperate way because I am a strong believer in the saying that ‘what will be will surely be.’

Life as a single parent.

I am coping real well. These days, it doesn’t even occur to me that I am a single parent because my late husband had gone for a very long time. I bless God for being God and I also bless Him for my parent and siblings, they have been very supportive.

Why I have not been featuring in English-speaking movies.

I guess I am yet to find someone who believes in me and is willing to give me the opportunity to showcase what I can do but I wish to produce an Englishspeaking movie very soon.

Most embarrassing thing a fan has ever done to me.

I think it was when a fan embarrassed me because I tried to haggle over the price of Blue band butter. She asked her neighbour that; “isn’t that the girl that acts movies” and she said yes. To which she replied and she is haggling over the price of common butter. I was so embarrassed.

Philosophy of life.

When the going gets tough and the tough gets going. Whatever

With Tayo Gesinde temiligali03@yahoo.com 08054727801

Only one condition

How I intend to step up my game.

I am doing my best to stay off scandals and be the best I can be in my chosen career. I intend to produce good films, up my acting game, dress up-to date by wearing what is in vogue, while remaining decent in all ramifications. It has not been easy but God has got my back!

Nollywood actress and producer, Regina Chukwu, though an Igbo lady from Enugu State, has made a name for herself in the Yoruba genre of the movie industry. The beautiful actress, who has featured in movies like Akun, Ewatomi, Idaro, Awolu ati Awawu and so on, speaks with TAYO GESINDE on life as a single parent, how she has been coping with competition and her fashion preferences. Excerpts:

will be, will be.

Description of self.

I am difficult to understand but when you eventually do, I am the nicest person you can ever have around.

Assessment of Nollywood.

The industry is not as lucrative as it should be because of the piracy problem but in all, some producers are not allowing that to stop them from producing good movies and I believe in the slogan that ‘movie must pay.’ Things will get better, we just need to keep pushing on.

Awards.

I have not won any award yet but I have been nominated for awards.

Pains and gains of being a celebrity.

Pains? I see none. Gains? A lot because you tend to get favours even where you least expected. So, many people want to be associated with you, brands want to relate with you and you are always in the

Competition makes the game interesting and makes one strive to be the best, if competition is missing, then most of us will be stagnant.

makes the game interesting and makes one strive to be the best, if

competion is missing then most of us will be stagnant.

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spotlight and so on.

fortable in them, then, it is a no for me. My comfort comes first.

How I handle advances from male fans.

Advances from male fans are something you can’t take away from this job, it comes with the territory. Personally, I handle it in a matured way and they always get the drift. Some later became my friends while others had to go the way they came.

Secret of beauty.

I don’t have any secret per-say.

I am not on any special regime, I guess it is good genes.

On whether I will remarry.

Yes. Before now, I used to say I don’t want to but if the right man comes, why not? And if not, life continues.

Definition of style.

Another name for style as far as I am concerned is comfort. No matter how beautiful an outfit or accessories are, if you are not com-

Fashion fetish Hmm! I guess it has to be my statement beads. Accessories. I just love having them on.

What I will like to change about myself.

As much as I would have loved my boobs to be bigger, I won’t tamper with them.

Special treat.

If I want to pamper myself, I just sleep, then get myself some nice things like a good range of cosmetics make my hair and that’s it. I have never gone to the spa before.

My take on provocative dressing.

Provocative dressing is not for me, if it is not about movie making. I am not condemning it though since I don’t feel comfortable in them then, I do pass!

Greatest physical assets.

I don’t know. Every part of me is great.

Favourite holiday spot.

I love Dubai.

Advice for upcoming artistes.

I will recommend the following to upcoming artistes: Hardwork, perseverance, patience and prayers. Compete but don’t be desperate, work hard on yourself to make your today better than yesterday and tomorrow best. I wish to also advise them that they should be opened to corrections as no man is an island.

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aspire

24 January, 2016

BY OLAIDE SOKOYA 0807 449 7425 (sms only)

ollydesanmi@yahoo.com

Your Life Counts

Sunday Tribune

by Tunde Jaiyebo 0803 406 2013

Place more emphasis on entrepreneurship Swim upstream than white collar jobs —Gbadamosi in spite of her degree in Geography and Social Sciences from the University of Ibadan, Folawiyo Gbadamosi, the owner of ‘Otun Kitchen’ is currently enjoying life as an entrepreneur. In this interaction with TEMITAYO ILIASU, she speaks on why she ventured into cakes and catering service business and advises people to make entrepreneurship a necessity. Excerpts:

F

ORAY into the world of entrepreneurship?

I think the high rate of unemployment in the country made me venture into entrepreneurship. After all my efforts to get a white collar job proved abortive when I graduated from the university I then decided to learn about cakes and catering, which I did for about three months at Exquisito Cakes and Confectionaries at Bodija, Ibadan. I was trained and also worked there for some time and later set up my own outfit. I remember I also worked at Foodco before I fully started my own business named “Otun Kitchens”; I deal in making cakes, drinks, small chops and all types of catering services.

Challenges faced when I started?

The major challenge I faced when I started the business was how get customers. It was struggle for me to get customers, because I was new in the business. You know when you open a shop and you don’t get customers to patronise you. Patronage is very essential to the survival of any business and when you don’t get customers to patronise you, it will be a great headache to the owner. I experienced financial ups and downs. You don’t just expect business to boom at the beginning; one has to be patient.

It takes a lot of patience, endurance, discipline, endurance and perseverance. The job requires lots of patient and calculation. I have had burns on my body on this job, but perseverance and endurance made me move on.

How did you overcome the challenges?

I applied some business strategies; I printed business cards, gave out fliers and placed billboards and banners at some strategic places. My goodwill to old customers that I still maintained also worked for me. The old customers are customers that I got through friends, siblings.

As said earlier, I was already working before I started mine. I was able to stand on my own through determination and the fact that I wanted to be independent. I raised capital through savings and tips from siblings. In fact, I saved for good two years and I refused to take a dime from it, because I just wanted to be on my own, to be the boss of myself and also be resourceful.

Why do you desire to be independent as a businesswoman?

Though, the situation and the rate of unemployment in the country made me to venture into the business, along the line, I discovered that it is ideal for me to be independent, because this is the only way to be successful in any business. I wanted to be my own boss and not running errands for people for ages. I am not saying it is not good to be under anybody, but a serious-minded person must be on top of his or her game in any profession.

What do you think could be done to curb unemployment in the country?

I think people; especially unemployed graduates, should lay their hands on anything that can bring in money legally first, before what their certificates will bring. They should not depend on white collar jobs. It is clear that the situation of country is even making matter worse. It is time every one embraced entrepreneural skill, which I see as the only alternative.

What is your take on the inclusion of entrepreneurship as a subject or course in schools?

I really support it. I am glad that it is now in the school syllabus, especially for secondary school education. This will make people take entrepreneurship serious in this country. I also suggest that it should be made a core course in the tertiary institutions so that people will have wider knowledge about it and easily switch when the white-collar job is not forthcoming.

What has been the secret of your success?

It has been God all the way. My goodwill and the relationship I have built over with my customers are also working for me. To be successful in the business, one must be very polite and humble in one’s conduct and in the way you relate with your customers, because you don’t know who is who.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

I want my business to be known beyond my imagination as well as become a force to reckon with in this business. I desire a massive expansion where I will become employers of labour.

What is your advice to others?

White collar jobs is good, but once you discover that you’ve been searching for job for more than a year, it is better you go and learn something creative to have a better life. There is nothing you will do in a white collar job that you can’t apply in your own business. If it is about being formal, there is nothing stopping you from wearing a suit to your own work place; I do that sometimes. Those that created all these white collar jobs that we see today all started from somewhere, so, we should aspire to do something worthwhile. When you go into entrepreneurship, you establish for yourself and also create employment for others. People get paid through you and also get their meals through you.

YOU need not be a prophet to see the myriads of problems that bedevil this world which we live in. The media daily and ceaselessly brings to the fore and bombards us with the reality of wars, economic downturns, poverty, famine, natural disasters, suffering and crime. The outlook is that of gloom and doom and most people get swept away by the fierce tide of life. Countless people are focused and consumed with trying to make ends meet - survival is their primary preoccupation.

Many lives have been sentenced to a lifetime of insignificance. They are so enmeshed with survival that the thought of making their lives count does not even cross their minds. They will rather be led than be the leader on whose table the buck ends. They will rather follow than be the one to give direction. They would rather consume than be the producer. They are concerned about their primary constituency only – the constituency of self preservation and survival. Consequently most people live a tragic life, passing through life without registering any appreciable impact. They live in an unending cycle of crisis and defeat instead of facing life headlong. “Aversion is a form of bondage. We are tied to what we hate or fear. That is why, in our lives, the same problem, the same danger or difficulty, will present itself over and over again in various prospects, as long as we continue to resist or run away from it instead of examining it and solving it.” Patañjali The radical approach to living a life of significance is to swim upstream, swimming against the tide. If you are going to make any impact with your life you must not conform to the general approach of the majority.

You must learn to properly discern problems, crisis and obstacles. “For thirty years now, in times of stress and strain, when something has me backed against the wall and I’m ready to do something really stupid with my anger, a sorrowful face appears in my mind and asks...

“Problem or inconvenience?” I think of this as the Wollman Test of Reality. Life is lumpy. And a lump in the oatmeal, a lump in the throat, and a lump in the breast are not the same lump. One should learn the difference.” Robert Fulghum. You are alive on a mission, a mission to affect, influence and impact lives. You are alive to make a difference. You are not to just spend time here on earth but you are alive to leave indelible marks on the sands of time. You are alive to make history. You are not just to pass through history but to make history. At the end of your life you should not just be history but must have made history. “Most of us, swimming against the tides of trouble the world knows nothing about, need only a bit of praise or encouragement - and we will make the goal.” Jerome Fleishman You have not been called to conform but to transform your environment. You have been called to influence your society. You have not been called to be swallowed up by the environment but to give direction. You have been called to stand out. You are designed to live a life of significance and to register maximum impact. “An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. When life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means it’s going to launch you into something great. So just focus, and keep aiming.” Author Unknown Now, more than ever before is the time to face up to life and be determined to make a difference. If you unduly focus on the state of things you will lose heart and vegetate and surrender to live a mediocre, unfulfilled life. You must be determined never to be despondent or throw your hands up in despair. Life is simply a choice – we choose how we respond to issues and we can always choose to respond in hope.

“We have no right to ask when sorrow comes, “Why did this happen to me?” unless we ask the same question for every moment of happiness that comes our way.” Author Unknown.

For enquiries/comments please send email to urlifecounts@yahoo.com

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24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

thepolity Those who steal billions should be hanged —Reps Minority Whip The Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Honourable Umar Yakubu Barde, representing Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, speaks with MUHAMMAD SABIU on President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption, the 2016 budget and other issues. Excerpts:

T

HERE has been a running battle between the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufa’i and the Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani. As an opposition party member, how do you see the issue?

If I want to be selfish, I will tell you I like what has been happening. But as a leader, if there is a fight between a lawmaker and the state governor, it has lots of implications. Projects that are supposed to be discussed with the governor such as Federal Government projects will suffer, because it is the responsibility of members of the National Assembly and the governor to ensure that some of these projects are located in their state. Members of the National Assembly also have the responsibility to lobby Mr President on behalf of their people to have more federal government presence. In a situation where there’s a fight, then you will see a gap and it will affect the state negatively. For me, it is sad; as a leader I am sad that the governor and the senator could not reconcile their differences in the interest of the state.

As an opposition politician, what will you say about the achievements of Governor El-Rufa’i since he assumed office in May 2015?

As a leader in Kaduna State, I think ElRufa’i has very good intentions for the state and I’ll continue to say that. But my prayer is that he shouldn’t bite more than he can chew. If you listen to the governor, you’ll know that the projects he has in mind are very laudable. He has been carrying the members of the National Assembly along. Whenever he’s in Abuja, he calls us for meetings either you’re in APC or PDP and tells us his blueprint. Like the budget that was presented in Kaduna State, for the first time, we were part and parcel of the preparation of the budget, because he brought it to us in Abuja. We sat down and he told us what he intended to do and how he intended to achieve them.

But my fear is in terms of money or revenues that will be used in implementing this budget. However, knowing who ElRufa’i is, his capacity to generate revenue just the way he did when he was Minister of the Federal Capital Territory through the formation of AGIS, is uncommon. If he can do something like that in Kaduna State, I think we’ll not have a cause to regret, because we have to be realistic. When somebody is doing well, we have to give it to him but the unfortunate thing for the governor is that the developmental decisions are not populist decisions. You would agree with

dent means well, because I know him very well. I know his integrity; he means well.

But you cannot exclude the fact that there are people who are overzealous, who think they are in government today and must take their pound of flesh on certain people. I think that’s where it is wrong. That’s where we’re getting it wrong and the courts must be obeyed. This is democracy.

Honourable Umar Barde

me that lots of people have been complaining because salaries have not been paid, but if we’ll suffer for two weeks for example and then enjoy for 10 years, I think we better go through the suffering now. I am aware that in some local governments, the numbers of ghost staff were even more than original staff members’. Now, this is not about partisanship; that is not good for us. If some people just fix 10 or 20 names of fake people and collect salaries without working, while many unemployed Kaduna youths are there who don’t have means of livelihood, I think that is bad. For me, I will support this government in anything it intends to do to sanitise our state and even offer my own advice. Kaduna State is for all of us irrespective of the party you are. If the governor is doing well, we should say it and if he is not doing well we should criticise him.

What’s your take on the President Buhari’s war against corruption, which your party has criticised as

selective?

I always say this thing, Mr. President alone cannot fight corruption; the judiciary, the legislature and the executive need to join hands. In a situation where people have transgressed against the laws of the country and their offences are bailable, I think the court should say so. The judiciary, which is the interpreter of the law, if it feels that’s what the law says, I think the executive and the legislature should not interfere, because that’s the judiciary’s job. So, in this fight against corruption, I strongly feel Mr. President has good intention, but again, I think there are people who are overzealous on what should be done, and I think it is not good. So, Mr. President has the right to call which ever agency that is in charge of the fight against corruption to order to make sure that they do the right thing, because when you are overzealous or vindictive, thinking this or that person belongs to this party and that and must be vilified, I think that’s where it is wrong. I am very sure that the presi-

Corruption has been identified as the country’s greatest problem.

What will you advocate as the penalty for corruption in the country?

Let me speak personally. I am a believer in the fact that people should be punished for offences committed. I also believe that punishment should be segregated in such a way that it should be commensurate to what you have done. We are living in a very funny country where people who steal N1,000 are put in jail for years, while some people steal billions use that same billions to escape justice. That’s not good enough. If you ask me personally, we have started discussion. I’ll let the cat out of the bag. I and some members in the National Assembly are of the belief that Nigeria should have special courts for corruption cases. Specially-dedicated courts, because if you look at the quantum of corruption in the country today, it is alarming. Look at the arms deal and look at the quantum of money and the number of people that are involved. You have not gone down to the ministries and states yet and it is only ICPC and EFCC that are to do all these jobs. If we are honest with ourselves, the work is overwhelming and you know people will like to use the legal system to delay justice and that’s what is happening today. So, why don’t we have dedicated courts to try all these corruption cases so that justice could be dispensed quickly? I am aware of former governors that have been before the EFCC and have not been to courts for the past eight years; it does not encourage the young people. It rather encourages them to steal, because if you can delay justice for 10 years, that is not a good one, because some people would have died. I know of some people that died even when their cases were still on.

So, I think we really have to put our heads together; corruption, hunger or poverty do not know political parties, tribes or religions. We must, as Nigerians, take a very bold stand.

To your question, I think if someone steals from one million to one hundred million, they should cut his hand. There’s nothcontinues

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sundayinterview

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Dasukigate: What I did with N100m —Falae

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Olu Falae, speaks with select journalists on his alleged involvement in the corruption case involving former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), now popularly known as Dasukigate, and other issues affecting the nation. HAKEEM GBADAMOSI brings excerpts:

Y

OUR name has been mentioned as one of the beneficiaries of the arms fund scam. Can you tell us your involvement and what really happened?

I want to say with all emphasis at my command that I never took even one Naira from Dasuki. Beyond that, I want to assert that I never had any contact or relationship with Dasuki. I knew Dasuki way back in 1986-87, when he was ADC to General [Ibrahim] Babagida and I was Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Since he left that government around 1987, I had no contact or dealing with him, absolutely none.

The N100 million they are bandying about in the media, the one that I know about, it happened as follows: Chief Tony Anenih, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, phoned me late January last year and said he would like to see me, that he would like to come from Abuja to see me in Akure. And he came.

He came with someone, and I too, invited some people to be with me. The four of us were together in the meeting. And he said they were observing that my party, SDP, had no presidential candidate and, therefore, they would want us to ask our supporters to vote for his own party’s candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan. I told him that in principle, there is nothing wrong with the two parties collaborating, but that the collaboration must be a principled collaboration. It must be based on principles. I told him that there were certain things we desired the government to do, but they have not done to the people, and that if we were going to support their candidate, they must commit themselves to make changes in those very areas. He asked which areas and I said number one, his party must be prepared to restructure Nigeria from this colossal unitary system, and the best way of doing that is to fully implement the report of the National Conference 2014. Number two: that the party must commit itself to a policy of zero tolerance for corruption, because I saw that corruption was monumental in what they were doing. Number three: I said the party in government must destroy Boko Haram and give stability to Nigeria. Then number four, there was mass unemployment and the youth were getting frustrated, that they must articulate programmes to create jobs for the unemployed. Number five: that I observed that the party in government was spending virtually our entire revenue on recurrent expenditure, that they must reduce recurrent expendi-

Chief Olu Falae ture so as to generate surpluses to finance capital development like roads, schools, hospitals etc.

I also added that if we accepted this tide and accepted them and the party won the election, we would expect reasonable participation in that government. And he said they were totally happy with all these strict conditions and that they were acceptable to them, that no problem at all.

In fact, he said they were already implementing some of them. He left on that note and after he left, I decided to write to him in order to document the relationship. In the letter I wrote to him, again, I listed the six conditions which I had mentioned in our oral discussion. And three days later, he wrote back to me saying that he had consulted all the stakeholders of his party, including the president and they

were all happy to accept those conditions to work with SDP in the election that was forthcoming. So, having accepted our condition, I then proceeded to Abuja to summon the meeting of my party executive and decision making organs and made the presentation to them. There was a very robust debate and, at the end of the debate, the executive committee of my party endorsed their request that we should work with Jonathan in the election.

I want to emphasise here that the most critical factor that turned the debate in favour of Jonathan was because he had said he would restructure Nigeria and that he summoned the National Conference as a great step in that direction. And to most of us in the SDP and in Afenifere, restructuring Nigeria is the most important single political objective that we pursue

in Nigeria today; and whoever commits himself to that objective, we will support him. I want to remind you that in 2007, when General [Muhammadu] Buhari was running for president on the platform of ANPP, six parties at that time, including my party—we were then called DPA—had a similar collaboration and we were going with them. In fact, they made me the chairman of Buhari Campaign Committee in the South-West, though I was not a member of their party. And in that collaborative effort, I and some other friends of General Buhari contributed money to run the campaign. We held a mammoth rally at Adamasingba in Ibadan. So, what I am saying is that collaboration between two parties is normal in democracy; and the Continues

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24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

‘Why there’s smear campaign against me’ Continued from

now that I have grown old and will enjoy the money less that I will soil my hands?

So, that is the truth of the matter. I feel ashamed that some people in Nigerian public will continue to repeat this lie. It is absolutely false and there is no basis for it at all.

pg 32

collaborating parties, it is normal for them to contribute money to ensure that their joint project is implemented. That was exactly what happened on this occasion.

But how did the N100million come about?

Now, after we had endorsed the candidacy of President Jonathan, I think a week or two, Chief Anenih phoned me and said that he knew that SDP didn’t have funds to campaign effectively for our candidates.

Therefore, they would be sending us some money to enable us to campaign effectively for our candidates including Jonathan, who had become our joint candidate. That was the note on which he sent the N100 million they are talking about. And on receiving the N100 million, I promptly sent it into the account of the SDP at First Bank in Abuja. And from there, I set up a committee of the party to work out the modalities for distributing the money among the various state branches of the party and campaign organisations. Taking into account, for example, the number of candidates, whether the candidates for House of Assembly, Senate or Federal Representatives, governorship, the weight was attached to it and they did it rationally and fairly.

This was in addition to our own money, which was much more than the N100 million, which was distributed to the state organs for executing the campaign and the elections. That was all that happened. In summary, we had no contact whatsoever with Dasuki. We took nothing, not a kobo from Dasuki. The money that came to us was from the PDP through Chief Anenih to me as the chairman of SDP, which I then passed on to my party. My party has held a press conference. It was held on Monday 11, 2016, where they declared that I gave them the money in full, promptly and they used it for the election. So, those who said the money was given to Falae are lying.

The money was only sent through me to my party and my party has acknowledged receipt in full. The money did not come from Dasuki but from PDP. Chief Anenih issued a press statement noting that he got some money from Dasuki, couldn’t that have been what was given to you?

I read it too. In that press statement Chief Anenih, in fact, said the money he sent to me and some other people was his own personal money he sent on behalf of his party and not from Dasuki. He said he later got reimbursement from Dasuki. But all that has nothing to do with us; we knew nothing about it. We did not approve of anything. It is not our duty either legal or moral to begin to find out where PDP was finding money to pursue its campaign. So, in summary, we took no money from Dasuki. The money given was for the party and not for me. It was delivered to the party; the party has acknowledged receipt in full in a press conference.

But sir, we read it too that some state chapters of the party are saying they did not receive any money from the national organ?

It is only Ogun State that said that; we have effective branches in about 33 states.

I was surprised to read that Ogun State said that they were not aware. The truth is that the allocating committee in Abuja

Chief Falae was supposed to send N8 million to Ogun State, but I know the amount is something from the campaign fund. This is not the only money we used for campaign; that was just a small part of what we spent on the election. Our own contribution was much more than the N100 million; so, the committee said they were going to send N8 million to them. But Chief Osoba said the money available for the party was too small, that N8 million could do nothing in the state and that he would take care of the needs of the party in Ogun State. He said we should leave what we were going to give to Ogun State to states that were in need. Ogun State knew about it. Something was allocated to them, but they declined to take it, because they said they could take care of their needs. So, it is not true that they were not aware.

This issue of taking money from Anenih...

(Cuts in) Not from Anenih; from the PDP! Okay sir, the money you took from the PDP is now being linked to Dasuki. Do you consider this development as a campaign of calumny to rubbish your personality?

Of course, that is the whole point. From what I have told you, there is nothing that is legally or morally wrong. It was a party cooperation; it was normal. When there is such cooperation, the various participating parties contribute money to actualise the objective of the cooperation. We did it in 2007, when we adopted General Buhari through ANPP, DPA and other parties.

There was nothing absolutely wrong with this. We did not go to Dasuki for money.

It was PDP that sent us the money; for the PDP to decide where they get their money is not our business. But PDP sent us the money. I sent the money to the party; the party said they got it in full and it was used for the purpose it was meant, which was the election.

So, anybody that is raising issues is merely trying to start a smear campaign and that is the truth of the matter, but I am totally at peace with myself, because

my conscience is absolutely clear. Indeed, I am proud of my track record and with my performance even in this state. I read an article in the Tribune newspaper, where someone said that in his opinion, the transparent manner in which I handled this matter should be a standard for other political leaders to copy. I am still very happy about that. There is no issue at all whatsoever. So, those who are peddling such castigations have embarked on political vendetta. They have no basis for it.

There is this report that the EFFC is saying that the money should be refunded, but the party is saying no.

What is your reaction to this?

I want to tell you that up to this moment, whether EFCC or anybody, nobody has even got in touch with me about this matter, because they know the truth that I did not take money from Dasuki. It was PDP that sent money to SDP through me and the money was delivered to SDP. It was legitimate, normal and not controversial. That tells you that there is a smear campaign going on. Some newspapers said I will have to refund money when nobody has been in touch with me. That report showed bias, malice and campaign of calumny. I have been a public officer all my life. I became a Permanent Secretary at the age of 39; I did not abuse the office. I became Managing Director of a bank at 42, I did not abuse the office. The signature of an MD of a bank is money, yet I did not take one kobo illegally and at that time my bank was one of the fastest growing banks in the country. I did not receive one single query from the Central Bank. Then I became the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and a substantial amount of security vote was under my control, I did not touch one kobo illegitimately. Then, I became Minister of Finance, both naira and dollars were under my control at the central bank but I did not abuse the office. So, people should look at my type of person and ask can this person do this? When as a young man that needed money for many things, I didn’t take anything that was improper, is it

Some people are saying that the issue is being orchestrated to cause disunity among the Yoruba nation.

What is your take on this?

Well, anybody can have a conjecture or hypothesis to explain a phenomenon, but it is a possible hypothesis. Many of those people, whether in Yorubaland or outside, who don’t want us to be united must have been worried about what has been happening. You remember that when I regained freedom from kidnappers, Yoruba leaders met in Ibadan and for the first time in many years, Yoruba leadership was united over my issue and they said if Nigeria could not protect the Yoruba race, Yoruba people would protect themselves.

That may have given the impression in certain quarters that ‘so Olu Falae has the potential to galvanise Yoruba people’ and those who don’t want Yoruba unity may want to see whether they can smear me by linking me with Dasuki fairly or unfairly. You know that the Yoruba people are very critical. Once they hear you are linked with a dirty person, they will be the first to condemn you. This is what is going on. So it is a possible hypothesis. One has no fact, but it does make sense that anyone who doesn’t want Yoruba to come together may be doing this to discourage the Yoruba from seeing me as a possible rallying point.

What’s your impression about the anti-corruption crusade of the president?

It is getting out of hand; they know that there is no charge they can bring against me and they have resorted to smear campaign as a substitute means. So that over time, people will say I am a bad person. I have read some articles in the papers that said the anti-graft is becoming increasingly controversial. It is truly becoming controversial, because it is no longer reasonable; it is beginning to look selective.

How could anyone link me with Dasuki; someone I have not seen for more than 20 years? The man I had no dealing with whatsoever. It is important to clean Nigeria up; when we were launching our party, the SDP in Abuja, in 2014, the title of my speech was that Nigeria must kill corruption so that corruption does not kill Nigeria. I have been an anti-corruption campaigner all my life, so I support Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign, but it must be conducted within the confines of the law and fairness.

What then is your advice for the president?

Let me tell you a story. In 1985 when Buhari was the Head of State, I had retired from the civil service and joined the banking industry. This kind of thing happened, you know. If you are once a public officer, you will always be one. So I went and met with the then Head of Civil Service, Mr Grey Longe and I admonished him to advise the government that it could not go on sacking people, probing people.

There are two models to clean up a sociContinues

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24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Standard of education has not fallen, but… —Bandele, EKSU VC

Professor Samuel Oye Bandele became the new Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti on 2nd December 2015 and has since been unfolding his plans for the school, especially in the area of increasing the Internally General Revenue (IGR) of the school and welfare for the staff. In this interview with SEGUN ADEBAYO, the professor of mathematics education speaks on his vision for the school.

W

HAT were you doing before you were appointed the Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University (EKSU)?

I was a visiting professor at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife. I was there for about two years before I got this appointment, and that terminated my visiting professorship at OAU. I was a lecturer at the Faculty of Education and also a researcher. I supervised postgraduate students and initiated academic projects for the faculty. I resumed duty on the 2nd of December 2015. So, I have been the VC of this great institution for about two months now.

Now that you are gradually settling down in your new position, could you tell us what your vision for the school is and what exactly you are bringing to the table for this institution to move forward?

My vision is very clear for the institution. I am an internal candidate; I know the problems of the university. In fact, I don’t need anybody to tell me rhetoric about the university. The university is about 33 years of age and it is sad that we don’t have a working Information Technology Department. It is sad that most of our operations are still predominantly manual, and that actually became a major focus of my vision. I want my university in this 21st century to be ICT-compliant.

Students should be able to access our university anywhere in the world. Our students should not be struggling to come to obtain transcripts. That is untoward in this new age. These were the pains in my heart when I was coming. This is one major problem I have been tackling frontally.

I want to say that if our university can successfully implement our ICT platform, it will solve many problems. Our students will be able to pay their school fees at their convenience, and register for courses online. Even some of our directives that take many days to implement will be easily accessed online without any hitch. I believe it will also logically improve all our resources with the use of ICT innovation.

Apart from that, we as a university must be interested in the overall development of our system. I have taken a look at the whole system holistically. In fact, the first day I came, I declared what I called state of emergency in some departments that are not developed.

Could you tell us the departments that you have discovered to be backward?

These departments are not contributing to the growth that I desire for a university like ours. The Physical Planning Department, Works and Services and procurement Department have been declared to be in a state of emergency. When the whole world is moving along the track of this entrepreneurial movement, a univer-

tions in Nigeria?

Professor Samuel Bandele

sity that is backward in aggressively generating IGR will be one of the most backward universities in few years to come.

Universities are growing up and creating affluence and wealth for the society, we cannot afford to be backward while others are in the forefront of wealth creation and progress. Some of the old universities we have around are looking away. When there is poverty, there can be no peace. So, my coming on board will address all these problems and I am very sure that in less than one year, you will begin to see EKSU in another level.

The issue of strike that is usually occasioned by the inability of government to pay salaries is very much prevalent in many tertiary institutions today and EKSU is not an exception. How do you hope to make sure academic activities are not grounded in the school during your tenure?

I am praying to God that with this tremendous support I am getting from my staff, if we can work together and develop our IGR platform to a level that we can create wealth for the university and we are able to pay salaries and meet up with

some essential obligations in terms of allowances for staff and training, then my people will be happy and there will be no strike. Even the students will be able to graduate at the right time. My vision, therefore, is to create wealth for the university, use ICT to drive the system and meet the needs of the staff and students, so that the calendar can be stable and the university can become attractive. I was talking to some contractors in the school recently and I challenged them that they don’t bring their students to our school, but they want to collect contracts from us.

I told them that if this university is enviable, they will bring their children to the school. My vision is to make the university 21st century compliant.

Are you not worried that the number of graduates being churned out is increasingly becoming unemployable due to fall in standard of education with some people claiming that some of these graduates don’t have the required knowledge that is needed for the job they seek?

Let me answer your question like this; if I am permitted, I would love to ask if you graduated from any of the tertiary institu-

Yes, I graduated from The Polytechnic Ibadan and I studied Mass Communication.

If you studied Mass Communications at the Polytechnic Ibadan and you are this proficient in the use of English, enviable and very articulate in the way you ask questions, can we now illogically say that our products are not employable? You see, let me tell you the truth, people make sweeping statements. Look at you, you didn’t study in Nottingham or Harvard University, but you are here interviewing me and I am impressed. I stand here today to say that some of these comments people make are unfounded. It is true that Nigeria is large. If Nigeria is large, we cannot expect a very large country to be churning out very few graduates. That will not be proportionate and will be incongruent.

Nigeria will continue to have universities, because it is a productive society. The issue is that there is a shift in educational focus. There is a shift in educational enterprise and many people who are not educated are confusing it. Every generation will condemn subsequent generations.

Somebody who graduated 10 years ago will say in our own days, things were not like this. Those that graduated 20 years ago will also say the same thing. So, people keep exaggerating things and quoting wrong figures. The present day graduates are ICT-driven. The present day graduates are entrepreneurially-equipped. The present day graduates are better in terms of quantitative reasoning, which was not available in the generation that they say is better. I want to say that the present day graduates are more employable. Employability is not even the sense that they can speak all the English in the world or recite Macbeth, but that they can use their hands to turn things around. Talk of ICT or entrepreneurial skills, if you see what they do, you will love Nigerians. What you can say is that we should encourage our present day graduates to make use of what they have learnt in the university and not be discouraged. Already, most of them are ICT compliant and versatile; they can even go into different areas to do things that can bring money. My submission is that the graduates of today can use their hands better than the graduates of those days who depend largely on white collar jobs. Let’s do some random sampling of what I am talking about, you will realise that today’s graduates are still better placed than those who graduated many years back. I don’t believe that our graduates are not employable. The olden age is a poverty inducing age while the new age is all about wealth creation.

Are you saying that there is no fall in the standard of education in Nigeria? continues

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‘Buhari alone cannot fight corruption’ continued from pg 31

ing wrong in that, so that when we see you on the street, we will know that you stole and that’s why your hand was cut.

For those that steal in billions, they should be hanged. Confiscate their property and hang them, because we know how Nigerians are suffering today. People are living in abject poverty, no good health care. You can imagine this issue of arms deal. If you knew this money were meant for procurement of arms and you had a brother in the Nigeria Armed Forces who was sent to the war front to fight and because his weapon was archaic, he was killed, would you have sympathy for somebody that pocketed the money for arms? It is so painful. Most of us here have lost loved ones and somebody feels this money should be diverted for something else. For me, it is something that is unimaginable. If I am a judge and such a person is brought before me, I will confiscate his property and make sure he is killed, because the blood of the people killed on the war front will be on his head.

But there seems to be corruption in the Na-

tional Assembly too, as a former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, once called NASS members thieves. What is your reaction to this?

I once had a one-on-one interaction with former President Obasanjo; we were in the plane together and he said we are all thieves and I said ‘okay, Mr. President, the National Assembly does not prepare the budget, but the executive does that and bring it to us. And when the executive brings the budget to us, NASS does not execute the budget, but the executive; now is it the person that executes that is corrupt or the one that just passes it and leaves it?’ He couldn’t answer the question. We should not look at the issue of corruption from the perspective of the National Assembly alone. If you have a gathering of 469 people, you will agree with me that we cannot all be saints. It is quite obvious we can’t all be saints. I can tell you that there are good people in the National Assembly who are ready to work for this country. In my sojourn in the National Assembly for about 14 years now, I have met very credible Nigerians, but again I have met other people who are not so credible too. Now, in that situation, what we try to do is to

make sure that those of us that have the love of the country at heart should convince the others, because the National Assembly is about negotiations. He that has the number will take the day, the minority can always have their say but the majority will have their ways. So, if people say members of the National Assembly are corrupt, I ask them where we see the means of being corrupt. I have been in the National Assembly for close to 14 years and I have never done any contract; anybody can go and check. We know that most corruptions come from contracts that are inflated and over-bloated. So, if I don’t do contracts and I earn my salaries and allowances and you tell me I am corrupt, how? Maybe if I go to oversight functions and you accuse me of corruption, and by then it would mean that the giver and taker are culpable, because if you’re a minister, why should you give the National Assembly members bribe if you have done your work to the letter? Why? All you need to do is to tell them ‘okay, this project was N20,000; look, we have implemented it with the same amount.’ If you do that, you can beat your chest and walk away. You only give a bribe when you sense that you have cut corners.

interview ‘JAMB should not be scrapped’ Continued from

screened. The effect on the university is minimal in terms of entrance. I think what we should be talking about is the effect it would have on the society, because if you have one million candidates that only 200 will enter the university, the remaining unsuccessful students, if care is not taken will become miscreants. They will become problematic and issues at homes. The truth is that the universities in this country cannot admit all the qualified students. So, my take is that truly there has been mass failure because of the increase in the population of the citizens.

pg 34

What I have observed is that there is a shift in standard not a fall in education standard. The parameter for measuring standard in 1960 is different from the parameter we will use to measure the standard of today. The fall must be understood from the perspective of shift. I am one of the advocates of making a good thing out of what we have, not destroying what we have to make it more useless. Universities are churning out graduates but what do we do to make them valuable? What we need to do is to integrate them into the society. If you interview a graduate who read engineering, and from your conversation with the person you realise he’s not competent enough, you can employ that person and train them. There is what we call on the job training. Don’t let us continue to run down our own system as if it is bad. Most of our Nigerian graduates, when they go out of the country for the Master’s programmes, they turn out to be the best in their classes. Nigerians are highflyers in most of these countries abroad. My children graduated from this school.

One is in Nottingham now and he’s the best in his engineering class. So, where is the standard that has fallen?

We should be able to reorganise our thoughts and stop harping on fallen standard every time. I don’t believe any standard has fallen in our education.

What do you think about the national policy on education that was said to have been set in 1975?

This is 2016; don’t you feel this policy should be reviewed to accommodate some of the 21st century programmes that will help develop the education sector?

The policy was launched in 1975 but it is always reviewed every two or four years. We have always been reviewing the national policy on education. That’s exactly what I have been trying to explain to you. A review of that policy will include entrepreneurial education and ICT innovation which were not there before. The national policy on education is actually working tremendously. It is a platform upon which all our educational enterprise is based. I am very certain that we are not operating the 1975 version currently.

Stakeholders have called for the total scrapping of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on the grounds that it has lost its relevance, do you think the calls are justified?

Personally, I don’t think JAMB should be scrapped but I don’t believe also that it should be absolute. What I am saying in essence is that JAMB should continue to do what it has been doing, but universities also should have the prerogative to decide the type of JAMB candidates

Professor Samuel Bandele

they will accept into their universities. In our own time, there was nothing like JAMB, but things were not as they are today. Maybe we had about 12 universities that time.

It was easy for prospective candidates to choose the university of their choices and go there to write their exams.

If you were going to the university in those days, you would choose the universities of your choice and go there to write their exams, but nobody can try that today. It is good that JAMB is that umbrella that actually moderates the influx of prospective candidates into universities. It has stopped multiple applications into universities. People have said it and research have confirmed that Professor Dibu Ojerinde is doing a fantastic job. I don’t believe in its scrapping and I don’t believe in its absoluteness.

Poor performance in public examinations appears to have become a recurring phenomenon in the country in recent years, what effect do you think this will have on the university system given the fact that these students are products coming into universities?

The failure in public examination is increasing because the population has increased. You can say the greater percentage are failing the exams, but I want to say that it does not have any serious effect on the university system, because the university will not take the failures. Those who have failed are not part of our constituency. Even those who have passed who are part of our constituency would be

Stakeholders in the education sector differ on when to pass the bulk of blame with some blaming government, while others said the students and teachers are to blame…

To me, the problem will go the both ways. Students have their own problems while teachers also have their own problems. Problem of students can emanate from prerequisite for entry into the universities. Some students enter the university presumptuously; they enter through pressure from parents. Some parents will say my child should study medicine when the child has no propensity for excelling in Medicine. The child who would have loved to study music will be forced to be a medical doctor. When he gets to class, he’s already distracted because he’s in the wrong class. Another thing that causes distraction is the environment, because most students came from the environment where they were not free but by the time they come to the university, they just quickly jumped to a latitude of freedom that they can’t explain and before they know it, they would have joined bad groups that would affect their studies. Some students are also very lazy; they have been over pampered before they get to school. Some lecturers also have problems. Some of their problems are close to what I have just said. Some lecturers see themselves as the Alpha and Omega. Some of them will not prepare adequately to come and teach students. In the university environment, it is difficult to detect these things, if the students don’t come and report the lecturer to the school authorities.

How prepared are you to tackle the problem of cultism that has become synonymous with EKSU? What I know is that when light comes, darkness disappears. It is in darkness that such things can thrive. I am going to fight cultism with transparency. Nobody fights anything that is good. I don’t think I have ever seen a single person or group of person fighting against a good cause. I believe that when everything is in place and I do what is right, evil will not prevail. Very soon, there will be light in this university, water will flow freely and academic programmes will go on well and there will be intimidation of students.

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‘How Buhari can fight corruption’ Continued from

pg 33

ety: the Sampling Model and the Total Revolution, like the French Revolution. The one that might be suitable for our own situation is for the government to make cases that are very unambiguous and take such people as examples: take the money from them and send them to jail as examples to the system. Then put that behind you and go ahead with the development of the society. But if you took all time looking for every criminal to send to jail, that will be an endless journey. At the beginning, the people will hail you, because they like to see big men fall, but as more and more people are destroyed, then more and more members of the general population will be affected when their brothers or fathers or friends lose their jobs. At the end of the day, the tide will turn and people will turn against that government. To avoid that, my recommendation was to take a few people and make them scapegoats. Similarly, on this occasion, my advice will be that those people who are the criminals in this system, whose crimes are unambiguous and documented, should be taken and the law should be applied to them. Confiscate the loot they have taken, try them and let them go to prison. Do that for a couple of months and leave the rest for the police to do their jobs in a normal way. This omnibus anti-graft campaign phase would have been over but the police would continue to monitor the system and catch thieves and criminals and the government would now focus on the development of the society. There are many issues calling for attention right now. For example, the drop in oil revenue is worrisome, because some 40 years ago, when I was in the planning ministry, we had

recommended that we should use the oil money to diversify the economy, so that we would have other sources of income. For instance, they should develop solid minerals. Solid minerals have more potential for revenue than oil. If they had implemented the recommendation that time, we will not be where we are today. Secondly, we said government should generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity by 1980; it was in the national plan. If that had been done in 1980, today we shall be talking of 100,000 megawatts. So we will not be where we are. If we had diversified the economy by developing small industries and agro-businesses, we will not be where we are today. So these are the problems crying for attention. If the government now tries to implement these recommendations, it takes time before the projects begin to yield revenue. In the meantime, how are we going to cope? Iran has not entered the oil market and things are already like this, by

I want to tell you that up to this moment, whether EFCC or anybody, nobody has even got in touch with me about this matter, because they know the truth

the time it does, it is going to pump more oil and bring prices down. I think we have a real economic crisis for now and I believe all hands must be on deck so that the system survives.

Do you see the present administration implementing the report of the Confab?

They are not interested in the report. Even when we were at the National Conference, the All Progressives Congress (APC) opposed the conference and this was one of the reasons why we did not support the candidate of the APC, because what is most important to Afenifere is the restructuring of Nigeria, so that each area can develop at its own pace in accordance with its own priority. If we don’t do that, the crisis will continue. So, restructuring, to me, is number one priority and we believe in it and those who opposed it are naturally opposed to what I stand for and I will not be surprised if such people work against my interest.

What do you think will happen if the confab report is not implemented?

Then Nigeria will remain as it is till eternity. Governments come and go and a day will come when one government will see the need to implement this report, because for the first time in the history of Nigeria, over 450 people from various sections of the society sat down for about six months and in a very cantankerous society like Nigeria and by some divine grace, passed over 600 resolutions by consensus. To me, that was a miracle and I believe God had a hand in that confab and, therefore, I believe that that document is going to save Nigeria.

opinion Can president Buhari be for everybody, really?

By Bisi Olawunmi

I

AM for everybody; I am not for anybody, so rang out what became the defining words of President Muhammadu Buhari at his inauguration as Nigeria’s president on May 29, 2015. It was a quotable quote, an emotive sound bite that stood out in the inaugural address and got everybody’s attention.

It apparently sought to sell a populist myth of a president beholden to no one. However, there is also the interpretation that it is a targeted statement aimed at a political financier and aspirant godfather. An extension of the president’s ‘I am for all and for no one’ is the populism of non-interference with the two other arms of government – legislature and the judiciary - as demonstrated by his laissez faire attitude to the National Assembly leadership crisis that saw Sen. Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara romping to Senate Presidency and House Speakership respectively against the position of their party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). But separation of powers is in theory, just a myth of democracy as the president must assent to legislative bills to become law while he also appoints judicial officers, including judges of the Supreme Court. Where, then, is the separation, in practical terms? However, it would seem that President Buhari is striving to live down his image of the draconian military strongman of yesterday and swinging to the other extreme of being the idealist democrat, the evangelist of separation of powers in a democratic polity.

But, really, can President Buhari, a presumed reformist president and change agent, be for all and sundry? Can the all include those beneficiaries of the rotten past, the avowed opponents of change scheming to truncate it?

Can President Buhari, in a real world situation, play the utopian democrat when needed legislation would have to drive change and yet hope to succeed with the Change Agenda? And the change mantra – what is the operational definition of CHANGE by the APC, the party that runs the federal government? What are the articulated strategies to achieve that defined change? Posers.

Seven months into his tenure, President Buhari and the APC are manifesting a failure of intellectual and philosophical rationalisation of the change they sold to the Nigerian

electorate. It would seem that there was no intellectual vanguard to articulate the specifics of the desired change and a reasoned pathway to achieving same. The outcome is that both the Presidency and the APC are getting hobbled by the enormity of the problems they inherited and groping, apparently without anticipated and coordinated plan to tackle such emerging challenges. Taking advantage of the situation, various pressure groups, including violent criminal gangs, cult groups, religious extremists as well as militant ethnic irredentists are having a field, having taken a measure of the federal government’s resolve at maintaining public order and concluded it is tepid. It is a perception, but is reality to its holders. So, before the CHANGE mantra becomes a joke, the Presidency must articulate the CHANGE VISION and offer a roadmap to that destination.

As public governance, what people see today is more of the same—no substantive change, so far. Even the president’s flagship crusade, the war against corruption, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in its usual format of old as a titillat-

ing drama of extra-judicial disclosures about mind-boggling multi-billion naira bazaar of graft with journalists providing support as drummer boys. The EFCC seems to relish its posturing in the court of public opinion better than the court of law.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, captured the essence of President Buhari’s challenge and what could be articulated as his vision for Nigeria with his piece on a New Sheriff in Town.

The sheriff was a folksy American frontier hero, the tough guy who rode into lawless frontier towns in America’s Wild, Wild West, guns blazing, to restore order in a showdown with outlaws. So, President Buhari’s main challenge is to restore public order in what is turning out a lawless, violent and anything goes Nigeria. It is a modern version of an uncompromising Showdown with Outlaws.

A sole focus on anti-corruption campaign, with emphasis on theft of public funds, may therefore be misplaced, because corruption is simply a symptom of a much, deeprooted general decadence and collapse of values in the society that demands more than the mechanistic anti-corruption police method. The architecture on which corruption is built – the family, church, institutions of learning, civil society – need to be comprehensively re-oriented and revalued and its deviants sanctioned, without let up. The civil service and the Nigeria Police are two key institutions of state one had expected would be given a drastic shake up, early in the administration, under the CHANGE DOCTRINE, given their collaboration and connivance in the rotten state of affairs the Presidency is seeking to redress.

But what fundamental change can we expect in these institutions when even the president seems to give kudos to civil servants while deriding ministerial positions?

That is the state of Nigeria today and why President Buhari cannot belong to all, but to only those ready to join the Save Nigeria Brigade. So, while the year 2016 is still at its early stage, we expectantly wait for the SHERIFF to ride into town, blazing.

• Dr. Olawunmi, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication, Bowen University, Iwo and former Washington Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria, writes via olawunmibisi@yahoo.com

37

opinion

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

When World Bank, EU, FG pledged to support Edo

By John Mayaki THERE is a combination of multi-sectoral, multi-skill, and multi-competence team from the World Bank, European Union and the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning Commission in Edo State whose mission seems a good omen for the entire citizens, post Adams Oshiomhole’s tenure in November 12, 2016.

This powerful team arrived the modern ancient city on Tuesday, with the intent to appreciate the state sovernment for the employment generated under State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) and to plead for continuity in poverty reduction policies and financial reforms. The team, among others, was in town to plan with Edo State Government officials on the midterm preview of the SEEFOR Project and providing the implementation support.

Being a midterm review, the leader of the World Bank Representative, Mr. Ismaila Ceesay, said, there was need to discuss and get the consensus of the State Government on areas that will require restructuring, if need be. Ceesay, who was briefing Governor Adams Oshiomhole during a courtesy call to Government House said, we have started our mission and it has been a very productive mission so far. The Project Coordinator and his team have demonstrated to us that for all the three components of the projects, there is actually feasible progress in terms of implementation process.

To quote Ceesay, “We are not going to work with you as a policeman versus the citizens, we are actually partners in this and that is why we also with the clearance of the EU, we have to agree to put on the mission this time and this time, I am sure you will realize that we have multisectoral, multi-skill, multi-competence team that will plan with your various officials in supporting the implementation of this very complex project; a project that has several multi skilled requirements in terms of providing implementation support.

“So, we stand ready to supporting you and so far, we are impressed with what we have seen. We are getting all the information we required and since the mission did not happen for over a year, we now realized that your state has actually progressed on its own, implementing the activities that were agreed in the World Bank to be implemented

and that issues are being resolved in a steady manner.

“We want to reconfirm to you that we the Bank and EU will stand by you in supporting your developmental strides. We have seen the progress that have been achieved in the past two years especially in the area of employment generation and financial management area”, the World Bank official explained.

Ceesay was not alone; the EU representative, Mr. Yuan Hansla, was also on hand to give Edo people some words of hope, courage and support. According to him, “We at the EU are very keen to see our additional finances that are going to be incorporated into the project to be finally approved and available by the end of this month to the beginning of next month. We are very happy to be partnering with the World Bank and National Planning Commission and with

the different states that we are partnering with. What we have heard this morning has been very encouraging and we are looking forward to continuing with this project”.

Governor Oshiomhole, in his response, underlined the concerns shown by the World Bank and the EU in the affairs of Edo State. He ramarked that. “It is one thing to throw the dollar and the Euro at nation states or some national government to deal with perceived challenges, it is another thing to show personal interest in monitoring and ensuring that those support translate to concrete terms and that they do have impact in the lives of actual human beings which is the primary purpose of government.

“For us, reforms have been the constant word. When I was in NLC, we talked about revolution but now, we realized that to make state viable and to deliver services more efficiently, we just must have unbending reforms if we like, what appears whether by reasons of changes in technology or the complexity of society and the ever mounting expectations of our people, we need to continue to improve on efficiency in service delivery at minimum cost and maximum output and so we are encouraged,” he said.

Governor Oshiomhole had, with all sense of responsibility, welcomed the partnership with the World Bank and European Union, noting that “we don’t see it as policing, and I think the logic of democracy is that nobody is too big not to be monitored because we all can benefit at least from the fear that we don’t even want to be embarrassed. That consciousness can make us to behave more responsibly and when state actors behave more responsibly, people benefits from good governance and the challenge, to that extent, we welcome your assessment as to what we are doing.”

“We appreciate your partnership, we appreciate your concern at a time our country is under severe pressure and you find, if there is anything to be learnt from the revelations in Abuja, is that we all can benefit from mutual policing. So, for me, I welcome this active engagement and physical interaction between the Bank, the Union and our officials,” the governor added, setting the tone for what is expected to be a fruitful and successful partnership for the transformation of Edo State and the betterment of its people.

• Mayaki is a Senior Special Assistant on Media to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State.

Oshiomhole, where are your friends?

Ehimekpen Ohidera IN the twentieth century, it is impossible for an honest man to be a critic, so declared our dear friend, George Steiner, the formidable European critic. Steiner, before the parochialism of Cambridge drove him to the continent, was the one literary critic who added class and élan to the intellectual life of England in the 70s.

Armed with massive erudition and a limpid costly elegant style, Steiner was always there in seminar essays, major reviews and indeed bristling rejoinders to amateur gladiators who might want to trip him. Steiner was not interested in taking intellectual hostages.

Steiner’s target on this occasion was George Lucas, the great Hungarian Maxist theatrician. It was Steiner’s contention that Lucas gambled away his exemplary gifts as a literary critic in the arid wasteland of Marxism. Steiner was only being less honest; otherwise he ought to have known that it takes a thief to trace the footsteps of another thief on a rock. Or else in the name of which devil does he himself speak so eloquently? Steiner in this case can be equated to our modern day Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State.

Only the other day, governor Oshiomhole was in his usual element, as he took the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion and his son, Chief Lucky Igbinedion to the cleaners over tax-related issues. The governor has just enacted some retroactive laws to catch up with the duo. The Igbinedions, with few others were the same elements that betrayed their political party, PDP, to bankroll Oshiomhole from political obscurity to become Edo State governor against the interest of the people.

One can recollect vividly in 2007 how Oshiomhole as a tenant in the Motel Benin Plaza, was quartered in one of the Igbinedions’ guest houses and allegedly given a grant running into millions, to fight the PDP and installed Osh-

iomhole as governor of the State.

Since his emergence as governor of Edo State in 2008, it has been difficult not to admire the dexterity with which he has been deafly, but maximally utilising the enormous influence and resources of his office, to consolidate his position as governor and straighten his hand within the APC. At the same time, he enjoys tremendous goodwill within the state traditional rulers and the ‘boys,’ which he has made key political concessions, including strategic positions of chairmen of motor parks.

A die-hard student of Nicolo Machiavelli’s principle in the book the “Prince,” Oshiomhole believes in the destruction of people and elements that assisted him to power, forgetting that he needs them when coming down.

Today, virtually all the civil commissioners, special advisers’, permanent Secretaries, and directors that helped him to power are either sacked, retired or demoted for daring to correct him.

Oshiomhole’s greatest headache today is the issue of his successor who will cover up the tracks for him. This phobia has put him on a permanent war with his deputy Dr Egberavben Odubu. Thus like a bull in the China’s shop Oshiomhole has unleashed a reign of terror on all those associated with his deputy whether in government or out of his government. Like the godfather which he has made himself, he has lunched one Godwin Obaseki as his successor. This Obaseki sermon, he has been preaching to all who care to listen to him, be it traditional rulers, students, and other. And he has never forgotten to tell them that this Obaseki is from a business mogul. Obaseki is also said to be the main egg-head of the Iyamo University, which only him and Oshiomhole can tell how much of the Edo State taxpayers’ money is in the project. In seven months’ time, Oshiomhole will be out of office and his actions will be subjected to the judgment of posterity. Not a few citizens of Edo will be interested in knowing how

the wheel of justice will roll. Not a few would like to know the true stories of Edo Line, Airport Road contract, the 40 per cent oil derivation monies meant for the oil-producing communities and the 10 per cent of the Federal Statutory allocation for the 18 local governments since 2008.

If some people regard Igbinedion’s eight years in power as years of locust and a rape of democracy, they will like to know what we have we got to show for the Oshiomhole’s years. Today, of the several segments of the economy in the state, only in the taxation sector can the government claim to have registered what some referred to as “hypocritical impression” on the populace.

All the state industries of Edo Line, Bendel Breweries, Edo Cement Factory, Ewu Flour Mill inherited by Oshiomhole’s administration are today all grounded. The people will like to know what went wrong.

For seven years now, Oshiomhole has persistently told the people that he is re-constructing and rehabilitating federal roads in the state at the expense of the state roads, but this has earned the administration scandals than political gains it intends to get. Airport road rehabilitation that would ordinarily have cost the taxpayers less than N1 billion is now costing over N14 billion and without an end to it. Today, no one can categorically say the exact amount the Central Hospital Benin extension is costing the taxpayer except Oshiomhole.

What should be the role of the legislature in all these?

That is the huge question at hand. As many have contended, a government that takes pride in beating confidence out of its lawmakers through intimidation cannot not be said to be government of the people, by the people and for the people. Edo State House of Assembly has been dumb; it will be like asking for the moon in daylight to expect its leadership to ask Oshiomhole questions.

• Ohidera writes from Benin City, Edo state.

38

L

OVERS of Nigeria’s president fondly call him President Muhammadu Buhari or Pa Muhammadu Buhari (PMB in both cases). No matter what you choose to call him, his admirers want you to come up with only one description; that of an incorruptible human, almost infallible. The man himself contributed to his saintly perception with his public declarations to the effect that he cannot lie.

Somehow, Buhari’s party and his supporters got the nation sucked in on their description of the former military leader during the 2015 election process. They believe he is Mai Gaskiya. But those who have followed the trend of the 2016 budget in the National Assembly since January 4 have become baffled as to what is becoming of the Gaskiya attributes of the Daura- born president.

When news first emanated in the first week of January to the effect that the 2016 Budget document was being withdrawn, the Presidency denied the story. The National Assembly also denied any request for such, but it still happened that the Budget document crawled its way out of the National Assembly complex.

The reality was to dawn on January 12 when the senators and members of the House of Representatives resumed sitting. The senate raised the alarm on the “missing budget.” Though the House of Representatives toned down the alarming news, it was clear the budget had been secretly “doctored” while the lawmakers were away. Senate’s enquiry eventually confirmed the document was “doctored.”

Those who claimed they knew Buhari claimed that heads would roll when the truth of the matter was established; they believed that Buhari would not condone any such act of illegal tampering with the Budget document.

But the President’s letter dated January 15, 2016, which was read on the floor of the Senate on January 19 tend to put a lie to the myth weaved around the Mai Gaskiya.

Mr. President wrote: “It will be recalled that on Tuesday 22nd December, 2016, l presented my 2016 budget proposals to the joint sitting of the National Assembly.

I submitted a draft bill accompanied by a scheduled of details. At the time of submission, we indicated that because the details had just been produced we would have had to check to ensure that there were no errors in the detailed breakdown contained in the schedule. That has since been completed and l understand that the correc-

AS I read the reports of the press conference the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Arkwright had with journalists last Tuesday in Kano, I couldn’t help but recollect what my little daughter used to say to me whenever I had to pay for some wrong decisions or actions.

She would go: “you see yourself now!” That was the first thing that came to my mind when the envoy said the British government would only repatriate our stolen wealth from the United Kingdom if certain conditions were met.

Can you believe it, our money? But that is what corruption and insatiable greed does to a nation whose people do not know when to stop.

Corruption in Nigeria is endemic, as it is all over the world. Even the moralists who are now placing conditionality before we can retrieve our stolen fund have their own form of corruption. But the level at which it is practised in Africa is such that the whole continent stinks. As a friend of mine would say, “corruption has always been and will always remain the bane of the African society no matter how hard we try to stop it. And that is why the equally corrupt developed countries would stand on their high horses and lecture us on what to do.” And I add, when our leaders and those entrusted with our commonwealth decide that they must steal the treasury blind, then, what do you expect from those in whose countries they have stashed the looted funds? The greed, the thievery! The revelations being made during the current Dasukigate and the calibre of people being implicated is so mind-boggling that one wonders how many would remain of the so-called elite if the trend continued the way it is going. No wonder Arkwright said, “what is of utmost concern to the British government is how the repatriated funds will be utilised.”

Truly, one could argue that the British have no moral standing to castigate our thieving leaders and public office holders when they were obviously accessories to the crime, by knowingly creating a safe haven for corrupt Nigerians to lodge stolen funds in their countries, only to offer to help after huge amounts of money have been earned as interest on the stolen money.

24 January, 2016

the lynxeye with Taiwo adisa

08072000046 taiadisbabatj@gmail.com

Who wants to deconstruct Buhari?

tions have been submitted.

“The National Assembly would therefore have the details as submitted on the 22nd and a copy containing the corrections submitted last week. It appears that this has led to some confusion.

“In this regard please find attached the corrected version. This is the version the National Assembly should work with as my 2016 budget estimates. The draft bill remains the same and there are no changes in any of the figures.

“Please accept Mr. Senate President, the assurances of my highest regards.”

To the uninitiated, the president’s letter had stated the

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

You see yourself now!

One could also extend the argument by insisting that if the British government is serious about repatriating our looted funds, it should return it with all accrued interest; we could also insist that Britain should return our artefacts - the Igboukwu craft, Nok art, the Benin art and so on and other valuable things they took from us in the past. As I was writing, someone who peeked into

Sunday Tribune

issues the way they were. But in reality, his letter only stated the opposite of reality. It affirmed he was in the know of the “doctoring process” and attempted to pass the same off as “submission.”

It took two separate but prolonged executive sessions in the Senate to calm frayed nerves and get to the conclusion to “move forward,” as the lawmakers resolved to allow the sleeping dog lie by overlooking the apparent misdemeanor.

The very first claim that targets Buhari’s clean record is the indication that he had told the lawmakers while presenting the estimates on December 22 that he would later correct some errors in the details. I have read the Budget speech and found no such comment.

Again, the president said: “The National Assembly would therefore have the details as submitted on the 22nd and a copy containing the corrections submitted last week.” Last week, referred to by Buhari was the first week of January when the legislators were still on recess.

It should be regarded as a national embarrassment to present a document full of untruth and half-truths either in the name of the president or under his authority to a parliament. But that is what Buhari’s Villa has done to him with the ill-conceived letter dated January 15.

I believe that ordinarily, the president was not in a difficult situation after the budget presentation even though the parameters were not adding up. The simple thing to do was to write the lawmakers and propose comprehensive review of the figures and parameters. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Instead of doing just that, his worshippers around power devised a means by which the Budget documents were secretly withdrawn from the National Assembly, doctored and secretly returned. In turn, the president was made to sign a document which described the “thief in the night” method as “submission.”

I think the president is lucky to have an Assembly that is not interested in undue antagonism. He should thank Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara for this. On the flipside, the president’s letter dated January 15 but read on January 19, which made only a passing reference to the infraction thus: “It appears that this has led to some confusion,” would have been sent back to him and a stalemate would have occasioned in the budget process.

my computer asked: “Is Britain doing this for the love of Nigerians? Or for the benefit they would further derive from the repatriation?” He also pointed out that in the process of returning our loot, Britain would make sure that we enriched her lawyers and solicitors and that by the time they are done with us, every penny of our supposed loot would have gone as fees and commissions to their attorneys.

Yet there is a lot of sense in the concern Britain is showing. The British envoy cited past cases of diversion of stolen funds and mishandling of property by a few individuals in authority for personal interests after repatriation, maintaining that the UK was specifically interested in the end result and area of usage before the fund would be return to the country.

In line with the fears expressed by the British government, what is the guarantee that the looted funds would indeed be used to improve the living standard of the generality of Nigerians, and also what is the guarantee that the repatriated funds won’t be re-looted by another set of greedy people who would have access to the funds? What really is the assurance that we won’t need these former lords to oversee and closely monitor the projects for which the looted funds would be allocated?

Corruption has become such a culture in Africa that one couldn’t but agree with Mr. Arkwright and his home government’s plan to initiate an international asset recovering system to ensure wealth returned would be judiciously used. It is a real shame that after many year of independence and after the exposure of our public servants to developed cultures we are still allowing ourselves to be treated like this over our heritage. We have left ourselves open to whatever comes our way, and really, we shouldn’t complain. See how they are also treating our president. All the expression of belief in the genuineness of President Muhammadu Buhari’s change mantra in all sectors of the economy is nothing but ‘diplomatese’. The truth is that no one is trusted, not even Mr. President.

But we brought it upon ourselves, didn’t we? And we have to live with it.

39

24 January, 2016

ON THE

Sunday Tribune

With Bolanle Bolawole turnpot@gmail.com 07052631058

lord’sday Giving Muhammadu Buhari bad name

W

HEN former President Goodluck Jonathan, in trying to distance himself from those calling for more positive “action” from him in arresting the obvious drift of the ship of state under his leadership, made the now infamous statement of “I am not a Pharaoh; I am not a Goliath; I am not a General,” Nigerians railed at him. Perhaps, that was the last straw that broke his carmel’s back. After that not-so-carefully-thought-out speech, Nigerians who had been trying to nudge Jonathan to be firmer in responding to burning national issues, more so the shenanigans of aides, family, and hangers-on, gave up on him. This must be a pathologically weak, incomprehensibly incoherent, and embarrassingly incompetent leader, the nation reckoned. When the Day of Decision came, Nigerians ventilated their frustrations, which had mounted over time; for, as they say, it is little drops of water that make up an ocean. The mighty ocean that the follies, foibles, and inanities of Jonathan built up incrementally over time submerged and swept him off his feet and out of power.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Incidentally, everything Jonathan confessed he was not appears to be what his successor is. Muhammadu Buhari is not only a fighter (a David); he is also someone eager for a fight. In fact, he will go out of his way to look for one! If diplomacy and war can either resolve a matter, Buhari will choose to shoot his way through. Like Pharaoh, Buhari is incorrigible in his beliefs; hardened in the pursuit of his missions, and undeterred by any litany of perils sign-posting his route. Of course, the new president is a retired two-star Army General, a one-time dictatorial Head of State and Commander-in-Chief. He is a veteran of many wars and battles who, possessing a Messianic bent never shied away from taking unpopular decisions. Buhari, thus, appears to be Jonathan’s very opposite and the former president, in mistaking virtues for vices and vice versa, missed the point by a wide margin and paid dearly for it. Different epochs and times dictate virtues and vices and the hallmark of a discerning leader is to correctly read and respond to the situation.

Ironically, however, such is never cast in iron. Benevolent as well as malevolent tides blow over them and changing times and circumstances sweep one away and enthrone another. Again, the hallmark of a smart leader is to master the flow and ride the currents. Which is why, in the advanced democracies – and Nigeria will someday get there – a party swept out of power by the gale of disenchanted electorate soon rides the crest of popular support again to end its sojourn in the political wilderness and make triumphant come-back into power. Because our democracy is young, this dynamics of democracy was lost on PDP, making its leaders gloat that they would rule ad infinitum; but no sooner than they made their boast, like the Biblical rich but foolish man, than they came tumbling from the pinnacle of political power. Let the APC beware if it is not to fall into similar error!

The carting to court in handcuffs of Olisa Metuh, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, was an agonising, pitiable, and sorry spectacle. But the shame was not Metuh’s as it was the ruling party’s. Were Metuh sufficiently political, he would have made political capital of that very unfortunate situation and turned the tables on his traducers. He would have, like the irrepressible Gani Fawehinmi and iconoclast Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, held aloft his chained hands to the chagrin of his political foes. He would have been defiant like the “Black Pimpernel” Nelson Mandela and hero of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro, author of the famous “history will absolve me” speech. But, then, Metuh is Metuh and not, by any stretch of the imagination, a towering figure of integrity and pro-people activism. A tragedy of our politics is the total abstinence from political ideology as the driving force of political action.

Men and women lacking in pro-people convictions get into office and set about serving primordial and selfish interests, ruining rather than running the State and setting us back by their deeds and misdeeds.

Service. Metuh, who lately had been a thorn in the flesh of Buhari\APC, was put in chains if not on the direct orders of APC\Buhari but certainly to curry presidential attention and favour by someone crying more than the bereaved. Metuh, in his new role as opposition spokesperson, has performed admirably. As I have often stated, vibrant opposition is a fulcrum of democracy. Yet, that should neither attract unto Metuh sacred cow status nor victimization by the powers-that-be. In this same country we saw APC’s Lai Mohammed run Jonathan and PDP ragged when he was opposition spokesperson; and APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was tried by the Code of Conduct Tribunal; none of them was put in chains. Since #Dasukigate broke, none of those charged to court; not even the master-mind, Sambo Basuki, who reportedly maintained armament at home as well as stone-walled his arrest, was put in chains; why Metuh?

The inferences are many and dangerous. Not paying commensurate attention to such sensibilities and frailties of our nation ruined Jonathan. Will history repeat itself with Buhari?

...And Gov. Oshiomhole’s pedantic logic

They deserve to be punished and should, indeed, be severely punished. The rot in the system is mind-boggling and the impunity intolerable. The sheer size of the loot and depth of the sleaze, evidenced in decrepit infrastructure and yawning gaps in developmental activities all over, is mind-bending. But suspects should have their day in court. Due process must be observed and the rule of law followed. Our pains and frustrations notwithstanding, the inalienable rights of man cannot be abridged or treated with levity. When we so observe the rules of civilised conduct, we do demonstrate our humanity as opposed to the crass bestiality of common criminals and debased scoundrels; for, as they say, two wrongs do not add up to a right. Maltreating them, like the State did Metuh, only draws them undeserved sympathy; and when such happens, State and people suffer double jeopardy.

Rightly or wrongly, a case has already been made of creeping fascism against Buhari and further acts of infantile radicalism as was displayed in the Metuh case can only go to confirm rather than dispel the accusation of a supposedly democratic government getting increasingly irascible and intolerant of democratic ethos. In spurning the courts; over-riding bails granted accused persons; railing against due process and the rule of law; mistreating opposition figures, and making the anti-graft war look like an Inquisition against political opponents, Buhari is unwittingly allowing the label of an unrepentant dictator being brandished by the PDP stick on him. One dictatorial action after another and the count continues, until his cup is full and we behold a mighty ocean capable of generating the kind of avalanche that swept Jonathan off his feet and out of power. If Buhari and APC will work against such a fate, they must not only call to order but also punish busy-bodies like the prison officers that put Metuh in chains. None of the excuses they offered for their hare-brained action resonates with the right-thinking.

PDP National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo’s narrative appears more plausible than that of the Nigeria Prisons

Edo governor, Adams Oshiomhole’s justification for the chaining of Olisa Metuh is as puerile as it is ludicrous. The excuses of the Nigeria Prisons Service itself, jejune as they were, towered head and shoulders over Oshiomhole’s. Hear the Edo governor: “If those accused of lesser crimes are handcuffed and paraded by the police and got no sympathy from the public, Mr. Metuh and others accused of diverting huge public funds should not have sympathy” Oshiomhole missed it by wide margins.

Manacles are used if there is justifiable reason to suspect that the suspect could bolt and run; could become violent and cause bodily harm to self or others; and could, that way, obstruct or pervert the cause and course of justice. If the Prisons had been able to prove the likelihood of any of the above against Metuh, no reasonable fellow would have raised eyebrows against his being chained.

But it would appear that he was chained just to humiliate him. And because, in the sight of Oshiomhole, Metuh is accused of crimes greater than those of petty thieves who are routinely humiliated by the Police, he, too, deserves his humiliation! Putting a citizen in chains is not even a discretion Prisons officials can whimsically appropriate to themselves like the Prisons spokesperson, Francis Enobore, attempted to argue; for the dignity of the human person and the self-worth of every Nigerian citizen, cannot be so brazenly abrogated by officialdom. Added Oshiomhole: “If people who steal goats, grass-cutters are in handcuffs; I have been to the police station several times and I see young men who stole not more than N500,000 in handcuffs. They are paraded and made to sit on the floor. Why should a certain set of criminals be treated as if they are not suspected criminals (and) for serious crimes at that” It is not the quantum of money or items stolen that determines whether or not a suspect is put in chains but the likely conduct of the suspect. Adams ought to know that parading of suspects is illegal and I have read a lot of advocacy against the obnoxious practice, even from the like of Femi Falana that the governor appeared to eulogise in his speech under review. Is Adams supporting the dehumanising treatment meted out to lesser criminals and should he not speak out against such? As governor, what did he do to stop such inhuman treatment when he saw it with his koro-koro eyes at police stations? What legislation has he sponsored to stop media trial or lynch mentality that presumes suspects guilty even before they have stood trial? No! The inhuman treatment, which Adams saw lesser criminals suffer is illegal and should stop forthwith. Extending the same inhuman treatment to bigger criminals is also illegal and should not be condoned or canvassed.

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24 January, 2016

language&style

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

Heaps of rubbish! II

T

ODAY we return to the only sample examined last week.

In that excerpt, a few issues have not been attended to.

Here is the excerpt presented as Sample 1.

Sample 1: “Suddenly from Ajegunle to Apapa, Ketu to Ojota, Mushin to Safejo and even along Oshodi-Apapa expressway, piles of rubbish are returning in heaps…Aside appealing to the managers to do everything within their power to clean up wastes in the city and ensure a cleaner Lagos capable of attracting more investors and boosting the state’s economy, he equally urged citizens to shun the habit of disposing wastes on highways and other restricted areas…One Festac resident who simply identified herself as Alhaja told our correspondent that she has resorted to patronizing truck-pushers in disposing her wastes because of the many disappointments in the hands of PSP operators…This she said is in spite of the fact that the government has been trying really hard to discourage patronage of the truckpushers because of the manner they dispose the wastes which it considers malicious to the sanctity of the environment…He said they collect wastes once in two weeks which is too far between…

Resultantly, he said wastes piled up and they are forced to patronize truck-pushers…He therefore prefers to patronize an elderly truck-pusher in the area who he believes dumps the wastes at a longstanding dumpsite in the area…Alhaja Adeola told The Nation that LAWMA has become more responsive in the collection of their wastes along the express. What’s worse is that these wastes are never well-packed…He wondered if Lagosians do not realize that the people responsible for collecting the wastes are human beings like them…One roadside trader who said she does not live in the area but comes there to do business on a daily basis said the wastes are often cleared up every morning…She said she was sure that the residents in the area usually come and dump those refuse there behind their backs…there is a toll-free line which has been made available to operators and the general public which they can call so that alternative arrangements can be made to clear the wastes…She stressed that there are opportunities of wealth creation from the wastes we generate at home and in industries…” (Grimaces, as Heaps of Refuse Return to Lagos, The Nation on Sun Sunday, January 10, 2016) Let’s note the expression too far between which occurs in the following context: “He said they collect wastes once in two weeks, which is too far between…” The reporter has violated the integrity of the idiom, having presented only a fragment of it, a fragment whose only contextual value, if that may be regarded as any significant value at all, is to help remind us that there is an idiom available here only in a fractured form. In addition to botching up its form, the reporter has done even worse damage to its usage.

The whole expression available in the English lexicon, with its integrity intact, is: few and far between. When we say a phenomenon isfew and far between, we mean it is rare, scarce, rarely experienced or encountered. Usage examples: 1) The marriage counselor is of the opinion that women who retain their virginity up to the time of marriage are few and far between.

2) Men who make good husbands and fathers are few and far between. 3) Families that do not have any form of challenge at all are few and far between. 4) Completely honest businessmen are few and far between. 5) People who go into politics for altruistic reasons are few and far between. 6) Totally white animals are few and far between. 7) Work places that are completely free of industrial crises are few and far between.

8) We are in an era in which political leaders who truly love the masses are few and far between. 9) Cars that are efficient in every respect are few and far between. 10) Incorruptible policemen, like incorruptible judges, are few and far between.

11) Natural springs that are completely safe for drinking without treatment are few and far between. 12) Members of the white race who do not harbour any form of racial prejudice are few and far between.

The fragment of the idiom presented by the reporter is: too far between. We have noted that the expression in this form is defective. However, the expression too few,which is probably the one that creates confusion in the mind of the reporter leading him to produce a damaged version,is a good one. Please read the following sentences: 1) Three rains in three months are too few to make any significant impact on the crops. 2) Only two medical checkups in one year are obviously too few. 3) Three

police patrols in one week are too few to be effective. 4) Five computers are definitely too few for a class of one hundred students. 5) Women holding public offices are too few in this country. 6) Media reports of the activities in the rural areas are too few.

By the way, readers should note that the word few and the expression a few are used to modify countable nouns. The word little and the expression a little, on the other hand, are used to modify uncountable nouns. That, however, is a subject for another day.

Next, I draw readers’ attention to the adjective malicious which occurs in the following context: “because of the manner they dispose the wastes, which it considers malicious to the sanctity of the environment.” Unless the reporter’s intention in choosing the word malicious is to use some form of figurative language, his choice is so queer that one is tempted to believe he has made a blind or ignorant choice!One could be accused of being ‘malicious’ to the ‘environment’ only if one thinks of the environment in terms of the human person. Unfortunately, there is nothing in the context suggesting that the environment is being personified. Would injurious or damaging or harmful not likely to be a better word?

The adjective malicious comes from the noun malice, which conveys the idea of evil, malevolent intention. A person who harbours malice against another person is full of bitterness and is expecting something evil to happen to that person.

A person can have malicious intentions; he may look at another person maliciously; he may tell malicious lies against another person; people may spread malicious rumours about a person, etc.

Next, I draw your attention to the word wastes which occurs at least sixteen times in the excerpt. In each of those sixteen appearances, the word occurs in its plural form. This is an error, for the word waste normally occurs in its singular, non-count form in the sense in which it is used in this context.

Here are some of the contexts in which the word occurs (in its plural form) in the excerpt: to clean up wastes in the city; disposing of wastes on the highways; disposing her wastes; they dispose the wastes; they collect wastes once in two weeks; he said wastes piled up; dumps the wastes; collection of their wastes; dumping their wastes along the express; to dump their wastes; these wastes are never well-packed; people responsible for collecting the wastes; dispose their wastes; the wastes are often cleared up; arrangements can be made to clear the wastes; the wastes we generate, etc.

Not surprisingly, the reporter modifies the word (in its plural form) with plural pronouns (these, them). Again, in consistency with this, he selects plural verb-forms (are). The following are examples: these wastesare never well-packed; the wastes are often cleared up; residents are prohibited from dumping their wastesalong the express…who are supposed to pack… them…who would in turn pick them…

As we have pointed out, the word waste in the sense in which it is being used here always occurs in the singular. The following sentences illustrate the usage: 1) The waste generated by the city every week is dumped into a huge pit. 2) The huge waste is already decomposing. 3) Waste is usually recycled in advanced countries of the world. 4) If waste is allowed to pile up and decay, it may constitute health hazard. 5)The waste is removed every week.

It is interesting that the noun refuse, used as the synonym of waste, is also modified by a plural pronoun: dump those refuse there. Please note the plural pronoun those. This is not good English. The following sentences illustrate the usage of the noun refuse: 1) The refuse is dumped there early in the morning. 2) The refuse is removed by those who are paid to do so. If it is not removed, the contractors will be penalized. 3) The refuse is not supposed to be burnt. It is meant to be buried. 4) The refuse is meant to be taken far away from living accommodation.

It breeds bacteria that are harmful to human health. 5) Refuse is often used as raw material for the production of fertilizers. It is highly valued in the advanced countries of the world.

Both waste and refuse are invariably used in the singular sense. They should never be pluralized. Plural verbs should not be attached to them. They should not be modified or referred to by using plural pronouns:these, they,those, them.

Sunday Tribune

line

life with

Niyi Osundare

Random Blues Hipping and hopping like a kangaroo Up in the morning, down at noon Yes, hipping and hopping like a kangaroo Up in the morning, down at noon These ceaseless gallops and curious gait That keep you sweating from moon to moon

Swinging and swinging like a public door With no one there to oil your hinge Say, swinging and swinging like a public door With no one there to oil your hinge Your crowdiest rally, your loudest song Just another whisper from a frantic fringe

Sing all the same, unload your pain On this dire disc and its seamless grooves Say, sing all the same, unload your pain On this dire disc and its seamless grooves A well tuned song with the maestro’s magic Lingers in the ear till the world improves

I never knew the leaves could swing Until I saw the wind exude command Yes, never knew the leaves could swing Until I saw the wind give command But the forest sees it all As the season’s sweet and just demand

Different seasons, different songs The rain’s endless chatter on the sloping roof Yes, different seasons, different songs The rain’s talkative chatter on the sloping roof With its clap of thunder and misty maze Will cure this dust of all its wrongs

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24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

With Rita Okonoboh rosarumese@gmail.com 08053789087

tribunechurch

Every time I go against the faith, something bad happens —Tyler Perry

Born into poverty and raised in a household scarred by abuse, multiple award winning creative genius, Christian movie producer, Tyler Perry is also a writer, actor, director, among other things. The multi-dimensional artiste, whose career was set in motion by a simple piece of advice from Oprah Winfrey, has movies such as the Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea’s Family Reunion, Daddy’s Little Girls, Why Did I Get Married?, Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counsellor, Good Deeds, among other wave-making productions, and in this interview, speaks on why he uses Christian themes in his movies, what fuels his passion, how his writing has evolved, among other issues. Excerpts:

O

n keeping the faith For me, there is a guiding compass that just lives inside of me.

Every time I‘ve gone against it, something bad has happened. As long as I stay in line and honour it, it has really been life changing. That is the way I have written these shows, and that is the place where I write these shows from. If you look at “The Have and the Have Nots”, I didn’t want to write a show where everyone is

great and wonderful and perfect.

I wanted to write it so that you’re not really sure who the haves are.

You look at Hanna and you see that she doesn’t have much, but she has great faith. The Christians were having a fit because Hanna is so all over the place, but she’s so real. She represents such a real version of a Christian. I couldn’t make her too perfect so that nobody would be able to relate to her. She represents that Christian that falls short, that makes

mistakes, that has to repent, that has to pray hard for forgiveness.

I don’t know one Christian that can’t relate to that, so for me it’s my compass that is leading me to whatever is truth, whatever is right, and that’s the path I’m supposed to go down.

This speaks to my shows and how I write. People say, ‘Well Tyler why aren’t you doing this, or using this kind of person?’ ‘Why do your characters have to look like this?’ As an individual, you don’t have to conform to what everybody else thinks. You don’t have to conform to what everybody thinks success should look like, it has to be true to you. I’m not interested in doing “Star Wars”. It’s an amazing movie, but that’s not my gift. I tell the stories that I tell that relate to the people who love what I do.

That is the place and the path that I know I am supposed to be on.

The minute I try and go do something else, it will be amazing to watch how quickly that don’t work.

On the Evolution of Both “The Haves and the Have Nots” and “Love Thy Neighbor” What’s amazing about this, is that we are about to cross one hundred episodes for both of these shows. What’s so great about it is, that you start one way, but the characters dictate where they want to go, and how they want to go. If you look at a show when it first starts, you go, ‘hum…how is going to go?’ but by the tenth episode, you see the characters start to gel, and you really start to believe them. That’s what has happened w i t h both of these

shows. By episode fifteen we had settled in. I think at this point in both the shows, the characters have evolved and the show has a evolved. With Veronica (Angela Robinson ‘HAHN’) having one or two lines in the first show, I didn’t know she was going to turn out to be this character, but I love the madness of it. I love the insanity of it.

On the writing process I’ve said this before, I don’t have a writer’s room, I write all of the shows myself. Ninety-one episodes a season, I’m sitting at the computer writing, writing and writing. I want the voice to be authentic, so the audience is hearing from me and not other writers.

There are a lot of other shows on the air that are fantastic shows, but they have writer’s rooms. The people that we love the most only write one or two episodes a season. What’s great about it when your writing for actors like this, who are tremendously talented, you can throw anything at them.

I sit in a room and as I’m sitting at the computer, and I can hear these characters talking. The only thing that is difficult for me is to force one show out of my head so that Eddie doesn’t sound like Joe, or that Mama Hattie doesn’t sound like Angela which in a way they kind of do. If you look at the characters themselves, and the shows themselves they are very different and don’t think people really give credit to how different each show is. The pleasure that I take is being at work for the actual characters themselves. So, the minute that they stop talking, we have a problem.

On the ‘Tyler Perry’ brand Very early on, when I started doing these plays and live shows, I was travelling from city to city and there were a million shows out there, and I wanted to step out among it. So, I started putting my name above the title. I remember getting to a city and talking to one of the promoters because my name wasn’t on the marquee, and we had this argument about it. He said, ‘Who do you think you are?’ Even then, when nobody knew my name, I had this idea to build a brand, and if you’re going to build a brand then people have

to recognize that brand, and when they see that brand, people have to get what they expect from that brand. So that’s what is always been about for me. The “Tyler Perry Presents” has never been about ego; it’s never been about look at me. It’s about the fact that I want this brand to be identified with this kind of entertainment.

On the filming structure at Tyler Perry studios A show like “Scandal”, or “Empire” takes a week and a half to shoot one episode. Their budget is almost five times what we have to spend on an episode. We shoot an episode in a day and a half, so we are moving non-stop. We have to come to set ready to go, that’s why I love these people, and that’s why I love working with theater actors and people who have been around this a long time. We all come together to do this, and they all get it right away.

Source: http://blogs.indiewire.com

2016: More surprises await Nigerians —Prophet Ayenbumose

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Corruption started in the church —Pastor Bakare

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Unpaid salaries:

Leaders must avoid threat, arrogance, impunity —Bishops

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24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

With Olaide Sokoya ollydesanmi@yahoo.com 08074497425

churchnews

Unpaid salaries: Leaders must avoid threat, arrogance, impunity —Bishops

By Rita Okonoboh

T

he Catholic Bishops of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province, comprising of the Archdiocese of Ibadan and the Dioceses of Ondo, Ekiti, Ilorin, Oyo and Osogbo, have called on state governors to avoid any sign of threat, arrogance or impu-

nity, with regards to unpaid salaries, especially in the face of the current economic downturn.

This was part of the submissions of the Bishops at the First Plenary meeting for the year 2016 held from January 18-19, at the Jubilee Conference Centre, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, with the theme, “Keep Yahweh’s At-

tention.”

According to a communiqué made available to TribuneChurch by Bishop Emmanuel Badejo of Oyo diocese, the clerics called for positive resolutions regarding workers’ salaries.

“One of the areas in which we plead for a positive resolution is in the payment of workers’ salaries.

This unfortunate situation continues to foment considerable hardship on citizens in many states of the federation. We commend the states of the federation which have reached some sort of an agreement with their workers on the issue and are making serious effort to assuage the workers’ pains. Our leaders must

avoid any sign of threat, arrogance or impunity in dealing with sensitive public challenges. Most people are bearing the brunt of the current economic situation with everything they have and the leaders must not add more emotional trauma to their burden. Governors are also public servants, and therefore must deal with

Encomiums as Pastor Ojo buries father The Senior Pastor of Grace Family International Church, Reverend Deola Ojo, last weekend, buried her late father, Chief Emmanuel Adeoye Adisa, in Ibadan, Oyo State, amidst tears and encomiums.

Adisa, an elder statesman and former Minister for Home Affairs and Information and later Minister for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters in the old Western Region of Nigeria, passed on to glory on November 16, 2015 at 97.

At the commendation service held in honour of the late renowned politician at The Cathedral of St. Peter, Aremo, Ibadan, Oyo State, the Vicar, Revd.

Ayodeji Ayodele, urged everyone to draw lessons from the life of the deceased, irrespective of the position one occupies, stressing that he was not only a highly principled community leader with impeccable character, but was also deeply compassionate and close to God before his death.

The cleric said though Pa Adisa’s death was painful, Nigerians would never forget that he lived a life full of integrity, honour and selfless service to the country, appealing to those in the political class to emulate him by eschewing politics of bitterness, hatred and tribalism, which he stood for before his death.

He noted that the report of accolades and tributes paid on the deceased had identified him to be a committed leader to issues relating to the welfare of his people and community at large.

other citizens with respect and courtesy,” the communiqué read.

Emphasising the importance of the Jubilee of Mercy, in which they called on all to all to seek God’s mercy, the bishops congratulated security personnel on the victory against insurgency and discouraged punishing innocent people for the crimes of guilty insurgents.

Bishop Oluwarohunbi commends Amosun on security

From left, Reverend Adeola Ojo (nee Adisa); her husband, Reverend Yinka Ojo; Mr Adekunle Adisa; Mr Adeniran Adisa, and Dr Akin Aborisade, during the commendation service for the former Minister for Home Affairs and Information in the old Western Region of Nigeria, late Chief Emmanuel Adeoye Adisa, held at The Cathedral of St. Peter, Aremo, Ibadan, Oyo State, recently.

From left, the event chairman, K.B. Mark Anthony; Parish Priest, St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, Very Reverend Father Anthony Fadairo; Chairperson, Liturgical Committee, Chief Mrs Henritta Vanni and Monsignor Philip Hoteyin, during the celebration of St. Agnes feast day, the Patron Saint of St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, last week, in Lagos. PHOTO: SYLVESTER OKORUWA.

More reactions pour in after Anglican Primates meeting Sequel to the meeting held by the Primates of the Anglican Communion worldwide at London, last week, more reactions have continued to trail the outcome, in which it was decided that the Episcopal Church of the US be excluded from official representation of the Anglican Communion worldwide.

As published by Church Times, UK, a statement from the conservative

GAFCON group expressed “doubt about the effectiveness”, and regretted that there was no recognition that the Anglican Church of Canada “has also rejected the collegial mind of the Communion by unilaterally permitting the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of those in active homosexual relationships. We fear that other provinces will do the same.”

The Secretary-General of the Communion, Dr Revd Josiah Idowu-Fearon, in his reflection noted that “The Primates voted on what consequences there should be for The Episcopal Church in response to their action. Six Primates voted for no consequences and a simple rebuke, but the overwhelming majority, 30 Primates, voted for some form of consequence of varying severity. This

showed that while there was a wide range of opinions about what form the response should take, there was a fundamental consensus that there should be some real consequence.”

In a press conference, the Archbishop of Cape Town, Dr Thabo Makgoba, defended the Primates’ decision, which had been taken “for the good of the Church, to create order”.

The Bishop of Yewa Diocese, Ogun State, The Right Reverend Michael Oluwarohunbi, has commended the Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, for his efforts at ensuring adequate security of lives and properties across the state.

The cleric stated this during an interactive session with newsmen at Ilaro recently.

Noting what he described as tremendous improvement experienced in Ogun State regarding security, Oluwarohunbi stated that people living in the town could now sleep with two eyes closed.

According to him, “we are all witnesses to the ongoing development and transformation of infrastructure across Ogun State. The peaceful atmosphere and high level of adequate security of lives and properties in the state especially in our own town here, is commendable.

The Bishop, who said that the diocese would continue to support the state government in its developmental drive, pointed out that the church has been able to get many youths off the street through the establishment of skill acquisition programmes not only in Ilaro but across Yewaland.

He also urged the state government to bring more developmental programmes to Ilaro in order for the town to wear the same look like that of Abeokuta and Ijebu-Ode.

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24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Corruption started in the church —Pastor Bakare Pastor Mrs Ebunoluwa Oluwaseyi Bakare is the founder of C&S Chapel of Joy, Oluwamayomikun parish, Mokola, Ibadan. She is also the brain behind Women of Prayer Mission. In this interaction with OLAIDE SOKOYA, she speaks about her ministry and the challenges she faces being a woman in the ministry. Excerpts:

W

hat was growing up like?

I was born into the Coker family; I grew up in Ibadan shortly before Nigeria got her Independence. I attended Queen’s School, Apata, Ibadan. After my secondary school, I worked for two years before I proceeded to Ogun State Polytechnic, now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic where I obtained my Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business Administration. I did my youth service at Sketch press and after that, I joined the civil service as a teacher. I taught for some years before I ventured into the private sector. I worked there for some time before I started my business. I was into buying and selling from early 90s to late 2000. In 2010, when my business was at its peak – I was more or less a major distributor in Nigeria – God told me to choose between my business and the work of God. For three months, I was so sad and I even cried, as I was not sure I wanted to leave my flourishing business for preaching on the pulpit. After some months, I had to bow to God’s command. I am married to Mr Temmy Bakare, a quiet businessman and we are blessed with wonderful children.

Why did you decide to found the Women Prayer Mission?

About six years ago, the Lord told me to gather women together to pray concerning our families. You know when God was about to create the woman, he told the man I would give to you a helpmate.

So, the prayer mission is for us women to come together to pray for our husbands, children, homes and careers. The mission is the voice of the Lord. It has been very wonderful; at least, women now know how to take everything to God in prayer instead of worrying over little things and running helter-skelter.

What inspired you to embrace the pulpit, despite being a career woman?

It is a calling. Before I was born, a man of God told my mother that the child in her would be a girl and a prophetess.

However, while growing up, I wanted to become a career woman and I became one. I did not buy the idea of becoming

a prophetess because my mother was also a prophetess. In 2000, the Lord himself told me to “Gather people together and preach my word to them.” I already knew that the major work of a prophetess is seeing revelations and teaching God’s word.

1Timothy 2: 11-12, states that “a woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.”

What are the challenges you have encountered as a woman, founding a church and having a women mission?

I have faced many challenges due to this question. Anytime I’m on the radio for my weekly programme, many people call and challenge my preaching the word of God, quoting Timothy and Apostle Paul in the Bible where it is said that women are not to preach or teach and women are to keep silent in the church. Going through my own Bible, throughout the lifetime of Jesus, he did not stop women from talking.

When we are talking about the church, a church is not the structure but a gathering of people. So, when people say women should be silent in the church, then, I think women should not be Sunday school teachers; they should not be singing as choristers. God said “Go ye into the world

and preach the gospel”. He did not say “Men go and women stay”.

Another challenge is that I grew up in a white garment church. Out of curiosity, I wanted to know more about the Bible, so I attended a Bible school. When God called me, I had little problem about my background, which is the white garment church. People have many reservations about the white garment church and this has made it very difficult for people to accept me and for me also to convince my people that it is the right way. The orientation we have when we are in white garment church is a bit different from what the Bible tells me. So, I need to tell them what they are doing is wrong and it’s not biblical. All what they are doing are contrary to the Bible.

On to national matters, how do you think the current administration can solve the problem of corruption?

This problem would have been addressed if not for the corrupt practices of people at the top. Money meant for security keeps getting into the various pockets of so-called leaders. If they have used the money to buy the equipment they needed, by now, Boko Haram thing could have been a thing of the past. So, let Buhari be more focused and face them squarely. He

Contrary to what others are saying, I know it is well with Nigeria... Things may be a bit tough, but I know we will enjoy stability in 2016.

should continue to fight corruption.

What is the role of the church in the fight against corruption?

In fact, corruption started in the church.

The only way to fight corruption is by preaching the word of God. These days, pastors preach about money, wealth and prosperity; we no longer preach about salvation. Many pastors are afraid of preaching the gospel so that they will not lose members. Let us preach the right thing because God will bring all work to judgment. These days, pastors now run under government; they too want to share in the proverbial ‘national cake’. The more churches we have, the more the increase in corrupt practices.

What do you foresee for Nigeria in 2016?

Contrary to what others are saying, I know it is well with Nigeria. Nigeria would be good to all of us. Things may be a bit tough, but I know we will enjoy stability in 2016. I prophesy that 2016 will be well for Nigerians.

What if you were not a cleric?

I wound have been the captain of an industry.

You are very active in the running of the ministry. How do you rest?

I don’t allow many people to come to my house. I see my home as a resting place for me. Apart from reading my Bible, I take my time to rest.

What is your advice to Nigerians, especially women?

Women should not be lazy but hardworking. We should be emblems of the truth and live righteously. We, women, should see ourselves as beautifully made

by God. We should be helpmates for our husband, take good care of our children, and be virtuous women in our places of work. Let all women have integrity.

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24 January, 2016

My God-given talent will take me to greatness —Oluwole

The truth is that you can’t compare your God-given talent to any other thing in life.

By Segun Adebayo

I

nspired by God to delve into music, gospel singer and songwriter, Livingstone Oluwole, is fast building a name for himself in the gospel music circles and has said he is certain that his God-given talent was enough to take him to greatness, as he continues to rise to fame in the music industry.

Oluwole, who discovered his penchant for music as a young boy, said he was firstly fascinated by musical instruments which he was exposed to being a son of a reverend in the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA), adding that those who knew him when he was young would attest to the fact the has always been passionate about music.

Oluwole said despite having realised his talent, he never took the God factor for granted, saying in everything he has done, he always puts God first. According to him, every perfect gift comes from God. “God comes first in everything I do. He gave me the talent in the first place, so if I don’t use it to glorify His name through singing praises and inspiring people, it would have been a fruitless and meaningless journey over the years”.

Speaking on how it all started, the fair complexion singer said after he graduated from the higher institution where he studied Electrical Engineering, he could not practise his profession, saying it was a time when he had to rediscover God’s purpose for his life.

By Segun Adebayo As Nigerians continue to wait on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government as he unfolds his plans for them, founder of Holy Michael Church of Cherubim and Seraphim, Prophet Michael Adekola, who is otherwise known as Ayenbumose, has said that President Buhari will deliver on all his electioneering promises, just as he said he would shock Nigerians with more damning revelations.

He insisted that it was pertinent for Nigerians to know that Buhari’s ascension to the position of the president was ordained by God and not man, adding that those who have been postulating wrongly that political calculations brought him in as the president don’t know how God works.

In his prophetic message to Nigerians during an interactive session which he exclusively granted Sunday Tribune, the well known cleric said Nigerians should continue to give unwavering support to Buhari so that he can make good his promises.

“The word of God to Nigerians today is that they should be patient with the president, because he will make them smile again and take Nigeria to greater heights. I am saying this as the prophet of the Most High that all those who have looted Nigeria’s treasury will be brought to book and made to pay for their sins against the people of this country. God told me that Nigeria will be great again.

Nigerians should ignore all the prophets of doom that have been spreading false prophecies to instill fear in the minds of the people”.

Continuing, he stated that “The Naira will appreciate again. God will silent the enemies of the nation who are behind the continuos fall of the Naira against the dollar as Nigeria’s currency will rebound again. God directed me to tell Nigerians that they should desist from any form of sin that could lead them to early death this year, because there will be untimely deaths this year but those who are close to God and keep their hands away from sin will be alive”.

He added that God has arrested the minds of those who have been fuelling religious crisis in the country, adding that the issue of insurgency would become a thing of the past very soon. “God will expose those who have been terrorising this country with the problem of Boko Haram and I can tell you as the prophet of God that their end has

Sunday Tribune

“The truth is that you can’t compare your God-given talent to any other thing in life. That was the first thing I was able to discover early in life. Even when I was in

school, it was not really hard for me to know that what I was studying (Electrical Engineering) in school at that time was not what God had called me to do, but pressure from parents and other factors would not let me drop it.

To the glory of God, I have never regretted not practising what I learnt in school, because God’s plan for me is bigger than that”.

With more than 15 years in the music ministry and five albums to his credit and his mind set on another one, he said his career has taken him within and outside Nigeria even as he hopes to take it farther.

“I have five albums in my kitty and I have received positive responses from those who have them, but my only challenge is that I couldn’t push it very well because of lack of funds and there was no marketer to help me”.

On how he came about his popular name, Livingstone, he said he became uncomfortable with his former name, Ebenezer, but he decided to change it to Livingstone because the biblical meaning of Ebenezer is ‘hitherto; the Lord helps us,’ which appeared as if a restriction was being placed on his level to rise above a certain level.

“One day, I was reading the scripture and I discovered that the meaning of Ebenezer was placing some level of restriction on me. I used to be very sick to the extent that I was always admitted to the hospital once in a month. One day, I got my healing through a deliverance programme on the television, and since that time, I have never fallen sick again. So, when I was in school one day, I was reading the scripture and I found in 1st Peter 5-9 that says ‘Ye as a Living Stone’. That was how the name became a part of my existence that I can’t do without,” he said.

2016: More surprises await Nigerians —Prophet Ayenbumose

come. Also, students in the higher institutions should be very careful about what they say and the places they

There will be no plane crash this year in this country, but people should pray fervently against fire disaster because there won’t be much rain this year

visit, because many servants of the devil have been sent out to destroy their lives by the virtue of the places they go and words that come out of their mouths. Those who trade inside a popular market in Ibadan should pray and desist from their evil ways. The Lord told me that most of them engage in devilish acts that could force the vengeance of God on them if they don’t turn a new leaf this year; they should move closer to God”.

The prophet concluded by saying that “There will be no plane crash this year in this country, but people should pray fervently against fire disaster because there won’t be much rain this year and the few rains would be heavy and would wreak havoc”, he said.

45 tribunechurch

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

dawnofanewera

firmfaith:rightreason

with Most Revd J.O. Akinfenwa Bishop of Ibadan Anglican Diocese

with Bishop Emmanuel Badejo, fradebadejo@yahoo.com

Unity and commitment

Losing our immortality

A world under a spell The world, it seems, is under a spell, that of the attenuation of values. By implication this also signals the eclipse of good character because good values form good character. This did not begin all of a sudden, and we have no reason to feign surprise. Much of our spiritual deficit today is actually self-inflicted. Anne Graham, the daughter of one of America’s most famous evangelists, Billy Graham made the point in her memorable prose, delivered some time ago during an interview. In it, she addressed the conspiracy against spiritual foundations and practices in the American educational system. “How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection, if we demand he leave us alone”?, she queried. Her query seems just as valid for us here today as it was when she made it in America, many years ago. Anne then laid out many incredible decisions taken against spirituality and morality in modern times which ordinarily should make God fearing people to wince. These include the prohibition of prayer and the reading of the Bible in the schools; the prohibition of discipline for minors when they misbehave; the liberalization of the decision to kill the unborn child and the proliferation of music and entertainment which disrespect human life and dignity and women by glamorizing rape, drugs, murder, suicide and satanic themes while claiming to offer “just entertainment”.

The bottom line Anne also defined the end product of this odd situation. “Now we are asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don’t know right from wrong, and why it doesn’t bother them to kill strangers, their classmates and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has to do with ‘WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.’ Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world’s going to hell.

Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says”.

In fact long ago, many preachers felt the heat to stop preaching homilies about hell ostensibly because their graphic description frightened church goers.

Over time, it became at times not only unfashionable but even offensive to preach about sin, retribution and hell. Thus, good homilies jettisoned a most important function; comforting the confounded and confounding the comfortable. Today that movement threatens to permeate our society, generating self-deceit and sinful complacency. All this is reminiscent of

It is intriguing to observe today how much modern man has “remained unoriginal”, with his old strategy of persecuting, as with Jeremiah, those who seek to proclaim the truth

Jeremiah’s situation when his people persecuted him. “ Denounce him! Yes denounce him! All my friends watch me to see if I will slip: ‘Perhaps he can be deceived,’ they say; ‘then we can get the better of him and have our revenge”.

(Jer.20:10). Jeremiah endured the assault of these persecutors because he spoke the truth which nobody wanted to hear. His only solace however was Yahweh and he ended up with a song “Sing to Yahweh!

Praise Yahweh and say: he has rescued the poor from the clutches of the wicked” (Jer. 20:13).

God does not change It is intriguing to observe today how much modern man has “remained unoriginal”, with his old strategy of persecuting, as with Jeremiah, those who seek to proclaim the truth. He still thus rejects the word of God and the template with which it ought to be fulfilled. The Bible is replete with admonition about the consequences of such human waywardness. Enter Psalm 37 with its comparative treatise about the fate of the wicked and the righteous. It clearly highlights the contrast between the temptations which the just man has to face and the false fortunes of the unjust.

“Do not be annoyed with evil people, nor be envious of wrongdoers. For they will fade as any green herb and soon be gone like withered grass” (Ps 37:1-2). Psalm 73 reads similarly. After lamenting how richly-blessed the evildoers seem to be the psalmist wrote: “Although, I tried to understand this, it was difficult for me, until I entered the secrets of God. Then I perceived their approaching doom. You placed them on slippery ground and make them fall into the pit” (Ps 73:16-18).

Heaven and earth shall pass away Jesus Christ himself sealed the discourse in these golden words: “Do not think that I have come to annul the Law and the Prophets. I have not come to annul them but to fulfill them” (Matt. 5:17). He broached no excuse for wrongdoing and left no one in doubt about the consequences. “So then, whoever breaks the least important of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same will be the least in the kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, whoever obeys them, and teaches others to do the same, will be great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5: 19). It all boils down to the eternal validity of the law of retribution and belief in our own immortality. Every human being with a soul must at some point ask whether there is life after this life. It would seem that only those who have killed the thoughts of immortality can habitually engage in willful, unholy acts. The Russian author, Fyodor Dostoyevsky once said: “if you were to destroy in mankind the belief in immortality, not only love but every living force maintaining the life of the world would at once be dried up. Moreover, nothing then would be immoral, everything would be permissible, even cannibalism”.

The loss of that sense of immortality seems to me therefore to be the source of most selfish, wicked and inhuman and choices seen among us today. We must revive and restore that spiritual element.

Text: Nehemiah 2: 15 - 20 Any time God’s people set out to do a thing that requires collective action, one requirement always ranks topmost amongst others. That requirement is unity.

Unless we are united, we cannot agree in the first instance upon a common objective.

In Genesis 11:1 - 9, we read of the united and committed resolve of the people of Babel to build a tower that would reach unto the heavens. The people drew such strength from unity and commitment that nothing could stop the project. Even God admitted that nothing would prevent these united people from achieving their goal (verse 6). So God had to scatter their language (in other words, disunite them).

That is why Apostle Paul enjoins us in Ephesians 4: 1-3: Ephesians 4:1-3 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The major outworking of unity among Christians is commitment. When we unite to say that we shall do something, all of us shall show commitment towards the objective. We shall spend quality time, quality attention, quality resources, to ensure that the goal is achieved. We shall

endure inconvenience, suffer deprivations, make sacrifices, because we are committed.

We shall give up many things, not because they are convenient, but because we are committed to the objective that compels such deprivations and sacrifices.

In Nehemiah chapter 2, we read the story of the commencement of the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. After Nehemiah had surveyed the situation, he rallied his people together and told them of the good hands of the Lord upon his life. At the end, the people said: Let us rise up and build. (2:18) What follows this mental assent is very important to us. The Bible says N50 they strengthened their hands for this good work.

If the work of God in our midst must experience progress, we must be committed.

Nehemiah had a committed company, so the word of God records that the wall became completed. Nehemiah 6: 15 says, Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.

Have we completed the “wall” that God asked us to build? Or is our story like the story of Joshua? The Bible says, Joshua 13:1 Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.

To be continued next week

livingword

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

Engaging the power of sanctification for fulfilment of destiny! (4) Welcome to another exciting time on your regular column. Since the month began, we have been exploring the place of sanctification in fulfilling of our glorious destiny in Christ Jesus. In previous editions, we discovered that the Holy Spirit is the person, Who empowers us for Holiness, and examined reasons for sanctification. In this week’s edition, we shall look at other importance of sanctification in our walk with God and the fulfilment of our glorious destinies.

Other reasons for sanctification include: Security of Posterity: Our uprightness is the security of our generation (Psalm 112:12). Our walk of sanctification with God today, determines the blessings our children would enjoy tomorrow (Proverbs 20:7).

To Secure Eternity with Christ: We need sanctification in other to make heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

For Security of Destiny: Many great destinies in scriptures crashed for lack of sanctification. Think of Achan, who saw a wedge of gold and coveted it. He took it into his tent, dug the ground and kept it there. As a result, he ended his destiny and that of his entire family (Joshua 7:19-26).

In 1 John 2:15-17, we discovered that there are three forces that Truncates Destinies in the World: • The Lust of the Flesh: Think of Solomon: he loved many strange women and they turned his hearts away from the Lord.

As a result, he ended up in a shrine (1 Kings 11:1-6). If Joseph had fallen into the hand of Potiphar’s wife, he would have ended up in Potiphar’s kitchen. His prime ‘ministership’ destiny would have been destroyed on the laps of adultery (Genesis 39: 7-12; 41:3844).

• The Lust of the Eyes: Gehazi had the lust of the eyes. His eyes were on the money and the gifts that Naaman brought. As a result, he became leprous and got separated from the human community. Someone who could have carried twice the double portion of Elijah’s anointing, ended up as white as snow (2 Kings 5:22-27).

• The Pride of Life: Ahithophel was the oracle of God, by divine endowment; but he thought it was his expertise and skills. Thus, when his expertise was rejected, he went and hung himself (2 Samuel 17:23). Pride is a killer and goes before destruction. You will not be destroyed in the name of Jesus!

(Proverbs 16: 18).

In addition, it is important to know that the first step to overcoming the above stated forces is to accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord? If you haven’t, you can do so by saying this prayer: “Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood.

Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the Living God. Today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now I know I am born again!”

46

interview

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Why I raised money for IDPs on Mount Kilimanjaro —Remi Abere

Remi Abere, the corporate citizenship and Corporate Affairs Lead for IBM, West Africa, led four other Nigerian women on a climbing expenditure to Mount Kilimanjaro, in a journey she tagged “Climb with Remi,” to raise fund for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North East. In this interview with TAYO GESINDE, the mother of five speaks on her childhood fantasy which was to become a policewoman, her love for adventures, and journey to Mount Kilimanjaro, among other issues.

Excerpts: well. You were compelled to make sure you were in the A grade. It took my dad a long time to find us a school, but we later found Corona school in Gbagada, my first class was primary six, then I went to Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School, it was great, I learnt to speak Yoruba very quickly unlike my sisters who till today cannot speak it, and then I went to the University of Ife now Obafemi Awolowo University(OAU). I am very passionate about Nigeria. I never looked back unlike my sisters who went back to the UK after secondary school. I happened to be the only one who married a Nigerian, my sisters married foreigners. I had a great childhood.

Remi Abere (middle) Ogun State first lady, Funso Amosun(r) and another woman on kilimanjaro.

W

HAT’S your daily schedule like as a top career lady?

I work for IBM which is a technology company at the West African branch office, as a Corporate Citizen and Corporate Affairs Lead for West Africa. That includes Ghana and Nigeria. We do a lot of projects that have to do with developments more in the area of education and small businesses development. One of the programmes I did has to do with helping women develop their businesses. I am very passionate about outdoor activities like cycling and fitness. I believe in health and fitness quite a lot because I believe to achieve your potentials, you need to be physically fit and mentally ready. I cycle, I walk every morning and I used to swim a lot too but I do not do much these days. I am an outdoor person, that is why climbing mountain is no big deal to me. I like doing unusual things. If I hear that something unusual is going on, I want to try it. I am different from the conventional African lady who likes to party and loves jewellery. Even the way I dress is different. I like adventure and that stemmed from my upbringing. My mother used to take us on adventures most times. She is not a Nigerian, she is from Jamaica.

Maybe that is why I was more prone to doing more of outdoor stuffs. I am married and I have four girls and a fourteen–year-old son What was growing up like for you?

I was actually born in a very little town called Paisley which is at the outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland. Many people don’t really know where Paisley is but I actually grew up in Glasgow and that was where I spent the first 10-11 years of my life. It was fine but we are blacks and were there. For instance, I was the only black in my class but I never felt being the only one, I just felt I had a different colour. My father was sent to Glasgow to study medicine by his father and my mum happened to be sent to study nursing by her mother. They met and got married and started a family.

My first 10 years of growing up in Scotland was interesting, it was much more different than what we see here, the climate was very cold. I remember doing a lot of activities everyday after school. On Mondays, we go for browning, Tuesdays we go to the art centre, Wednesdays, I play the

What did you study at Ife? I studied Accountancy. My father died when I was sixteen in a car accident on Ikorodu road. I was very close to my father, he was someone I really looked up to. I remember when I was choosing the subjects I wanted to study in school, you either chose a science or art course but my dad wanted me to go for sciences and science requires whether you are good in mathematics but I didn’t want to do the sciences, I wanted to do something different, though I was good in Maths, I usually lose interest in Physics and other science subjects. Then, I told my dad a term before I took the West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams that I wanted to change, he said how could you change when the exam is around the corner. He was against it.

I decided to go against it, I dropped other subjects and took the art subjects. I spent day and night studying. Government, Literature and Economics. When my father died suddenly, I felt I wanted to please him, he was a chartered accoun-

violin, it was always something and on Saturdays, my mum would send us to the art centre which was a long way and my sister and I would walk all the way to do drama. And on Sundays, we go for Sunday school and Sunday school was not just about reading the Bible, we do a lot of plays and pantomimes and things like that so, it was a jam-packed childhood where there was always something creative to do, to occupy our time, so it was fun .When my father heard that his father had died in 1975, he was very devastated though he was the middle child, I think he was the eight child out of 16 children and he was very close to his father, who was 97 when he died. He made the decision there and then that he wanted to come back to Nigeria and that started our journey back to Nigeria. My mum was like how would it be here in Africa but being a dutiful wife, she decided to follow her husband, so my sisters and I came back to Nigeria and that was a bit of a culture shock because it was a bit different from what we were used to. I remember arriving at the airport and seeing it was different from where I was coming from.

I could recollect that I was fascinated by the shoes that the customs officers wore. It was so different but interesting it was like coming to a different part of the earth. It was interesting, a lot of people looking like you, welcoming you, Nigerians are very hospitable and friendly, that really struck me. Everybody wanted to talk to you. My dad’s brother’s children who were older than us also welcomed us nicely. There was sunshine, friendliness, it was all fun. School was different, it was competitive in Nigeria but in Scotland it was laid back.

All of a sudden education was real, you needed to do Remi Abere

Continues on pg47

47

interview

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

‘I still have passion for police job at 50’ people who will motivate you, and that are doing the right thing. If you follow people who will discourage you, you won’t make headway. If you want to be successful, look for successful people. If you want to rise, you have to look for people who are on the right part, then push yourself hard to achieve your goals. This should be our advice to our children. Be friends with people who have morals and good academic records and who will encourage you to be the best you can be.

Continued from pg46

tant though his father sent him to school to study medicine. He went for his heart, and that was what made me change my mind to study accountancy, it wasn’t what I wanted to do really. I went abroad, became chartered and worked in a bank. My first job in Nigeria was with Zenith Bank, where I worked as an internal auditor. It was a very boring job for someone who likes the outdoor. I did it for two years and I thought I should leave it. Then I started my own business.

Did you get the desired result?

We are still on this journey; it wasn’t just about climbing the mountain and reaching the top. There is a lot of endurance involved, the goal was to create awareness and get people and companies to donate to the cause, we are not asking for money because we don’t want to put our credibility on the line. That is why we are saying they should donate only products to the IDP. We will do it this month, January. When people have donated different kinds of products we will go to the IDP camp with trailer load of all these things and present to them. We will have an event soon where we will play the video of the climb to the audience and we will also auction some pictures. If anybody donates money, the money will be used to buy products. If for instance you say you want to donate #1m we will ask you to use it to buy pampers.

We have some pledges, we will compile them and put everything together.

What was actually your childhood fantasy?

I think every body’s childhood fantasy is to sing and dance. That was my fantasy too but when we came to Nigeria, I remember my dad drove us in his car I saw police officers and I wanted to be a police woman because I liked the police force. If somebody gave me a chance today I would still like to be in the force and be the change it needs. I think it is simple, give these people enough income to sustain them, make them feel important and respected in the society and give them the training they require and we will see a different police force. The thing about Nigeria is that we all know what to do but nobody has the gut to say let’s do it.

How did you get into the IBM? I have been working in IBM for six years.

I was working on a project that has to do with financial inclusion. It was run by a consultancy firm in Nigeria and we were working with the World Bank, Central Bank and other agencies to find a way to make people more financially inclusive.

We were doing this research and I was introduced to a lot of people in the World Bank and I met a friend who told me about the job and asked me if I was interested then, I was introduced to the lady recruiting, we hit it off and she said I am going to employ you and that was how I started working for IBM. What were the challenges you faced when you started working at IBM? No challenge. It’s the kind of job people would call a dream job because there is flexibility, exposure and you could use your discretion to decide the programme you want to run and you get to meet a lot of people from different countries. IBM has a policy that 60 per cent of the workforce work from home.

We work through the internet, make conference calls, we have meetings online. It is a perfect job for a place like Lagos, where you spend 40 per cent of your time on the road sometimes.

How are you able to run your job with five children?

All my five children live abroad. Three of my four girls are working while the last is in her final year and my son is in a boarding school. He is very independent, he is fourteen, so my house is empty and that gives me time to focus on things that I have always wanted to do like look at issues in Nigeria that I feel I can help to make a difference. Taking one issue and saying I want to be vocal here, I want to address the issue. When I turned 50, that was my commitment that I was going to be tackling issues I am committed and passionate about and make a difference in that area.

And that was where the IDP issue came in.

I said let me go and see what it was about.

Why didn’t you just donate gift items to them instead of taking the risk of climbing Kilimanjaro?

I realised that a lot of us listen to the news but it doesn’t make any sense to us. Some would donate some things and forget about them while some don’t even know because there are too many issues battling for your attention and we are all with our own challenges and don’t see a lot of things that happen. So I decided to create awareness by doing something unusual. Something that will attract people’s attention for them to be aware of. I climbed Kilimanjaro in June just for the sake of adventure, it was an interesting experience. A friend of mine had visited the IDP camp and showed me pictures and footage of what happened while he was there and I told him I had no idea of the suffering that was going on there. I had never been to the core North and since I had said once I was 50, I was never going to turn a blind eye to things around me, I decided to do something about their plight especially since 70 per cent of the IDPs were children and women. So, I said let me climb the mountain to create awareness. Mountain is syn-

Do something you are passionate about. Don’t do something because others are doing it.

You need to stand out because that is what is going to help you to stay ahead of others.

onymous with challenge so that would create awareness. Then I said I would not do it alone, I would look for prominent women in the society who would be willing to take on the challenge and people would say, why are they doing that? And that was how the journey began.

What was the experience like for all of you?

I had done it before but this time, it was more challenging. A little bit tougher. May be there was a lot of organising involved because I felt responsible for all the women involved. Also, because we made it a public issue, we had a lot of comments both positive and negative. I also had to make sure that these women came back unscratched.

I was determined that they got a lot out of it. It took a lot out of me preparing them, to ensure they have the right gear, the right mental attitude and were physically ready for the climb. It put a lot of pressure on me and I heard comments like; this is very risky, you are putting these women’s lives in danger. What are they looking for there? This is a publicity stunt? But that didn’t deter me because if you are doing something relevant people would always have their say whether positive or negative. More people were fascinated than those who condemned it. Two women had to bow out before we left. Abike Dabiri had some official engagements that she couldn’t call off and the other woman had health issues. The four of us that went had an interesting experience. Our first day was quite though, it rained so the weather was frightening cold. We went with some men who were in their 30s and we were in our fifties and it was about keeping up with them. But it was an interesting experience.

The lesson there is if you are determined to do something, put your mind there and stay focused, follow people who are doing that thing with their own heart, be around

How would you describe yourself?

I am a very passionate person. I believe in relationships. I am a happy person. I find reward in seeing people change from what they were and see them achieve what they want to achieve. I am very passionate about the youth because I see them as our future and I want to find ways to make them work for our country and make this country great. I am disappointed at the way this country is going now, I am not giving up. I am just hopeful and very optimistic.

I am someone that would go for something as long as she knows the end result would bring about happiness to other people. I will describe myself in one word as a happy go-luck person.

Why not go into politics?

I see a lot of women go into politics and it doesn’t work out for them. I will hate to see myself disillusioned. I would love to fight for a cause in politics but not actually vie for an office. I like to be behind the scene and look at issues like youth employment and collaborate with political leaders to empower the youth. I think being in political office actually limits you so I will prefer to work behind the scene.

What is your philosophy of life?

Living life to its fullest and enjoying every moment of it.

How do you normally relax?

I like reading, dancing, listening to music, cycling and I like gisting. I like parties but I am selective about the kind of parties I attend.

What advise do you have for people out there especially young people?

Do something you are passionate about.

Don’t do something because others are doing it. You need to stand out because that is what is going to help you to stay ahead of others.

48

24 January, 2016

children’sarena

Sunday Tribune

Olaide Sokoya ollydesanmi@yahoo.com 0807 449 7425

Words from kids Who is your role model?

Ayomide Olaoloru n 14 yrs, JSS3

yrs, SS3 Boladale Oluwatoni 13

ale. She m, Mrs Omobola Bolad My role model is my mu taught o als dreams in life, she taught me to pursue my taught e Sh . and never to give up me to be hardworking l and tia ten po at e a person of gre me to strive to becom all, of st Mo ss. cce through for su always create a break . I thank in God in whatever I do she taught me to trust help and eone like my mum to God for giving me som become d to follow my dreams an guide me through life; tial. a person of great poten

My role model is Ne il Armstrong; I loo k up to him because of his cour age and bravery to ve nture into the unknown region of space, that is: the moon for the sake of scientific di scovery. He has influ enced me by helping and inspiri ng me to muster up courage to face the unknown and has pushed me to work hard and strive for greatness always.

Adeshina Aderon mu Tomi 15 yrs S S3

yrs, SS2 Ajayi Oluwasefunmi 14

My role model is Bi ll Gates, the owner of Microsoft. He is my role model because he was able to rise against all od ds. Though, he drop ped out of college, it wasn’t be cause he was not sm art but he did so because he felt he was better th an college.

Therefore, he has in fluenced my school work a lot in which I’ve learnt how to persevere. M y dream is to be accomplished as Bill Gate one day.

is an cle, Mr M.K Dayo. He My role model is my un lamps eet Lagos. He makes str inventor who works in way the e lik to him because I and inverters. I look up nks thi he y wa his work and the he puts his efforts into st mo e lov I ng thi rks. But the towards mechanical wo e rol a g vin Ha n. a Godly ma about him is that he is ays ving force which will alw dri a g vin ha e model is lik ays alw ur life so that you would keep you moving all yo aurora borealis have a goal and a good

All students are from Marella International College, Ibadan.

Raccoons

of C th hil ew d ee k

• Raccoons are omnivores.

• They eat almost anything, including clams, fish, nuts, fruit, lizards, insects and the occasional squirrel or mouse.

• Raccoons can get into trouble with people. They dig through trash cans or compost bins.

• They eat dog food and might even crawl under your house or into openings in the attic.

Power inverter

• Raccoons love raiding vegetable gardens.

• They knock over cornstalks to get the corn and devour small melons!

• Raccoons are nocturnal. They are awake during the night and sleep in the day.

• Most raccoons only live two or three years.

Some are hit by cars.

• Others are eaten by predators or get sick.

Maxwell Akorede

OLATOKUN clocked

1

recently.

Long life and prosperity

A power inverter, or inverter, is an electronic device or circuitry that changes direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC).[1] The input voltage, output voltage and frequency, and overall power handling depend on the design of the specific device or circuitry. The inverter does not produce any power; the power is provided by the DC source.

A power inverter can be entirely electronic or may be a combination of mechanical effects (such as a rotary apparatus) and electronic circuitry. Static inverters do not use moving parts in the conversion process.

An inverter can produce a square wave, modified sine wave, pulsed sine wave, pulse width modulated wave (PWM) or sine wave depending on circuit

Compiled by Temitayo Iliasu

design. The two dominant commercialised waveform types of inverters as of 2007 are modified sine wave and sine wave.

There are two basic designs for producing household plug-in voltage from a lower-voltage DC source, the first of which uses a switching boost converter to produce a higher-voltage DC and then converts to AC. The second method converts DC to AC at battery level and uses a linefrequency transformer to create the output voltage.

49

news

24 Januuary, 2016

JAMB ready for March UTME —Official

T

HE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Saturday declared its readiness to conduct this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) through Computer Based Test (CBT) in March.

JAMB’s Head of Public Relations, Dr Fabian Benjamin, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bwari.

He said although no time frame had been fixed yet for conduct of the examination, it would hold the in March.

He noted that on-going registration for the said examination began in September, 2015 and would

close on March 5.

“We are ready for the examination; even if the examination is to take place tomorrow, we are ready. We are only waiting for candidates to finish their registration.

“We have given them time to do their proper registration and we wouldn’t want to cut that; we will wait for them to conclude and then conduct the examination as arranged.

“The registration will close on March 5; it started in September and stops on deadline of registration date, the candidates can print out their centre slips, which closes after close of registration.

“We have made adequate arrangements; we have taken into cognisance is-

sue of power, system breakdown and challenges of connectivity of whatever we are using.

“We have fashioned all these things into our preparation and we are good to go,. Whatever it takes, we will finish the examination in March,’’ Benjamin said.

He said there were lingering issues concerning difficulty by candidates to gain admission into universities of their choice due to distribution problem.

The spokesman said that the board had created room for UTME candidates to choose two universities as against limitation to only one choice during previous examinations.

“If you follow the trend of things last year, you will

notice that we introduced what is called the redistribution of candidates.”

Why we did that is because we noticed some of these universities were oversubscribed to and some of the candidates did not get those places.

“Rather than allow candidates suffer undue delay when there are vacancies in other tiers of tertiary institutions, we decided that tertiary institutions provide us their requirements to find solution.

“We needed to know the requirements for candidates institutions want to admit and their admission capacity; to ascertain which polytechnics and colleges of education has opportunity for them.”

Fulani herdsmen invade another village, kill 1, destroy farms in Nasarawa As police arrest gun manufacturer Ademola Adegbite-Lafia

THERE is no respite in sight in the ongoing faceoff between farmers and Fulani herdsmen in Nasarawa State, as the latter invaded another village on Saturday morning, killing a 35-year-old farmer, Umoru Shabra, and destroying many farms in the village.

Yesterday`s invasion of Gyepa village at Agbashi in Ekye Development Area of the state was the continuation of the clashes between the duo at Odeni Magaji village in Nasarawa Local Government Area, in which over 30 persons were reported killed, while several houses were set ablaze penultimate Wednesday.

Credible sources told Sunday Tribune that Fulani herdsmen attacked the village around 2 a.m, shooting the farmer who wanted to prevent them from entering the village, and thereafter, brought in their cattle to destroy all the farms in the area.

Reports monitored from the area, however, revealed that the inhabitants of the community have deserted the place, taking refuge at public primary schools, few kilometres to Doma, while the stern looking policemen have taken over the area to forestall future occurrence.

When contacted on phone in Lafia, the state capital, on Saturday, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ismaila Numan, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP),

confirmed the attack, saying police were on top of the situation now.

Meanwhile, a 35-year old man, Akilu Audu, who specialised in manufacturing guns and other dangerous substances for armed robbers and militia groups has been apprehended by the Nasarawa State Police command.

The suspect was arrested alongside one of his accomplices, after a tip off by members of the State Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) at Imon village of Adudu, in Obi Local Government Area of the state.

Investigations by Sunday Tribune further showed that the suspect, who had been in the business since 2012, had manufactured many locallymade arm such as dane guns, revolver pistols that use AK 47 ammunition and small ones that use Beretta short cartridges, selling them to armed robbers and militia groups to promote communal crises within and outside the state.

A source said he was traced to Imon village by SARS after a confessional statement by one of the armed robbers apprehend-

ed at Mararaba in Karu Local Government, who indicted him as the manufacturer of locally made guns.

His arrest later led to arrest another culprit, while others fled.

Confirming the report, on phone in Lafia, the state capital, on Saturday, the Police image maker, Ismaila Numan, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said the suspects were at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), to assist the police in their investigations to nab other culprits, who had run away.

Ekiti govt lays Ogoga/Olukere controversy to rest Sam Nwaoko-Ado Ekiti THE Ekiti State government has laid to rest a raging controversy over who the paramount ruler in Ikere-Ekiti is, when the state governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, announced on Saturday that the Ogoga-Ikere is the only recognised monarch in the town.

Before Governor Fayose’s declaration which was announced by his deputy, Dr. Kolapo Olusola, the community had always been embroiled in controversies and division along the lines of who is the superior authority between the Ogoga and the Olukere of Ikere.

The Olukere, Oba Ganiyu Obasoyin, had always held that the Ogoga was a visitor in Ikere, believed to be the second largest

town in the state, and this age-long controversy had pitted past Ogogas and the Olukeres against each other, leading to violent clashes and court cases between the two parties in the past.

Obasoyin was making efforts to get official recognition by the government based on the claims of being an ancient authority, but the request for a staff of office had been declined by the government.

Fayose spoke at the inauguration of a new palace built by Oba Adu, the new Ogoga, who ascended the throne 202 days ago.

Dignitaries who graced the occasion include former governor of old Ondo State, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua; Chairman, Ikere Local Government, Mr. Sola Alonge; House of Assembly member repre-

senting Ikere 2 Constituncy, Mr. Sunday Akinniyi; Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Most Rev. Felix Ajakaye; retired Anglican Bishop of Akure Diocese, the Rt. Rev. Michael Ipinmoye; traditional rulers and community leaders.

Fayose declared that “Ikere has one monarch and the Ogoga is the head of the kingdom. We recognise you as the only king in Ikere; we recognise you as the only paramount ruler in Ikere and there is no other king in Ikere.

“This government under the leadership of Governor Fayose will continue to recognise you as such.”

In his speech, the Ogoga ascribed the glory of the new palace to God, saying God used him to build the edifice that befits the status of Ikere as a big town in Ekiti.

Sunday Tribune

Pipeline attacks: N/Delta group urges FG to tread softly Ebenezer Adurokiya-Warri

THE Federal Government has been urged to tread softly in tackling the renewed attacks on oil and gas pipelines in the creeks of the Niger Delta by suspected former militants to avoid another round of crisis in the region.

This admonition was given by the Center for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) in a statement signed by its national coordinator, Comrade Sheriff Mulade and made available to Sunday Tribune on Saturday in Warri, Delta State.

The group, while condemning the bombing of the pipelines, said the siege laid by soldiers and further plans to flood the oil-producing communities with troops had already heightened tension with many fleeing their homes for safety.

Mulade advised the military against going out of its rule of engagement in its efforts to smoke out masterminds of the attacks on the oil pipelines.

He, however, advised the government to adopt a more careful and diplomatic approach, as well as using intelligence mechanism to fish out the perpetrators, saying attacking the communities would smack violating the fundamental human rights of the people.

The environmentalist reminded the government of the on-going terrorism war against insurgents in the North East part of Nigeria which had left devastating effects in its wake.

He enjoined the federal government to do everything within its power to avert a fresh crisis in the oil-rich region in order not to compound the already dwindling fortune in the economy of the oil sector.

Lagos explains boat collision in Ibeshe Bola Badmus-Lagos

THE Lagos State government has confirmed the boat collision incident reported at Ibeshe in Ikorodu axis of the state last Thursday, even as it restated its commitment to continue to improve on safety on the state’s waterways.

Managing Director of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Mrs. Abisola Kamson, said this in a statement, remarking that the incident which occurred at about 8:05 a.m.,was as a result of the early morning fog which led to poor visibility for the captains of the two boats.

She said the authority was able to ascertain what led to the incident from its information gathering machinery and onsite water guards.

Kamson said one of the boats (MV Cherio) which had 20 passengers on board was operating at high speed and by the time it noticed the second boat (Olaoluwa) which had no passengers on board, it was too late to avoid a collision.

She said the impact of the collision claimed the life of a passenger on board and left three other persons injured rushed to Ikorodu General Hospital. They had since been transferred to LUTH for further treatment.

We’re investigating Agege killing —Lagos CP THE Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, has said the police in the state were on the trail of suspects involved in the killing of a police officer, Corporal Sunday David.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that David was killed on January10 at Agege, Lagos, with one Taiwo Balogun. “We are making efforts to track down those criminals we can get to the root of that matter and get to know the people behind it.

“Detectives are still working on the case; you have to be patient with us as such cases are not ones you can just close and open your eyes and pick out the suspects,’’ he said.

Residents of the area recalled that trouble started when Balogun, alleged to be an internet fraudster, was approached by some people who were asking him for some money.

They said when he refused to respond to their demands, they decided not to let him go resulting in him calling on the late police officer for a help.

“On getting to the scene, David, while trying to shoot in the air, allegedly shot two persons who later died at the hospital,’’ one of the residents said.

They said further that David and Balogun tried to escape in a car, but some people ran after them on a motorcycle and killed them.”

50

news

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Over 200 civil servants sit for Jan 2016 promotional exam Kola Oyelere - Kano

Dr James Ojebode of NECO recently gave away his daughter at a wedding service that took place at First Baptist Church, Oyo. From left, the groom’s mother Rev.Dr(Mrs) Titilayo Eniola; Dr Ojebode; the couple, Mr&Mrs Tayo Eniola; bride’s mother, Mrs Omoladun Ojebode and Mrs Olabisi Ojebode.

Job creation: Ondo revamps two moribund industries

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N its resolve to provide employment for the unemployed in the state, the Ondo State government has revamped two of its moribund industries, Ifon Ceramic Industry now Golden Ceramic of Ifon and Araromi Ayesan Oil Palm.

The State Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade made the announcement to newsmen on the weekend, during an assessment visit to the Sunshine Cassava Food Processing Factory, Ikoya, Okitipupa local government area of the state with the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry counterpart, Chief Ayo Abiola.

The Information Commissioner said the Araromi Aiyesan Oil Palm is now operational while the Ifon Ceramic was ready to take off, adding that government would continue to strive to ensure that viable industries were put up in

the state for the benefit of all, even as he hinted that work was almost completed on the Omotosho power plant, intended to solve the industrial power problem in the state.

Also speaking on the development, his Commerce and Industry counterpart, Chief Abiola said government was determined to bring life back to all the ailing industries in the state in order to provide job opportunities for the people with

a view to improving their living standard.

According to him, the Sunshine Cassava Food Processing Factory was meant for all Cassava growing farmers in the area, stressing that the turn around work being carried out on the project was at ninety per cent completion stage.

He posited that the government was interested in sharing ownership right of the place with interested

Man drowns in hotel swimming pool in Ilorin Biola Azeez - Ilorin A young man in his 20s, simply identified as Daniel, was reported to have drowned in the swimming pool of a hotel complex in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

Sunday Tribune gathered that the incident which occurred at the weekend,

took place at a popular hotel located along Ajase Ipo Road, Ilorin, Kwara State.

It was also gathered that the lad, who was taken to a private hospital, located along the same road by workers of the hotel, was discovered dead on arrival by the medical team.

Speaking with journalists, the Chief Medical Director

Oyo senator dual citizenship allegation: Court fixes March 8 for judgment

By Yejide GbengaOgundare JUSTICE E.S Chukwu of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has reserved judgment in a suit seeking the removal of Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, the senator representing Oyo Central Senatorial district on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Oyo State, over allegations of dual citizenship till March 8, 2016.

Ruling on the preliminary objection filed by counsel to Senator Sunmonu, challenging the ju-

investors who would take over the management of the place to achieve the desired results.

Chief Abiola affirmed that government was no longer interested in controlling majority share in any of its establishments but want investors who will have controlling shares so that no effort of government would kill any industry that the administration revamped even after the incumbent’s tenure.

risdiction of the court on the matter, among other issues was also fixed for the same date.

In the suit delineated FHC/ABJ/CS/760/201 and filed on September 14, 2015 by five voters from Oyo Central Senatorial district, the claimants are asking the court to remove Sunmonu from office for alleged voluntarily acquisition of the United Kingdom citizenship and compel INEC to withdraw her certificate of return as well as bar her from parading herself as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The claimants; Wahab Abiodun, Alhaji Bola Akinyemi, Chief Emmanuel Olajide, Chief Samuel Elegbede and Chief Thomas Ajao joined alongside Senator Sunmonu as respondent in the suit, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) While moving his preliminary objection before the court, counsel to Senator Sunmonu, Mr Tola Oshobi, described the matter as an election matter which had already been decided in favour of the defendant by the election petition tribunal and the Appellate Court.

(CMD) of the private hospital (Yusjib Industrial Medicare, Ajase Ipo Road), Dr. Yusuf Abdulraheem, confirmed that the young man was brought to the hospital.

“When the boy was brought to the hospital, he was lifeless and all the vital body signs were not recordable. So, an assessment of brought-in-dead was made”, he said.

Abdulraheem also said that men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force from the ‘A’ Divison of the Kwara state police command later came to take the corpse of the deceased to the mortuary of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.

Also speaking, the Public Relations Officer of Kwara State Police Command, Ajayi Okasanmi, who confirmed the development, said the deceased approached the hotel to swim before he drowned.

He said the identity of the boy was yet to be ascertained as at the time of filing this report.

The management of the hotel however declined comments.

OVER 200 eligible civil servants in Kano State sat the January 2016 promotional examination held at Institute of Hospitality, Kano.

The State Head of Service, Muhammad Awwal Na`iya stated this during his unscheduled visit to the examination venue.

He said there was nothing to worry about as it was a normal performance appraisal towards ensuring productivity and efficient manpower development for the state civil service.

Awwal Na`iya disclosed that the first phase of examination was for Office of the Head of Civil Service, Ministry of Finance, and Office of the Auditors General (State & Local Government) and Bureau of Statistic.

The examination involved all officers from grade level 07-15, aspiring to higher levels in the Civil Service.

The Head of Civil Service was accompanied by Permanent Secretary Establishment, Salisu M. Gabasawa, Permanent Secretary, Manpower Development Alhaji Kuliya A. Zubair, Permanent Secretary, Salary and wages Alh. Laminu Rabi`u, among others.

We will develop world-class education in Rivers —Wike RIVERS State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that his administration will develop quality education across the state with the aim of instituting a world class educational system.

Addressing journalists on Saturday in Port Harcourt after his project inspection of road and school projects, Governor Wike said that his administration will develop a boarding system for the secondary school education sub-sector in the state to enhance learning .

He disclosed that the state government was at present working on the infrastructure for the boarding schools, noting that the Government Girls Secondary School, Rumuokwuta, will serve as a pilot project.

He said : “Our people deserve the best. Therefore, we will give them the best education. We are developing a boarding school system that will produce students who can compete globally.

“I am happy that the basic road infrastructure and fencing of the school was progressing well. We should, in the next few weeks, develop the laboratories, hostels and quality libraries to enhance education in this school”.

He pointed out that the same facilities would be developed in 11 schools in the three senatorial districts of the state.

A statement by Simeon Nwakaudu, Special Assistant on Electronic Media to the Rivers State Governor noted that the governor also inspected ongoing work at the Second Bridge at the Woji-Akpajo road and work on Woji road at Rumurolu.

Brief Elder Akinola at 70 The thanksgiving service and celebration for the 70th birthday anniversary of Elder Theophilous Ola Akinola begins tomorrow, Monday, 25th January, 2016 with prayers for the celebrant and his family at his residence, No 2, Akerele Close, Off Isebo Road, Iyana Church, Ibadan, Oyo State.

On Saturday, 30th January, 2016 there will be thanksgiving and entertainment of guests at 11:00a.m. at Asade Agunloye Pavilion Empire Ground, Ilaro, Yewa, Ogun State.

The thanksgiving service will be graced by dignitaries, members of his families, relatives, colleagues and well wishers.

51 inaugurationofKogigov

24 January, 2016

Kinsmen dump Faleke, back Bello From Yinka Oladoyinbo, Bola Badmus And Biola Azeez

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arely four days to the inauguration of a new governor in Kogi State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ijumu Local Government Area of the state, has restated its support for the governor-elect of the state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.

The party in the local government area, which is the local government of the embattled deputy governorship candidate of the party, James Faleke, said it was in line with the decision of the national headquarters of the party on the governorship election in the state.

The chairman of the party in the local government, Mr Taufiq Isa, said although Faleke contributed immensely to the success of APC in the local government, the people had no choice to abide by the decision of the national leadership of the party.

The clarification came following a report in a local newspaper, which claimed that the stakeholders of the party in the local gov-

ernment backed Faleke in its quest to claim the mandate given to Audu/Faleke ticket.

Isa said that the local government secretariat of the party would not condone any member who engaged in any act done without the permission of the chairman.

Isa said, “The public is hereby advised to ignore any information, or communiqué by persons who claim to be a member of our great party without the consent of the local government chairman of APC.” Isa added that the entire members of the party in the area were ready to support the incoming administration of Bello to enable him to hit the ground running immediately he is inaugurated.

“Once again, we APC members sincerely value our party and will not condone any political prostitute who goes about appending their signatures in any communiqué or write up without authorisation,” the chairman added.

Group in Lagos rallies support for incom-

ing gov Barely a week to the inauguration of Alhaji Bello as the new governor of the state, Kogi indigenes based in Lagos under the aegis of Confluence Progressives Foundation (CPF), have solicited the support of all and sundry to make the transition of power in the state a success.

The group, which is a non-partisan and non- political-group that has been in existence for over a decade, made the call while expressing support for the incoming governor.

This was just as the group urged the governor- elect, Alhaji Bello on the need to provide an all inclusive administration that would not segregate or marginalise any tribe in the state.

Addressing newsmen in Lagos, President of the group, Col. Ajinadu Bello Badanga (rtd.) said CPF resolved to support the gover- elect based on its motto, which emphasises peace and unity amongst the diverse ethnic groups that make up Kogi through which progress could be attained by the state., Baganda, who spoke

alongside other leaders of the group, including Abdulazeez Afolabi, Mrs Rakiat Idris and Mr. Adamu Yussuf, also tasked Bello to run all-inclusive administration that would not promote one tribe above the other.

He said the concern of the group was to see the emergence of a state where its vast and God- given resources were deployed and utilised for the benefit of all, irrespective of ethnicity, religion or political persuation.

He stated that Kogi had 22 mineral resources scattered across the 21 local governments, expressing the belief that, “the state is too rich to be poor.”

“The onus is on the incoming governor to use his good offices to effect positive changes through development that would be evenly distributed across the length and breadth of the state,” he said.

Speaking further, Badanga expressed the belief that the incoming governor possessed the political acumen to raise up the state to the level that would make it the cynosure of all eyes in terms of social growth,

economic progress and political development.

“We are confident that Alhaja Yahaya Bello possesses the political acumen to raise up the state to the level that would make it the cynosure of all eyes in terms of social growth, economic progress and political development,” he said.

In his opening address, the CPF Coordinator, Ayo Oyeze Baje, said governance should be inclusive to enable every stakeholder enjoy its greatest benefits, noting that that informed why the gathering had to hold in order to chart the way to a peaceful transition of power in Kogi State.

He, however, added that as stakeholders, members of CPF would support the incoming administration of Alhaji Bello.

Ebira calls for divine intervention Following current political travails in the state, the Ebira people of the state have decided to commit future of the state in God’s hands.

Speaking during a special inter-religious prayer for Kogi State governor-

Sunday Tribune

elect, Alhaji Bello, the chairman, Care Taker Committee, Ebira People’s Association (EPA), Kwara State chapter, Alhaji Sanni Umoru, said the prayer had become necessary because of prevailing political situation, calling on Almighty Allah to grant the governor-elect smooth governance.

The joint Christian and Muslim special prayer session, held in Ilorin on Saturday, was well attended by all Ebira community in the state.

Alhaji Umoru, who appealed to all aggrieved people in the state to declare their unalloyed support for the governor-elect to move the state to greater heights, urged all the people of Kogi to invoke God’s guidance and inspiration for Alhaji Yahaya Bello so that he could lead with justice, fairness and commitment.

The prayer session was led by Alfa AbdulRahaman Ahmad Tijani, who prayed Almighty Allah to grant Alhaji Bello peaceful reign, prayed God to allow peace, unity and harmonious coexistence to reign during his tenure.

opinion Do not be downhearted, Anenih…

By Matthew Osagie

I

can imagine the level of despondency in the heart of the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, over the misrepresentation and embarrassment arising from his financial interventions in the 2015 PDP presidential campaigns. One can only urge him not to be downcast or lament over the situation, including the misfortune that befell his party as a result of the loss of the presidential election to the All Progressives Congress (APC), I am sure 2015 was not the first time Chief Anenih would fund campaign activities of his party, particularly since 1999, both at the federal level and in his home state of Edo. In 2012, for instance, he funded, almost singlehandedly, the PDP governorship election in the state in which the candidate, General Charles Airhiavwere (retd) lost to the incumbent governor, Adams Oshiomhole, whose election was fully supported by former President Goodluck Jonathan. This was because, according to the grapevine, Jonathan saw it as an opportunity to reward Oshiomhole who was the only opposition governor that stood behind him during the fuel subsidy riot.

Anenih had spent his money to ensure that PDP won without knowing that the federal might was deployed in support of Oshiomhole who was the candidate of the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). Those who know how much it costs to prosecute a governorship election would have an idea of how much Anenih must have spent on the failed battle to dislodge Oshiomhole. In spite of that loss, and knowing how his party leader worked against the party interest during the Edo governorship election, Anenih remained a loyal and unwavering father figure in the PDP. Against the backdrop of the foregoing, his capacity and readiness to fund special political activities on the instructions of the PDP leadership with the understanding that he would be refunded on completion of the tasks should

be understood. It should be noted that there were some expenses incurred by Anenih, according to the grapevine, which he did not disclose in the letter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). To be sure, his claims that he disbursed his personal funds in excess of N400 million since 2013 for some assignments have not been debunked. Rather, some persons and political groups have confirmed that they received the published amounts. What can be more important than the confirmation by the receivers of the money? It has given him a clean bill of sort, having acted prudently and honestly in the disbursement of the funds to the individuals and political groups as directed.

I readily accepted his explanation that the so-called N260 million paid into his bank account was a refund of part of the out-of-pocket expenses on some political assignments. The clear implication is that the entire expenses were not completely defrayed before the end of the tenure of the last administration. According to media reports, Anenih had stated in the letter that the former president asked for his bank account details for the purpose of making a refund to him and he obliged. He was quoted to have said he did not know how the money was going to be sourced or which office was going to pay. Anenih’s position is compelling. Nobody in his shoes would have asked the president where he was going to get the money for the refund. Making such an inquiry would have been considered insolent to the president. Besides, there was no way Anenih could have known whether the money paid into his account was from the fund meant for the procurement of arms or, indeed, part of the security votes of the president domiciled in the Office of the NSA. From the disclosures so far, the greatest act of sacrifice was not so much the out-of-pocket expenses he incurred, but the risk of accident and possible death in the course of his nationwide travels since 2013 to help stabilise the party. In carrying out the instructions of the former president to the Board of Trustees (BoT), under his chair, to embark on a nationwide tour to reconcile aggrieved

members of the PDP, he, along with selected members of the Board, travelled by air and by road, to 23 states to accomplish the task. His chartered aircraft could have crashed. He could have been involved in an auto-crash.

He could have lost his life in the process. But to the glory of God, none of these happened.

However, it is rather sad that, instead of appreciating this selfless effort and dogged commitment to the success of the party and its presidential candidate, Anenih was forced to resign from his position as chairman of the party’s BoT by the party leadership and charged with antiparty activities. What was anti-party in being forthright and politically mature by not attacking the APC presidential candidate at the few campaign rallies that he attended? It is on record that he never denigrated politicians in the opposition parties. He also did not go out of his way, in the face of obvious impunity and injustice, to prevail on those who had been shabbily treated during the primaries to stay back in the PDP. All these, perhaps, in the estimation of the PDP leadership amounted to anti-party activities. Quite interesting! Not so?

From the entire scenario that has so far unfolded, it should not be out of place for him to be extremely embarrassed and sad. This is more so, when he was only being an honest and loyal party leader who could always be trusted to handle assignments that involved disbursement of funds. It is worth emphasising that he was not a beneficiary of the so-called N260 million. In fact, credible reports also said that all the remittances to his account were refunds of some of the money he gave as loans.

I sympathise with Chief Anenih that the refunds are the paper trails that the EFCC is following in the transactions on his bank account. One only hopes that with the truth of the matter now fast unfolding, there would be a way in which the entire narrative would resolve itself in Anenih’s favour. In the meantime, I think it would be proper to appeal to him not to despair as this is the nature of politics.

•Mr Osagie sent this piece from Benin City, Edo State.

52

24 January, 2016

sport

SUNDAY

Super Eagles players celebrate after scoring at the ongoing chan tournament in Rwanda.

Guinea won’t stop Eagles —Chikatara

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match as a must win we have however told ourselves we must finish top of the group.

Guinea “Understandably, will come out tough aimed at chalking the points that will see them progress to the last eight but we will not allow them the luxury.

“We have already steeled ourselves for whatever banter Guinea will come up with same way we handled the Nigeriens and Tunisians.

“Tunisians were the toughest so

Messi scores winner for Barca

SWAN inaugurates golden jubilee committee far in the championship but we ended the clash with our shoulders held high.

“I’m confident we will see off the challenge of the Guineans on Tuesday and take our title aspiration and hope up from there,” said the Abia Warriors marksman to supersport.com.

The third place side, Tunisia will confront Niger in Kigali for possible qualification to the quarter-finals of the biennial football showpiece.

...I fear Guinea —Oliseh Nigeria’s head coach, Sunday Oliseh has said their last group C game against Syli Nationale of Guinea in the ongoing Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) will not be an easy task.

“I personally rate Guinea high because it is a good team. We need to be at our best to be able to get a good result so that we top the group,” Oliseh told AfricanFootball.com on Friday.

Tunisia held the Super Eagles

Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060

A second half Leo Messi volley ensured FC Barcelona beat Malaga 2-1 despite delivering one of their worst performances of the season.

Missing Neymar at one end and Gerard Pique at the other they wobbled in a woeful first half. But with Thomas Vermaelen taken off at half-time they tightened up in the second period and a moment’s Messi magic gave them victory against a Malaga side who deserved to take something from the game.

Barca were ahead just after the minute mark when a sublime Messi pass played in Suarez who drove to the byline. Carlos Kameni got a glove to his cross but it had enough power in it to reach Munir who nudged it over the line from one yard out.

It had taken Barça just 63 seconds to get themselves in front; they then spent the next 44 minutes trying to throw the game away.

Malaga forced four corners in the first quarter of an hour and from one of those kicks Weligton’s acrobatic bicycle-kick hit Vermaelen on the head and bounced wide. Charles headed another corner wide, and from another kick Chory Castro drilled a shot on to a post.

CHAN 2016:

uper Eagles forward, Chisom Chikatara has said the Syli Nationale of Guinea will not halt the side’s dream for quarterfinals berth at the ongoing African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda.

Nigeria will clash with their West African brothers, Guinea in Tuesday’s last group game at the Stade Umuganda Rubavu, Gisenyi.

The Nigerians lead the packs in Group C on four points two points ahead challengers, Guinea and Tunisia. The outcome of the group’s matches will determine qualifiers for the last eight.

Chikatara said though his side do not see the clash against Guinea as a must win they will fight hard to finish the group campaign on a high note.

“Guinea cannot stop us from booking our safe passage to the quarterfinals of the championship on Tuesday.

“Though we do not see the

Sunday Tribune

to a 1-1 draw on Friday in a game played at the Nyamirambo Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda.

Oliseh said although he is happy with the attitude of his players, he will need them to be more focused and be hungry for goals against Guinea when they clash on Tuesday.

The former Nigeria captain stated that his team needs a stingy defence in the competition.

“We need to be a little tighter at

Muhammad Sabiu-Kaduna The National President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Comrade Saidu Abubakar has inaugurated a 12-man committee that will organise the golden jubilee of the association which is slated to begin next month.

Inaugurating the committee at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna on Saturday, Abubakar noted that the celebration was earlier slated for last year, but

the back because the kind of goals we have conceded in the tournament are all because of some lazy movement. We need to expose our players as much as possible,” Oliseh said.

Nigeria and Guinea will have to travel 144km to the Rubavu District where their last group game will take place, while Niger faces Tunisia in the other group game at the Nyamirambo Stadium on the same day.

could not hold due to the political situation in the country.

“Since the past leaders failed to celebrate the silver jubilee, we can not afford to allow the golden jubilee to slip from our hands.

“The golden jubilee is important for us to pay glowing tributes to our founding members as well as to review our activities with the view of laying a solid foundation for the future,” he said.

Abubakar stated that members of the committee were chosen after a wide range of consultation with stakeholders.

The committee headed by Collins Udoh has Honour Sirawoo (vice chairman), Said Umar, Kayode Adeniyi, Moses Praise, Idris Malikawa, Ben Ogbemudia and Alloy Chukwuemeka as members.

Other members of the 12-man committee are representative of Owu sports, representative of Pillar of Sports in Nigeria, representative of Dr Ifeanyi Ubah and representative of the Standard Alliance Insurance.

53

24 January, 2016

THE

Sunday Tribune

Fabio Lanipekun 08050498512 lanipekunfabio@yahoo.com

Ballon d’Or?

Messi, of course: Who else?

Messi poses with his previous Ballon d’Or awards

I

n the days of yore there was one prestigious prize, VICTOR LUDORUM which every ambitious sportsperson coveted at secondary schools. The Prize was usually won and awarded to the best all rounder in schools sports.

Beyond the school wall and on to a wider arena SPORTSMAN or SPORTWOMAN of the year replaced VICTOR LUDORUM and at a global level, no one thought of recognising an individual as the best in the world, until recently. But football took the lead with the introduction of Ballon d’Or when the world’s best football players and coaches meet in Zurich to pick the Ballon d’Or winner from a list of nominated players. And quite unexpectedly, the peerless Argentine super star, Lionel Messi won for the fifth time, leaving his rivals Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Neymar of Brazil way behind.

When FIFA short listed the candidates I had no doubt in my mind that Messi would win, after following his career for more than a decade, and declaring that he was and still the best footballer of all time.

Here is a recall of a piece entitled MERCILESS MESSI published in the Sunday Tribune of 11 April, 2010. Enjoy it.

“When I returned from the 1986 World Cup in Mexico where I had led the NTA team that covered the global event, I earned the wrath of some of my senior colleagues in the sports media with whom we ate lunch at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. Still brimming with the magical performance of Diego Maradona,

I sought to prove to them that the plucky Argentine was the greatest footballer I had seen, and that he was miles apart from the legendary Pele of Brazil.

Fabio you must be out of your mind, they all said, nobody can be greater than Pele. Apart from the 1958 World Cup final in Sweden when Pele dazzled the world, purely as a 16-year-old prodigy, he profiteered more from the tremendous efforts of others in 1962 and 1970 when he played for Brazil to win the World Cup. For example, Amarildo was the star of 1962 and for 1970 midfielders Tostao and Gerson were the superb engine room that made Pele to shine. Maradona, on the other hand, was a magnificent midfielder, a devastating attacker and a ruthless striker, all rolled into one. If he was not providing other team-mates with angelic passes to score, he had the predatory sense to position himself where he too could do the damage.

More than a decade after I had elevated Maradona above Pele, FIFA reviewed their own classification and officially acknowledged the two as the greatest ever.

And now comes the clincher, Pele, Maradona, step aside, here comes the new King of Football Kings, Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Argentina. What this youngster has been doing with football in the last two years is simply mind boggling, and writers, journalists, commentators have run out of superlatives to describe him.

And to think that he is just 22, the whole world is at his feet and we thank God for showing up his Messi.

Those of us who have had the privilege of watching world stars on television, in the last fifty years, should begin to re-appraise them. For me, Messi is number one, Maradona, two, Zidane three, and Pele number four. It is possible for another wonder kid to come through, but for now, it is Messi.

This phenomenon has been a thorn in our

Messi displays the 2015 Ballon d’Or

flesh, at the Under 20 World Cup and the 2008 Olympic Games, and when we meet Argentina in our first match of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, we should pray that Messi will be incapacitated.

Oh Lord, grant us your mercy that Messi of Argentina will not come to mess us up on June 12 in South Africa Amen.”

54 sport

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Rodriguez is fit for Betis clash —Zidane Real Madrid playmaker, James Rodriguez is working hard to get back to top form and is fot for today’s clash with Real Betis according to new manager, Zinedine Zidane has said.

Rodriguez was sidelined by a thigh injury while on duty with Colombia in September and has struggled for form and fitness since his return to action at the end of October.

The Colombian who joined Real from Monaco for around 80 million euros ($86.3 million) after dazzling at the 2014 World Cup finals, has made only seven starts this season in La Liga and one each in the Champions League and King’s Cup. Zidane will take charge of his third game at Real Betis today since taking over from the sacked Rafa Benitez and said Rodriguez was ready to play if selected.

Rodriguez’s chance of starting in today’s game was brightened due

Australian Open:

Murray lands in Rd 4

A

ndy Murray recovered from a second-set slump to see off a spirited challenge from Portugal’s Joao Sousa and move into the Australian Open fourth round.

The world number two easily took the first set but allowed Sousa back in before recomposing himself in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win against the number 32 seed.

The 28-year-old Briton will next play Australia’s Bernard Tomic,

seeded 16th.

Murray went from dominating the opening set to being broken in the first game of the second, with Sousa going on to level.

But the Scot raised his game to secure what was in the end a comfortable victory, breaking Sousa’s serve twice again in the fourth and final set.

“It was tricky. I didn’t feel I was in a great rhythm and wasn’t hitting the ball cleanly at the start.

He was hitting the ball great, close

Murray to the lines, and making me do a lot of running,” he said in a statement released through tournament organisers.

“Once I started to hit the ball a little bit cleaner towards the end of the match I was able to get him in his backhand corner and dictate more of the points.

“I just tried to keep fighting. At the end I was actually hitting the ball well and felt better at the end.

It was good to get through that one.”

... As father-in-law collapses at Laver Arena Andy Murray’s father-in-law Nigel Sears is being treated in hospital after collapsing at the Australian Open.

Sears, 58, coaches Ana Ivanovic and was watching her match with Madison Keys on Rod Laver Arena. The match was suspended for an hour before resuming.

Murray was not made aware of what had happened as he was playing Portugal’s Joao Sousa at the time.

Andy’s brother Jamie told reporters Sears was “conscious, talking and sitting up”.

Immediately after his four-set win, Andy Murray left the venue, along with his mother Judy, to visit his father-in-law in hospital.

Sears’ daughter Kim is not in Melbourne in support of Murray as she awaits the birth of their first child in a few weeks’ time.

Ivanovic, the 20th seed, was a set up when the incident occurred and went on to lose 4-6 6-4, 6-4 to 15th seed Madison

Keys.

Sears is in his second spell working with Ivanovic after he was reappointed the Serb’s coach in July last year.

He has previously worked with Daniela Hantuchova and Amanda Coetzer and was also captain of the British Fed Cup team.

Konta

to an injury to Real’s Wales forward Gareth Bale, who damaged a calf muscle in last weekend’s 5-1 home victory over Sporting Gijon.

“You will see tomorrow but he (Rodriguez) had a very good week in training like all the players,” Zidane told a news conference ahead of today’s game in Seville.

“I am very happy with what he is doing and he is working very hard,” added the former Real and France midfielder. “We know what an important player he is for the team.”

Zidane dismissed media reports that Rodriguez may be short on fitness because he is enjoying the nightlife in the Spanish capital a bit too much.

“They annoy me but we have to ignore the rumours,” he said.

“He told me he is relaxed and the important thing for him is to focus on his work. The idea is to get him on top form and make sure he is prepared for what lies ahead.”

It is the second time this week that one of Ivanovic’s matches had been suspended due to an incident in the stands.

Her second-round match against Anastasija Sevastova was held up for 26 minutes when a woman fell in the stands at the same showcourt.

Rodriguez

Konta equals British record Britain’s Johanna Konta reached her second successive Grand Slam fourth round with victory over Czech Denisa Allertova at the Australian Open.

Konta, 24, won 6-2, 6-2 at Melbourne Park to match her run to the last 16 at last year’s US Open.

She is the first British woman to make the fourth round of the Australian Open since Jo Durie and Anne Hobbs in 1987.

Konta goes on to face Russia’s 21st seed Ekaterina Makarova, who pipped Czech ninth seed Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-2.

A first-serve percentage of 72 per cent, 12 break points created and none faced told a story of complete domination by Konta in the opening match on Hisense Arena.

She broke serve at the first opportunity and fired down an ace 29 minutes later to seal the first set as Al-

lertova, ranked 19 places lower at 66 in the world, struggled to keep pace at the other end of the court.

The Czech had won their only previous match at last year’s French Open but Konta is an altogether different prospect these days and broke for the third time at the start of the second set.

Konta continued to dominate on serve and wrapped up a onesided win after just 63 minutes.

“It was not easy out there,” said the Sydney-born Briton. “She’s an incredibly tough opponent and I knew I had to run down each ball and fight for every point. It definitely wasn’t easy.”

Allertova, 22, revealed she had been hampered by a leg injury, but said: “She played well on every point, she has got much better since we met at the French Open.

“She is going up and up and is such a good player.”

55

sport

24 January, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Alli scores in Tottenham win AN incredible 25-yard volley from Dele Alli helped Tottenham Hotspur come from behind to defeat Crystal Palace 3-1.

The visitors went behind when Wilfried Zaha’s cross was turned into his own net by Spurs defender, Jan Vertonghen.

But Harry Kane gave Tottenham a deserved equaliser when he powerfully headed in Nacer Chadli’s dinked cross.

Alli then flicked the ball up, then back over his own head before volleying into the bottom corner, before Chadli curled in a late third goal.

Spurs have never finished in the top three of the Premier League, and this was a huge test of their character and spirit - and they passed it with flying colours.

This well-deserved victory keeps them only five points behind surprise leaders Leicester, but they had to show their fighting spirit.

They were frustrated by a well-organised Palace team, who took a shock lead through Vertonghen’s first-half own goal.

But three pieces of skill saw Spurs fight back for the win.

Kane’s header maintained a remarkable run of form that has now seen him score 12 times in his past 14 Premier League appearances.

Alli

Watford’s Odion Ighalo displaces Newcastle United goalkeeper, Rob Elliot for his 14th EPL goal of the season on Saturday at Vicarage Road. PHOTO: SPORTMAIL.

Ighalo nets 14th EPL goal

By Ganiyu Salman

R

ED-HOT Nigerian international, Odion Ighalo on Saturday scored his first goal in the new year and the 14th this season in the English Premier League, as Watford earned a 2-1 victory over Newcastle United at Vicarage Road.

It will be recalled that Ighalo finished 2015 with 29 goals including 16 in the English Championship, a feat which made him the best striker in all English four top divisions in the outgone year.

Watford supporters serenade their star striker with Spandau Ballet’s 1983 hit ‘Gold’, including the line: ‘Always believe in…

Ighalo’, and manager Quique Sanchez Flores has done just that this week.

The Watford boss, Flores kept faith in his top goalscorer, hold-

ing one-on-one talks in a bid to coax him out of a crisis of confidence that has seen him go four games without a goal.

The Edo State-born Ighalo too did not disappoint, as he shot the Hornets into the lead in the 46th minute for his 14th EPL goal of the season, after his strike against

Chelsea at Stamford Bridge was declared an own goal (from Gary Cahill) by the Premier League goal panel.

Ighalo also set up defender Craig Cathcart to double the lead in the 58th minute The relegation-haunted Magpies reduced the defict through

Jamaal Lascelles in the 71st minute.

Ighalo, who won the Premier League Player of the Month award (December 2015), almost beat goalkeeper Rob Elliot for the second time in the game, but had his shot saved after he outwitted Jamaal Lascelles.

The match hero, Charlie Austin (right) celebrates after scoring at Old Trafford for Southampton on Saturday.

Liverpool wins in 9-goal thriller ADAM Lallana’s strike deep into stoppage time gave Liverpool a 5-4 win over Norwich City in an extraordinary Premier League game at Carrow Road on Saturday.

The nine-goal thriller remains one of the most dramatic EPL games of the season.

Liverpool had fought back from 3-1 down to lead 4-3 after 90 minutes but central defender, Sebastien Bassong’s fierce drive looked to have earned struggling Norwich a point before Lallana bundled the ball into the net with seconds remaining.

The visitors took the lead after 19 minutes when Roberto Firmino’s scuffed strike found the

corner of the net, but Dieumerci Mbokani equalised with an audacious back-heel after Liverpool failed to deal with a corner on the half-hour.

Steven Naismith, making his Norwich debut, beat Simon Mignolet with a fierce shot from a narrow angle before halftime and Wes Hoolahan converted a penalty to give the hosts a two-goal cushion.

The unmarked Jordan Henderson then pulled one back for Liverpool with a low shot and Firmino’s deft finish from Lallana’s cross levelled the scores before James Milner slotted in following a dreadful back pass from Russell Martin.

Man U beaten at Old Trafford as fans boo Van Gaal EMBATTLED Manchester United manager, Louis van Gaal on Saturday had a bitter pill to swallow, as visiting Southampton ran away with a lone goal victory at Old Trafford.

Charlie Austin netted with his first touch in the 87th minute.

United supporters once again vented their anger towards Van Gaal after watching their team put on yet another dull, uninspiring

performance at home.

Boos rang out around at halftime and following the final whistle as Saints recorded only their second win at United’s home since 1988, but also their second in 13 months.

There was no doubting who the home supporters blamed for this latest insipid display.

The Red Devils and their manager, van Gaal were booed off

by home fans at full-time as he walked down the tunnel, after producing just one shot on target in 90 minutes.

They have won just one of their past five home games - and have failed to score in three of those.

United’s first-half record in front of goal is even worse. They have now gone eight hours and 26 minutes without scoring in the first 45 minutes of games at Old Trafford.

SIDELINES NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER

no 2,030

24 JANUARY, 2016

www.tribuneonlineng.com

n200

22-yr-old Reverend Titus Onwucheka, has narrated to the police how one Felix ‘sowed the seed’ of a stolen Mitsubishi Pajero SUV in his life, by virtue of his being a minister of God, just as he said, he agreed to buy the car well below market value. So, even God’s anointed appreciates the benefits of awoof?

Organising our federation properly

E

VERY country on earth has its own basic, fundamental, problem. For instance, for the country that is now the greatest power in our world, the United States of America, the fundamental problem from inception was how to make one coherent country out of many separate self-governing colonies. Representatives of the separate colonies, coming together with sincerity to tackle this problem, wrote a constitution.

But another constitution was soon needed to rectify the weaknesses of the first. And even after that, Americans are still today grappling with their basic problem. Their seriousness and sincerity are the guarantees for their continued success.

Look also at the United Kingdom. The fundamental problem is a country of different nations agglomerated together over centuries. A series of wars and treaties bound the Irish and Welsh to England.

Then dynastic marriages paved the way for the union of Scotland with England.

It has all worked well, and resulted in a Britain that is one of the greatest stars in the modern world. In more recent times, when small nationalities in the world are agitating for separate countries of their own, Britain found itself confronted with such demands from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. What did the rulers of Britain do?

They rose to the task with sincerity and seriousness. The Republic of Ireland was allowed to go peacefully. Over the decades after that, British rulers came up with the idea of DEVOLUTION – which means granting each of Scotland and Wales a high level of autonomy or internal self-government within the context of the United Kingdom. Even in international sports, Britain is not represented as one country, each of England, Scotland and Wales fields its own team. Result? The Scottish and Welsh nationalist agitations are peaceful, open and respectable, and Britain continues to be prosperous and powerful.

Sincerity and seriousness are the keys.

So, what do I mean by sincerity and seriousness? Sincerity is honest and dutiful recognition and acceptance of facts – of what is – and loyalty in handling those facts. It means that persons who find themselves in the management of the affairs of their country dedicate themselves to the duty of workingwith the facts of

their country with a view to making their country successful. Seriousness means that the leaders always keep their attention focused on this duty, and never let themselves be distracted by personal or ethnic-loyalty considerations.

These are the only roads to success in the building of a country. In particular, if the country happens to be a country of many nationalities or ethnic groups, efforts at building it in any other way are invitations to trouble, conflicts and eventual failure.

Building wrongly is the disease of Nigeria. It is also the disease of every country of Black Africa. It is why we are experiencing horrible conflicts in every country of Black

tinue to serve their country’s interests.

Hardly any of us ever suggested afterwards that we should take our own look at the details of what they had left us. In fact, we proceeded to degrade and despise our own indigenous nations, the nations which we ourselves had evolved and in which we had lived for millennia before the coming of the British. For us, these nations became “tribes”, and any show of loyalty to them became “tribalism”. We did these, even though some of these “tribes” were not really much smaller than the Britain that had colonized us. And, incredibly, the “tribe” that the British gave dominant power over our country then mindlessly proceeded to crush, domi-

diranapata@yahoo.com

Africa, killing millions of our people, displacing many more millions from their homes, and crushing still more millions together in desperately dehumanizing refugee camps. It is why most of our Black African countries may never really make it in the world. It is why the gap between Black Africa and the rest of the world is widening. It is why Black Africa is becoming the last bastion of primitive poverty in the world. It is why some people are now even suggesting that Black Africa might need to be re-subjected to some sort of colonialism in the interest of humanity!

Here is how we have been building wrongly in Nigeria (a pattern mirrored all over Black Africa). Some Britons, serving the interest of their country, came and carved up a large piece of territory in West Africa and called it Nigeria. They did the best they could to knit this Nigeria together as one country, enriching their own country as much as they could in the process. Then they left in less than fifty years. Before leaving, they put in place such arrangements as would also con-

nate and emasculate the other “tribes”.

This is the story of Nigeria. It is a story of tragic refusals of leading men and women to see and deal appropriately with the basic and fundamental reality of their country’s existence. It is not because we have many nationalities or ethnic groups in our country that we are killing one another; it is because we ignore the facts and pigheadedly refuse to handle the situation as the facts demand.

The lack of proper organization of our federation has been a cause of serious troubles for our country even since before independence. The three region structure that the British gave us in the 1950s was politically not the wise thing to have done.

The small nationalities in all three regions wanted regions of their own. The British went as far as to set up a commission to study the issue, with resulting recommendations that the wishes of the small regions should be respected. Unfortunately, out of special British calculations and interests, our British rulers rejected the recommen-

CHAN 2016: Tunisia result not fair —Oliseh NIGERIA head coach, Sunday Oliseh has expressed displeasure with the outcome of Friday’s 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN) group C game, where the Super Eagles were forced to a 1-1 draw by the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia.

Chisom Chikatara put the home-based Eagles ahead in the 52nd minute before Tunisia rallied to a leveller through Ahmed Akaichi in the 70th minute, and Oliseh however felt his players “de-

served more” from the match.

“The 1-1 draw with Tunisia was not a fair result because looking at the physiognomy of the game, we dominated everything; had more; we managed the game and dictated the tempo of the game.

“We had a feeling that we deserved more from this game,” Oliseh told reporters after the game.

Nigeria will finish as group winners if they defeat Guinea in their final prelim-

inary game in Gisenyi on Tuesday and the former Nigeria captain believes the feat can be achieved.

“We expect our players to go out and try to force the result. I am very proud of my players the way they played today (on Friday).

“A Tunisian journalist was asking me if I had this team for like a year but I told him that was not the case. It’s flattering when you hear things like that,” Oliseh said.

dations of the commission. So we went into independence with a federation that was sure to run into trouble. Predictably the federation ran into trouble - principally because the groups that controlled the federal government wanted to control all three regions. The trouble that resulted led us into military coups, an attempt at secession and a bloody civil war. When the civil war ended we chose to learn nothing from it and our federal rulers proceeded to strengthen the federal centre and reduce the federating units into nonentities. As a result today we have two powerful centres of secessionist temper. Ijaw youths of the Niger Delta have for decades been up in arms against our country. Today, youths of the Igbo nation are clamouring for a separate nation of their own called Biafra. Reports coming from the NorthEast are that Kanuri nationalism is a significant factor in the strength of Boko Haram. The youths of the large Yoruba nation of the South West are not wading into the conflicts but we deceive ourselves if we claim not to know that they too reject the excessive power wielded by the federal government over their states.

I repeat that having many nationalities in the same country is something that can be managed successfully. All that is needed is that we recognize the fact that we are different nationalities and organize our country accordingly. We have chosen to ignore this vital fact and thereby are bringing big troubles upon our country. It is time that our leaders must change that posture and lead us along the path of sensible organization of Nigeria as a country of many nationalities. In Switzerland where there are many nationalities the people agreed early that their country is not a nation, but a country of many nationalities. The agreement was that they were to treat their country as a “nation by consent” – the consent of the many nationalities. In the context of that general agreement they have created a far sighted federation that works commendably smoothly. We in Nigeria can do the same and must now embark on that cause. It can be done. The Indians did it, the Swiss did it, the British, the Canadians and the Belgians are doing it. We can do it too. If we refuse to tackle this issue, we doom our country to continued instability.

If we do it we will open the doors to prosperity and greatness for our country.

Norwich

EPL results 4

Liverpool

5

C/Palace

1

Tottenham

3

Leicester

3

Stoke City

0

Man Utd

0

Southampton 1

Sunderland

1

Bournemouth 1

Watford

2

Newcastle

1

West Brom

0

Aston Villa

0

West Ham

2

Man City

2

Pools: 7, 9, 10, 15, 16, 21, 22, 26, 27, 30, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 44. Today’s Matches: 01 and 03

Printed and Published by the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, Imalefalafia Street, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. E mail: sundaytribuneeditor@yahoo.com Website: www.tribuneonlineng.com MANAGING DIRECTOR/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: EDWARD DICKSON. EDITOR : SINA OLADEINDE. All Correspondence to P. O. Box 78, Ibadan. ISSN 2712. ABC Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation. 24/1/2016