27th February 2016

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER

NO 1,139

SATURDAY, 27 FEBRUARY, 2016

www.tribuneonlineng.com

Nigerian Tribune

@nigeriantribune

N150

Nigerian Tribune

Rev King must die —Supreme Court Church members say miracle will save him

pg4

Saraki: I’m being

persecuted, pg5 I won’t resign Buhari behind my ordeal —Dasuki

pg47

The greatest lesson I’ve learnt —Monalisa Chinda pg33

Inside cemetery where poachers steal corpses pgs22&27

Grim faces of relations of the late Mr Lowo Oyediran during the burial ceremony at Gbongan, Osun State, on Friday. PHOTOS: TOMMY ADEGBITE

Man allegedly killed by lawyer-wife buried amid tears in Osunpg4

SSS nabs 3 over N4bn Senate arrest order: I’ve been asked bribery allegation pg5 not to talk —Lamorde pg4

2

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

3

27 February, 2016

My worries as

a producer — Rita Dominic Award- winning actress, Rita Dominic is one stylish Nollywood actress who always leaves lasting impressions after every movie she features in. Now a movie producer, the actress who recently released a new flick, Surulere, along with business partner, Mildred Okwo, talks about challenges of being a producer in a chat with journalists. JOAN OMIONAWELE brings excerpts:

Y

OUR first effort in movie production, ‘The Meeting’, did well and claimed many awards. How did you feel about that?

I felt elated and that really encouraged me to venture into another project. I mean the success of the first project, The Meeting, encouraged me to go ahead to produce Surulere, a romantic comedy.

When did you decide to venture into production?

I am still an actor, that is what l like to call myself.

I started acting in 1998; after completing studies in theatre arts I came into the industry. Then, I always wanted to try different aspects of filmmaking. I wanted to be a producer, I wanted to be behind the camera to see how things are done and how I could contribute to that. So some years ago, Mildred Okwo who manages my career as an actor, told me that about her ideas for the movie industry. To be quite honest with you, I liked where she was coming from, I liked her idea and what she wanted to do.

Unfortunately too, as a producer I wanted to do what she had in mind. I then decided that I would partner with her and this is where we are today.

We have the second film, Surulere. The Meeting was our first and it was highly celebrated.

What message are you trying to pass with this new movie?

It is just a story a lot of people can connect with because I know we have many young people out there who are struggling to make ends meet. What Continues on pg30

Saturday Tribune

4

news

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

You must die by hanging, Supreme Court tells Rev King A miracle will disgrace his enemies —Church members Sunday Ejike - Abuja and Chukwuma Okparaocha - Lagos

T

HE Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the concurrent judgements of a High Court of Lagos State and the Court of Appeal which slammed a death sentence on the General Overseer of the Christian Praying Assembly, Rev. Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, a.k.a Reverend King.

In a unanimous judgement delivered by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, the apex court held that the two lower courts were right to have sentenced Rev Ezeugo to death by hanging for the murder of a member of his church.

The court, which resolved all the twelve issues the reverend raised in his appeal against him, also said the first five-count charge against Rev Ezeugo was for attempted murder, with a penalty of 20 years imprisonment, while the 6th count was for murder, which attracts a death sentence.

Justice Ngwuta, in the judgement, held that the 20 years imprisonment for attempted murder was no longer necessary, adding, however, that, “From the fact of the case, the scene could have been taken from a horror movie.

“Having considered the arguments of parties in this matter, I am of the view that the appeal has no merit.

“The appeal is hereby dismissed and the judgement of the Lagos State High Court, which was affirmed by the Court of Appeal is hereby affirmed,” Justice Ngwuta held in the unanimous judgement of the apex court.

Reacting to the judgement, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) of Lagos State, Mrs. Idowu Alakija told newsmen that justice has prevailed and that she was happy with the judgement of the apex court in the matter.

Counsel for the appellant, Mrs Ann Ibinola said the Supreme Court is the apex court of the land, adding that its decision will be abided by.

Rev Ezeugo had challenged the judgement of a Lagos High Court sentencing him to death by hanging, which was affirmed by the appellate court.

The apex court, presided over by Justice Walter Onoghen had, late last year adjourned till yesterday for judgement after entertain-

ing arguments from counsel for prosecution and defence in the matter.

Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, who appeared before the Supreme Court alongside Mrs. Idowu Alakija, the DPP, urged the court to dismiss the appeal and uphold the judgement of the lower courts.

Ezeugo was arraigned on September 26, 2006 on a six-count charge of attempted murder and murder.

He pleaded not guilty to the allegation but was sentenced to death by the then Justice Joseph Oyewole of Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, on January 11, 2007 for the murder of one of his church members, Ann Uzoh.

Justice Oyewole is now a judge of Appeal Court sitting in the Calabar division.

The Lagos State government had said that the convict poured petrol on the deceased and five other persons and that Uzoh died on August 2, 2006; 11 days after the act was perpetrated on her, while the other five members of the church sustained varying degrees of burns as a result of the act.

Specifically, Ezeugo was convicted and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for the attempted murder of five memebrs of his church by pouring petrol on them and setting them ablaze and death by hanging for the murder of Miss Ann Uzor, another member of his church.

While in Katsina prison, Reverend King was said to have also impregnated a 24-year-old Igbo lady.

Dissatisfied, Ezeugo challenged the verdict before the Court of Appeal in Lagos, but the appeal was thrown out.

“I hereby rule that the prosecution effectively discharged the burden of proof on it. This appeal is devoid of any basis and accordingly fails.

“The judgement of the High Court is hereby affirmed, and the conviction imposed on the appellant, (which is death by hanging) is also affirmed,” Justice Fatimo Akinbami who read the judgement held.

The two other members of the panel of Justices, Amina Augie and Ibrahim Saulawa concurred with the lead judgement.

Again, Ezeugo not satisfied with the verdict, approached

the Supreme Court, and urged that the judgement be upturned.

A miracle will disgrace his enemies — Church members

Hours after the Supreme Court confirmed the death penalty passed on Rev King, members of his church are still very optimistic for a miracle that the controversial clergy will not be executed.

After the court pronouncement, Saturday Tribune paid a visit to the church, which is located at the Ajao Estate area of Lagos, where a few members seen around refused to allow the news of their overseer’s impending fate to dampen their morale.

Saturday Tribune had trouble convincing the members to react to the news, but two male members eventually briefly told Saturday Tribune that members of the church would not relent in praying for a miracle since they were all convinced about Rev King’s innocence.

“It is not a pleasant news, I must admit, but we will keep on praying and never lose hope. Since the incident happened about 10 years ago, none of us has ever waivered in our belief in the innocence of His Holiness, Most Rev King. We will pray and pray because I believe a miracle can hap-

pen,” said one of the male worshipers seen at the entrance of the church and whose identity could not be ascertained.

Similarly, another male worshipper, who was later identified simply as Brother Elechi, also expressed the hope that “His Holiness,” as Rev King is often addressed by members of his church, would not be made to face the gallows.

He insisted that those who “planned and concorted lies” against the clergy, in-

cluding the media, would be eventually “disgraced.”

“What are you looking for again? You media people were among those who worked against his holiness. Are you not satisfied that the death penalty has been upheld? But I can assure you that all those who planned and concorted lies against the anointed man of God will eventually be disgraced by a miracle that will happen,” he said.

As Saturday Tribune made move to take its leave, a

Arrest warrant: Lamorde keeps mum Isaac Shobayo - Jos TWENTY-FOUR hours after the Senate ordered his arrest, the immediate past chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Lamorde, declared, on Friday, that nothing would make him say anything for now.

The Senate had, on Thursday, asked its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, headed by Senator Sam Anyanwu, to issue a warrant of arrest on Lamorde.

The committee, which investigated a petition against Lamorde by George Oboh, who alleged mismanagement of over N1 trillion funds, had asked the Senate for the order to issue

the warrant of arrest against Lamorde to enable him to answer for activities during his tenure.

But the former EFCC boss, on Friday, declined comment on the Senate’s decision, saying “I have been instructed not to talk.”

The former EFCC boss, who was among the participants inaugurated for Senior Executive Course No 38 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State, on Friday, looked undisturbed by the Senate’s decision.

At the event, Lamorde exchanged banter and took pictures with others who had come from various establishments across the country for the course which will last for 11 months.

When Saturday

Tears as remains of Oyelowo allegedly stabbed to death in Ibadan by his wife are interred in Gbongan Oluwole Ige - Osogbo AMIDST wailing, the remains of Adebayo Oyelowo Oyediran Ajanaku, who was allegedly stabbed to death by his wife, Yewande, in Ibadan, Oyo State, on February 2, 2016 were committed to mother earth on Friday, in his hometown, Gbongan, in Ayedaade Local Government Area of Osun State.

Emotions ran high as the hearse bearing the white casket of the deceased approached St. Paul’s Cathedral (Anglican Communion), Oke Osun Diocese, Gbongan, at 10.45 a.m.

Relatives, friends and well-wishers could not hold back tears when they sighted the casket bearing the remains of the deceased being carried out of the hearse by pall-bearers.

Donning black customised T-shirts, with the picture of Lowo and the inscription “Justice4Lowo,” some of his family members, relatives and friends

boy, about 15 years of age, was also seen entering the church.

Before he could do that, the same question was posed to him, but this was met with a quick reply, “Our Reverend will not be executed.”

No sooner had he said this than the teenager joined a handful of people inside the main church which is guarded by a high fence and two huge iron gates. A few minutes later, the song “Heavenly race, I no go tire” soon started ringing out.

who could not control their emotions rolled on the floor, shouting the name of the deceased.

Delivering his sermon, entitled “The Greatest Question of Life,” the officiating clergy, Venerable Paul. O. Farotimi, who is the Dean of the Cathedral, said “people have asked the question ‘why?’ during moments of disappointment, sorrow and disaster,” adding that “we may ask ourselves why death killed Lowo at this time.”

Quoting from the Book of Matthew, chapter 27, verse 2, he said, “life is a cycle.

Life is a stage, we all play our part and leave the stage.

Lowo left the stage when the ovation was the loudest.

He left as a hero. There are many whys in this life that remain unanswered.”

Farotimi continued: “Since this unfortunate incident, we have asked the questions, why did his wife kill him? Why did he go back and sleep in the house after the quarrel had been settled?”

While urging the family of Ajanaku to immortalise the name of Oyelowo so that generations yet unborn would know him and his far-reaching impacts, the clergy maintained that “the death of Lowo tells us that we can die at anytime, anywhere and anyhow. We have to prepare to meet our Saviour. Situations like this should make us think about our life.”

After the church service, the body of the deceased was interred at St Paul’s Cathedral cemetery, situated along Gbongan-Osogbo Road.

Dignitaries at the funeral service included the family members, friends, relatives and business partners of Lowo, Mr Mikkel, wife of the Olufi of Gbongan, Dr (Mrs) Margaret Ronke Oyeniyi; Professor Tunde Makanju and Justice Bolarinwa Babalakin, who was represented by his personal assistant and members of Gbongan Progressive Union.

Tribune approached him at the event for an interview, the former EFCC boss simply said “I have been instructed not to talk” and quickly walked away before any further question could be asked.

It will be recalled that a former chairman of the EFCC, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, who left the agency on a controversial note some years back, had been to NIPSS before his exit from the Nigeria Police Force.

Senator Anyanwu, while presenting the report of his committee, narrated all efforts taken to have Lamorde present himself before the committee, to no avail.

The committee had recommended that “to save the National Assembly as the highest lawmaking body of the nation from irreparable damage to its reputation and capacity to summon, the former EFCC chairman, lbrahim Lamorde, must be compelled to appear before the committee to answer for the activities of his tenure.”

Larmode had been invited three times by the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges to defend himself against a petition raised and sent to the Senate by Dr Uboh.

In the petition, Dr Uboh alleged that under Lamorde, “EFCC operated accounts in banks to warehouse recovered funds which do not reflect in EFCC audited accounts; EFCC doctors and manipulates bank accounts to conceal diversion of funds; EFCC releases recovered funds to unidentified persons and EFCC officials and that over 95 per cent of EFCC recoveries in foreign currencies, other than those from multinational companies have been diverted,” among others.

The Senate had, through letters dated August 19, 2015, November 3, 2015, and November 11, 2015, summoned Lamorde but all invitations were tacitly turned down by the former EFCC boss.

5

news

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

I am sick I need 10-day break —Oyegun Kolawole Daniel - Abuja

Former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Lamorde, third from the left, shortly after his inauguration for the Senior Executive Course No 38 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru, near Jos, Plateau State, on Friday.

I’m being persecuted, I won’t resign —Saraki Lanre Adewole - Lagos

P

RESIDENT of the Senate, Bukola Saraki on Friday said he would hold on to his job as he alleged that he was being persecuted with his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

He accused unnamed forces unhappy with his political progress as the number three man in the nation as being behind his ordeal.

To him, what is happening to him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal is more of persecution than prosecution for alleged corruption.

He spoke at the Social Media Week organised by State-Craft Inc. The theme of the event which was held at the Landmark Events Centre, Lagos, was ‘Did You Say Change? Game Changers of the 2015 Nigerian elections.’

The Senate President said that when he got into office as a public servant 13 years ago, he filled the asset declaration form as demanded by the law of the land.

According to him, “It is not a fight against corruption; it is more about being persecuted. We are public servants and you must fill your asset declaration form when you get in office and I did mine 13 years ago.

“The charges have nothing to do with corruption or money being stolen anywhere. I will have my day in court to prove my innocence of the charge pending against me because it is not about corruption.

“I don’t understand how the same organisation that cleared my asset declaration to be proper in 2004, 2009 and 2011 can now say that my record is faulted,”

he said.

On the theme of the conference, Saraki urged Nigerians to be social media savvy.

“I’m here to thank social media; without online citizens to ensure transparency in elections, I won’t be here. Social media became the “Chairman” of INEC because they provided real time results.

“Though we had num-

bers, it’s really thanks to social media that votes counted because you shared as it happened. Let us seize the opportunity to work together, so that the next Senate president will come here. The important thing about social media is that we (lawmakers) are more accountable now whether we like it or not.

Without social media, the demand for accountability

will not be possible. Without the involvement of Social media, there is no way we’d have moved from a non-performing government because now everything is out in the open unlike years ago. We are here to work with social media.”

His colleagues at the event were Senators Dino Melaye, Sabi Abdulahi and Foster Ogola.

THE national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun on Friday disclosed that he will take a 10-day break starting from Monday, 29 February, 2016 to enable him to rest.

In a chat with journalists, he stated that in his absence, the party’s deputy national chairman (South), Engr. Segun Oni will relieve him.

Chief Oyegun said: “I have been APC national chairman for how long now? Going to two years, and it has been a very intense period building the party and a very intense period putting government together up to this point. All that has happened is that I think I deserve a bit of a break and that will start effective Monday.

“In my absence, the party’s deputy national chairman (South), Engr. Segun Oni will cover my beat. It is that simple, it is that straightforward. Any speculation about not being in the office is of no consequence.

“On Tuesday, I was down with malaria, I managed on Wednesday to attend that crucial meeting at the presidency, yesterday (Thursday) I had to go to the hospital just to be sure and today I am at work, full stop. So please, please, please I know the press is supposed to be imaginative and stir the news but not when there is really nothing to stir. It is that simple.

On the late constitution of APC Board of Trustees, he said, “the Board of Trustees will be meeting on March 22, the day before the national caucus will be meeting and the NEC of the party will be meeting on the 24th.”

Speaking on when Nigerians will begin to enjoy dividend of democracy from the APC-led government, he said, “I do not see how anybody can give you a date, but very, very, soon. I have no doubts at all.”

He added that, “The president knows what our national issues are, he knows that a lot of it has international connotations. A group of the world is fighting to be the most highly industrialised. China wants cheap oil because it’s a manufacturing hub, India wants cheap oil and a lot of other countries want cheap oil which, of course, is contrary to our own interest because we want good prices for oil so that we can carry on with our own national development plans.”

DSS arrests 3 over N4bn bribery allegation against DG Jacob Segun Olatunji - Abuja THE Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested three suspects for allegedly falsely accusing its Director General, Mr Lawan Daura, of collecting the sum of N4 billion from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors of Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Abia and Taraba states to influence the judgement of the Supreme Court in their favour in the recently decided election cases by the apex court.

A DSS official, Malam Abdullahi Garba, who addressed journalists in Abuja on Friday on the development, said the trio of Usman Ahmed Danmallam, Nura Shehu Lawal Giwa (a.k.a.

Marafan Zazzau) and Hussaini A. Monguno (a.k.a.

Colonel), on 17 February, “perfected plans to blackmail the DGSS, solely based on falsehood.”

“The group claimed that the DGSS collected the sum of N4 billion from the PDP governors of Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Abia and Taraba states to influence the judgement of the Supreme Court in their favour in the recently decided electoral cases by the court.

“They were also to misinform the president and in fact, the Nigerian pub-

quired choice properties in Maitama and Asokoro areas of Abuja.

“The overall objective was to scare the DGSS and put him under pressure just for the group to extort money from him to serve their pecuniary interest.

“To state the obvious truth, the DGSS couldn’t have approached the justices to accomplish the said feat attributed to him because his office doesn’t work in that manner.

“Again, the DG couldn’t have helped the same PDP governors who daily accuse him, even in the press of not supporting them. All these, therefore, give a lie to the accusations of this band of mischief-makers.

“It may further interest the public to know the actual personalities of this gang.

“Monguno hails from Yerwa village of Monguno Local Government Area of Borno State.

“He claims to be a security expert and goes by the military title of Colonel. It is regrettable to reveal that Monguno never served in the Nigerian Army. Rather, he averred that he was hired as a “civilian bodyguard” shortly after his stint with the defunct National Guard.

“He said he was recruited and trained as a bodyguard

towards the end of former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida’s (retd) regime, but served the late General Sani Abacha (retd) who addressed him as Colonel.

“He also disclosed that he received training on closebody security in Libya and Nigeria. It is not yet known the nature of assignments he undertook for the various regimes he claimed to have served.

“Danmallam, who hails from Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State, admitted, like the other two members of his group, to the crime but claimed that the smear campaign was initiated by Giwa who came up with the various allegations.

“He also revealed that he co-opted Monguno into their plans based on his self-confessed expertise in national security as well as alleged connection with high-profile personalities, including Mr President.

“Giwa hails from Zaria and claims to be the Marafan Zazzau, a traditional title of the respected Emirate.

He is the initiator of this plot. He is yet to disclose his main motive for initiating this dangerous plot other than his penchant for namedropping and propensity to

extort money from people.

“Meanwhile, the trio have confessed that the whole allegation against the DG is baseless and only a scam meant to serve their purpose.

“A pertinent fact that investigations have revealed is that this group, in order to further their illegal act, is taking advantage of the clear and sustained anticorruption war being waged by this administration “A method used by the group is to tell lies against their victims and also plant rumours about them in certain government circles so as to create the impression that the targets are corrupt and have breached legal procedures in the discharge of their responsibilities.

“The aim is usually to make these targets seek their attention and invariably sort out with them based on negotiated sums of money or they will threaten to report the matter to the president.

“This Service and, indeed, its leadership refuse to be distracted and will remain resolute in their commitment to the anti-corruption efforts of Mr President and his indefatigable team,” Garba declared.

The DSS, therefore, “sounds a clear warning to mischief-makers and selfappointed national security

experts who go about claiming capacity and expertise/ skills on sensitive security matters to henceforth desist from doing so.

“Let it be known that they lack the requisite knowledge of security but engage in this antics to simply create confusion in the polity and enrich themselves”.

“It is to be emphasised that the Service will not hesitate to decisively deal with such persons and groups within the ambit of the law,” he warned.

However, in a swift reaction to the allegation, the suspects denied ever engaging in extortion of money from either the DGSS or anybody else as alleged by the Service and that they were innocent of the offence for which they were arrested in the first instance.

Monguno claimed that Danmallam had told him about a rumour he heard that the DG collected a N4 billion bribe from the PDP governors, which he immediately cautioned him against discussing on the phone, a claim which Danmallam corroborated.

But the third suspect, Giwa, said that he had only returned to Nigeria from Saudi Arabia on Monday when he was picked up for an unknown offence.

news

6

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

NUJ kicks as Oyo sacks BCOS management team

By Tunde Ogunesan

From left, Mr Michael Ale, Chief Executive Officer, MALE Consultancy; Minister of Water Resources, Engineer Adamu Suleiman and the Director, Water Reform, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Engineer Benson Ajisegiri, during the workshop on performance assessment of state water agencies, in Abuja, recently.

5 dead, 4 injured as truck crushes roadside traders in Osun Oluwole Ige - Osogbo

T

RAGEDY struck on Thursday evening when five people lost their lives in

an auto crash, which occurred at Akoda Junction, Ede, on the Gbongan/Osogbo road.

An eyewitness informed Saturday Tribune that the accident occurred when

a truck on top speed on its way to Osogbo, capital of Osun State suddenly lost control and ran over some people believed to be roadside traders.

Similarly, five other peo-

Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab still collaborate —Somalian govt

BOKO Haram fighters are crossing Africa to receive specialised training from Al Shabaab fighters in Somalia, the country’s national security chief told CNN. The Nigerian terror group was taught how to carry out suicide attacks and build weaponry in Al Shabaab training camps, said General Abdirahman Sheikh Issa Mohamed.

Mohamed, who is the national security adviser to Somalia’s president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said that Boko Haram members were trained in the country between 2010 and 2012 in south central Somalia, areas previously controlled

by Al-Shabaab.

He added that he believed the Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram operatives are still “sharing tactical operational skills,” as well as “maintaining cyber and physical contact.”

Mohamed said the information had been shared with international partners, such as at the recent Munich Security conference in Germany, where the president of Somalia confirmed that Boko Haram and Al Shabaab had joined forces.

“We believe that the two violent extremist groups share more values and interest here in Africa than their mother group (ISIS

and Al-Qaeda) would,” he added.

Boko Haram aims to impose Islamic law, or Sharia, in Nigeria and regularly carries out deadly attacks in the country’s north.

In the most recent attack this month, Boko Haram militants killed at least 30 people in a two-day onslaught. They raided villages, kidnapping women and children and looting

food supplies.

However, some experts believe Boko Haram’s hold in the region has weakened considerably after an intensive campaign by the Nigerian military, forcing them to change their tactics.

“The group now has a guerrilla strategy,” said Nigerian senator and former Boko Haram negotiator Shehu Sani.”

ple sustained varying degrees of injures in the ensuing melee that followed the accident, while people scampered to safety.

Some residents of Akoda Area informed Saturday Tribune that the casualties of the auto crash could have been more than five, but that the timely arrival of ambulance and treatment of others who sustained injuries saved some people from losing their lives.

Speaking in a telephone chat with our correspondent, the Head of Operation, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Osun Sector Command, Mr. Rufus Ajibola Adewumi, said the auto crash was caused by over speeding, that could not be managed when the vehicle involved lost control.

2016 Budget: Reps Appropriation Committee threatens defaulting committee chairmen JacobSegunOlatunjiand Kolawole Daniel - Abuja THE House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation on Friday threatened that it would close all activities on collation of the 2016 budget reports over the failure of some House standing committee members to submit their reports to the appropriation committee.

The appropriation committee has also said that failure of the committee chairmen to submit their reports has automatically given it the liberty to allocate funds to ministries, departments and agencies of government concerned.

The chairman of the Appropriation Committee, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin who dropped the hint in Abuja said, “If not that the

Senate delayed us for a week, we would have been done with this process before now and I expected our colleagues to take advantage of that delay by expediting action on their reports, but as it stands, we are likely to take that decision for them.”

Jibrin added that since the March deadline remains sacrosanct, the committee must not be seen as lagging behind.

Committees that submitted their reports on Friday included Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness and Science and Technology.

The Deputy Chairman, Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness, Honourable Ali Isah, in his presentation to the appropriation committee, said that the budget for the Na-

tional Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was increased from N1.3 billion to over N2 billion.

THE Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State council on Friday condemned in strong terms the sack of top management staff of the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) by the state government.

The sack, which came exactly a week after Governor Abiola Ajimobi paid an unscheduled visit to the corporation at Orita Basorun Ibadan, was considered by the NUJ as unexpected, more so that the governor had assured the workforce that his visit was for “restructuring to enable the station excel”.

The union’s position was contained in a press release signed by the chairman, Comrade Gbenga Opadotun.

According to the release, the affected personnel include the Director of News and Current Affairs, Mr. Oyeboade Oyewole, the director in charge of Commercial, Mr. Peter Ajayi, his counterpart in the personnel, Mr. Segun Lawale and that of Engineering, Akinniyi Akinlabi.

Others are the Directors of Programmes and Finance, Mrs. Funmilola Peluola and Ademola Adekanmbi respectively.

Meanwhile, the state government in a statement signed by the Special Adviser, Communication and Strategy to Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Mr Yomi Layinka, described the decision as painful, stating that it is part of the reorganisation process in the company.

70-year-old, 2 others defile teenager in Delta Ebenezer Adurokiya - Warri SEVENTY-year-old Ogwe Paul, Kenneth Okoro, 58 and Ability Ogwu, 65, have been arrested for serially defiling a 15-year-old girl in Agbor, Delta State.

The name of the victim, said to be fragile in health due to an undisclosed ailment, was given as Loveth Oroyelu.

The three men were said to have been taking advantage of the fragile state of health of the minor to, in turn, subject her to sexual abuse.

On close observation, it was gathered that the mother of the victim, Patricia Oroyelu, raised the alarm and reported the matter to the police at Agbor in Delta North on February 19.

The suspects were, thereafter, arrested and have been arraigned in court after the completion of investigation, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Delta State Police Command, DSP Celestina Kalu, disclosed.

Osun uncovers 71 ghost workers during screening exercise Oluwole Ige - Osogbo NO fewer than 71 ghost workers have been discovered by the Osun State government during the last staff auditing exercise carried out to screen civil servants in the state.

The ghost workers were discovered among agencies of government and secondary schools in the state.

This disclosure was made in a statement in Osogbo on Friday by the Permanent Secretary, Local Government Service Commission and the chairman of Personnel and Job Audit Committee on MDAs and Secondary Schools, Mr. Dayo Olaluwoye.

He said: “Out of the 71 ghost workers, 39 were deceased while 32 were supposedly living individuals that collect salaries without coming to the office.”

NDLEA nabs 4 suspects with N6.1million narcotics at Abuja airport Shola Adekola - Lagos THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International

Airport (NAIA) on Friday apprehended four suspected drug traffickers, including a Birmingham-based cleaner with 6.822kg of narcotics worth sixty-one million naira (N61,000,000).

The seized drugs consist of 4.193kgs of heroin and 2.629kg of cocaine destined for Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia, Birmingham, United Kingdom, Rome and Mumbai, India.

NDLEA commander at Abuja airport, Hamisu Lawan said that those arrested were caught attempting to smuggle drugs out of the

country.

According to him, “four suspected drug traffickers have been apprehended with 6.822kg of cocaine and heroin. The suspects include Umeh Chidiebere Gabriel, 36 years going to Birmingham with 479 grams of cocaine, Ozoike Kelechi John, 34 years going to Rome through Addis Ababa with 2.8kg of heroin, Azubuike Francis Okwochukwu, 38 years going to Addis Ababa with 1.393kg of heroin and Okoro Godfrey Ogbonna, 42 years going to Mumbai with 2.150kg of cocaine”.

7

news

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Al-Qurraa’ Schools hold Walimatul Qur’an today

The director of Al- Qurraa’ Schools, Alhaji Abdul-Hafeez Ariremako (middle), in a group photograph with graduates of the school’s Walimatul Qur’an, which will be held today at St. Isabel Gardens, Gbopa, Ologuneru, Ibadan.

Buhari can’t help you, Aregbesola tells doctors

T

HE governor of Osun State, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, on Friday described as misplaced the call made by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the strike embarked upon by some of its Osun State

branch members.

NMA had on Thursday issued a statement appealing to President Buhari and APC to call Governor Aregbesola to order to succumb to the doctors’ demands.

Aregbesola, in a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said

the NMA’s appeal should rather go to its members in Osun State, “who have abandoned their duty posts for about 11 months now.”

He said that “the striking doctors initially created the problem themselves by going against the accepted modulated salary regulation applying to over 40, 000 workforce of the

Fuel scarcity: IPMAN, PTD swoop on depot owners in Edo, Delta EbenezerAdurokiya-Warri FUEL scarcity has resurfaced in most parts of oilrich Delta State, especially Warri axis with motorists groaning under the effects.

Miffed by the artificial scarcity and its attendant effects, aggrieved members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Associationof Nigeria (IPMAN) and Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) in Edo and Delta states, on Friday swooped on Rainoil depot at Oghara, disrupting activities of the company in the process.

The protest was over an alleged undue increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) by the depot owner.

The protesters barricaded the entrance to the fuel depot, chanting solidarity songs and preventing tankers belonging to the company from loading.

They alleged that the fuel depot has refused to supply fuel to them except they pay N105 as against the stipulated official N84.50 price per litre by the Federal Government.

They said the station had been supplying them PMS at N95 per liter, but had suddenly jacked it up again

by N10.

Leaders of the protesters, Comrade Alabi Muyi and Elder Joseph Okolie, while

speaking to journalists during the protest, lamented the hardship the independent marketers and the tanker drivers are undergoing as a result of the “outrageous” increase in petroleum product by depot owners.

The management of Rainoil, as of the time of filing this report, could not be contacted as the company’s security men barred journalists from entering the office, saying a management meeting was ongoing.

Meanwhile, most fuel sta-

tions in and around Warri have remained shut in the day time while some sell at midnight to black marketers, just as transport fares are gradually rising above what Delta people can afford.

When contacted, head of Public Affairs Unit, DPR, Mr Goddey Agusa, told Saturday Tribune by phone in Warri, that the headache of the regulatory body remains recalcitrant depots, adding that efforts were on to checkmate their activities.

state and so, it is normal that they should also be the ones to extricate themselves from the logjam.”

According to the governor, “it amounts to pure hypocrisy on the part of the doctors to demand what is outside the capacity of government, judging from the present economic realities.”

“The appeal to President Buhari and APC is, to all intents and purposes, misplaced, misdirected and improper in that respect.

“One would have expected the NMA to properly address the situation by forwarding its appeal to the respected quarters it should go - the Osun striking doctors.

“Since the beginning of the strike nine months ago, government has opened its door for consultations, dialogues and meetings to resolve the matter but all these were frustrated by the doctors, who were still drawing their salaries despite having abandoned their duty,” the statement said.

No PVC, no govt benefits, Fayose warns Ekiti citizens Sam Nwaoko - Ado Ekiti GOVERNOR Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has announced that eligible citizens of the state with no Permanent Voter Card (PVC) might not enjoy certain government benefits.

Governor Fayose stated this while addressing the people of Aramoko-Ekiti in Ekiti West Local Government Area of the state while opening public water supplies at some fetching points in the town.

He contended that not having PVC meant that such citizens offered no

civic responsibility to government and would therefore be deemed as also not qualified to enjoy government patronage.

While also addressing the people of Awo in Irepodun/ Ifelodun Local Government Area during the flagoff of the rehabilitation of 14.5 kilometre Awo-AraIjero road, Fayose also announced that “if you don’t have your PVC, you may no longer enjoy benefits from government because very soon about 10,000 people will benefit N10,000 monthly in our social security scheme.”

He said: “From now henceforth, PVC is a must.

It will be your ticket to enjoy patronage. If you are a contractor resident in Ekiti and you don’t have PVC, no contract for you because all of us have one role or the other to play for each other.”

Fayose charged the people to “always cast your votes for candidates who would remember you,” saying “in most cases in Nigeria, people will decide to vote for someone because of money and that is why we haven’t got a messiah to turn around this country.”

TODAY, Al-Qurraa’ Schools, off Eleyele-Eruwa Road, Gbopa, Ologuneru, Ibadan, will be holding the 1437\2016 edition of its annual Walimah Qur’an.

At the event, slated for St. Isabel Gardens, Gbopa Junction, Ologuneru, the school will be celebrating pupils who have successfully mastered the recitation of the Qur’an.

In a statement, the director of the school, Alhaji AbdulHafeez Ariremako, said like the 2015 edition of the event where a five-year old boy among the celebrants, Thabit Abdulhafeez Ariremako, stood out as the youngest scholar, this year, the school will be showcasing another young scholar, aged four.

According to the statement, the new youngest scholar, Yahya Olanihun, who is a pupil of the institution’s Basic School, gained the ability to read the Qur’an at the age of three while he was in Nursery One. Now, the boy is able to read with an appreciable level of fluency, the statement said.

“I congratulate this year’s celebrants and their parents on this opportunity, even though the qualified pupils are more than 30. We pray Allah to enrich the parents of those left and spare their lives beyond next year’s edition.

“Al-Qur’an is the Word of Allah revealed to the last Prophet, Muhammad (SAW), for the guidance of humanity. It is to be believed, studied, recited, memorised, reflected upon and followed to letter.

“To facilitate these objectives, Al-Qurraa’ sets up an enabling environment, employs modern approach and engages competent hands to impart to Muslim children pristine Islamic education in the light of Al-Qur’an and Sunnah.

“Acquiring required Qur’an recitation skill is a sound foundation for purposeful Islamic religious training. Our children who acquired this feat are being celebrated today. It is to appreciate their effort, encourage them to do more and persuade others to emulate them.

“This occasion, which will be held at St. Isabel Garden, Gbopa Junction, Ologuneru, Ibadan, has Abdul- Qudus, Faaruq, Mubaarak and Aishat of Ariremako family; Abdul-Muiz and Yahya of Olanihun family; Muhammad and Ismaeel of Omoyemi family; Shuaib Oloko, HikmatYekeen, Hibatullah Ola, Abdul-Malik Abdul- Kareem and Bushrat Alonge as celebrants.

NSCDC deploys 600 for UTME Olayinka Olukoya - Abeokuta THE Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has deployed 600 personnel to provide security coverage for the 2016 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) starting today in all centres across the state.

This was contained in a statement issued by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Kareem Olanrewaju, made available to Saturday Tribune on Friday.

The statement had it that the command also deployed motorised patrol vehicles to strategic places to ensure quick response to any emergency or distress from any of the centres. Security agencies were also urged to cooperate and work in line with security arrangements on the ground.

The command warned all parents and guardians to stay clear of the centres by 200 metres.

Pastor accused of impregnating two sisters opens up

By Bode Adewumi A pastor and General Overseer of the of the Victorious Sacred Solemn Healing and Deliverance Ministry, located at No. 1, Thomas Alade Avenue, Command area, Ipaja, Lagos, Prophet Oluwaseyi Idowu, who was accused of impregnating two sisters has said he never impregnated the two sisters and was not arrested by anyone.

A national newspaper (not the Tribune) had on Friday reported that his church was invaded by the police to enforce his arrest following allegations that he impregnated the two sisters of his landlord. Idowu told Saturday Tribune by phone on Friday that the allegations were not true as one of the sisters in question is his wife who he married legally and who has borne him two children.

He said he was surprised to read the damaging story, saying his shock was even made worse by the fact that his side of the story was not sought before the publication.

According to him, he married Adenike, the eldest sister, about three years ago after paying the dowry and holding the introduction ceremony in Lagos.

He also denied the purported attempt to sell the house of his father-in-law as written in the said story, saying he has since left the house for his own personal building, wondering why he would plan to sell a house that did not belong to him.

8

Saturday Tribune

27 February, 2016

social

media .com

Most trending personality

106-year-old in White House:

I am here to celebrate Black History

W

ITH over 61 million views and almost a million shares, the video of a 106-yearold woman, Virginia McLaurin, at the White House was shared on the White House page on Facebook on Monday.

In celebration of the Black History Month, McLaurin’s dream of visiting the White House and meeting President Obama was fulfilled with the visit.

McLaurin in the video showed her excitement as she danced around energetically, for a 106-year-old.

“I thought I would never live to get into the White House. I am so happy to see a black president and a back wife and I am here to celebrate the Black History,” McLaurin said.

Reacting to the post, Bernard Alan wrote “Some people will never understand this woman's joy and admiration at meeting the President of the United States (POTUS) and the First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS). At 106, she is one or two generations from the end of slavery.

So to see this in her lifetime must have been a dream come true and such a blessing.”

“I am not an Obama supporter

with Doyin Adeoye

m:08058130577 e:doyinadeoye@tribuneonlineng.com t:@kreatif_ink

but I am a fan of that situation. At 106 years old, I'm glad she saw that America evolved,” Brian Perry said.

“Can't imagine what she's witnessed from birth to that moment.

There was more in that dance than so many realise,” Tiffany W. Thurman said.

Christian Evans wrote: “This wom-

an was probably raised by former slaves as my great grandmother who lived to be 106. President Obama means so much more than just Obamacare or his foreign policy.

He represents the actualisation of African American freedom, liberty and equality in a nation that for the majority of its existence withheld.”

SUNDAY Ogorchukwu Oliseh was the coach of the Super Eagles from 14 July, 2015 till he resigned on Friday, 26 February, 2016 over a ‘lack of support.’

A physical, technical defensive midfielder, Oliseh played for well known clubs such as AFC Ajax, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus F.C. He was part of in the Nigerian Olympic gold medal winning team of 1996 and is mostly remembered for scoring the winning goal in the group stage match against Spain in the 1998 World Cup, as Nigeria prevailed 3–2.

He retired from professional football in January 2006.

Trending on social media after his resignation, there have been mixed reactions to the new development in the administration of the Super Eagles. @omonilelawyer said “We have a very bad system where coaches like Sunday Oliseh go for months without salary and we expect them to perform miracles.”

In another reaction, @ OgbeniDipo said “I don't blame Sunday Oliseh.

The NFF has a bad cul-

When UNILAG student had the perfect 5.0CGPA score FOR any student, having a First Cclass is not an easy ride, so when Daniel Dada Ayodele set a record at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 5.00, he immediately became an inspiration for so many.

PHOTO OFTHE WEEK

Source:Facebook.com

In what is regarded as the “perfect score” by Professor Rahmon Bello, the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the institution, Ayodele, a student of the Department of Psychology, is one of the 178 First Class students that would graduate during the three-day convocation programme. @mayornaise_ said on twitter: “This UNILAG guy with 5.0 CGPA is just pure inspiration. Congrats to him.”

“This is incredibly beautiful. I had 4.8CGPA and till date I stand to respect humans like these who clear with 5.0CGPA. It is not beans at all,” @TalktoMina said.

In an appraisal of the Nigerian education system, @Ajicsson said “5.0CGPA in public school? Our lecturers are gradually becoming more humane than the academic success

truncationist they have always been.”

However, considering the unemployment rate in the country, many have questioned if Ayodele’s grades would actually make a difference and have opined that geniuses like him need more encouragement.

“Olajumoke got an interview on CNN. UNILAG’s 5.0CGPA graduate got a mention on NTA. Tell me how there won’t be more hawkers than scholars,” @jejunation said. @Yungnaz1 wrote “I have not seen any one give the 5.0 CGPA a car or an endorsement. Nigerians don’t value education.”

ture. Pay a man his wages simple. They wouldn't violate his contract if he was British.”

What has Lagos taught you?

WITH the #LagosLessons, Lagos residents took to twitter to share the fun and hassles of an everyday life on the Lagos street.

The hustling and bustling is a norm for average Lagosian.

“Once people are running, run and find out why later. Also once you are in a bus and you and the person dropping at the same bus stop doesn’t have change. Just know the conductor will join you together. #LagosLessons,” @femifactor said. @yemmylosophy said “You drive a manual gear vehicle from Ikeja through Iyana-Ipaja traffic and your left leg keeps vibrating for the next two days. #LagosLessons.”

“Only in Lagos traffic wil you see a man under the hot sun selling a book titled: 25 Surest Ways To Become A Billionaire. #LagosLessons,” @ GrandpaDayo said. @EmekaEmezue said “Jumping down from a moving bus is a basic survival skill.”

“Even if the incident occurred in front of you, you didn’t see anything because you don’t want to spend d whole day in police station,” @kpeetee said.

“According to the bus medicine seller at Mile 2, a man’s heart dey left and the woman’s heart dey right,” @manmustwack said.

9

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

newsmaker

Ifeanyi Ubah: Has fuel magician added dollars to his magic?

By Sulaimon Olanrewaju

S

HORTLY after the presidential election of March 28, 2015, which saw the emergence of General Muhammadu Buhari as the country’s president-elect, the whole country ground to a halt. The reason was the insistence of members of the Major Oil Marketers of Nigeria (MOMAN) to stop lifting petroleum products unless the Federal Government paid them what they were owed in subsidy claims.

The blame-game continued between the government and the marketers until April 30, 2015 when the then Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, approved the payment of N156billion subsidy claims to the marketers. The money was paid, yet there was no respite as the marketers came up with a new request of N200 billion as their outstanding claims. The minister said she found out that of the new claim, about N159 billion was actually for foreign exchange rate differentials. She thus refused to approve payment, saying the marketers were not sincere. The government refused to pay what the marketers claimed was the government’s debt to them and the marketers refused to lift fuel.

That was the situation in May 2015. The inauguration of a new president was around the corner but the country was in a gridlock. Movement was restricted as there was no fuel to power automobiles. It was a challenging time for the nation as oil marketers held the country to ransom.

Then out of the blues came an announcement by Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, Managing Director of Capital Oil and Gas Limited, on Sunday, May 24 that he was ready to break the logjam by flooding the market with petroleum products.

He assured that over 2,000 trucks would be loaded immediately to boost the country’s economic activities, adding that the company’s facilities had the capacity to load 13 million litres of the product within the period.

The statement read further, “This comes to approximately 500 trucks of petroleum products on daily basis.

With this, it is our belief that once again our citizens will begin to smile and return to normal family and work life.

“We call on other petroleum marketers to follow suit and save our nation from this impending economic and social crisis,’’ he said.

He added that the stock level in the company’s storage tanks and buffer stock on vessels awaiting discharge were capable of meeting the nation’s demand for 15 days.

That decision took the wind off the sail of MOMAN. One man, Ifeanyi Ubah, called the bluff of a group and he gave Nigerians the opportunity to breathe a sigh of relief as suddenly after a scarcity that had spanned over three weeks, there was fuel again.

Since the slide in the price of crude oil started in 2014, the value of naira has been cascading. The pressure on the currency was so much that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had to devalue the naira against major currencies twice in less than four months.

On November 25, 2014, the CBN announced the devaluation of the naira, with the new exchange officially at N168 to a dollar from the N155 it had hitherto been.

Then, on February 18, 2015, the apex bank also adjusted the value of the exchange rate, moving it from N168 to the dollar to N198 to the dollar.

However, in spite of these adjustments, the naira did

entertainment

womenaffairs

feature

My experience burying kings —Female undertaker

Cemetery where poachers deny the dead of rest

P10

the improved fortune of naira, many Nigerians are of the opinion that the oil magnate had everything to do with it. However, what is befuddling to all is what he did to bring about the improvement. In the case of the fuel what he did was to flood the market with the product. Did he also flood the bureau de change offices with dollars to ensure a glut which resulted in the naira gaining some strength? What exactly did he do?

How did Ubah come this far? Ubah had voluntarily opted out of school to assist his teacher-parents in fending for his siblings because he was depressed at the sight of his parents’ daily struggle to make ends meet.

His parents, being teachers, did not readily agree to this but when he assured his father that he was only taking a break from school to give his siblings (three sisters and two brothers) a chance to have quality education and that he would return to school after a while, he was allowed to tread the pathway he had chosen for himself.

Shortly after his apprenticeship, he started his own business at the age of 16. Even at that tender age, he was driven by the passion of becoming a global player. He travelled to many African countries, including Ghana, to see what he could do.

He eventually chose dealing in auto spare parts, with specialisation in the sales of tyres. With the zeal he took to the business, he soon emerged as one of the leading tyre suppliers to Ghana, dealing with leading tyre companies in Ghana, including Kingsman Enterprises. His business boomed so well that by the time he celebrated his 19th birthday in 1990, he was already a millionaire in naira.

Not given to complacency, Ubah, after his exploits in Ghana, extended the frontiers of his business to Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, exporting tyres and auto spare parts. He soon emerged as the leader of the Nigerian community in Congo, despite his tender age.

Having established himself as an authority in tyres and auto spares, his heart yearned for more challenges and oil and gas beckoned to him. But ahead of venturing into the business, realising his limited understanding of that sector, he submitted himself to mentoring by Chief Cletus Ibeto, who was already an icon in the business. After getting the basic training about the business, Ubah started Capital Oil SPRL in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The company imported oil and gas from Ibeto Petrochemical Nigeria to DRC and supplied the major players in the Congolese economy, including government agencies, leading industries, transport companies and the national railway.

After recording huge success in oil and gas marketing in DRC, he moved to Nigeria to establish the Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited in 2001, the company has since emerged as a leading player in the downstream sector of the nation’s petroleum industry.

not experience any respite at the parallel market as it continued to lose against major currencies. This endless drop of the currency’s value forced the CBN to come up with a series of policies to stem the tide but nothing seemed to work. The apex bank came up with a list of 41 items which were excluded from access to forex, stopped the weekly sales of dollars to bureau de change operators, stopped commercial banks from taking dollar deposits and put a ceiling on withdrawals through ATM outside the country, among other measures but nothing seemed to work.

The battering of the currency got to a head last Friday as one dollar exchanged for almost N400. There were even speculations that with that, the exchange rate would soon hit N500 to a dollar.

But last Sunday during an interview on Channels Television, Ubah said if consulted by the government, he could halt the free fall of the naira and bring the exchange rate back to N200 to a dollar within a month.

He went ahead to ask the government to confiscate his assets worth N500billion if he could not achieve the feat.

Shortly after the challenge, naira firmed up while the dollar dipped.

Within 48 hours, dollar which was traded at N385 on Sunday fell to N310 by Wednesday. By Thursday it slid further, trading at N252. The expectation is that the naira will still firm up and may hit the N200 to a dollar target set for it by Ubah in the ensuing week.

Was Ifeanyi Ubah the one who snatched the naira from the hold of a group of people that had held it to ransom?

On Tuesday, Ubah sent a message thanking Nigerians for believing in him and working towards ensuring that the naira firmed up as he had promised even before being fully consulted by the government.

Although many people are not sure that Ubah had anything to do with

Pp22&27

Majek Fashek returns, in duet with 2Face Pp33

court&crime

‘She denies me right to sleep with her’ Pp17&31

10

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Toluwani Olamitoke 08050498504 toluwaniforever@yahoo.com

Y

OU have handled the burial of monarchs, the last being that of Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade 1 and other distinguished personalities, how do you feel about it?

I don’t think there’s any big deal about it. I believe I’m fulfilling the purpose of God for my life.

As a woman thriving in a field generally believed to be solely for men, what was the attraction?

When I was schooling in the United Kingdom, I lived very close to a funeral parlour. Many times, I went there to tease the workers because I considered them to be unserious. Sometimes, I even mocked them. But it was when my father died that I realised I had imbibed many things about burying the dead.

In the mortuary, I wasn’t taken unawares concerning anything. I was already well prepared such that whenever the mortuary attendants needed anything, say comb, blade or what have you, I gave it to them promptly. It wasn’t the case of going to buy one item and just when you arrive, you are asked to bring another item and off you go again and on and on like that.

The mortuary attendants were quite astonished and they kept telling me to take up the job, even though I didn’t have it in mind then. But eventually, it dawned on me that, that was my way. I later sharpened my horns at Ebony Undertakers after which I set up the Ultimate Undertakers. I constantly update myself on the job in order to keep track with international best standards. Today, I am a member of the National Funeral Directors Association, USA and National Association of Funeral Directors, UK. Can you recall some of the prominent Nigerians you have buried?

They include the late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Emmanuel Adeyemo Operinde 1, the immediate past Aseyin of Iseyin, the immediate past Oniperindo of Iperindo in Osun State; Chief Lamidi Adedibu, mothers of two former governors of Oyo State, Chief Rashidi Ladoja and Chief Adebayo AlaoAkala. Others are the mother of the incumbent governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Are Afe Babalola’s mother, Chief Wole Olanipekun’s father, Chief Niyi Akintola’s mother, Chief Francis Aiyegbeni’s father, former Green Eagles goalkeeper, Best Ogedegbe and so on.

How have you been coping?

God has been my helper. But

There’snobigdeal

burying kings —Foremost woman undertaker

•Recalls experience burying Adedibu

She is in a man’s world as a worldclass undertaker and cemetery owner. But she has given her job a unique professional touch that stands her out among her colleagues. Little wonder she is called upon to bury kings and nobles.

Chief Seun Sina-Alli, Chief Executive Officer, Ultimate Undertakers and Gardens, shares her job and marital experience with TESSY UMUNAKWE. recently, my husband and son who is a graduate of Public Administration joined me in the business. So it has become much easier.

What are the challenges of your job?

It took some time for people to accept me. You know, I’m probably the only Nigerian woman into full-time undertaker business, coupled with the ownership of a private cemetery. They believed the job was not cut out for women.

But they eventually changed their minds. Again, talking about challenges, many times, in the middle of the burial, the deceased’s children come up with new ideas which they want incorporated into the programme. This could be challenging, but all the same, I do what I have been doing over the years, and which has been working for me.

Can you recall a particular burial that posed the greatest challenge?

Yes, the burial of Chief Lamidi Adedibu and Chief Olisa Chukwurah were the greatest challenges I have encountered on the job.

No doubt, I had envisaged this when I was to bury Chief Adedibu and so I asked for police escort.

When we went to pick his corpse at the University College Hospital (UCH), even despite the surging crowd, we still had it a bit easy. But when we got to Beere, the situation became so hectic that I had to be praying silently for God’s intervention. At Molete, the scenario went completely awry, the crowd

became uncontrollable, they had completely overwhelmed the security operatives and we were left at their mercy. In the process of it all, the glass casket got broken, our cars were vandalised and many of my boys were injured. That day, my boys and I couldn’t go home together, we went our different ways.

In the case of Chief Chukwurah, we got to his hometown in Delta State around 11:00 pm since the morning we took off. We had taken his corpse to parts of the South-East and South-South where he had landmarks and when we eventually got to his hometown, it was close midnight.

will remain fashionable for 100 years or more) for me. Most times, I don’t lobby for the job, they just come looking for me. People who have been impressed by my job tell others. In developed countries, cemeteries are secure and well taken care of. People who have their loved ones buried there have access to such places anytime they wish to place flowers on the graveside or do other things. It is unlike what obtains here where some people can’t locate the graves of their loved ones in the public cemeteries because they have been dug and other corpses buried there.

Aside the challenges, what are the good things the job has earned you?

Eighty per cent of my friends are my clients. Being impressed by the way I handled their loved ones’ burial, especially when they consider the fact that the job I had done is much more than my charges, they came back to show their appreciation. Sometimes I do it for free as a philanthropy.

Like the case of the five Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) students who were murdered in their sleep by cultists. Talking about the good side of the job, the house where my family and I live presently in Bodija, Ibadan was designed free by Chief Wole Olanipekun. Having being greatly impressed by the way I handled his mother’s burial, he came to ask me what I wanted. He asked me to show him a land where he could draw a century house (house that

What inspired the Ultimate Gardens?

I built a cemetery because I want the dead to rest in peace. The situation in most public cemeteries is nothing to write home about.

Sometimes three, four corpses are buried on top of each other.

At other times, cemeteries are used as dumping grounds. This is not a good way to preserve the memories of loved ones.

How did you meet your husband?

We met in the United States of America (USA). He was my older brother’s friend.

Did you have any inkling he would be your hubby?

No. But I loved the way he treated my brother’s children as his. He showered them with so much love.

I had always prayed for a man that would love my children. And so

when he proposed, it was easy for me to accept.

Can you tell us about him?

He is Chief Sina Alli. He was an oil company operator before we came together in this business.

What thrills you most about him?

He is a complete gentleman.

How old is your marriage and what has made it work?

My marriage is 36 years old. In all these years, I never allowed petty issues to cause disagreement between us. I also overlook many things.

What does your relationship with your in-laws look like?

Most of my in-laws are nice and great people. I can’t ask for more.

How do you relax?

I sleep and listen to music.

What does your weekend look like?

I always have a busy schedule.

Only a few burials come up on weekdays.

What do you do to keep fit?

My job is enough exercise.

Who is your best designer?

I have none. I wear nice and simple dresses.

Do you have a beauty regimen?

No.

11

BLESSING EKUM ekumblessing@gmail.com 08116954639

food&drink

The secret to perfect

amala is...

Chief (Mrs) Hannah Ayoade is a businesswoman and the Iyalode, Lafiagi Oluyole, Ibadanland, Oyo State. She speaks with OPEYEMI AYOADE on some of her culinary experiences in her growing up years and shares the how-to for the perfect amala.

C

AN you recall what your favourite food was when you were a child?

It was amala. It was a dish I enjoyed and everyone knew it. Even now, it’s still my favourite food. I particularly like it hot but even when it isn’t hot, I still enjoy it.

Saturday Tribune

27 February, 2016

What did you enjoy eating it with?

Though there were many soups I liked, when it came to amala, I preferred eating it with ewedu and stew.

How about your least favourite?

I didn’t like eba and I still don’t like it.

Why is this so?

As a child, I just didn’t like eating it but

as I grew older, I came to realise that too much of it is actually not good for the health. The starch content is quite high and shouldn’t be eaten too often.

Most first-timers find it challenging preparing amala that is light in texture and without lumps, do you have a secret on how to do this?

First, you put water on fire and bring to boil. Then, you pour yam flour and stir for about three minutes. If the texture is still rough, you can add more hot water and stir again till it is smooth. Then your amala is ready to be served. It can be served with any soup of your choice. The key to making it lump-free is sieving the yam flour first before adding to boiling water. This would ensure that there are no particles in the flour and it would dissolve easily.

How would you assess the attitude of young girls to domestic work these days?

I would say girls of today are too lazy;

Jamaican sexy juice

Ingredients Instructions •1 large fresh pineapple 1.Cut the top and bottom of pine•½ cup of condensed milk, add apple and slice away the skin to remore if required veal the yellow flesh.

•½ tsp of nutmeg 2.Slice pineapple horizontally and •½ cup of water then chop into small chunks.

•¼ tsp of vanilla powder or extract 3.Pour pineapple chunks and wa-

they are not ready to do any house work.

Back then when I was growing up, we worked very hard at home and loved to be in the kitchen. But young ladies today prefer to have maids do everything for them.

This is not too good. Back in those days, we prided ourselves as excellent cooks who were orderly and neat in the kitchen; we can’t say the same for most young ladies today.

Would you describe yourself as adventurous in the kitchen?

Yes, I am and my family can attest to that because regardless of what I prepare, they always say they enjoy it.

If you had to give yourself a treat, what would you prepare?

I would go for vegetable salad or still prepare amala.

ter into liquidiser and blitz until it’s all broken down.

4.Use a large strainer or cheesecloth to extract the juice (press down or squeeze firmly, depending on your chosen method).

5. Add nutmeg, vanilla and condensed milk to pineapple juice.

Stir thoroughly or blend all instead.

6. Serve immediately.

12

27 February, 2016

08055001741 (sms only)

conversewithyemisi I’m devastated!

Dear Yemisi, dated a lady for two years and we had the formal introduction in the third year of our courtship.

Four months after, the lady’s family told me that if not because I am a Christian, they would have stopped the relationship just because I am not a member of CAC like them.

Two months later, I was invited again by the family and at the meeting all I heard from the family was that my fiancee was going back to school. When I heard this, I was disturbed.

On getting to my country home, I nearly committed suicide because of this verdict.

I am now devastated. What can I do?

Pride, 081*******1.

I

Dear Pride, Why do you think suicide is the way out? You should even be grateful to your girlfriend’s parents for declaring their stand on your

Saturday Tribune

yemiaofolaju@yahoo.com

request to have their daughter as wife.

You don’t need any soothsayer to tell you that your decision to have their daughter’s hand in marriage did not go down well with them. As long as they live, if you insist on marrying the lady, you may not enjoy your wedlock.

Once they have given you the final word you better think of what to do. Didn’t they plan that she would go back to school before she formally introduced you to the family? This excuse of theirs is premeditated as long as you are not a member of the CAC. You should have noticed their opposition from what they told you that ‘were it not that you are a Christian’. What this means is that you have not arrived at your destination.

What has been the reaction of your lady to the unfolding scenario? Has she been forthcoming? Has she shown that

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

Godfrey Benjamin, 35, 5.9feet tall, from Benue State, Ogun Statebased businessman, needs a God-fearing woman from any part of Nigeria for marriage. Call 08104659852.

Olarewaju, 42, from Ekiti State, Lagos-based businessman, genotype AA, O+, needs a God-fearing lady from any tribe aged between 33 and 40 for a relationship. Call 09036284763.

Ayodeji, 43, HND graduate, Christian, working class, needs a lady aged 30 to 45 for a relationship. Call 08096194358.

Chinedu Nze, 45, from Enugu State, businessman based in Lagos, needs a lady aged between 37 and 40 from any tribe in Nigeria. Call 07035910767.

Maswel, 40, business man, based in Lagos, needs a responsible, God-fearing woman aged between 30 and 40 for marriage. Call 08069024762.

Kenneth, 39, working in Lagos, single, needs a lady aged between 34 and 37 for marriage. Contact 08137674998.

For Her Doyin, 28, Christian, educated, needs a caring, God-fearing man aged between 30 and 35 for a relationship. Call 08166821709.

Woman, 40, self-employed, averagely built, single mother, Muslim, needs a single/widower, employed or businessman, Christian aged between 45 and 60 for a relationship. Contact 09093113888.

Tofunmi, 29, from Ogun State, needs a God-fearing man aged between 35 and 47 for marriage. Call 09037034658.

Shola, 30, needs a caring man for marriage. Call 08100483325.

Oluwatoyin, 32, graduate, single mother, caring, loving, needs a God-fearing man for an affair. Call 08033632417.

she is an independent being?

It is only her reaction that will inform your next line of action.

If indeed the lady still needs to acquire more education, please, allow her to do so while you put on hold all arrangements towards your wedding if both of you

are still fond of each other.

A journey of 20 years, before you know what is happening, will be just few hours left. Her education cannot be for more than four years and you will lose nothing provided you can afford to wait, but if not, let her know that

you want to move on.

You don’t have to hold anything against her, it is said that a broken relationship is far better than a broken marriage. The issue of getting a life partner is beyond being sentimental.

Be wise in your decision.

He doesn’t love me!

Dear Yemisi, I am 19, dating a 26-year-old guy who has promised me marriage. Based on this promise, he took me to his parents and it was agreed that we would be getting married next year.

But now, he says the marriage will not hold until five year time because he does not yet have what a man must have.

I’m scared that he doesn’t love me and I have given him my virginity.

Yemisi, 08xxxxx2xx5.

Dear Yemisi, You consented to have him deflower you without any force. Maybe you felt doing this at the time you gave in would make him get seriously committed to taking you to the altar, but you can now see that you erred.

He only took you to his parents to ease your pressure and there are instances one can quote of those who did this and never ended up marrying each other. Do you know what he told his parents? Don’t forget that he is still under their con-

trol. Do you expect them to have told you the contrary when he took you home that you will not be their son’s wife?

Yemisi, why are you so much in a haste to get married? Why not take a cue from the reason being advanced by your boyfriend that he does not have what it takes to be married next year. Next year could mean as many years as possible!

There is no reason why you should rush into marriage. If he says that he would not be ready in another five years, why not take it the way he has said it so that you too will improve on your current status. I don’t know what you have and attained that suggests that wedding is the topmost on your agenda.

Yemisi, you have one life to live and you must live it well. Do you want to tell me that you have arrived? My dear, you have not. This is the time to define your future by facing either your studies or otherwise to se-

cure a better future with your fiancé. Who has even told you that the guy is your husband? What if he has been sent to your life to make you a better woman?

Thinking that he does not love you because of his decision to suspend the proposal for another five years should be the least of your worries.

I beg to say that he is the best to have met with you. As I always tell young girls that they should hold their destinies in their hands, the same I will tell you my sake. It is better to pursue whatever you have chosen as a means of livelihood to a logical conclusion before being tied down by matrimonial issues. It is not always easy to start to think of furthering your education as a married woman.

Why not do the needful as you respect your boyfriend’s decision. Who knows what is in stock for the two of you in the next three to five years?

Age is still on your side.

Don’t be fooled!

13

27 February, 2016

intimacy

Saturday Tribune

With Bosede Ola-Samuel 08112658560 bosedeola_samuel@yahoo.com

STRICTLY FOR ADULTS

How to get the ‘mistress treatment’ from your wife

I

often wonder why many married couples go outside their homes to look for sex. Why should they be going out to look for what is available at their door steps?

This does not exclude the religious ones, especially the termed ‘born-agains’, who should live above board going by the tenets of their faith. Is it that sex is not readily available in the home, or is it not properly handled by couples? Or is it simply because of insatiable appetite of couples? To worsen the situation, wives are not left out of this search for great sex outside the home.

My submission on whatever is responsible for the mad rush and search for great sex outside the marriage setting is that great sex, and I mean it, real great sex, can be made available in the home setting. It all depends on the resolve of the couples involved to make allowance for it. I have therefore decided to look at one way of making great sex available in the home setting, which is pampering the wife.

This is needful if your wife will be prepared well ahead for sex. This is amazingly one thing those who engage in extra marital affairs do to retain the attention of their mistresses, and make them readily available for sex. No wonder the popular saying among the Yorubas, ‘’one gives a concubine special treatment as if he has not seen a woman before.’’

The truth is that they have seen women before and even have wives at home, but they do not understand that they can have great sex in their marriage if their wives are given the same treatment ironically accorded the concubines.

How do men treat concubines?

• They very often overlook their mistakes. Fault findings are far from the lips of men with regards to their dealings with their concubines. In fact, they could be ‘insulted’ without any reprisal. Their focus is just to get what they want from their concubines at any cost. In fact, most often, they are quick to apologize for wrong doings complained about by their concubines. To worsen it, they at times even apologize to their concubines for daring to complain about any fault of their concubines.

• They often show great care for the welfare of their concubines through constant phone calls and visits, gifts presentation, special holidays at home and abroad, provision of good things of life.

• They prepare well to be able to sexually satisfy their concubines by ensuring they stay hard. They sometimes

do this through the use of sex enhancing products.

• They contribute handsomely towards the wardrobe of their concubines Given all these treatments among others, why won’t the concubines not regularly be at their best to sexually satisfy their partners? It’s only expected that they will

Anyone who is able to touch a woman emotionally will have her attention for as long as he wants it. Now, this works both positively and negatively. If you touch her positively by good deeds, you reap good fruits, and vice versa. be more than readily available to give them great sex treatment. In fact, the reports say that most often it is these men, especially the old rich ones, who have to struggle to sexually catch up with these concubines. After all, they have poured water on the ground, so they must walk on wet ground.

What is the magic wand for sex in these concubine treatments?

Emotional mobilisation is what the treatments give to the women. Anyone who is able to touch a woman emotionally will have her attention for as long as he wants it. Now, this works both positively and negatively. If you touch her positively by good deeds, you reap good fruits, and vice versa.

So, for a woman to make herself sexually available for great sex, she needs to be given such treatments that are meted out to the concubine on a platter of gold. Why is this so? It is the way the creator made women. A woman’s sexuality is emotionally tied. Sex is a thing of the mind for most women. She needs to be emotionally touched to respond in a great way to sex. This is quite unlike men, who are easily aroused at the sight of a woman’s figure, physique, naked features and the like.

So, for great sex to be available in the marriage, a wife should be treated better than the concubine. This is one truth that husbands ought to know and live by. Unfortunately, most husbands don’t seem to realise this, or simply turn a blind eye. After all, she is their property, and does not deserve any pampering like their concubines. This is a great error that is responsible for the mad search for better sex outside the marriage setting. When the couples are not sexually satisfied, they easily fall for sexual temptation.

So, husbands should apply the concubine treatment on their wives and see if great sex will not be readily available in the home. I can assure you that a trial will convince you.

I can’t wait for your testimony after the trial.

In response to my readers’ request, I have packaged some of my previous articles into a book with the title: ENJOYING GREAT SEXLIFE. You can call me on 08112658560 for the book. ALSO WATCH OUT FOR COUPLES DAY OUT WITH BOSEDE OLA-SAMUEL IN MARCH.

14 interview

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Biafra: I’m ready to go to war again if... —Brigadier-General Alabi-Isama

BIOLA AZEEZ had an interview with BrigadierGeneral Godwin Alabi-Isama in Ilorin recently where he speaks about corruption, insecurity and general state of the nation. Excerpts:

W

ERE you also a target of [Buka Suka] Dimka in the 1976 coup?

No. I was not. As a matter of fact, when they were interrogating him, they asked.

Him why he did not kill Alabi-Isama because Alabi was quarelling with him. He was reported to have said, ‘no Alabi is a very intelligent officer. I have a good job for him’. (Laughing) That’s what the idiot said. And he was my junior officer and I could have been saying sir to him.

Where were you on the day of the coup?

I was in Lagos. I was the principal general staff of the Nigerian Army and we were holding a meeting. I started what was called building a qualitative army. In 1977, we were to move to the next level and what’s the next level?

The next level is knowledge management economy, knowledge management command and control. We started sending officers to universities everywhere in the world, Russia, America, Europe, name it. And the idea was we were getting them ready for tomorrow. The tomorrow came and met us but we were not ready. We need to go back and repair the past. Since 1999, front pages of all newspapers in the country are all about politics.

There’s nothing about science, economy, or education.

It’s all about politics. And politics became the main job and it has become the job you do and make quick money.

And rather than our people looking for the politicians that will represent them, the politicians are now looking for people that will vote for them. So, we put money, bread, rice, biscuits in the bag so that people will vote for you. It’s become a joke.

I am happy about two things in the country. We have Abuja, and we have the richest man in Africa. If we did not have Abuja, we would have shared the money. But somebody had an aim and we achieved the aim. Then we have the richest man in Africa, but his people are the poorest in Africa. I was happy he wanted to buy Arsenal FC, but there’s no footballer coming from his state.

There’s no stadium in his state. If we put all there, we would have all it takes to buy Arsenal. For instance, in Nigeria, if you give me a licence to buy rice and we have 170 million people. And each one will take N1 rice per month.

That person has made N170 million in that month. So, a feudal system is elicit, monopolistic, exclusive and extractive. And because of the monopoly, a few people have the money. We have a rich country with poor people.

Those were the causes and we have not learnt enough lesson. If Buhari did not win the last election, how would we have known about all this money? See how helicopter crashed, they were alleged to have bought second hand helicopter. People crashed. What about their children, family, loved ones? All because someone wants the money in his pocket. We have to repair the past to be able to move forward to the future.

On the state of the nation Look at the land tenure. The land use system. The problem you have there, again, in 1978, we started what we call the C of O. Now, look at the backlog of the outcome of that C of O. The cattle rearers went to the West. In those days in the southern part of the country, it’s land perpetual. If you bought my land you own it, no C of O. It was in the northern part of the country you have it because it was controlled by the British. And when the British left after independence, it belonged to the northern government. And when we have states, it belonged to state governments. Now the cattle rearers got to the south, looking for grazing land and you say they can’t have the C of O. Why can’t they have it? The land belongs to government. They will ask for C of O and it will be your father’s land. What would you do? So, they fought and they kill people. In a place in Delta called Ndokwa, it’s a fight every time and people get killed. They are also entitled to grazing land because it’s a government land.

They ask for C of O, they’ll get it. You too can get C of O in Sokoto or Katsina. But you didn’t go to ask for C of O. So, these are the wrongs in the past that need to be corrected so that we can have peace. If you don’t give justice to the people, they cannot give you peace. But, please, who are we talking to? Every time, we keep talking to people in government, but it does not suit them. Who wants to hear that you shouldn’t have 10 per cent JAMB? JAMB started well until later. Each state has one university or the other. JAMB will now be relevant by arranging the exams in one day for all the universities

Alabi-Isama

because if you fail to do it in one day, somebody who’s brilliant here will take for Ibadan, Kaduna, and start selling the result. The student took the exam in 1978.

Let’s say the youngest was 15 at that time. For easy arithmetic, 1978 to 2016, let’s say 35 years. 35 plus 15 is 50. Look at the majority of people in the state and National Assembly in the north. What’s their age?

Let’s say between 40 and 50. Average now is 50. These are the Jambites who entered with 10, 20, 30 per cent.

That was why last year, 2015, it took about two to three weeks debating in the National Assembly on how to marry 13-year-old girl. It was the level of their knowledge on the subject. Whereas, at the close of that seventh National Assembly, 46 bills were passed within 10 minutes. That’s why I said you will need to examine our brain when we want to contest for election into office, because it looks like some of us are mental.

On Biafra Talking about Biafra. That’s the most unfortunate situation we have in the country today. Why? Because we did not learn from our past. Any nation, community, state that fails to learn from the past will repeat it and it will continue to be a disaster. From 1960, the east and the north had been ruling this country until this dispensation where the north and the west started ruling. In the First Republic, it was NCNC and the NPC of the north. They killed each other. We went to war. Two million people died. In the Second Republic, NPN and NPP from the east ruled this country. That’s Ibo and Hausa again. We had no peace in this country.

Who caused it? The two of them. The west was never in government. When the war ended, the whole east went to the north. [Chukwuemeka Odumegwu] Ojukwu was NPN, Achebe was PRP. These are the northern-led political parties that ruled this country. In the Third Republic, it was the PDP. The north and the east were PDP, the west was not. Obasanjo was not a Yoruba candidate, but a northern candidate. He suited them, they put him there. The east and north voted PDP, but the west did not vote PDP. Then in our Fourth Republic, two states in the north and east were not PDP. It was PDP in the north and east that ruled but we still couldn’t get the country running. This is the first dispensation where you have the north and the west about to rule this country and people are restless. And the Ibos have started again about the Biafra. You know what? I am ready to go to the next war if there’s going to be a balkanisation of this country.

On Boko Haram I was in charge of Maitasine in 1976. It took me 15 days.

It’s very easy, but we had complicated it by killing their (Boko Haram) leader. So we cannot negotiate. Let’s for-

get negotiation. Boko Haram has the initiatives. They can attack you anywhere they want in Nigeria. If your enemy has the initiative what do you do? You must now go to their centre of gravity. Where is their centre of gravity in this case? It has shifted to their logistics. Their food, money, vehicles, fuel, hospitals. If you get their vehicles, check the plate, engine number and the chassis number.

Go to the licensing office to find out who owns it. And we’ll ask him to whom did he sell it. We’ll trace. The bomb they are making are made of certain substance. Who are the people selling these things in the neighbourhood? All those wounded, which hospitals are they treated? Then you go to their recruiting centre. That’s their mind. Then you tackle them with idea versus idea. Boko Haram is an idea. So you fight them with an idea. You must make it difficult for them to recruit your own people. So, you must be nice to your own people. Don’t forget, there are many people who don’t want this to end. Contractors are feeding them. They buy rice, sugar, pepper, salt. The displaced people in the IDPs are eating, drinking, sleeping free. They are thousands of children, according to newspaper reports. Those captured but released for being innocent, what job did you release them to do? These are the people that should be recruited to be part of your intelligence, civil defence to defend the IDPs. After military met the three months deadline, the battle should now be for the police, civil defence corps, civilians, immigration and customs, because how did the weapons enter the country in the first place? Newspaper reported how an al-Qaeda leader was issued a multiple visa to enter the country. That’s part of corruption. How many people have you arrested and jailed for corruption in the country? They are jailed abroad. How many have been shot for treason? The stock crashed, how many were jailed for that? You talk about plea bargain. What a language?

Boko Haram has been fighting for six years. They have been eating, drinking. So, members of your intelligence will be more of women, because they like women. The army has done their job, the civilians must be trained on how to defend their family. People in IDP camps must be trained to defend themselves and family. They should have opened some farms for them to be busy working.

The magnitude of our challenges is enormous, but what bothers me is the pettiness and the way we address them.

See the number of people that shared billions. And in their villages, there are beggars standing in the streets.

What are you doing now?

I am self-unemployed, retired. I play golf every morning and drink and dance every evening. I don’t get a pension. But my nice children, 24 of them, contribute money every month, telling me, ‘Daddy, relax, enjoy your life.

We’ll pay the bills’. I am 76 years old, and I am living well.

Nobody is like God. Nobody!

15

27 February, 2016

health&fitness

Saturday Tribune BLESSING EKUM

ekumblessing@gmail.com 08116954639

Beat the heat with these easy tips

By Blessing Ekum

I

T’S that time of the year when it seems the sun is very angry and has chosen to pour its wrath on mankind, especially in this part of the world. This period is characterised by intense heat and humidity which make it impossible to enjoy comfort, let alone sleep through the night, without the aid of cooling devices.

Besides the discomfort associated with the heat, in severe cases, it could lead to heat exhaustion, heat stroke and in rare cases, death. Among certain groups of people, periods of severe heat pose serious vulnerability for them and they require special attention. These include elderly people (65 years and older), infants, young children, people with chronic medical conditions, people with mental illness and those on certain medications. Though fans and air-conditioners are the obvious solution, epileptic power supply as well as sheer inaccess to air-conditioners by some might make this difficult. However, this should not stand in the way of relief from the extreme heat. Some simple solutions include: Go low It is a fact that hot air rises. So, in periods of heat, it is advisable to stay as close to the ground as possible.

This means placing your mattress on the floor or if you live in a multi-floor building, staying on the ground floor.

Eliminate extra sources of heat Every appliance produces heat that can add to the already hot environment. Light bulbs, computers and other appliances can generate unnecessary heat. It is advisable to turn them off and unplug them, especially when not in use.

Drink lots and lots of water While it’s important to stay hydrated, in hot weather, it is the more necessary. Experts say failing to drink enough water can result in a number of dangerous defeats, in-

However, not all drinks would suffice in periods of intense heat. Beverages such as sweetened drinks, drinks containing caffeine and alcohol may even defeat the purpose of cooling and staying hydrated as they can act as diuretics and promote dehydration.

cluding, but not limited to, heat cramps, heat stroke and death. Getting thirsty is the first sign of dehydration, so you should drink sufficient amounts of fluids before you feel thirsty in order to prevent dehydration. Other signs of dehydration are dizziness, fatigue, faint feeling, headaches and muscle cramps. The United States of America’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC) advises that in extreme heat one must increase fluid intake regardless of activity level. However, not all drinks would suffice in periods of intense heat. Beverages such as sweetened drinks, drinks containing caffeine and alcohol may even defeat the purpose of cooling and staying hydrated as they can act as diuretics and promote dehydration.

Cool curtains A room can be cooled by hanging a wet sheet of cloth in front of an open window. The breeze blowing in through the wet cloth will bring down the room’s temperature.

Cool your pulses To cool the body in times of heat, apply ice packs or cold

compresses to the body’s pulse points. These points are the wrists, neck, elbows, groin, ankles, and behind the knees.

Ice-block air-cooler You can make use of ice blocks and a fan to create a make-shift air-cooler. Place a shallow pan or bowl full of ice in front of a fan. The breeze will pick up cold water from the ice’s surface as it melts, creating a cooling mist.

Take advantage of water’s cooling power A shower could help relieve the heat but sometimes the water ends up being hot. Soaking feet in buckets or basins of water can cool the body. Also, wet towels and napkins can have a cooling effect when worn on the shoulders or head. You can consider using a spray bottle filled with cold water for cool spritzes throughout the day.

For those with pets or animals, it is important to remember that pets also suffer when the temperature rises.

Experts recommend that a cool towel on a tile floor to lay on, a cool towel or washcloth laying over the skin next to a fan will help cool the animal. Also, make sure they have plenty of cool water to drink as well. Animals can also suffer heat stroke. Some signs to look out for include rapid panting, wide eyes, lots of drooling, hot skin, twitching muscles, vomiting and a dazed look.

Choose cotton Certain fabrics are not suitable for cooling the body during sleep and should be sparingly used in periods of intense heat. Satin, silk and polyester are major culprits.

Light-colored bed linens made of lightweight cotton are breathable and excellent for promoting ventilation and airflow in the bedroom.

16 healthandfitness Pain on my breast

Dr. Wale Okediran

I am a married woman with three children. Although I am on family planning, I have not had sex for the past one year. I recently noticed a pain on the tip of my right breast. I don’t know if this was caused by the family planning or something?

Fiyin (by SMS)

waleokediran@yahoo.co.uk

08055069356 (sms only)

Should I cut my tonsils?

I have been having sore throat for the past one month due to my infected tonsils. I have taken several kinds of medications including ‘Ogogoro’ mouthwash without any improvement. One of my friends advised me to see a traditional doctor who will cut it for me but I am afraid. Should I go ahead?

Godwin (by SMS)

It is not unlikely for Family Planning pills to cause this kind of development. However, to be on the safe side, it is advisable for you to carry out a self -examination of your breast to see if there are other issues such as breasts lump which may necessitate further medical intervention.

Is this gonorrhea?

Saturday Tribune

27 February, 2016

Can I purge my son?

I had unprotected sex with a new girlfriend about a week ago. Since then, I have been having irritation and discharge from my penis. Although I have used many drugs the problem has persisted. I want to know if this is gonorrhea or something. Kindly advise me on what to do.

Henry (by SMS)

MY 10-year old son has been complaining of stomach pain for the past few days. Although he is not vomiting, the pain has not allowed him to pass any stool. I have been advised to give him something to purge him.

I want to know if this is advisable and the kind of drug to use to purge him.

Jumia (by SMS)

Although your ailment may not be a gonorrhea, it is obviously a sexually transmitted disease. The best thing to do is to send a swab of your penile discharge to a good laboratory for confirmation of the ailment and the appropriate drugs to be used to treat it.

Kindly remember to also treat your sexual partner/s to avoid a recurrence.

It is not advisable to purge somebody with constipation and an undiagnosed abdominal pain. In fact, it could be very dangerous to do so, especially if the abdominal pain is due to an obstruction or infection in the bowel. This could lead to intestinal perforation and other complications.

It is not advisable to cut your tonsil just because of a sore throat. Apart from the inherent danger with the procedure viz a viz

bleeding and infection, a sore throat sometimes has nothing to do with the ton-

My mother’s menses

My advice will be for you to let a doctor properly examine your son to detect the cause of his abdominal pain and constipation.

MY 60 -year old mother stopped seeing her menses when she was 55 years old when she went into menopause. Just last year, she started bleeding again and the bleeding has been on since. Initially I thought that the menopause had been reversed but I am worried because unlike normal menses, the blood is dark and offensive.

Kindly advise me on what to do.

Chinwe (by SMS) I agree with you that the menopause has not been reversed. In view of the colour and nature of the

bleeding, one should think of some abnormalities such as an infection, fibroids or malignancy, especially in view of her age. It will be nice for you to take her to

S

NORING as discussed last week is simply noisy breathing during sleep resulting from partial or total obstruction of upper part of the airway (wind pipe).

The whole night may be so noisy as to disturb other partners in the room. It affects both male and female but commoner in elderly. fifty percent of those with loud snoring suffer from cessation of breathing (sleep apnea) during sleep, a serious condition that needs thorough investigation.

Snoring can be simple in most times or complex depending on the cause(s). Our focus this week is on the partners of snorers. Opinions differ on the approach to solution. While some advocate sleeping in different rooms, others feel it may lead to lack of intimacy in marriage which, if not well managed, can lead to divorce. What if the intimacy thing is done before going to sleep? Will the stress of the day job allow for this?

Whatever the situations both partners should have common pathway to resolve the issue. The main things are for the snorers to resolve the ailment and practise all that has been discussed. In addition, snorers should avoid eating late at night; no more food after 6.00pm except fruits and vegetables. If the snoring persists the following guides will be useful for the partners.

Help For Partners •Changing the sound 1. Using white noise has been advocated. White noise is a type of neutral sound which covers all wavelengths. This can dim our perception of sounds like snoring, making it easier to sleep with the noise. You can get computer based white noise or nature sounds, which work similarly with non-computer-based white noise machines that can be programmed with different sounds. It masks the noisy breathing and gives comfort for the partners to sleep.

2. Use a fan to create white noise. If there is a fan around, put it next to the bed and turn it on. Many people find that the noise made by a fan is effective in drowning out snoring.

If you don’t have a fan, turning on a computer monitor can have the same effect.

3. Listen to music with headphones. You can also use gentle, calming music to help drown out the sound. This is a better

sils. I will advise that you see a doctor for a review as to the way forward.

a gynecologist (doctor with specialty in women diseases) at the nearest specialist or teaching hospital for a proper examination and treatment.

Dr. Abiodun Adeoye adeoyemoshood@yahoo.com

08056564360, 08072000017 (sms only)

Snoring makes the night noisy (II) mental way releases you from its emotional grip and increases the chance of actually sleeping. rather than seeing the sound as the annoying noise of someone snoring. Instead, think of it as the sound of someone you love breathing.

option for some people, especially big music fans. Music is especially helpful as it can train your brain not to pay attention to random noises, like something getting knocked over or your partner coughing in the night. It will not work for people that love sleeping in absolutely silent room.

4. Muffle the sound with earplugs. Audiologists have advocated the use of earplugs that is convenient for individuals. Custom shaped earplugs can be more comfortable than store bought and many audiologists provide this service.

•Notice the noise – the way we perceive the noise matters a lot. Generally, snoring is judged as bad and therefore promotes stress and wakefulness. Experts advocate we describe the sound of the noise objectively as you hear it such as “I can hear a rattle, a snort, a whisper, a wheeze” or “It starts soft and gets loud” and that describing it in this objective and non judg-

•Let go of the worries – from expert opinion, whilst loud snoring can be sleep-disturbing, often it can be our reaction to the noise that keeps us awake. Many times even before the partner sleeps off, thoughts such as “I know he is going to start snoring soon!” or “I’m never going to be able to sleep with this noise!” can race around our minds and keep us awake. I have listened to a couple with the wife saying that the husband did not snore over the night. This can only mean that the woman was expecting the man to snore and was awake to know that the husband did not snore! This kind of worries can up cardiovascular risk in such individual.

Roll the person onto his or her side. People tend to snore less in this position. If possible, make it so that they’re at the edge of the bed, facing away from you. Most people “know” they’re at the edge of the bed when they’re sleeping and won’t fall off. Put some pillows snugly against their back so that they don’t roll back onto their back.

In conclusion, my concern is how to prevent cardiovascular diseases among the partners. Absence of sleep or sleep disturbance from snoring are risk factors for hypertension and stroke. So, if sleeping in different rooms will be the only confortable solution to the problem, I have no objection. But let it not affect your relationship and keep your heart healthy. Happy weekend!

17

27 February, 2016

mediascope

Saturday Tribune

WITH AKIN ADEWAKUN akadewakun@yahoo.co.uk 0805 468 3584

Lanre Arogundade today runs a media support group, the International Press Centre (IPC). In this interview by AKIN ADEWAKUN, the former chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), talks about life in the newsroom then, his tenure as the chairman of the Lagos NUJ and what has gone wrong with modern-day journalism. Excerpts:

I

F you were to walk down memory lane, what were those days like in the newsroom?

The newsroom in those days was not just where the reporter went out and returned with the story.

The newsroom was a training institution. This was where you were trained by experienced hands in the art of writing. And when I talk of training at that time it was not just about training in the art of reporting, but also training in the art of production. In those days you were expected to also be able to do some page planning.

We didn’t have computer then, so page planning was like you were armed with your rulers and everything, determine space and the rest of them. I started with The Republic Newspaper then in Mafoluku and our news editor that time was Kunle Odufuwa who is now a chieftain of APC and then we also had editor, assistant editors and assistant news editors. One of then was Tokunbo Oloruntola, who used to be in The Punch and who had won many awards as a reporter in The Punch. He was the one that actually took interest in me.

During weekends, I would have to follow him to his residence in Egbeda, and going to Egbeda in those days was like travelling from Lagos to Abeokuta. I would follow him simply for him to put me through how to write a story. Sometimes what should be your lead sentence, you make it the last. He was sharing the same premises with Niran Malaolu, another very distinguished journalist, who had won many awards in The Punch, but Niran was also very good at production. He was good at page planning. So Tokunbo Oloruntola would take me through the art of reporting, the art of writing a good story, Malaolu would take over and take me through the art of page planning. With that kind of training and also with the support of others, it was not accidental that in 1991, I had risen to become Features Editor and then later, Deputy Editor (Sunday) of The Republic newspaper.

Later I went to Concord Newspapers, which was at a much higher level. I was employed as a Chief Correspondent in the newsroom and my duty then was to work on stories that were coming from the outstations, as were sent by correspondents in different states. And the training I had enabled me to do that job. My role then was to go through the stories, look at the headlines, determine whether the body of the stories had any correlation with the headline.

Then you look at what really was the story because the tendency in those days was for the state correspondents to want to highlight the activities of the state governors.

So sometimes they are praising, sometimes the real story is buried. Even when you were still trying to turn the story round, you would still take it to the deputy news editor. Niyi Obaremi was the news editor. Even when you had worked on the story, you would still have to go and work on those stories again. And when you think there are some things that are missing, then you still have to call the state correspondents to ask them to rework the stories. It was a very difficult process.

We didn’t have a computer, everything was manual. In fact, we used to take our stories in the Radio Room. We had telex at a time, so it was that difficult. But what that meant at the time was that in the newsroom then you really had what you could call the gatekeepers, the chief correspondent, the deputy news editor, Akin Ogunrinde was the deputy editor. So before the story would get to the deputy news editor, it would have gone through chief correspondent, who would have interacted with the reporters in the field. After the chief correspondent, which I was, it would then go to the deputy news editor, who would then work on it, and then go to the other deputy news editors.

So by the time the story would get to the desk of the news editor, you already know that this is where you are going and of course to the level of the editor. Then in terms of organisation, our editor then was Nsikak Essien and he brought to bear the American system of managing the newsroom.

Do we say modern-day journalism is having all these issues because those opportunities for mentoring and training are no longer there?

I think yes in a sense. That element of professional gatekeeping in terms of a young reporter bringing the story and a core of experienced journalists in the newsroom really going through the stories and rewriting them is fast disappearing in today’s journalism. Each

this urge to just get there and compete with the social media. It’s already being tweeted, it’s already on Facebook, you want to therefore dabble into it. I think the conventional media must not forget the fact that the practitioners there (social media) are not citizen journalists, that is those who just pick on any information and put it there for anybody to consume. Professional journalist is a disseminator of professional information, you must cross-check your facts, you must look at the different parts of the story.

So much as these communication technologies have aided journalism today, I think we must bring back that element of professional gate-keeping in our various newsrooms.

Elements of professional gatekeeping is fast disappearing in today’s journalism —Lanre Arogundade newspaper had its own system. In the The Guardian, the sub-editors were the ones doing the kind of works we were doing then. My fear is that when you compare today’s journalism, I think that element seems to be missing, maybe because of the information communication technologies. The fact that you are here with me now, you could quickly do your story and send it to your online editor, who puts it into online edition, without it going through basic professional checks.

If we have to improve the standard of journalism today, we must still devise means of ensuring that there are professional checks and balances. I think there is

I think the conventional media must not forget the fact that the practitioners there (social media) are not citizen journalists, that is those who just pick on any information and put it there for anybody to consume.

The Dasukigate puts the media on trial, what’s your take on this?

I think that there is a sense in which journalism itself is on trial today because of events that have happened since the last elections. It is not just about the Dasukigate alone and the fact that NPAN collected money as compensation for their members. It is also the fact that before the last elections, about seven prominent media organisations came together and developed what we called the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage that stipulated basic professional and ethical guideline for the reporting of the elections.

That document was endorsed by the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), the Nigerian Guild of Editors, (NGE), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), International Press Centre (IPC) and Media Rights Agenda (MRA). Apart from the IPC and MRA which are media support groups, all others are media professional bodies or associations working within the media.

One would have expected that having given ourselves such code of election coverage, though it came very close to the elections time, we would endeavour to at least comply with the provision, let’s say 60 to 70 per cent. But it was quite worrisome that when elections came, some aspects of that code dealing with conflict-sensitive election reporting, dealing with the fact that we must exercise some restraints in the use of the language, be careful not to propagate hate speech were basically thrown overboard, partly because there was pressure of money.

The newspapers must survive, election period was also that period of political advertising, they felt justified that they needed to take those adverts. But at the end of the day, it had its consequences on the media because it then meant that the political party that had the bigger money to spend was able to put all kinds of things in the newspapers that bordered on hate speech. At the level of International Press Centre, we monitor the media coverage of the election, in some newspapers and online platforms.

We found out that unlike the previous elections, it was like just because the media needed to take this money, they could just publish anything. So there was a problem at the level, and the problem has now been compounded by the revelations relating to compensations for newspapers proprietors.

You see, we can talk more of the lessons we have to learn from this. In any case, the attack on newspapers at that time was not justified. There was no reason for that whatsoever. So quite justifiably, the newspapers proprietors felt, ‘well let us go to court’ because they incurred losses. If you stop the circulation of a newspaper, there will be losses from the sales that you would have made.

There would be loss incurred on adverts which you ought to have published, because the person who pays for the advert will insist that the advert should be published.

So no doubt losses must have been incurred. But what NPAN should have done was to have pressed ahead with the case in court, even when the government was then waving the olive branch. They should have asked the government to come to court for the compensation, because our legal system allows for out of court settlement.

They should have pressed ahead with the case, the lawyers to the government should have come to the court, owned up to the destruction and offered compensation, that would now form part of terms of settlement out of court, because the judge will definitely adjourn to allow the parties in the dispute to go and settle out of court. So it could have been a purely legal case and it would not have been tainted the way it has gone.

18

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

crimeandcourt

He abandoned us without telling me anything —Wife We are not spiritually compatible —Husband

A

Lagos Island customary court in Lagos State has dissolved the 23-year-old marriage between one Rashidat Adeyemi and her husband, Olamilekan, because he deserted her.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Rashidat, a fashion designer, had told the court that her husband left their matrimonial home since 2012 without any altercation between them and failed to return.

“My husband left the house since 2012 without any misunderstanding between us. When I went to my in-laws, they told me they did not know his whereabouts,” she said.

She told court that all her efforts to know the reason why Olamilekan left their matrimonial home were unsuccessful.

“I have been solely responsible for the feeding and upkeep of our seven-year-old son since my husband abandoned us.”

She asked the court to dissolve the union, saying that she wanted to move on with her life.

Defending the allegations, Olamilekan, 42, told the court that he abandoned his wife because his business was dwindling, instead of progressing while they were together.

“We are not spiritually compatible, while we were married, my business kept going down.

“I could not make ends meet as my booming business had totally crumbled. I could not bear it any longer, I had to leave,’’ he stated.

Olamilekan prayed the court to dissolve their marriage as he was no longer interested in the petitioner.

President of the court, Mr Awoshola Awos, subsequently, dissolved the marriage.

“From the totality of the evidence before this court, the court is without doubt that the marriage between the two has broken down beyond redemption.

“Both parties are no longer husband and wife; they are free to go their separate ways.

“I hereby award the custody of their only child to the petitioner as pleaded. The respondent is to pay through the court the sum of N5, 000 monthly as feeding allowance.

“He will also be responsible for payment of their son’s school fees and medical bills and is granted free access to the child,” Awos ruled.

Rashidat, 40, had on August 15, 2015 filed a suit seeking dissolution of the marriage, contracted 23 years ago on the grounds that the man deserted her and their only child.

31

He beats and sends me out of the house at will —Wife She treats my mum like a slave —Husband AN Agege customary court in Lagos State has dissolved the 16-year-old marriage between Oluwatoyin and Rufus Bamidele, over battery, irresponsibility and lack of care.

Oluwatoyin, 34, a trader, had approached the court on August 27, 2015 and sought for the dissolution of her marriage to her husband.

She complained of battery, threats to her life and lack of care for her and the three children as well as the child another woman had for him.

“My husband left the house since December 24, 2014 leaving me to bear the burden of the three children we had and his daughter from another woman.

“Any time we had misunderstandings, he beat me and sent me out of the house; there was a time we fought in the night and he sent me out that midnight,” she said.

Oluwatoyin pleaded with the court to dissolve the union and grant her the custody of their children.

Bamidele, however, denied all the allegations but, however, complained of his wife’s ill-treatment of his mother

Stories by Ayomide Owonibi with Agency Reports

whom he said was living with them.

“She was treating my mother like a slave. I cannot bear it any longer.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the court had asked them to resolve the issues through mediation in October 2015 but it discovered that it yielded no result.

In his ruling, the president of the court, Mr Philip Williams, said that the marriage had broken down irretrievably.

“Starting from today, you cease to be addressed as husband and wife; you shall go your separate ways and maintain the peace.

“In the interim, the children remain with their mother, until the final decision of the Ikeja Family Court,” he said.

Williams ordered the respondent to pay N15, 000 monthly for the children’s upkeep and education.

“While the medical bills of the children should be the responsibility of both parties,” he said.

She denies me my right to sleep with her, man tells court

He’s not reasonable, considerate at all —Wife A septuagenarian, Mr Tajudeen Giwa, has asked an Ikorodu customary court in Lagos State to dissolve his marriage of over 40 years because his wife ignores him and denies him sex.

The petitioner is also alleging that his 63-year-old wife, Karimut, has become a threat to his life and usually incites their seven children against him.

“Karimut does not care for me again; she denies me my matrimonial right to sleep with her.

“She gangs up with our children against me, to the extent that they threaten my life on her behalf.

“I am fed up with the marriage and I no longer love her,” the petitioner, who resides at No. 1, Idiorogbo Village, Itokin Road, Ikorodu, Lagos told the court.

In her response, Karimut said that the allegations by her husband were false.

She said although her husband did not care well enough for her and their children, she did not want to divorce him.

Karimut told the court that the petitioner usually slept around with other women and always threatens to chase her and the children staying with them away for no good reason.

“My husband is not a reasonable man and is a very inconsiderate person,” she claimed.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the children of the petitioner are four males and three women.

The oldest male child is 39 years old; the oldest female is 36 years, while the youngest is a 16-year-old girl.

Love is completely absent in this marriage —Husband He has been a ghost husband—Wife A Mapo customary court in Ibadan, Oyo State, has dissolved the marriage between Stephen Adejobi and his wife, Seun, over quarrelsomeness, anarchy and disregard for parents-in-law.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the president of the court, Mr Ademola Odunade, held that it was impossible for the court to force any couple to continue in a relationship that was not beneficial to both.

“In the interest of tranquility and orderliness, the union between Adejobi and Seun has ceased to be henceforth,” he said.

He awarded Seun custody of the three children, and ordered Adejobi to pay N10,000 monthly for the upkeep of the children in addition to catering for their education and welfare.

Adejobi had told the court that his wife had over the time brought hardship on him through her quarrelsomeness, acts of anarchy and disregard for his parents.

“My lord, I have never had a settled home since I got mar-

Saturday Tribune

ried to Seun in the year 2000.

“It had all along been one day, one trouble as I had never enjoyed any moment of peace of mind.

“Seun keeps igniting every attitude or act that could bring anarchy into the home by engineering misunderstanding between me and members of my extended family.

“As if those are not enough, my parents mean nothing to her as she treats them with disdain. In fact, Seun has taken it as a duty to be raining curses on me.

“Love is completely absent in this relationship, please, I need dissolution of this marriage,” he pleaded.

Seun did not deny any of the allegations, and agreed that the marriage should be dissolved.

“My lord, Adejobi has all along lived with me as a ghost because I cannot exactly say this is where he works.

“He had always maintained a strange relationship with me. Let him go,” she said.

My mother-in-law humiliated me and asked me to leave —Wife

The marriage is boring, characterised by crisis —Husband A woman has asked an Ejigbo magistrates court in Lagos State to dissolve her five-year-old marriage over her mother in-law’s interference.

Thirty-one-year-old Adaeze Nwosu sought for the dissolution over claims that her mother-in-law was making her go through hell.

The housewife narrated how she was allegedly chased out of her matrimonial home by her mother-in-law because she could not bear a child five years after she got married to her husband, Godwin.

Narrating her ordeal, Adaeze lamented that her mother in-law contributed to the collapse of their marriage after she invaded their home at 20, Oluwale street, Ejigbo and asked her to leave since she could not bear a child.

She said: “My mother-in-law insisted that she would remain in my matrimonial home until her son, Godwin impregnated another woman before my very eyes.

“True to her decision, my mother-in-law stayed and started wooing women for my husband and they were sleeping in our matrimonial bed, yet none of them was able to become pregnant for him after several months.

“The trauma and intimidation became unbearable for me, so I was forced to move out of my matrimonial home to have peace of mind. My mother-in-law later humiliated me and asked me to leave.

“In the midst of all these, my husband was completely obeying his mum’s directives and I watched him sleep with the other women.

“When it became obvious that the marriage had irretriev-

ably broken down, I suggested to my husband to go to court for the dissolution of the marriage so that we could both go our separate ways,” Adaeze added.

The couple, however, agreed before the court that the marriage was boring and characterised by crisis and that they do not have feelings for each other any more.

The husband, Godwin, prayed the court to dissolve the marriage on the grounds of lack of care, irreconcilable differences, incompatibility and lack of love.

In her response, Adaeze told the court that Godwin was right on the claims for seeking divorce and pleaded with the court to immediately dissolve the marriage.

In his ruling, the chief magistrate, A.A Fashola, dissolved the five-year-old marriage, saying it was obvious the couple would not be able to reconcile their differences.

In her ruling, the president of the court, Mrs Omolara Abiola, said that the court would do everything within its power to save the marriage which is more than 40 years old.

“This court is more focused on saving marriages.

“And it behoves on it to try to secure this union than to dissolve a marriage of such age, with seven children, most of whom are above 30,” she said.

Abiola, therefore, urged the petitioner and the respondent to “maintain peace and harmony, pending the determination of the case.”

She added that “Karimut should not ignore her husband as such action usually infuriates men.”

Abiola adjourned the case till March 22 for further mediation and added that some of the children to the respondent should be present at the next hearing.

He does not care about me and our child —Wife She complains about everything I do —Husband A woman has asked an Agege customary court in Lagos State to dissolve her marriage over allegations of infidelity on her husband’s part.

Thirty-seven-year-old Roseline Adewunmi had approached the court seeking the dissolution of her threeyear-old marriage to her husband, Adekunle claiming that he did not take care of her and their one-year-old child.

“I became pregnant for Adekunle and he took me to meet his parents. My parents were not happy about it and insisted that he should pay my dowry.

“He paid some money and also brought his parents to our house for formal introduction.

“That was the last money he spent on me. He cannot boast of buying anything for our child. He comes home late and also does not care about our well-being,” she told the court.

Her husband however denied the allegations and said his wife was a nagging woman.

“She complains about everything I do. I don’t understand her attitude. She compares herself to her friends who have wealthy husbands,” he said.

President of the court, Joseph A. Adewusi asked the couple to bring three members of their families and adjourned the matter till March 14 for notice of settlement.

19

27 February, 2016

voxpop

Saturday Tribune

With Kate Ani

08071080888 anikate92@yahoo.com

If your fiancée has to sleep with another man to help you secure a job, will you still marry her?

Some lovers do queer things to sustain relationships. Sometimes it takes the third party by surprise when they learn about the extent couples go for the sake of love. KATE ANI asks Nigerians if a man will eventually take to the altar a lady who has traded her ‘endowment’ to secure employment opportunity for him.

Olayinka Salau od forbid! The idea should not even be conceived in the first instance. Under no circumstance will my fiancée sacrifice her chastity on the altar of my employment. Such an idea could only be conceived from the pit of hell. It will effectively subject our relationship to doom. The cloud of sexual slavery on the part of my woman will always hang over the two of us. In fact, no man is worth a woman that must go to that length to make him feel like a man in the house. The idea is grisly.

G

Boboye Taiwo Although it is difficult to try and erase the picture of her sleeping with another man, I will still marry her eventually. For a lady to sacrifice her body for my happiness means she loves me with her heart and would go at any length to please her man. Such a lady is by one hundred yards wife material.

Waheed Ayinde For a lady to sleep with a man in order to help another man, especially one who isn’t related to her is quite foolish, if you ask me.

I will forever hold it against her.

Dapo Olaniyi That is an insane sacrifice because the man who took advantage of the lady will keep demanding for sex from her or else

When the husband eventually loses the job she has helped him to get by sleeping with his boss, she should be prepared to sleep with their landlord to pay rent and even the children’s principal to pay school fees. he might sack the man. Besides, no man is worth that sacrifice, not even if our life depends on that job.

Dimeji Lawal I would rather starve, dress in tatters and remain jobless rather

than having my woman warm another man’s bed to give me food to eat or to help with a job.

It’s not worth it. My woman is my pride and I can’t share her with anybody else.

Kenny Salako Never, I repeat, never ever will I sleep with a man to help, assist, elevate or promote another man.

Be it your boyfriend, husband, fiancé or whatever, because when he finds out, the man you think you are helping would dump you like a piece of dirty, stinking rag!

Boboye

Dapo

Kikelomo

Kikelomo Olatunbosun No guy is worth the sacrifice!

Nothing could be sillier and filthier.

Bimbo Familusi Any lady that has the audacity to do such is doomed for life.

When the husband eventually loses the job she has helped him to get by sleeping with his boss, she should be prepared to sleep with their landlord to pay rent and even the children’s principal to pay school fees.

Femi Rasheed As a lady, it is not your job to take care of your boyfriend’s financial needs, nor is it your responsibility to find him a job.

What is wrong with women in general is that they always try to do the unthinkable to keep a man.

20

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

With Tommy Adegbite 0811 695 4631 tommyabijo@yahoo.com

Kwara State governor, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed (right), being presented an Award of Distinguished Recipient of 2016 American Chemical Society by Vice Chairman, Fight Against Desert Encroachment (FADE), Ambassador Ayo Olukanmi (left) and the Deputy Vice Chancellor, (Academic) University of Ilorin, Prof. Sidiqat Ijaiya, at the University of Ilorin, recently.

From left, Mr Tunde Bank-Anthony, former Executive Secretary, Lagos State Sports Endowment Fund; Mr Anthony Adeyinka Adeboye, Senior Special Assistant to Lagos Governor on Sports; Mr Adewumi Ogunsanya, Director, Lagos Civil Service Commission; Mr Bolaij Yusuf, Senior Special Assistant to Lagos State Governor on Sports Facility and Mr Idris Adelakun, at the final burial ceremony of the father of the Chief Press Secretary to the Lagos State Governor, Habib Haruna, held at Trans Amusement Park, Ibadan, recently.

From left, Nike Ajobo, Mr Victor Ayetoro, Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Leye Oyebade; Group Managing Director/CEO, Odua Investment Company Limited, Mr Adewale Raji and the PPRO, Oyo State Police Command, Mr Adekunle Ajisebutu, during the CP’s visit to Odua Company’s headquarters, Ibadan, recently. PHOTO: TOMMY ADEGBITE

Pastor Segun Odutola (left) and others shortly after the burial service for their mother, Madam Beatrice Olaseni Odutola, held recently at the Cathedral of St James the Great, Oke-Bola, Ibadan.

tribunechurch

From left, Director-General, Debt Management Office, Dr Abraham Nwankwo; chairman, Stanbic IBTC, Atedo Peterside; Statistician General of the Federation/ CEO, National Bureau of Statistics, Dr Yemi Kale; and the Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, Mrs Sola David-Borha, at the 7th edition of Standard Bank West Africa Investors’ Conference, held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, recently.

God is angry ’cos our hands are full of blood —Akinade

nigeria’s most informative newspaper

28 FEBRUARY, 2016

interview

www.tribuneonlineng.com

n200

PDP govs’ arrogance will no longer be tolerated —Dr Sulaiman

glitz

My late dad inspired From right, Mr Bimbo Akorede, Regional Manager, Skye Bank (Kwara); Ayodele Olapade, Head, Small Business, Skye Bank Plc; Dr. Hezekiah.O Adediji, chairman/ Managing Director, Padson Industries Limited; Mr. Ayara Oluwafemi, FIRS official and Ms Nkolika Okoli, Group Head, Skye Bank Regional Banking, at the Skye Business Seminar nurturing business for growth at banquet hall, Government House, Ilorin.

Reggae

Blues

—Harrysong

glamour

feature

Who says this, where? Find out tomorrow From left, Pastor Ekoh Noble of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Oke-Isegun; Kwara Area Secretary, Pastor Samuel Olatayo Abegunde; Kwara Area chairman, Rev. Jacob Sunday Olaniyi, and the first national vice president, Pastor Samuel Olatunde Komolafe, at the 50th anniversary of Bible Society of Nigeria, at ECWA, Taiwo Road, Ilorin, recently.

What many Nigerians don’t know about toning

Plus news, sports, fashion... and more!

Book your copy

For bookings, contact ’Laolu Afolabi on 08054681741 or Tommy Adegbite on 08116954631

—Tayo Sobola

21

27 February, 2016

Saturday With

a

n online news portal notorious for polishing malefaction and good with equal energy, did a covert white-wash job for the Muhammadu Buhari presidency yet again during the week. It is its wont since its singular news rout of “the clueless one”. The president, it reported like a news leak, had ordered the stoppage of routine security vote allocations to top government, military and security officials. The president, it said, had also stopped same to himself and his vice.

“Government sources now confirm that as soon as the Buhari administration took power last year, a clear indication was given of the new direction when President Muhammadu Buhari asked accounting officers in Aso Rock to keep an eye on his own expenses and that of his deputy, noting that they both intended to run a transparent presidency, with zero-tolerance for corruption. Subsequently, the President directed that there would be no routine allocation of security votes to him or anyone else,” says the portal.

For economic activists who had angled for the stoppage of this governmental anvil of evil since its advent in 1983, reading through the story made them sodden with anxiety. Could this be another of the various governmental wish-lists that always end up in the trash-can of history or has a legislation backed the removal of this Leviathan of corruption, the undying whale that has proved difficult to kill, which has made Nigerian runners of government leeches that drain the sap out of our economy?

If the purpose is not merely white-washing the boulder and a legislation is indeed afoot at both federal, state and local government levels to stop this corrupting system that has eaten a large part of our national entrails, then we should all clap for the megida at the top. If percentage can be subpoenaed to serve the argument, the theft of security vote allocation by government officials is not less than 25 per cent of the actual theft by supposed excellencies.

It is very hard to re-summon the arguments adduced by those who legislated it into existence but the most ostensible defence for security vote would

Saturday Tribune

ayinla mukaiba ayinlamukaiba@yahoo.com

Killing the Leviathan called Security Vote be that heads of government should be unencumbered by bureaucracy and be dictated to by speed to attack security issues in their domains. Thus, security vote, whose cost is arbitrary and the mathematics that berths it illogical, has become a drain pipe on state and federal economies and is our national Achilles heel from where government functionaries deal us mortal fiscal blows.

Those who decreed it into existence apparently failed to reckon with the insufferable greed of upcoming Nigerian presidents and governors. Hiding under the proviso that its drawers owe no one the need to explain how it is spent, security vote has become a burden and a funnel through which governors and their allies pipe huge chunk of our funds into illicit personal needs. This is why the news that the Buhari government had begun the process of stopping it is elating.

Ordinarily, as its name indicates, the vote is meant for the augmentation of security matters in states and at the federal level where innumerable challenges spring up by the day. Because we run a pseudo federal government where the police and other so-called federal security agencies that operate in the states hardly have enough to manouvre them from the rag-tag operations that they run, the security agencies most times go cap-in-hand to state governments to ask for dole-outs for security equipment, vehicles and operational expenses. Also, a cistern of security issues like ethnic uprising that needs urgent financial bail-outs to stem and several others break loose most times, dictating that a vote be made to cater for these emergencies. But as things stand today, all these are mere theories. Governors especially are notorious for filching and raping this fund serially, expending it on personal voyeurs, mundane issues including expensive cognac, women and all that, at the detriment of their states.

Security votes are the first to be forcefully extracted from state allocations by these rodents. It was learnt that some

state governors filch as much as N500 million as security vote monthly. You would expect that at this time of near economic recession in Nigeria, state governors and their allies in this boat of security votes, would take pity on their states and temporarily stem this liquidity bleed of their state resources. Alas, no.

Governors, in the past, shared this vote among their harem, children and acquaintances. Today, it has gone much worse. It is what is used to prosecute elections, to bribe compromise investigating officers, fight adversaries and which transmogrify into foreign exchange that resurfaces hours after as real estates in western capitals shrouded in the names of lackeys and cronies. It would be nice to see the list of state governors owing salaries of four to ten months but whom their states owe not even a kobo of security vote.

An investigation of how security votes were spent in the recent past is needed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) if indeed we are desirous of purging the past of the dark waters that militate against our collective shuffle into a blameless future. Every effort must be made to halt this ultimate detonation of the grenade of our finance by the locusts at the top. If President Buhari is indeed serious about incinerating the ghost of corruption, as this writer has always maintained, the best departure lounge to commence this unpopular journey is the states. If this is done, it would be evident to all that most of those we don robes of excellencies are actually glorified crooks whose understanding of governance is doing a Jack-theRipper on state resources. Security vote is their foothold.

AFRICAN NEWSPAPERS OF NIGERIA PLC Founders: CHIEF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO GCFR, SAN (1909 - 1987)

Chief (Dr) H.I.D Awolowo CON (1915 - 2015)

Chairman Rev. (Mrs) Omotola Oyediran Co-Chairman Dr. Olatokunbo Awolowo-Dosumu Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Edward Dickson Controller (Business Development) Fola Oke Chief Accountant Oluremi Olufisayo, ACA

Ibadan Office (Advert Hot Lines): 08077227269; 08034135733 Lagos Office (Advert Hot Lines): 08055333067; 08033013177 South South Regional Office: No. 50 Ikwerre Rd., Mile 1, Diobu, P/Harcourt, Rivers State

Snr. Manager (Advertisements) Kayode Titiloye Sales Manager Omotayo Lewis, Ph.D Consultant/Director Segun Olatunji, Ph.D

GOT NEWS?

Abuja Office: Suites G2. 05-07, PEB04 Plaza, Plot 2027, Dalaba Street, Beside NAPTIP Headquarters, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja Advert Hot Lines: 08033199716; 08078891797 Kaduna Office: AN 20, Lagos Street, by Keffi Rd., Kaduna.

Ikeja Marketing Office.

Block C, First Floor, Motorways centre, Opp., 7up Alausa, Ikeja.

Contact: saturdaytribuneeditor@yahoo.com or call:07030004233

22

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Saturday Tribune

specialfeature

27

“Instead of a heavy wood and metal box that will take years to degrade and leave behind toxic residue, there are now…biodegradable cedar caskets. Others are choosing to forgo the casket completely and opt for what’s called a “natural burial,” involving only a burlap sack buried in the woods. If you don’t have a forest handy, in some cities bodies may soon be placed in an industrial sized compost bin, and turned over to create fertile soil.

“For those who might have opted for cremation rather than burial, there are green alternatives to that as well. Currently on the market is a method called “green cremation” that uses a pressurised metal chamber and bath of chemicals. In this method, also known as alkaline hydrolysis, bodies are dissolved into a liquid that is safe to flush into the sewage system.

Will Nigeria embrace these new funeral practices?

Mr Bassey

Burial practices across continents

Cemetery: Where poachers won’t allow the dead rest in peace

In this report, DARE ADEKANMBI looks at the security measures being adopted by bereaved children and families to prevent the remains of their departed members from being stolen by grave robbers and money ritualists, projecting into the future of interment in Nigeria as concern for environmental friendliness takes the centre stage.

Can Nigeria embrace green funeral practices?

Sleep on beloved, sleep and take thy rest Lay down thy head, upon thy Saviour’s breast …Calm is thy slumber as an infant’s sleep Thine is perfect rest, secure and deep With the above excerpts from the hymn Sleep on Beloved, Christian saints-triumphant are sung to eternal rest at grave sides, charged to go forth in hereafter journey after interment.

Similarly, in the Islamic way, the expressions “we created you from it, and return you into it, and from it we will raise you a second time” are recited in Arabic, as children of a deceased Muslim pour three handfuls of soil onto the corpse of their beloved, with the expectation of a restful ‘sleep’ for their departed till the Judgement Day. As investigation by Saturday Tribune has shown, the rest or the ‘sleep’ envisaged by families for their departed members at cemeteries is increasingly turning out to be almost elusive, as money ritualists and grave robbers deprive the dead of their deserved rest where they are interred.

Almost as soon as the last rites of passage have been performed on corpses and families and mourners depart cemeteries, ritualists besiege the burial grounds to exhume corpses and cut off vital parts. These body parts are usually required by them or those who commission them for money rituals or to obtain supernatural powers or for occult ceremonies. In addition to chopping off organs, they also cart away items such as jewelry and other lavish valuables if they find the corpses decorated with such.

According to investigation, the parts that are hotly demanded from the ritualists are the head, the breasts and the private organs. The human head is the most important part for ritualists and it is sold averagely between N200, 000 and N500, 000, depending on the bargaining skills of the actors in the black market business. Other parts go for less.

PHOTO: ALOLADE GANIYU

When souls disembody, the time-honoured practice is to inter their remains after all rites of passage have been observed. To bury the dead is a matter of choice, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) only recommends the interment of corpses carrying infectious diseases. There are several reasons for interment of corpses. It can be as a further show of deference for the departed and the accompanying funerals of such are usually elaborate. A dead person is also buried to ameliorate the pain of parting borne by the family, among other reasons.

However, in some Western countries, corpses are simply burnt or cremated as an alternative to burial. Although it is common among the Hindu believers, it is embraced in other countries.

In cultures where such practice is prevalent, dead adult and children are burnt in special ovens and only a few fragments of bones and ashes are collected from the ovens after cremation.

The products of cremated corpses are ground into powder, a reason the resultant product is called ashes.

A strange practice called funerary cannibalism is the norm, as an alternative to burying the dead, among the Yanomami community in South America, where the remains of a dead person are consumed by their relations or families. In the community, corpses are cremated and the ashes are eaten with banana paste.

According to Wikipedia, the reasons for the practice are many: “…to partake of their (deceased’s) strength, to spiritually “close the circle” by reabsorbing their life into the family or clan, to annihilate an enemy, or due to pathological mental conditions.”

Religion and interment

Religious traditions, especially in Christianity and Islam, dictate that dead adherents of the faiths be buried in a consecrated place called cemetery. Apart from this, the practice in the Christian tradition earlier and up till now also favours the interment of saints-triumphant in or near churches, which is why church premises are also referred to as churchyards.

Unlike in Christianity, embalming and cosmetology is forbidden on the corpse of a Muslim. The only exception is for a person who dies outside his or her country of origin and wishes to be buried in his or her country of ancestry.

The argument for ecofriendly funeral practices

Families and relations of the departed have consequently devised a means of reducing the susceptibility of the remains of their loved ones to the savage acts of ritualists. During the interment of Madam Dorcas Sonukan, at the Saint Peter’s Anglican Church, Isara Remo, Remo North Local Government Area of Ogun State, guests were kept waiting for about 90 minutes because the children had to ensure what they called ‘maximum protection’ for the corpse of their mother.

Prior to the interment day, bricklayers had been mobilised to cast reinforced slabs for the already dug burial plot. As soon as the dust rites were carried out, the bricklayers swung into action, covering and concreting every space on and around the burial plot.

As Mrs Adeola Soshan, one of the relations told Saturday Tribune, “it is very sad that people who don’t believe that success springs from hard work have taken to robbing dead people of their body parts, which is why we had to keep guests and sympathisers waiting for over an hour. We had to wait that

long because we cherished our mother and we don’t want any part of her body to be dismember before she meets her Maker.

As you can see, the burial ground is not totally fenced off and this makes it easy for ritualists to come in and disturb those buried.”

One of the residents of a house close to the cemetery, who did not want his name in print, while taking Saturday Tribune on a tour guide of the burial ground, pointed at a robbed grave of a young man he said died in a fatal accident in the campaign train of a politician. “The young man died a painful death while following the politicians as a driver and was buried. But the ritualists did not allow him to rest. They came and robbed him in the grave.”

In an interview, the Vicar of the church, Venerable T.T Omowaye, told Saturday Tribune that the church had a plan that would checkmate the evil acts of the ritualists, explaning that funding the plan had been a major constraint. “We have a plan to do a perimeter fencing of the cemetery and employ the services of night guards to prevent these evil-minded individuals from

carrying out their trade. But we are financially disadvantaged.

But that does not mean we are abandoning our plan. We will execute the project as soon as money in available.

“We would like to use this opportunity to call on sons and daughters as well as relations who have loved ones that are buried in the cemetery to show interest in the upkeep of the facility.

People pay a huge amount of money to maintain the burial plots of their late parents at private cemeteries in Lagos and other cities. People should be ready to give a token to maintain the space where their late beloved are buried,” he said.

The practice of grave robbing is also reported to occur at Islamic cemeteries in Iperu and Sagamu. Checks showed that grave robbery is common in most parts of Nigeria and much of West Africa and is fuelled by the prevalent belief in witchcraft and voodooist practices. Cemeteries in cities like Ibadan, Lagos, Benin, Ondo, and other parts of the country are not immune from the activities of grave robbers.

Although the awareness is more in the Western world, concerns are being raised by environmental activists over funeral practices they considered not to be ecofriendly practices. These activists have therefore come up with what is known as green funeral practices deemed to be environment friendly.

Shannon Palus, in an article published on http://www.theatlantic.com/tech and accessed on February 10, 2016, reported Phil Olson to have highlighted funeral practices that imperil the environment to include spraying with pesticides, the lawn of grass beneath which the dead are buried.

“The environmentally friendly funeral industry is booming, as people begin to consider the impacts their bodies might have once they’re dead. Each year, a million pounds of metal, wood, and concrete are put in the ground to shield dead bodies from the dirt that surrounds them. A single cremation requires about two SUV tanks worth of fuel.

“As people become increasingly concerned with the environment, many of them are starting to seek out ways to minimise the impact their body has once they’re done using it…So, what’s the most environmentally-friendly way to dispose of a body? For those who still want to be buried, a greener approach may include switching out the standard embalming fluids made of a combination of formaldehyde and rubbing alcohol, with ones made of essential oils.

Saturday Tribune put the question to a Nigerian environmental activist Nnnimmo Bassey, who is one of Time Magazine’s Heroes of the Environment in 2009 and 2012 winner of Rafto Prize, a Norwegian award. According to him, “Many Nigerians already operate under green funeral practices. The idea of having graves set in concrete, the walls coated in marble or ceramic tiles and covered with marble slabs is a practice engaged in by the rich and by those seeing the mode as symbolic of their status in society. Many Nigerians in the villages are buried in simple graves, some even wrapped in biodegradable mats or in shrouds. Some of such simple graves are marked wooden crosses if the dead were Christians, for example.

“The idea of burying the dead ensconced in golden caskets that are placed in concrete vaults or graves is the ultimate show-off at the final take-off. It is a mark of saying the dead was not part of nature and that the dust-to-dust ritual is sheer hypocrisy because the corpse would lie mummified and alone waiting for future archeologists to dig up and wonder who they might have been.

“Cremation may save on land, but the wood or gas required pose an ecological challenge in a climate changed world.

Leaving the world with a singe or a hissing sound may look efficient, but it endangers future generations if much carbon is stoked into the atmosphere in the process.

Asked if he saw religion as an inhibiting factor, he explained that he did not see religion as preventing green funeral practices.

“When people throw dust on their dead, they should really mean it. The exception may be the religions that promote cremation.

Otherwise when people choose to be buried in metallic caskets these are personal choices seeking to pass a message about the size of the bank account of the departed or of his/her family.

“The essence of burial is first for purposes of hygiene, and secondly as a mark of respect for the dead. This does not require the toxic chemicals used in embalming the bodies and all the materials locked away in burial vaults and graves.

“At the same time, we must add that the dead are grossly undervalued in many of our cities. Some of the graves are so shallow that barely cover the caskets placed in them. It is not impossible that the dead are only temporary residents in such graves and their bones are scattered as soon as the flesh decays.

Will Nigerians or Africans generally who are known for demonstrating tremendous filial attachment to their dead watch the corpses of the loved being dissolved with chemical and “flush down the drain” in the name of green funeral practice? Bassey responded: “As much as I believe that eco-funeral is the right thing to do, I do not endorse any hastening of the decomposition through the use of chemicals. I prefer to hear a hymn while burying a loved one than to hear the sound flushing toilets! What is this world turning into?

“No doubt copycat Africans would allow anything. But I doubt if any cultural practice would permit a relative to be flushed down the drain. That would be a crazy way to preserve a dead relative’s memory,” he said.

The environment activist also bemoaned the rising cost of funeral in Nigeria.

“The ostentatious parties, the costly but gaudy aso ebi and the feasts are getting heavily over the top. We are seeing a rise of private cemeteries and undertakers that provide even weeping services.

Funerals have always been a class issue. Happily, not so death!

“Concrete vaults, paved graves, plastic wreaths and all the appurtenances are not only wasteful; they also harm the environment by disrupting biodiversity. In an era of cementification of urban landscape, we will do well to embrace ecofriendly and softer burial practices. Unlined graves, biodegradable or coffins made from local materials would go a long way to help permit humans who came from the earth to return to the earth,” he added.

He counselled people to “keep it simple” when burying their dead, noting that “the grave is a temporary abode for dead bodies that would eventually crumble inside even the golden tombs.”

“Fertilise the earth when you are gone,” he said, “the earth takes care of you while you are alive. Bodies should merge with the elements at the end of the day or when night falls.”

23

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

views.com

In Edo, Oshiomhole’s achievements ache PDP

By Kassim Afegbua

W

HEN Edo State governor assumed office on November 12, 2008, many were set to put him to task if he dared fail to deliver on his campaign promises. As a labour leader who cut his political teeth from his many struggles to emancipate the poor masses and workers across the country, it was a huge responsibility for him to take over a state that was in ruins and total infrastructure decay. The education sector was a festering sore that found expression in the manner of neglect that the previous administration had treated it.

Edo State was notorious for many miracle centers which provided accommodation for all categories of persons from different parts of the country to sit for the West African School Certificate Examinations in the hope of coming out with flying colours even when such examinations were hardly taken by the students.

With the dubious cooperation of the examination officers and the invigilators, desperate students easily parted with huge sums of money to buy their way through the corridors of examinations with promises of superlative grades. This was the practice inherited by the Comrade Governor from the PDP 10 years’ preoccupation of Edo State before the courts gave verdict that threw away that regime of waste and non-performance. Seven years down the line, the Comrade Governor has rediscovered the missing link in the education sector and appropriately repositioned the sector to the admiration of all. While the state was usually placed in a distant position of 30th amongst states in Nigeria in terms of performance at national examinations, the story today has assumed a more positive and rewarding classification. In the last three national examinations, Edo State came second and has been adjudged as one of the heavily transformed states in terms of infrastructure, manpower and investment. The latest ratings and outcomes are the end product of the heavy investment which the government has put into this sector to rediscover its lost glory.

Added to this is the fact that Edo State is tuition free for both primary and secondary schools students. That alone has freed students from the activities of some school teachers, headmasters and principals who were in the habit of collecting certain levies from their hapless students and poor parents. Apart from this incentive, the Comrade Bus programme which was introduced to reduce transportation hardship amongst students and pupils has been a successful programme that not only gingers the students but also encourages them to take school attend-

ance very seriously. To have sustained free education in Edo State for the past six years, especially on account of the very slim resources that accrue to the state, only go to show how prudent the Comrade Governor has managed the state’s resources.

When Comrade Oshiomhole presented his first budget to the Edo State House of Assembly, populated by majority of PDP lawmakers, rather than encourage a governor that was willing to work to settle down, they threw up partisan interest over the Edo interest. First, the initial budget was scrutinised, altered and later adjusted to suit the peculiarity of the PDP godfathers. Aside from frowning upon the percentage allocated for capital project, the Comrade Governor was told pointedly that he was not the messiah that Edo State was waiting for. And that if he must work, he must operate within the labyrinths of the godfather’s desires. Yet undaunted, the Comrade Governor took his case to our highly revered Oba of Benin, who wrote a scathing letter to remind the Edo State House of Assembly that if Benin City could not be respected for being the headquarters of Benin Kingdom, at least it should be recognised as the capital of Edo State.

The huge economic infrastructure which the Oshiomhole administration has brought about can be explained from the point of view of his determination to alter the narrative in Edo’s political economy. Rather than continue the tradition of skewing budget in favour of recurrent expenditure, the Comrade Governor has sustained a tradition of ensuring that capital expenditure carries a higher percentage in all his budgetary proposals and laws. More than anything, this explains the huge infrastructural component of the administration spread across the three senatorial districts of the state.

The Okpekpe road race has become an internationally accepted road race by the sheer insight of the government and a sports marketing company which seized the

initiative of utilising the beauty of the Okpekpe Road to bring this to fruition. This event has not only entered the calendar year of the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), but has become a source of economic boom to residents of the entire Edo North each time the event is hosted. That is one way to boost the economic well-being of the people.

It is instructive to note that Comrade Oshiomhole’s intervention in Edo State has paid off in different areas. As we speak, even when states across the country cannot meet up with their salaries commitments, the Comrade Governor has almost completed building a brand new Edo State University, located at Iyamho. The university environment boasts of sophisticated buildings and facilities that can compete with any other university in the world. Having invested heavily in enhancing the infrastructural status of Ambrose Alli university, he felt it was proper for the state to have another university that would absorb qualified students who often laze about after failing to secure admission into the existing schools.

Since education is vital to enhancing the totality of the human mind, the deliberate policy of the Comrade Governor to invest in this critical sector must be appreciated. This is one legacy that will not easily peter out for generations to come.

When the PDP raised dust over our investment in Ambrose Alli University, one had thought they were going to present their own statistics to show how much they invested in the university during their 10-year-regime in Edo State. Rather, the PDP were running from pillar to post to complain about the huge investments we have made in the University. We have not only built and commissioned three lecture theatres; we have also built two world-class laboratories for the medical and laboratory sciences students. We have also completed the moot court that was abandoned in 1991, built the agriculture extension services department, the fine and applied arts department, and also the building department. The dam that was built by the European Union and later abandoned was reticulated and as we speak, the university is now fully serviced with water. There are still several ongoing projects aside from increasing the monthly subvention from a paltry N100m to N250m. When we asked the PDP to name what they did in 10 years at Ambrose Alli University, they were simply blaming themselves, pointing fingers at themselves. What a pity.

Prince Kassim Afegbua is the Edo State Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Public Affairs.

ICRC’s commendation as incentive for the Army to do more

By Charles Ibekwe WHEN someone or an entity begins to offer commendations, it is proper to first review antecedents, motives, affiliations and any other variable that will give indications as to the true intent of the commendation. These same sets of considerations should apply when condemnations are also coming instead of commendations. One must know what interest an organisation serves before making much out of its utterances..

Given its antecedent and a longstanding commitment to impartiality, the commendation for the Nigerian Army detention facilities from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a plus for the Army. According to ICRC, detention facilities under the purview of the Army meet international standards. Head of ICRC delegation in Nigeria, Mr Karl Mattli, who made the assessment even, went further to offer additional support to the Army in sustaining this standard.

Let’s contrast this with other bodies that came out within the same timespan to accuse the Army of right abuses in the fight against Boko Haram. These organisations dish out what has now become traditional criticisms via reports that are strategically released to coincide with when the Army is gaining the upper hand on insurgents or whenever it is on the threshold of forging new partnerships to take on the terrorists. Curiously, these same entities have no qualms about other nations using disproportionate force to tackle terrorism even when this leads to astronomically high civilian casualties.

The line of reasoning in the preceding paragraph is not a justification or a call for the Nigerian Army to follow in the step of such nations, but it goes to highlight the

double standards being employed by some organisations, whose mission targets are unclear, when they discuss the ongoing fight against Boko Haram. They carry on in ways that suggest that the terrorists are in the right while the Army is the aggressor.

This development highlights the need for Nigerians to get real and recover their country from grips of Boko Haram – both the militant and political wing of the terror group. The Army has made significant gains in routing the militant arm of Boko Haram but defeating the political element of the group becomes a task for which the Army needs the active participation of the populace and the country’s political leadership.

For instance, the commendations from the ICRC barely got the attention of Nigerians, even when it clearly reflected the improvements made by the Army under the current Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai. One guess is that no frenzy was whipped up because this has no value to the political and propaganda wing of Boko Haram that is not able to use such information for its recruitment drive. It and its backers are unable to demonise the military with the commendation from the ICRC because contrary to the hues and cries of those who hide under the cover of human rights to unleash psychological warfare, the Nigerian Army has been proven to be highly professional and mindful of national, international laws and conventions in their engagement.

It is reassuring that General Buratai was able to affirm that International Humanitarian Laws have been integrated into course contents for officers and soldiers. It shows a leadership that has its sights set on long term stability in the country. Knowing that their soldiers are ensuring the nation’s security without inflicting more human misery would be

comforting to Nigerians who had earlier been bombarded with messages aimed at damaging the standing of the Army in their minds.

The establishment and commissioning of the Army Human Rights Desk is a testimony that this is not one of those promises or declaration made for the sake of photo op. Establishment of the desk has been widely acclaimed as setting important precedence for human rights work in Nigeria. With the operation of the desk, anyone with concerns about right abuse knows where to head as opposed to providing fodder for terrorists’ recruitment drive by circulating contents that might be harmful to collective security in cyberspace.

Considering that corruption constitutes another form of abuse of the rights of all Nigerians, it is noteworthy that General Buratai has pitched in his worth in this regard by ensuring that the Army fully cooperates with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The Army has thus regained its place of pride as an institution where discipline, including resisting the temptation to steal public funds, prevails.

At this point in Nigeria’s quest to stem the tide of terrorism, one must thus appeal to the Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai to do all that is necessary in ensuring that the accolades from the likes of ICRC and other international continue to pour in. The glory from such commendations belong not just to the Army alone but to the whole of Nigeria because they prove that despite the ill-intentioned reports aimed at putting the country in bad light, the Army under his leadership has proven that Nigeria is on the right course.

Charles Ibekwe, a human rights crusader, is based in Owerri, Imo State.

24

Saturday Tribune

27 February, 2016

style

Saturday Tribune

25

With Kate Ani 08071080888 anikate92@yahoo.com

Olajumoke, from the streets to the runway: The making of a supermodel!

Tinuola Ayanniyi tayanniyi@yahoo.com 08055069379

Do-it-yourself

Zigzag wire wrapped ring Tools: Ring Mandrel, wood dowel or pipe to form ring base.

Round nose pliers.

Chain nose or needle nose pliers (if they have ridges on the jaws, cover with masking tape to avoid marring the wire).

Wire cutter or flush cutter Sand paper - 180 or 220 grit, emory board or small metal file.

NOTE: If your zig zag is not centered on the ring, you can carefully pull or push each part of the zig zag along the large wire loops until it is centered.

T

WENTY-SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Olajumoke Orisagunna, the sensational bread seller who rose to limelight by photobombing a celebrity photographer, TY Bello’s photoshoot with American singer, Tinie Tempah, is the ‘it’ girl at the moment.

From scoring modelling contracts to being signed as brand ambassador by several high-profile organisations, there seems to be no stopping her! Like the Disney movie, ‘Cinderella’, Olajumoke has morphed from a struggling lady trying to survive the harsh conditions of the country by hawking bread, to a glittering ‘princess’ adorned with luxury clothes, shoes and makeup, who now graces front pages of fashion magazines and is being sought after by luxury clothing companies.

From strutting her modelling prowess on the runways to smiling to the bank, Olajumoke is no doubt, a supermodel in the making. Here are some of her transformed looks!

26

27 February, 2016

outofthisworld

Saturday Tribune WITH FEMI OSINUSI

osfem2@yahoo.com 08055069292

This 1,311-year-old world’s oldest hotel has passed through 52 generations

Front view of the 35-room hotel.

T

HE Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan Hotel in Japan was founded in 705AD by Fujiwara Mahito and has passed through the hands of 52 generations in his family.

It has also been acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest hotel in the world.

According to RocketNews24, the 36-room hotel has hosted so many world leaders because of its six natural hot-spring baths and the combination of ancient and modern amenities in the hotel.

At the hotel, there are four mountainous openair baths as well as two indoor baths that reports said have beneficial effects on aching muscles.

Also, many of the facilities inside the hotel are run with the help of the hot spring, including the drinking water and a sauna.

The rooms are furnished ancient and modern.

One of the hot-spring pools.

Before going for outdoor hot-spring bath, guests are expected to first shower here.

An outdoor hot-spring bath.

The spring on the mountain.

28

27 February, 2016

businessextra

Saturday Tribune

Edited by Sulaimon Olanrewaju

lanresulaiman123@gmail.com 0805 500 1708

Menace of collapse buildings: AfricaBuild brings 16 countries, 91 building companies to Lagos Collapse of buildings has become a general problem that has put a question mark on the building and construction industry, not only in Nigeria, but around the world. While the story of collapsed buildings around the country has become common news among Nigerians, unfortunately, not much has been done to curb the menace. Sadly, the menace in most cases has been traced to poor quality and inappropriate use of building materials among other factors. In this piece, SHOLA ADEKOLA who was at the just concluded AfricaBuild, Nigeria’s premiere trade exhibition for the building industry held in Lagos with the participation of 16 foreign countries and 91 international construction companies, analyses the numerous benefits Nigeria stands to gain.

T

HE menace of collapsing buildings may be gradually reduced as the Nigerian construction industry has taken a bold step to share ideas with developed countries on how to strengthen the construction industry.

The determination to tackle the menace of collapsing buildings kicked off last week with the presence of 17 foreign countries and 91 companies from around the world who participated at the first AfricaBuild Lagos, Nigeria’s premier trade exhibition for the building industry.

AfricaBuild Lagos, which was a three-day event, brought together Nigeria’s key building and construction professionals with international manufacturers and suppliers from around the world.

The event was described as the ideal entry point to the seventh most populous country in the world representing construction machinery and technology, building equipment and tools and building materials and interior finishing materials.

The first time event in the country, saw 91 construction companies from Europe and other parts of the world who came to exhibit their wares.

The exhibitors came from Austria, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Poland, Turkey, Spain, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria.

The event was organised by the German trade show specialists fairtrade and the United Kingdom, UK-based experts in building and interiors shows ITE. In the message of Martin Marz, the CEO of fair trade and Darryl Pawsey, Regional Industry Director ITE, Nigeria, being the largest economy in Africa, is expected to become one of the world›s top 20 economies by by 2050 According to the organisers, “Overall, Nigerian imports increased from US $32billion in 2009 to $55billion in 2014. With imports of construction equipment and building material machines worth $537 million in 2014, Nigeria ranks among the top four African importers of these technologies together with South Africa, Algeria and Egypt.

“Nigeria’s construction industry is presently worth $69 billion and employs 5 per cent of its 180 million population while its construction industry has averaged 9.5 per cent growth in the last five years.

“Along with a growing economy, the new government policies and an expanding middle class has led to massive investments in the industry.”

Presently in its infant stage, the market is said to remain relatively unsaturated by international suppliers and despite the push for the full spectrum of infrastructure, commercial, industrial and residential structures there is a lack of local machinery and equipment to meet demand, providing significant opportunities for international suppliers looking to corner the market.

According to the president, Nigerian Institute of Building, Dr. T.B Shuaib, the event will allow the numerous exhibitors to interact with the Nigerian Institute of Building professionals for partnership and mutual benefits.

For the Lagos State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engineer Ganiyu Johnson, it is a common belief that infrastructure impact directly on the ability of any nation to grow its economy.

“It is sure that investments in infrastructure always create job, enhance movement of goods, services and people, lead to redistribution of income and engender an efficient and effective economic structure,” he said.

In view of most of the foreign companies that partici-

pated at the exhibition show, Nigeria’s booming economy and its ever growing construction market are some of the major attractions for international suppliers in the country.

Also speaking at the event, the Director-General, FOCI-Federation of Construction Industry Nigeria, Ms. Olubunmi Adekoje noted that AfricaBuild Lagos 2016 enjoyed great institutional support, stressing that FOCI was delighted to support the organisation as institutional partner.

According to the organisers, Nigeria, with 180 million people, still faced 17 million unit housing deficit that would require investment of almost $85 billion to resolve according to the World Bank’s report, the exhibition therefore represents a huge opportunity for the construction sector and allied fields, such as building materials.

The exhibition aimed at showcasing the latest technologies and machinery in construction, building equipment, building materials, interior finishing materials and tools seeks to expose Nigerians to the array of business oppor-

The exhibition became necessary due to the huge investments into mega-projects and a strong demand for affordable housing in Nigeria.

tunities in the construction sector.

The exhibition became necessary due to the huge investments into mega-projects and a strong demand for affordable housing in Nigeria.

The organisers added that the 2016 launch of AfricaBuild Lagos was intended to stimulate international investment into the country’s construction and capitalise on the lack of international players in the unsaturated and growing market.

For the organisers, “It is incredibly exciting that for a launch event we have secured such a high number and diverse selection of international brands, which indicates a positive outlook for the future of the show. More than 91 exhibitors from 16 countries displayed all their materials and equipment at the show.”

“There is a multitude of reasons behind this vibrant and exciting growth. Nigeria, its Gross Domestic Product, GDP, hit $569 billion in 2014, is Africa’s largest economy and it is particularly robust. The West African State enjoys healthy growth to the tune of 5 to 6 per cent annually, and this looks set to continue in the near future.”

All the indices enumerated by the organisers and guests at the event marked excellent pre-conditions for Nigeria’s largest and most important international building and interiors exhibition AfricaBuild Lagos 2016.

The exhibition which was put together by the organisers in recognition of the growth, demand and vitality of Nigeria’s building and construction industry, is an opportunity for Nigeria’s building and construction professionals to key into.

With the kind of sophisticated building materials and interior decoys exhibited at the event, if well explored by Nigerians, the menace of collapse buildings will be drastically reduced.

29

27 February, 2016

ntertainment News

Society Gist

Saturday Tribune with Joan Omionawele and

jistwtjoan@yahoo.com Twitter:@joanbajojo 08054682201 Newton-Ray Ukwuoma 08052271251

Celebrity Interviews

Nollywood celebrities bask in euphoria of political appointments...

—p32

The greatest lesson I’ve learnt

—Monalisa Chinda

Majek Fashek returns to music in collabo with 2Face —p32

30

entertainment

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Kcee releases the video of Bureau the changer Stories by Newton Ray-Ukwuoma

‘Anti-piracy laws must be enforced’

Continues from pg3

makes Nollywood exciting is the simple story that we tell and that is what we try to do at the Audrey Silver Company. We tell those simple stories in a bigger level; this is what Surulere represents. We thought that a lot of young people would be able to relate with characters in the story. Nigerians have that hustling sprit; that is what Seun’s character tries to project. We also have other hilarious characters that make the film which everyone must watch.

What are the challenges of being an entrepreneur?

That is why I am so grateful to God and my business partner. She encouraged me to go on this journey with her. Inasmuch as I wanted to be a producer, sometimes you need people to push you or tell you that it is okay to take risks. Who knows what I would have done without her? I am just grateful she encouraged me to pick up production, though it is not easy to produce films in this country. Every day we learn, every day we keep pushing and we are hopeful we would take the industry to the place it should be in no time.

How long did you put the movie together?

The production proper took us 10 days, but we spent months for preparation and planning. We were sure of what we wanted to do before we set out for the production of the movie. It then took us a year for it to come out.

Why did you play a bit role in the movie?

That was what the director wanted me to play. She asked if I would love to play the role, reasoning that we would need my face to sell the movie. It is my movie, but I don’t have to play the lead role. I would only play the roles I fit into.

Do you want to give us an idea of the amount that goes into the movie?

No, I won’t say anything about that. I just want people to go and watch the movie; it had been released to the cinema across the nation. Some of the cast and I would be going around to relate with the audience and sell tickets. We are

FIVE Star music artiste, Kingsley Chinweike Okonkwo popularly known as Kcee has released a sizzling jam plus video titled Bureau the Changer. Following succinctly after his successful collaboration in “Ebeano,” Kcee, who is now to be known as the standard and international bureau the changer, has recorded another success in the newly released hit single.

The Dr. Amir-produced dancehall jamz brings the trademark groove in a hybrid sound where pop, percussion meet heavy highlife squeg trumpeting.

The Limpopo king also gets a new name as he beckons fans and music lovers to “enter the life with Alhaji Naira.”

‘Bureau the Changer’ is coming at the time the naira is going through its unprecedented rough patches and it is believed to be a motivational song for the country.

making plans on some other projects too, but we like to keep details to ourselves for now.

Were you not concerned about the global meltdown?

The truth is that the Nollywood audience are still our audience. They still love what we do; that alone encourages producers to keep on putting movies out for them to watch.

Regardless of any situation, the audience really like what we are doing.

Actors complain a lot of being cheated, underpaid among others. How would you react to this now that you are a producer?

To be quite honest with you, anyone who goes behind the camera and was able to get a film out for the public to see should be celebrated.

Handling and organising the whole set thing is challenging. But for me I believe that once your cast and crew are happy they would give you their best, though you have to be firm at the same time. It is like finding the balance to make sure that your cast and crew are comfortable and getting the job done too. I don’t do this alone, my business partner is very much involved in all these things. It is a team work really.

Being a romantic comedy did you deliberately push the release of Surulere to mark the Valentine’s celebration?

It was the date we got and we felt it was great because it is a romantic comedy coming out during a love season. So we expect lovers to spend their time watching it.

How do you intend to ensure your film won’t be pirated?

This piracy thing is really a big deal. The government needs to enforce some of these laws and create an enabling environment for the industry to thrive. If this industry is well structured, it can generate a lot of revenue for this country. There are laws against piracy; all we need is enforcement.

Caroline Danjuma goes back to Nollywood with Stalker FOLLOWING the success of his psychological thriller ‘Torn’, award-winning Nollywood director and screenwriter, Moses Inwang, is set to premiere another movie titledn Stalker.

The much-anticipated suspense-filled thriller will be premiered at the Civic Center, Lagos, on February 27.

Featuring prime Nollywood actors such as Nollywood Bad Boy, Jim Iyke, Nse Ikpe Etim, Ay Comedian, among others, Stalker also witnesses the return of beautiful actress, Caroline Danjuma to the make believe industry.

The mother of three who recently ended her marriage of ten years with Musa Danjuma, the younger brother of former Nigerian Defence minister, TY Danjuma, on the grounds of infidelity, is currently finding solace in her first love, acting.

Carolline, who co-produced Stalker with Moses Inwang, also acted alongside Jim Iyke, Ay Comedian, Anthony Monjaro, Omawumi, Niyola and Moses Inwang in the Sneeze Films and Kinetic Media-sponsored production.

Speaking about the project, Inwang, whose 2015 film ‘The Last 3 Digits, bagged the award for Best International Film at the “The People’s Film Festival’ in New York, United States of America, says he aims to redefine the Nigerian movie industry with the new movie.

“With Stalker, I am pushing the envelope once more by producing a movie that is both suspense-filled and riveting. Not the run-off-the mill movies, my lead characters have been stretched to the limit of their acting prowess to deliver a stellar performance, ” he said.

32

entertainment

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Commentary: Nollywood

celebrities bask in euphoria of political appointments...

By Joan Omionawele

MultiChoice donates 22 digital resource centres to Ogun State MULTICHOICE Nigeria, leading provider of video entertainment services, has once again demonstrated its commitment to enhancing education in Nigeria with its resource center intervention, through the donation of digital learning aids to 22 schools in Ogun State.

The intervention, a corporate social investment (CSI) initiative dubbed the MultiChoice Resource Centre (MRC) project, involves the provision of a TV set, DStv Explora decoder, satellite dish, a power generating set, uninterrupted power system (UPS), sets of chairs and tables for the laboratory, and other equipment, avails students access to educational TV channels that include: Discovery World, Channel ED, National Geographic, History Channel and Mindset, at no cost to the beneficiary schools.

The project, introduced to improve the knowledge levels and understanding of technical subject areas by students, is in its twelfth year and has been launched in 363 schools in 31 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The 22 beneficiary schools in Ogun State are Abeokuta Girls’ Grammar School, Abeokuta, African Church Grammar School, Abeokuta (Jnr.), Adeola Odutola College, IjebuOde, Ansarudeen Comprehensive College, Ota, Baptist Boys’ High School, Abeokuta, Makun High School, Sagamu, Odogbolu

Grammar School, Odogbolu, Owode High School, Egba Owode, Our Lady of Apostles, Ijebu Ode and Yewa College, Ilaro.

Others include, Multilateral Grammar School (JNR), Okunowa, Ikenne Community High School (SNR), Ikenne, Ijebu-Ode Grammar School (JNR), IjebuOde, Community Grammar School, Owu-Ikija (SNR), Oronna High School(SNR), Ilaro, N.U.D Grammar School (JNR), Solu, Government Science and Technical College, Igbesa, Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro (SNR), Asero High School, Asero (SNR), Asero, Agunbiade Victory High School(SNR), Magbon, St Peter’s College, Abeokuta and St. Peter’s Catholic Private College, Abeokuta.

While expressing appreciation to MultiChoice Nigeria for donating the resource centres to the state, Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Modupe Mujota said the resource centre will make teaching and learning interesting, delightful and empowering.

The commissioner, who noted that MultiChoice resource centres donation is an endorsement of youth. oriented initiatives in educational development in the state, charged principals, teachers and students of beneficiary schools to use the facility to upgrade their academic performance in the state.

I

T’S not a new development that Nollywood actors and entertainers have been getting political appointments and opportunities to serve the government as the likes of Bob-Manuel Udokwu, Okey Bakassi, Desmond Elliot, Nkiru Sylvanus and Onyeka Onwenu among others have joined the list of celebrities who have held or are still holding one political office or the other.

Few days into 2016, Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw got appointed as a Special Adviser, Liaison, Lagos, to the Governor of Cross Rivers State, Prof Benedict Ayade, an appointment which came weeks after she lost out on her bid to become a member of House of Representatives.

Henshaw, who promised to discharge her duties to the best of her abilities, has embarked on a few humanitarian projects to help women and children in the community, While Nigerians were still congratulating Kate Henshaw, reports filtered through that another actress, Ini Edo, had also secured an appointment. Responding to congratulatory messages,

Ini Edo said “ to be called to serve is an honour. I give God the glory. I am grateful to my state, my governor, every one of you with your constant prayers and support… God bless you”.

And just days ago, Femi Adebayo shared on instagram; “Today I was appointed as Special Assistant (SA) to the Kwara State Governor, on Arts, Culture and Tourism. Thank God for an opportunity to transform my state into a foremost tourist state that will attract foreign and domestic tourists My fans, I need your support. Leave me not.’’

As these artistes bask in the euphoria of their various appointments, one question that comes to mind is, how do they contribute to the development of Nollywood and the entertainment industry? Will it be the case of their predecessors who bagged appointments and left the entertainment scene and fizzled out?

Nollywood act, and current member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Desmond Elliot for one, has conspicuously spearheaded various development programmes in his Surulere constituency, by giving out scholarships to the underprivileged among them as

well as making moves to improve electricity supply to Surulere.

A twitter user @McDammy asked, what do these celebrities do in office?

We appeal to them not to forget about taking the industry forward, they should use their resources to build the industry and use their connection with the government to set up structures and battle the immediate problems which face the industry.

It should not be a case of elaborate parties and pictures of glamour and glitz, it is about mingling with the people and understanding what they need as regards entertainment and goodwill, these artistes should not just rise up from the streets of grass to grace and end up doing nothing when they get appointments from the government.

Research has shown that Nollywood is one of the highest earning sectors in Nigeria, and thus, the celebrities close to the government should propose viewing centres or cinema’s in each local Government areas in their states, at least to pull out the area boys from the pangs of pain and ignorance and enable them to earn a living in order to live a better, fulfilling life.

Shina Peller, VJ Adams, others unveiled as new ambassadors for Remy Martin FOLLOWING the selection of DJ Jimmy Jatt, Folarin Falana (Falz the Bahdguy), and Noble Igwe as influencers for the Remmy Martin brand, Shina Peller, VJ Adams andCharles Okpaleke have been unveiled as the new set of influencers who embody the brand’s philosophy and lifestyle.

Rémy Martin Cognac announced the launch of its new global campaign that recognises and celebrates individual’s multitalents in October 2015.

The campaign which was tagged, One Life/Live Them which assumes its grammatical accident, identifies that today’s consumers are not defined by one talent or skill, but are multi-faceted and should be applauded for their many passions. Rémy Martin’s One Life/Live Them campaign encourages consumers to explore and celebrate all their talents. It is a call to live richer, larger lives, to expand the horizon and seize all the wonderful opportunities that life can offer, beyond the

one-dimensional paths that former generations could have embraced.

One of its brand influencers, Shina Peller is the chairman, Aquila Group Limited, a multimillion naira conglomerate with international investments in real estate, fondly called the “King of Nigerian Nightlife,” Shina’s vision to carve a niche and add value in the hospitality sector led him to set up Quilox Restaurant, Bar and Night Club which was the first purpose

built world class night club in Nigeria,while VJ Adams is a Video jockey and rapper. Also, Charles Okpaleke on the other hand is a nightlife tycoon and CEO and co-founder of one of Nigeria’s biggest and most successful nightlife chain- the Play Entertainment Network,as well as a Nollywood producer.

entertainment

33

The greatest lesson I have learnt —Monalisa Chinda Stories By Joan Omionawele

N

OLLYWOOD actress, Monalisa Chinda who recently remarried 12 years after her first Marriage has revealed her greatest lesson

in life. she posted on Instagram “The greatest lesson I have learned is knowing that the battle isn’t ours, but it’s the Lord’s. Some things that happen are bigger than us but nothing is bigger than Him.” The actress, who is also a TV host, held her traditional wedding in Port Harcourt also spoke about her marriage in a recent newspaper interview.

“I’m designed to be under a man.

I’m not going to lie that I like this single mother nomenclature. But whereby there is no one at the moment, one is bound to get used to the situation. It’s not a do-or-die affair because I have been there before. Anything I’m going to do now, it has to be done right. I’m not in the school of thought where the first one happened and perhaps, the second one. No, any bold step I have to take in settling down again, it has to be right.

I’m not ready to make another mistake.

Monalisa added: “One thing I regret most is the fact that I am divorced.

Where I come from, I am the first daughter. I am from a royal family; it was never on record in my family that the first daugh-

ter would walk out of her matrimonial home.

But it (my marriage) was a matter of life and death. Otherwise, I

would have stayed back and made my marriage work. I tried to make it work, but it takes two people to tango. That’s the only thing I regret, having to raise my child without the father.

It’s a bit painful. But I have to live with it.

It’s better that way than to expose my little daughter to all sorts of domestic violence.

It will definitely disorient her and affect her upbringing. She will be dysfunctional.’

Telemundo lovers charged to prepare for intrigues, suspense in new TV series DURING the week, lovers of telenovelas on DStv and GOtv platforms were treated to a thrilling pre-screening of the breathtaking new telenovela ‘A Passion for Revenge’ that is set to premiere on Telemundo (DStv channel 118) and (GOtv channel 14).

General Manager Marketing, MultiChoice Nigeria, Martin Mabutho said he was excited about Telemundo choosing to do the pre-launch in Nigeria as it presents an opportunity for the existing subscribers to experience first-hand and interact with the premium content available on both DStv and GOtv. He lauded the partnership between NBCUniversal International Networks and MultiChoice Africa saying he hopes to see such opportunities extended further to E! Entertainment Television and Studio Universal channel brands which are also part of the NBCUniversal channel portfolio.

The first episode of the award winning telenovela was previewed by guests, who are referred to as ‘Passionistas’, in a cool and relaxed ambience. They also had a taste of Latin America with the popular social dance; salsa with female guests

having free makeovers for a well-rounded experience.

The brand new telenovela ‘A Passion for Revenge’ features some of the biggest names in the telenovela industry such as Aarón Díaz (playing Arturo), Gonzalo García Vivanco (featuring as Flavio) and Ana Lorena Sánchez (featuring as Sophia).

The story revolves around the lives of the Gallardo brothers seeking revenge and justice against a man they suspect to be responsible for the death of their sister, Ignacio del Junco, the same man who also won their sister’s heart and got her pregnant.

Despite their suspicions, they soon find out that Ignacio is dead and they start to focus their revengeful efforts on the del Junco family and Ignacio’s widow, Cayetana Belmonte del Junco (Sonya Smith), a woman with a fatal wrath for anyone in her path. But things do not go as intended for the Gallardo brothers as they soon find themselves entrapped and bewitched by the beautiful del Junco sisters. When the intentions of the Gallardo brothers are realised, a war between the families erupts and an unparalleled series of dramatic events ensue.

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

St. Lauren thrills lovers at Black Jack Valentine’s Party

By Bode Adewunmi As one of the activities to mark the last Valentines day, Grand Oak Limited, the makers of St. Lauren nonalcoholic fruit drink and Black Mystique Whisky partnered with Brand World Media Limited to host Black Jack Valentine’s Party at Ember Creek, Ikoyi, L a gos.

Lovers were thrilled with activities like dancing competition, fashion shows by Lilies Trendy Fashion Home & Steve Ray Fashion, musical performances by 90’s dance hall star Daddy Fresh and upcoming music artiste Team Star Boys from The Gambia and White Mus. Leveraging the aura of the day, Grand Oak showcased St. Lauren non-alcoholic fruit drink, Black Mystique Whisky and Swagga alcohol variants.

Speaking at the event, Category Manager of Grand Oak Limited, Amuwo Olayinka, said: “First and foremost, it is a celebration season; a season of love. We decided to partner with our friends at Brand World Media Limited who are also celebrating love in a unique and special way at Ember Creek.

We partnered with them with our celebration drink, St. Lauren non-alcoholic fruit drink and also our new deal in the market, Black Mystique Whisky. We have done this so that lovers can have a unique opportunity to celebrate their relationship in their own special way, in an environment where they can talk, bond and really go down memory lane.”

Other cities where St Lauren Valentine’s Day activation were held are Fumac Supermarket at Oluyole Estate Road, off Ring Road, Ibadan; Ace Supermarket, Mayfair, Ile Ife; ShopRite Jabi Lake Mall, Bala Sokoto Crescent, Jabi, Abuja and Roban store, Independence layout, Enugu.

Majek Fashek returns to music in collaboration with 2Face POPULAR Reggae singer, Majekodunmi Ifasheke, also known as Majek Fashek,has been discharged from rehabilitation and is back to the music scene in a new collaboration with 2face Idibia.

His new song entitled “No more sorrow” has elements of strong Reggae content, and features 2Face Idibia who introduces with Afro pop. The song is a message of positivity and truth. It preaches peace as well as emphasises societal change. Majek sings about his desire for the Holy Spirit to take over the world, while 2Face sings about

the need for the heart and mind of men to stay in readiness for the kingdom of God. The lyrics read “those who sow in tears will surely reap in joy on that day and there will be no more sorrow, no more weeping, no more crying, no more pain,” While Nigerians feared that the illness which threatened Majek’s life,might snuff life out of Majek Fashek, he bounced back and was seen performing at the African Shrine. He also made an appearance at the Headies Music Awards early January.

34

27 February, 2016

The South-West Editor Wole Efunnuga | 08111813056

Saturday Tribune CREW

sari Tunde B9u3530 081275 ndare nga - Ogu Yejide G8b1e16706853 0 unesan Tunde O9g54634 08116

t: r us; contac Got news fo bune@yahoo. ri tt es hw sout bune@ uthwesttri co.uk or so ail.com gm

I was a houseboy, bus conductor before becoming Oba — Sabiganna of Iganna

NavigatingIgannatoIseyinthroughcommercialmotorcycleforonehourwasaworthwhilejourneywiththeSabigannaofIganna,ObaSoliuOyemonla AyefemiloyeI, whoisalsotheSecretary,YorubaObasConflictResolutionCommittee,tellingTUNDEBUSARItheuniquehistoryofhistown.Excerpts:

Y

OU seem to keep a close relationship with the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi. What strengthens your relationship with him?

The history of Iganna is incomplete without recognising the role Alaafin played when my progenitor settled here.

Our progenitor is Onisabe of Sabe in the present day Benin Republic. After leaving Ile-Ife, he settled among Bariba where he married and had four children. The children were Woru, Shabi and Bio. Woru, also called Baba Gidae, was a warrior of note. He disappeared into the earth at a spot known as Kabua shrine. Shabi later became Sabiganna at the first Iganna in Benin Republic. Here is the second Iganna founded by Shabi’s second son, Gahandi Shabi Shafa. Ifa directed him to settle after three rivers. That is River Okpara, River Oyan and River Ofiki. He settled just after River Ofiki and met Balako an hunter.

When we told Balako that we are children of Oduduwa, he took us to Alaafin. But it was Alaafin who eventually ensured our dominance of the land. It happened that when our forefathers got to Alaafin in Oyo, there was a war with the Nupes then and we reinforced the Alaafin army to fight and win the war. This contribution really impressed Alaafin to the extent that Alaafin’s chieftaincy titles were replicated in Iganna.

This is the background to my closeness with Alaafin. Till date, the relationship of father and son is still growing stronger.

In fact, he was my guest when we had an occasion here last year. It is his tradition to always honour my invitation.

How then would you describe Alaafin?

He is my father to whom I always look.

He is an encyclopedia on different subjects.

If you sit with him, you would not want to leave when he engages you in discussion.

He is full of knowledge and wisdom. He is my mentor and one who is ready to assist when assistance is requested from him.

Alaafin is a blessing not only to me but to the Yoruba race because of his full grasp of the significance of his status. He is a philosopher and very a deep traditional ruler.

Can you reflect on your life journey from childhood?

I was born here, and beautifully, my parents are still alive. You can see that I am very fortunate. I am lucky to have them around when I became the king of my town. It is more interesting that they are witnessing the work of God. How do you mean by this sir?

I was not born with silver spoon. I passed through hardship as a child. I can say that I saw poverty and fought it. There is no job I did not do to assist my parents. I was a bar man, bus conductor, househelp etcetera.

But despite my condition then, I was determined to become an important person in life.

lasted two years despite the fact that seven out of 11 kingmakers voted for me. But that is the beauty of it. It is not peculiar to Iganna alone. Every prince always has the ambition of becoming king. But I believe the choice is the prerogative of God. It goes beyond the power or manipulation of man.

It is predestined.

Oba Oyemonla Including king?

No. As a matter of fact, becoming a king was not in my mind. I did not think of it. I saw it differently then. So, my ambition was to become a lawyer because I knew being a lawyer is an opportunity to make good contacts that will lead to fortune.

Which school did you attend?

I attended Local Authority Primary School here in Iganna. I later attended Iganna High School. Thereafter I attended Ansar-Ud-Deen High School where I had my HSC (Higher School Certificate). I tried to study Law but I could not meet up the cut off mark at the University Matriculation Examination (UME). I therefore, studied English at the University of Ibadan and graduated in 1997. I did my youth service scheme at Darkingari in Kebbi State the following year. Of course, after the service, I hit the town in search of job.

How and when did you get a job?

It was not that easy. I was in Lagos trying my luck until I met an Hausa man who took interest in me and was ready to assist me. I was interested in joining Nigeria Customs and this man was ready to help me.

My experience with the man taught me that Nigeria is really blessed. We are blessed with good people spread across all ethnic groups. This man showed interest in me and he did not give me any reason to doubt his sincerity.

Did he eventually get you a place in the Customs?

I was close to it when a message came

from home that Iwajowa Local Governmnet Council had offered me a job. Iganna is under the council. The news came as a surprise. But my mind was elsewhere.

Well, I discussed the development with the man and told him my preference, which, of course, was the Customs because of the opportunities I saw in the job, especially as a graduate. I saw it as a job that would take me to where I wanted to take good care of my parents back home.

What did the man tell you?

He analysed life to me and explained that the offer from home is far better than the federal appointment I was hungry for.

He said truly I would make money at the end of the day but there are some things money cannot buy. He said the offers showed that my people needed me. He added that he saw a greater future in me, in my home town. So he encouraged me to take the offer. That was what nailed it.

I returned home and became an Assistant Executive Officer. I started my civil service career from there. I was at Igboora when my predecessor passed on in 2009. What marveled me about it was the number of phone calls I received shortly after the news of his passage. Everybody was calling me to come home. It was so alarming that I began to have some strange feelings within me.

How then did you succeed your predecessor because I am having a feeling that you were chosen on consensus?

Although 99 percent of my people supported me, it was a race. Eight of us contested. In fact, there was a litigation that

Every prince always has the ambition of becoming king. But I believe the choice is the prerogative of God.

If it is truly predestined, you must have seen it in you earlier that you would one day rise to the throne. Did you?

To be honest with you, there was nothing like that. I was not thinking about it at all.

I wanted to be a professional who would always return home with affluence and do community service. But I observe now that I was a class captain right from my primary to secondary school. I was always made head of any group I found myself. But then it did not occur to me that a certain destiny was playing out and even preparing me for what lied ahead of me in future. I became the 18th Sabiganna when I clocked 40 years.

How did your coronation look like?

The day was a special one for the people of this town. The town witnessed a huge crowd. Alaafin came and many dignitaries from all walks of life also came. The chairman of the local government then was so impressed by the crowd that he changed my title from Ilufemiloye to Ayefemiloye.

The coronation was preceded by 90 days in ipebi, a secluded place where new traditional ruler is taken through what the throne entails. It is a tutorial college on its own where an Oba sees life beyond ordinary. History, culture, etiquettes, human relations, conflict resolution and other important things are taught because an Oba is father of all his subjects regardless of their belief systems, attitude, professions etcetera. It was an experience I found very interesting and indeed necessary to administer town and its people.

Can you compare your life as a civil servant and as a traditional ruler?

It is a different world entirely. A civil servant will go to office in the morning and return in the evening to enjoy his free time. It is not so here in the palace. It is a 24-hour job. You cannot even predict what happens next day. Your subjects prefer to come to the palace to settle issues to going to the law enforcement agents. They still have confidence in the wisdom of traditional institution to find solution to their problem. That is the experience. When you feel you have had enough of them, others would just arrive the palace and you don’t turn them back. You cannot do that because it is their palace; It is their heritage.

It is seat of power that can easily relate with unhindered.

Does this suggest the traffic of your people to the palace denies you rest?

In fact, I rest well when I go abroad. But I enjoy attending to my people. Attending to them could be boring but it is not. It further opens my eyes to the complexities of human behaviour.

35

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

with Tunde Ayanda ayandaayotunde@yahoo.com 08034649018

New cap for Gbenga Elegbeleye

Ned Nwoko’s new project

IT is often said that the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye is extraordinary in his ways, not only because he possesses that little extra,but because he exhibits a perfect blend of perseverance and hard work.

The ex-lawmaker’s record in the political space is not something that can just be dismissed with a wave of the hand.

Elegbeleye, who rose many years ago as the youngest local government chairman in Ondo State, later became the chairman, Ondo State Waste Management Authority and also became the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Sports in the House of Representatives and later the Director General of National Sports Commission (NSC).

Thus, no amount of celebration is too much or too grand to honour him, even his kinsmen understand this and that was why his Royal Majesty, Oba Akadiri Momoh, the Olukare of Ikareland and the Olukare in Council honoured him with the title of the Otunba of Ikareland a few days ago.

Funmi Tejuoso, breaking the norms

THAT the former member of the House of Respresentatives, Ned Nwoko is a man of high taste and good quality is not new to people. Not a few who know his home in Abuja and the architectural masterpiece in his hometown in Ugboko, Delta State doubt his love for good life.

Recently, the politician, a lawyer by profession, decided to add to the glamour of the scenery of his hometown a golf course to enhance the patronage of his community by Nigerians and expatriates alike.

While the work on the golf course is on, it is on note that the politician has decided to make it a full-fledged sports university.

The building which boasts of an Olympic-size swimming pool, tennis court, football pitch, a zoo and many other facilities is a place of recreation for celebrity-friends of its owner.

IN the history of the Lagos State House of Assembly, no female has been elected for three terms consecutively and that’s a feat lawmaker Funmi Tejuoso achieved when she was re-elected in 2011 to represent the people of Mushin Constituency 1 in the Lagos State House of Assembly.

The woman, a lawyer, who is currently the Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, has in no little means used her

office to collaborate with gender activists and other institutions in the area of women empowerment raising awareness towards women’s political and social right.

Her constant appearance in the State Assembly where she has sponsored many bills is a reminder of the days of front-line female politicians like Madam Efunroye Tinubu and Mrs Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti.

Ayotunde Fabanwo signposts Mr Ideal Nigeria 2016

Goodnews for Cardinal James Odunmbaku A topshot of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Baba Eto of Lagos, Cardinal James Odumbaku, is a happy man at the moment.

The cause of the politician’s happiness is the safe delivery of a set of twins by his daughter, Oreoluwa, in the United States of America.

Oreoluwa is married to one of the sons of the late king of Egbedaland, Oba Samson Alade Balogun, who passed on

recently.

Their carnival-like wedding took place in Lagos some years ago and it was the talk of town for many months.

Both the Lagos homes of Cardinal Odumbaku and Prince Segun Balogun have been full of activities and excitements that come with the birth of new babies.

The mother and the children are expected back in the country later in the month for christening.

NIGERIA’S m o st c o nsi ste nt and ant icip a te d ma l e p ag eant , Mr Ide a l Ni ge r i a , i s back in it s 7 th se aso n.

The page ant, w h i c h i s cr ed it ed wi th th e l a u nc h ing of care e r s o f su p e r mod els like Wa l e B e l l o , For t u ne D av i s a nd Ben Toiutou among others, is known

to start businesses for all its winners in fashion, acting, modelling and more.

The founder, Ayotunde Fabanwo, who won the West African Fashion Awards , Fashion Personalty of The Year stated that he created the pageant to create entrepreneurs who will create other entrepreneurs.

36

27 February, 2016

weekend cartoons

Saturday Tribune

Adeeko Olusegun adeeko.olusegun@yahoo.com 0811 695 4638

Just a Laffing Mata

Cr e a t i on

At Sunday School, worshippers were learning how God created everything, including human beings.

Segeluulu was especially intent when the teacher explained how Eve was created out of one of Adam’s ribs.

Later in the week, his mother noticed him lying down as though he was ill and she asked: “Segeluulu, what is the matter?”

Segeluulu responded, “I have pain on my side. I think I’m going to have a wife soon.”

POLITICO

Who discovered Nigeria?

Teacher: OK, little Segeluulu, point to Nigeria on the map of Africa on the chalkboard.

Segeluulu: OK! (Segeluulu pointed to Nigeria.)

Teacher: Great job, Segeluulu! Now, who discovered Nigeria?

Segeluulu: I did!

What are you drawing?

Little Segeluulu is in art class. The art teacher asks, “what are you drawing?” Segeluulu answers, “a cow eating grass,” “where’s the grass?” “The cow ate it!”

“Oh! What about the cow?” “She ran away!”

FUNOLOGY

Eight, not six At school one morning, the teacher asked little Segeluulu what he had for breakfast. Segeluulu said, “well, on my way to school, I stopped at Iya Lati Food Canteen to eat amala. I guess I eat about six wraps of amala.

“No,” said the teacher, “it’s ate!

Little Segeluulu said, “well it could’ve been eight as you said, I don’t remember.”

COMEDY: When men were boys

37

27 February, 2016

achievers

Saturday Tribune

With Ronke Sanya (Winner, NMMA Innovative Reporter of the Year 2015) 07036050161 | sanyaaderonke@gmail.com

& Oyeyemi Okunlade | 08056834515 | ojeleyeoyeyemi@yahoo.com

Why I invented recycling e-waste into sculptures

— Rolland Nana-Twinmasi Chukwuocha

Electronic-waste sculptor, Rolland Nana-Twinmasi Chukwuocha, narrates to RONKE SANYA his passion to rid Africa’s ecosystem of toxins and how UNEP, WHO and other international bodies recognised his effort.

T

HE name Rolland Nana-Twinmasi Chukwuocha might sound like that of a Ghanaian. This is because Chukwuocha is born to a Nigerian father, Mr George Igire Chukwuocha and a Ghanaian mother Mrs Agnes Akoto Chukwuocha. He proudly claims Nigerian-Ghanaian origin and his father is from Umuagu, Obowo Local Government area of Imo State. Chukwuocha is poised to make a change in Africa and he sees himself not only as a Nigerian but a proud African, this intrigued in him the innovation of electronic waste sculpture.

His venture into e-waste sculpture and design Chukwuocha’s skill in art and craft was borne out of childhood curiosity. He explains: “When I was young, I used to play with tins and convert used tins into toy cars. I built pet houses for pigeons, guinea pig and other small animals, using tins.” He continued in this venture into art and opened a barbing saloon while awaiting the release of his West African School Certificate Examination Council (WASCE) result. He, however, abandoned barbing when he gained admission into tertiary institution.

Chukwuocha’s first love, art and craft, found its way back into his heart when doing his master’s project at the University of Ibadan (U.I.), Ibadan. “I was working on my master’s project topic “Electronic waste recycling technology in Nigeria” which was supervised by Professor Oladele Osibanjo, the current regional head of Basel Convention Coordination Centre for Africa region, a body saddled with the responsibility for the control of trans-boundary movement of hazardous wastes,” he said.

After he carried out an intensive literature review, it became scientifically proven that “heavy metals capable of causing severe health complication diseases were found leaching into Nigerian environment. This is commonly perpetrated by untrained scavengers, collectors, and merchants, who enjoy the lax laws and enforcement on the lucrative trade of exporting valuable dismantled electronic waste components to advanced countries. This process leaves behind toxic components that are now unstable and leach toxins and heavy metals into the environment thereby putting the health of both plant and animal in the country Nigeria at risk.”

indicators that was launched at the World Summit on sustainable development in September 2002. It represents an independent effort that contributes to archiving the objectives of the healthy environments for children, most especially, to inform and influence policy-makers and to improve children’s environmental health.

Chukwuocha revealed that, “If not tamed, indiscriminate e-waste dumping can cause severe human health risk through bioaccumulation and bio-concentration of toxins and heavy metals like mercury, chromium (vi), lead, cadmium, among others, into the ecosystem.”

Due to this discovery, he decided to proffer a solution to the problem.

“So, I invented e-waste sculpture as a more effective means to enlightening Africans and the people of the world on electronic waste. Images, I believe, tell a thousand stories. So I thought with the concept of imaging, using electronic waste, I could teach millions of Nigerians and Africans the environmental impact of indiscriminate dumping of electronic waste and also curb environmental hazards.”

His WEEE and Africa awareness project His sculpturesque design moulded in the image of the map of Africa is displayed at the Kenneth Dike Library of his alma mater, University of Ibadan and he named the design ‘WEEE and Africa awareness.’

Explaining the concept behind the design, he said, “WEEE and Africa is a sculpture I made with de-soldered components from electronic waste. The artwork is enclosed in a 5mm glass to indicate the fragility of our environment and sealed properly in an environmental sound manner. It symbolises the problems of electronic waste in Nigeria and Africa generally. It is an awareness campaign against indiscriminate dumping of electronic waste in African countries from developed and European countries.

Graphics were also done on the sculpture to indicate e-wastes interaction with the food chain in an ecosystem. It is a sort of beautification to attract viewers. It’s more of recy-

cling waste to beautiful sculpture or artwork for enlightenment, decoration, beautification and historical purposes.”

UNEP and WHO recognition Chukwocha was initially unaware of the international recognition and publication on his works, “but when I started getting emails from people outside the country, appreciating my artworks I decided to go online, only for me to realise that my work was published by World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations for Environmental Program (UNEP), under children’s environmental health international initiatives in April 2014 and Basel Waste News June, 2014, I couldn’t believe it but I was amazed and encouraged to design more,” he said.

The children environmental health international initiative which recognised Chukwocha’s e-waste sculpture is a global initiative on children’s environment health

I decided to go online, only for me to realise that my work was published by WHO and UNEP, under children’s environmanetal health international initiatives in April 2014

Education and childhood Chukwuocha was born in Gombe State, Nigeria spent most of his younger years in Kaduna State. He had primary and secondary education at Foundation Comprehensive School, Television village, Sabo Tasha, Kaduna south and later attended Gaskiya Skills International School. The graduate of biochemistry from Madonna University, Okija, Anambra State also bagged a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Ibadan where he developed the passion to save Africa and Nigeria’s ecosystem from hazards of indiscriminate disposal of e-waste.

Challenges and prospects A self-taught e-waste sculptor, Chukwuocha explained that it’s a herculean task moulding images using wires and wasted electronics. “It is a tedious process. While moulding, I inhale toxins, bleed and burn my fingers but because lives of many are at stake and improper disposal of e-waste products is a silent killer, I can’t stop moulding.

“While I was doing my compulsory one year national youth service in Zamfara State in 2010, then, illegal and crude gold mining activities led to the death of at least 163 people between March and June in 2010, including 111 children, as a result of lead poisoning. When I remember this sad incident, I am motivated not to stop moulding, using e-waste.”

Determined to increase the pace of his ewaste sculpture awareness, he charges the Nigerian government to “fortify Nigerian environmental laws and principles of millennium sustainable development and also support scientific research on e-waste recycling to protect and build solid foundation for the present and future.”

Resourceful and diligent Chuwuocha, proudly revealed to this reporter that, “I am presently making efforts to build an e-waste museum filled with e-waste arts and sculptures to help children and other interested personalities to learn and appreciate the beauty of e-waste sculpture, thereby saving our future and ecosystem.”

38

politics&policy

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune With Saheed Salawu

0811 695 4643

yinkadejavu@yahoo.com

Plea-bargaining should not stop corrupt Nigerians from going to jail —Okurounmu

Chairman of the defunct Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue and Afenifere chieftain, Senator Femi Okurounmu, in this interview by LANRE ADEWOLE and BOLA BADMUS, speaks on various issues of national importance. Excerpts:

H

OW do you view Nigeria under the leadership of Muhammadu Buhari so far?

The change that people were expecting has not been realised. Although change does not happen overnight, the people’s expectation has not been met in terms of seeing any change or knowing if we are taking steps in the right direction. The economy has nosedived. I am not saying this is Buhari’s fault but we knew what was before him and what is now, nine months into his administration. Certainly, things have become worse.

The exchange rate of dollar to naira is certainly imposing a lot of hardships on Nigerians. A lot of states cannot pay salaries. We have petrol scarcity every now and then. A lot of foreign investors are going back home. At the stock market, values of listed companies have been nose-diving because a lot of investors are selling their shares and taking their money out. In another country, the government would do something to stem this tide but our government is not doing anything about it. Seeing all these, the economy is not on the right track.

The fight against corruption is a good thing. We should intensify the fight against corruption but I will always say that this fight that Buhari is fighting against corruption, I am not impressed by it. This is because when you catch someone who is corrupt, who has stolen money, there must be some punishment meted out to such a person, to serve as a deterrent to others. If you catch people who have stolen billions of naira and all you do is ask them to give the money back and they do and then go scot-free, I don’t think that is fighting corruption. If I know that I could steal N1billion and the worst thing that could happen to me is to be asked to refund that N1billion, then that does not discourage anybody from stealing.

But the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, said recently that those who returned stolen money would still be prosecuted...

What stops them from being tried? Why do we have to postpone their trial? You have caught them and you have got the evidence, what stops them from being charged to court immediately? Do you catch a criminal and say ‘okay, we shall, still, catch his father’ and then let the criminal walk as a free man. If we are serious about stopping corruption, when you catch somebody with a lot of money and the person has returned the money, that is evidence enough that he stole the money. What are you waiting for before charging him?

Do you think Buhari is biased in his fight against corruption as some people say?

I don’t want to be accused of taking sides but if I were him, I would start the fight against corruption from 1985, during [General Ibrahim] Babangida’s regime. These things build up; the departing regime laid the foundation for the succeeding one. I would start from the $12 billion oil money said to be missing in Babangida’s time. From Babangida’s time, I would go to [General Sani] Abacha’s.

Although Abacha is dead, many of his ministers who stole money are still around and the evidence is there. I would look at the Halliburton case and the Siemens case. I understand they are looking into the Malabu oil deal. Let us hope that they will do something.

In the case of Halliburton, they say they are investigating again. I don’t know how many times they will investigate.

Three investigations have been carried out by three administrations with the reports prepared for the president indicting the same people. We know those indicted.

When you have a copycat government or copycat nation, it will always copy things wrongly.

Plea-bargaining was not part of our criminal procedure or criminal system. We copied it from the United States... In the US, plea-bargaining does not stop you from getting proper punishments. You can plead and they will reduce your sentence from 22 years to 15 years.

The law allows for plea bargain, so why are you not agreeing with that?

Plea-bargaining is not the way. When you have a copycat government or copy-cat nation, it will always copy things

wrongly. Plea-bargaining was not part of our criminal procedure or criminal system. We copied it from the United States but I know a lot about the US because I studied and grew up there. In the US, plea-bargaining does not stop you from getting proper punishments. You can plead and they will reduce your sentence from 22 years to 15 years.

You will still go to jail. Plea-bargaining does not stop you from going to jail. You will still get punished. But here, if they say plea-bargaining, they take the money from you and you go away. That is not plea-bargaining. That is encouraging corruption.

How do you think the Yoruba race is faring in the scheme of things in the country presently, especially as regards federal appointments?

You will remember that when [former President Goodluck] Jonathan was there [in the saddle], the Yoruba Unity Forum paid about three visits to him in Aso Villa to complain about four issues: Yoruba marginalisation, corruption, national security and national conference. Yoruba Continues pg39

39 interview

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

‘There are no reputable political parties in Nigeria’ [Pa Ayo] Adebanjo and [Sir] Olaniwun Ajayi as the traditional leaders of Afenifere. That rebellion started in 1999. In fact, I would say it even started before the elections.

The pretext they used for their rebellion was that they cheated Bola Ige in trying to nominate the presidential candidate of the AD and that they were sympathising with Bola Ige. But Bola Ige himself actively participated in our campaign for the presidency. He campaigned actively for Chief Olu Falae, but as soon as they got into government, these people, the Bola Ige group and governors, formed a faction as if they were trying to get even to retaliate against those they felt betrayed them.

That is where the whole thing started.

That is why we had two conventions when we were going to have the national convention to elect a new national chairman for the AD. Bola Ige was already appointed a minister. At that time, you will remember, Bola Ige was already Obasanjo’s friend. They were always friends but he had come under Obasanjo’s coattail and it was Obasanjo that gave him a man, Abdulkadir Ahmed and said he was going to be the chairman of the AD. Bola Ige brought a man we had never seen before. He [Ahmed] had never been a member of the AD. The man whom Adesanya did not know, I did not know, nobody knew. It was Obasanjo who handed him to Bola Ige and said this would be your chairman. Bola Ige confessed that he never met him before. So, that was Obasanjo’s strategy of dividing us.

When he gave Abdulkadir to Bola Ige to be chairman of the AD, the traditional leaders said no. We had to have two national conventions, one held with Bola Ige’s support and the other by the traditional leaders. That was how the revolt started in 1999 and it has been getting wider and wider since then. By the 2003 elections, the governors had already become powers unto themselves. They listened to nobody. So, all these splits have been there. We tried to patch it up and get everybody together but it never worked.

The governors never cooperated until Adesanya died.

So, they went and formed another faction of Afenifere and they made [Pa Ayo] Fasanmi their leader. Those of us who were left made [Pa] Fasoranti our leader. Since 2003, there were two factions.

Continued from pg38

marginalisation was always at the top of our complaints.

We also gave instances of corruption that we thought Jonathan should look into. I went as far as saying that if Jonathan wanted Nigerians to embrace him, he should tackle corruption. Then, of course, we talked about national insecurity and national conference. These were always the four issues that we tabled before him.

On marginalisation, he took a cosmetic action. It was not deep and we were not satisfied. On corruption, he ignored us. To me, he made no efforts to tackle corruption.

It was as If his hands were tied. On national security, I am not an army man so I think he did his best. I say he did his best because even with Buhari there, there has been no improvement. He decided to take action on national conference, which is a crucial issue. And to us, until we restructure Nigeria and have a more equitable structure, we will always have problems. That is why all the progressives in Yorubaland have, for decades, since the [National Democratic Coalition] NADECO days, been championing this.

Would you say that the former president was really committed to implementing the recommendations?

I was the chairman of the advisory committee. He could not have implemented those recommendations with the kind of National Assembly he had. The [All Progressives Congress] APC was opposed to it. The North was opposed to it. The National Assembly was opposed to it. So, he could not go ahead to start implementing it.

Earlier, you said that Jonathan could not fight corruption because it was as if his hands were tied, who tied his hands?

Jonathan’s administration was a continuation of [Umaru] Yar’Adua’s. The tying of hands started from Yar’Adua. Who are those who funded Yar’Adua’s campaign? All of them had fat files of corruption against them on [former President Olusegun] Obasanjo’s desk.

But Obasanjo just called them and told them ‘that these are your files, go and drop your presidential ambition and support Yar’Adua, So, if Yar’Adua became president and he got money from corrupt governors, how could he get there and start fighting them? When Yar’Adua got there, who were the people at his dining table most of the time? So, Yar’Adua could not have fought corruption and the same thing with Jonathan. These are the people who put them in power. You cannot start fighting corruption without getting these people who installed them there, including Obasanjo.

But some people say there were so many people who funded his [Obasanjo’s] campaigns but who were with corruption charges...

That is why we all behave like fools in Nigeria. We all know that the Yoruba governors who funded Buhari’s election had to empty their treasuries to provide support for Buhari. That is why many of them couldn’t pay salaries afterwards.

When we say they too are corrupt, they say it is because we don’t like Buhari. The reason I decided to be quiet these days, especially when it comes to criticising Buhari’s administration Buhari came to power on the pedestal of intensive propaganda mounted using the media. So, all these new media were participants in this propaganda game. Tinubu used his influence in the media to mount propaganda on behalf of Buhari against Jonathan and everybody swallowed it. Now that everybody swallowed it, now that their eyes are beginning to see what they have done, many of them are too ashamed to admit that they made a mistake. So, it is better for people like us because we are never afraid to talk. I opposed Buhari all the way during the elections.

I even sponsored advertisement to say why the Yoruba should vote for Jonathan. So, it is now time for us to watch those that were carrying out the propaganda.

Since 2002, the Yoruba race has been divided in two major blocks, then the [Afenifere Renewal Group] ARG came. We have always used the socio-cultural group to measure the level of unity in Yoruba race. But it is alleged that there

I don’t want to be accused of taking sides but if I were him, I would start the fight against corruption from 1985, during [General Ibrahim] Babangida’s regime. These things build up; the departing regime laid the foundation for the succeeding one. are moves to reconcile the two factions. How true is this?

We all know how Afenifere split and that brought about disunity among the progressives in Yorubaland. I am not aware of any moves to bring everybody together and if there are any such moves, they are borne out of selfish interest. As far as I know, Afenifere is factionalised.

But Pa Reuben Fasoranti said that Afenifere is intact. How do do we reconcile these two positions?

Look, I am one of those who made Baba Fasoranti the leader of Afenifere. Even at the time we were making him leader, Afenifere was already split. It split immediately after the 2003 elections. I can say that as soon as we got to government in 1999, Afenifere became divided.

Soon after the party and Obasanjo got to power as the president on the platform of the [Peoples Democratic Party] PDP, backed by the North, the AD governors were already rebelling against [Pa Abraham] Adesanya,

What is the way forward and who is your preferred Yoruba leader?

It is not for me to say this is my preferred Yoruba leader. Young men should get up now. These old people will not be there forever; we will not live forever. Young men should take the future of this country into their hands. They shouldn’t just sit back and allow other people to chart that future for them. So, I think it is time for young people to get up and mobilise.

Today, we have no political party of repute in Nigeria.

Neither the PDP nor the APC is a reputable political party. They are just a congregation of people looking for power and money. Anytime somebody feels there is opportunity somewhere to make money and get to power, he would defect. None of them has vision for Nigeria or you and me. So, it is time for the youth to get up, define what they want for this nation and begin to mobilise people. We need to have true political parties based on ideology, on what we want, the kind of society we want and how to organise that society. This, I think, is the challenge of the youth today.

The youth seem to have surrendered and expecting things from these octogenarians. Whatever they do is what they take but that should not be so. Nobody would come to pick a young man and say we want a youth to be in charge, it is the youth themselves who have to mobilise and walk their way through the ranks and become leaders. If a young man gets up today and begins to mobilise and has right vision and mission and begins to talk sense, he would get a lot of followers because there is a lot of vacuum in Nigeria that no party has filled. All we have are rogues in politics.

There are said to be moves to make General Alani Akinrinade the next leader of the Yoruba race, would you accept him?

We don’t choose leaders like that. I cannot say I would accept him or not because I have not been approached by the people making those moves.

40 interview

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

In Taraba, it is a miracle students pass exams —Rep

The member of the House of Representatives for Jalingo/Zing/Yorro Federal Constituency of Taraba State, Honourable Aminu Male, in this interview by SYLVANUS VIASHIMA, speaks on the national budget debacle, his scholarship scheme and other issues. Excerpts:

W

This is a government of change. Change must take place, at a price that we all must pay.

HAT is your take on the current budget proposal before the National Assembly?

This is about the best thing that would happen to this country. The highest budget we ever had was barely N4 trillion, even when we were making huge money from crude oil. Yet, budget performance was always abysmal.

Now we have a budget proposal of over N6 trillion and very attractive packages. This is a paradigm. There has been massive outcry over the possibility of funding this huge budget but I tell people that this government is not a clueless one.

This is a government that looks before it leaps. Funding the budget may be challenging but it is impossible. Then you will see that the budget is the most sensitive we have ever had in this country. Much attention is paid to the masses.

There are packages for the unemployed, for empowerment, diversification of the economy with special attention on the agricultural sector. By the time this budget takes effect, I am sure that we will see a clear shift from the past.

There is a general apprehension in the country in view of the seemingly distressed economy. What is your assessment of the situation?

There is a lot of cry and complaints about the activities of government but that is expected. Whenever there is a change of government, one should expect such a situation. We are still operating the 2015 budget, which is a relic of the previous administration. If we are complaining about the state of things now, let’s understand that we are just suffering the consequences of the [Peoples Democratic Party’s] PDP’s 16 years of misrule.

What this government is doing is to prepare well in terms of revenue generation to ensure that the plans it has, as enshrined in the budget proposal, are fully implemented once the budget is approved. For instance, in my four years as a legislator, we have never had a budget that was implemented up to 55 percent.

This government would not want a repeat of that. I really don’t blame people much when they complain that this government is not doing anything. The truth is that most of the people do not realise the extent of damage that was done to this economy for over 16 years. There is no magic one could perform to turn things around overnight. Unfortunately, the price of crude oil has also dipped beyond what one could possibly imagine. So, to change this is definitely going to take some time and the period of transition may be very challenging but, you know, a darker night precedes a brighter day.

There must be some collective sacrifice.

The baseline of our economy is crude oil, which is now of very little value. There is the need for diversification, which does not take place overnight. It takes time to diversify and even more time to start benefiting from the new areas of revenue generation. We have to give the government a chance.

We also need to remember that change is not just about the economy. It is about the way we think, the way we do things, the way the rest of the world sees us and treats us. It is a holistic change that we are talking about here and not just about adding to the salaries of workers. A lot needs to be done and a lot is already being done which may not be so obvious.

The way we are treated in other countries has changed for good. At a point, I was even ashamed of travelling out of the country because of the treatment you received out there just because you were a Nigerian. That has already changed. The latest indices show that Nigeria is not on the list of 100 most corrupt countries in the world. You know we were always among the first 10. That is a plus for this government.

The corruption that compelled us to depend perpetually on generators is being tackled and now we are all enjoying relatively stable power supply. The drain pipes in our revenue generation are being blocked. These are all achievements that we should be celebrating. If you asked me, I would tell you in all honesty that this government has done very well so far.

What is your take on government’s ‘selective’ war against corruption?

First of all, let me clear that wrong impression. The war is by no means selective. It is as holistic as possible. What is the line of selectivity? Is it on religious, sectional, political or sectional basis? There are Muslims and Christians facing prosecution. You have both northerners and southerners facing the music. You have people from different tribes receiving the same treatment.

What we must understand is that, corruption has no religion, no party loyalty, no tribe or section. While we are out there promoting sectional differences, these people are firmly

In my four years as a legislator, we have never had a budget that was implemented up to 55 percent. united in their resolve to plunder our common patrimony at our detriment. I would expect every sane and patriotic Nigerian to be very proud of the government and the current tide of war against one of the deadliest enemy of our time.

Look at the Dasukigate, for instance. Look at the persons that have been named so far. You have them across-the-board.

The only thing they have in common is their resolve to amass wealth at the expense of our soldiers who were to fight Boko Haram insurgents, to exploit the rest of us at the expense of our economy. They mortgaged our future and the future of generations unborn for their selfish reasons and we all revere them as gods. It is a thing of shame that we are talking of sentiments here. Anyone found guilty should be dealt accordingly.

The good thing is that, the war is yielding results already.

People are complaining about the president’s incessant foreign trips. What do you think of this?

The question should be if these travels are bringing any results at all. That I can confidently answer in the affirmative.

Do the travels create any vacuum back home? No. So, what are the complaints about? It simply doesn’t make sense to me.

What is your advice for Nigerians on this government?

I would advise them to be patient, to shun sentiments and join hands with this government to move this great country forward. Nigeria is an eagle, and an eagle has no business being on the ground. We must collectively feather its wings to soar to great heights once again for our common good.

What informed the setting up of your scholarship scheme and how many students have benefited from the scheme so far?

In the first phase of the scheme, we gave scholarships to 250 students by way of paying for their registration for UTME and then we unveiled a plan to encourage the students to ensure that they succeed at the examinations. It is one thing to register students for exams, it is another thing for them to prepare well and pass.

To this end, we have reserved N100,000, N75,000 and N50,000 for the first, second and third best performing students respectively. This is supposed to serve as motivation to spur them. The foundation will also pursue admissions for all the successful candidates who make the cut off points for various disciplines and institutions. This is the first phase of the scheme.

In the course of running the first phase, we discovered that most of the students could not even register for their O’Level (WAEC/NECO). Unfortunately, most of these students are serious with their academics but their families do not have the wherewithal to assist them. That informed our decision to come in again to assist with the registration for WAEC and NECO. Initially, we intended to capture only 200 students because we are not government, we are individuals with very limited resources and a strong determination to help.

However, we discovered that the situation was so bad we had to shoot the figure up to 250 beneficiaries. And that is what we have captured. We distributed these number unevenly to various schools based on our criteria.

Principally, legislators are not expected to be doing this.

Elsewhere, the state governments do these things. They consider the education of their subjects a top priority. Unfortunately, that is not the case here. Even apparatus that are required for the conduct of these exams are not there. The government cannot provide for these.

So naturally, you don’t expect a government who cannot even provide the basics to go to the extent of providing registration for the students. So, we decided to help do that for the government. We also challenge the government to rethink its education policies and come up with something more meaningful because this is the baseline. Once you are able to get the students to successfully complete their secondary education and ready them for admission into the university, you would have done a better part of the job.

You need to know that Taraba State, like most of the other states in the North-East is very backward academically.

You see, the number of children who are out of school are simply too much. So, we had to come in with this initiative to assist and get some of the students off the streets. We have also mandated a technical committee to come up with an arrangement to coordinate extramural lessons for these students so that they are meaningfully engaged after school and prepared for these examinations.

The failure rate in exams here is so much that we are trying to explore every reasonable option to reverse that. The good thing is that I had that experience while I was serving as the chairman of Jalingo Local Government Area. Unfortunately, my successor didn’t share the vision but we will resuscitate it now with more determination and vigour. We will pay the teachers and make arrangements for the students to undertake mock exams to assess their progress from time to time.

How would you describe the education system in Taraba State?

It is pathetic. It is most unfortunate. If you go round the schools, even in Jalingo, the state capital, you will wonder if there has ever been a government in the state. Just go round and you will see how dilapidated they are. It is even a miracle that these students actually go into these external exams and pass at all.

The world is tilting towards science and technology with emphasis on ICT and other areas so while should we be left behind? There are no libraries, laboratories and other basic facilities in schools. It is a great challenge for the government, politicians, philanthropist and all well-to-do people of the state. The responsibility is a collective one even though there has been a conspicuous laxity on the part of the government in the area of education, which is very unfortunate. You must pay enough attention to education to move any society forward. There are obvious talents in the state that are wasting for lack of funds.

41 feature

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

‘Bring back our school’, Osun old girls tell Aregbesola

Old students of the school at the Lagos event.

Naza Okoli – Lagos

B

ETWEEN 2000 and 2007, Mrs Bisi J. Ojo was Principal of Baptist Girls High School, Osogbo.

Before this time, from 1964 to 1968, she was a student at the same school. At various times between 1976 and 1989, she was a teacher, housemistress and Vice Principal, all in the same school. When, therefore, old girls of this school gathered in Lagos last weekend to celebrate the school’s 60th anniversary, Ojo had plenty of stories to tell.

For example, as junior students, she and her schoolmates had a special song they sang in their bathrooms.

It was a sad song; they sang it each time their seniors completed their final exams and left the hostel.

As Ojo performed this song on stage, at Adegbite Hall, Shepherdhill Baptist Church, Obanikoro, Lagos, venue of the event, the audience cheered wildly: “I want you to tell me why you walked out on me; I’m lonesome every day. I want you to know that since you walked out on me, nothing seems to be the same. Think about the love that was within my heart for you; and you knew that before you walked out on me. Walk right back to me this minute; bring your love to me this same minute.

I’m so lonesome every day; I’m so lonesome every day.”

Founded in 1956, Baptist Girls High School, Osogbo (BGHS) has produced an intimidating list of old students who have become leaders in different fields. Some of these women are: Mrs Feyi Fayose, Justice Lola Davies-Oluwole, a judge in Arizona, USA; Justice Ayokunle Rotimi-Balogun of the Ogun State Judiciary and Wande Ojo, Chief Nursing Officer at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) and winner of an international award from Save the Children.

Also in the list are: Funmi Odunsi, Nigeria’s first automotive engineer and Professor Laide Adedokun of the Department of Sociology, University of Lagos. The Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of New Telegraph, Funke Egbemode and the Sales Manager of African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC (publishers of the Tribune titles), Dr Omotayo Lewis, are also old students of BGHS.

Girls’ school no more Though founded by the Baptist Church, BGHS was taken over by the government of old Oyo State in 1979 – as were all former mission schools in the state. But it is the policy of the current Osun State government which has made

schools open to both boys and girls that these women spoke most vehemently against.

“Efforts made by our association so that our alma mater should remain an all-girls institution were abortive,” said Mrs Omotayo Ekundare, the National President of BGHS Old Girls’ Association. “These included an appeal by this association, by individuals, a visit to the governor and a visit to the President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. But there is still hope. Only yesterday, the An old student donning Catholics met the President the school’s old uniform in Abuja, and they have appealed to the President that all mission schools in the country should be returned to their former owners. We are going back to our school; we shall still gain back our school. We are not losing hope.”

Indeed, Mrs Bisi Ojo, speaking to Saturday Tribune after her stage performance, said the emotion evoked by her song was similar to what they as old students feel today about the current situation.

“I am likening it to Baptist Girls High School that has been taken away from us,” she said. “So the same way

We are lonesome and not happy, because our school has been taken away from us. We have always regarded the school as a heritage; a legacy bequeathed to us.

we missed our loved seniors then, we now miss our school, and what it used to be. We are lonesome and not happy, because our school has been taken away from us. We have always regarded the school as a heritage; a legacy bequeathed to us. It is a school that we love so much, where we received academic and spiritual training; where we were also taught to aim high; where we received functional education, so that we would be useful to society, the community, the state, the nation, and to the whole world at large. It seems that aim has eluded the school, especially the moral aspect of it. We want the school retrieved and its past glory restored.

We want our school back.”

Also speaking, Mrs Dupe Senapon-Adeyemi, a retired Education Director under the Lagos State Government, said it was important to preserve tradition.

“We from the Lagos branch of our association visited the school, last year, just to see the environment,” she said. “I wasn’t all that impressed. Our old chapel had been burnt down. Now they have two principals – one for the Junior Secondary, and the other for the Senior Secondary School.

“I don’t know why the government took the decision to bring boys to our school. But I would have expected them to separate the boys from the girls. As they have renamed it ‘Baptist High School’; they should have left that for the boys’ school, and allowed our school to remain ‘Baptist Girls High School.’”

Girls forever Perhaps the moment of greatest excitement came when an old girl walked into the hall in the middle of the event, dressed in BGHS students’ uniform of white and green.

Wild cheers greeted her arrival, as the audience scrambled to take a photo of her.

To these women, the association was more than just a gathering. It offered them a means of escape into the past; a chance to recollect some of their best moments so far in life.

“We are still girls,” Mrs Omotayo Ekundare (who completes her tenure as National President of the association this year) told Saturday Tribune, giggling. “We are proud to be a part of this school; proud to be a part of a longstanding tradition. We are like sisters. You can see from my arm that I have an injury. That means I should not have come, ordinarily. But then, I did not want to miss a chance to meet old friends, make new friends, and be girls again.”

42

27 February, 2016

motoring Test drive: JAC

models show good performance on Nigerian roads

T

HE sole distributor of JAC models in Nigeria, Elizade Autoland, recently organised a test drive to further ascertain the suitability and adaptability of the the vehicles on Nigerian roads.

In the three-hour test drive organised for Nigerian auto journalists, in Lagos, which started from the company’s corporate head office at Maryland, Ikeja, through Ikorodu road and third Mainland bridge, the vehicles were scored first compared to others in the category in terms of ride handling, quality and overall performance

of the cars. The vehicles showed impressive performance in road handling, fuel efficiency, comfort and safety.

Before take off, Elizade Motors Marketing Director, Olu Tikolo, who had briefed the journalists about the JAC models, along with the General Manager for the brand, Ademola Adewunmi, said the company knew the quality of JAC models before introducing them into the Nigerian market.

Tikolo said “we spent two and half years adapting the JAC models to the Nigerian environment and road conditions and we

Saturday Tribune With Seyi Gesinde seyigesinde@yahoo.com 08116954632

can tell you now that we have perfect models in JAC being sold in Nigeria.”

The Elizade Motors Director of Marketing who noted that they were out to replicate what they have done with Toyota models in Nigeria, explained that “we have tested Toyota and we are saying that Elizade has been here, and what we want to establish is that JAC models sold and serviced by us is far more improved to compete with other established car models in the country.”

Already available in the Nigerian market are the JAC J3, J4 and J5 sedans which comes in both manual and automatic transmissions as well as leather and fabric options, There are also light duty truck models such as the JAC 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 and 4 tonnes. The Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) model is billed to be launched into the Nigerian market before the end of the year.

Unlike other brands that sneak into the country without their distributors carrying out the necessary tests and finding out defects associated with the brands where necessary, Elizade Autoland top managers said the two

and half years test-running of the brand before the full launch was important to them at the company, as it enabled them to point out some minor issues that were reported back to the plant, which have been addressed.

“Many companies that tested the cars are coming back for more because of the efficiency, durability and quality of the brand., Tikolo stated while revealing that companies like Guinness Nigeria Plc, Nestle etc have found JAC vehicles quite appropriate in their businesses.

On the perception in Nigeria about Chinese brands, the Director said “we know that Nigerians might have their misgivings with some Chinese brands in the past, but we also know that the best way to correct perception is by performance. The quality of JAC models we have in Nigeria today have corrected the perception”.

Meanwhile, the journalists that tested the JAC models gave them high marks in terms of road handling, fuel efficiency, comfort, interior space, as well as design. The shock absorbers are very solid and effective, just as the space inside the cars and the booth are very generous.

Nigeria-made FAW tippers boast of best in class buckets THE FAW truck J5 Tipper models - 290/340 being assembled in Nigeria by Perfection Motor Limited at the company’s facility located in Ikeja, Lagos, boast of best in class buckets which take more load, quality clutch and double coin radial tyres.

The FAW tippers which come with simple technology that makes it easy to be on the road without eating deep into the owner’s pocket, offer more power, payload weight and torque than most other tippers in its category in the Nigerian market.

General Manager of Perfection Motors Company Limited, Mr. Adrian Fourie, speaking on the tippers, said “we decided to retain the Euro 2 engine arrangement as the mechanical injector pump and injectors are easier and more cost effective to maintain, repairs can be done along the road without the need for computerised diagnostic equipment.”

He said the company will establish dealership network in Kano, Kaduna, Abuja and Port Harcourt.

Describing the vehicles further, he said apart from the fact that

FAW tipper and other FAW trucks are assembled in Nigeria, which makes availability of parts and maintenance very easy, he said “FAW tippers are no doubt among the best in its segment.”

As a leading vehicle in its class, FAW tipper comes either with Fuller 9js135, 9 forward, one reverse, or RTD-115 09C, 9 forward, one reverse transmission system.

Unlike its competitors that come with complicated technology, which make maintenance very difficult, FAW tipper comes with Euro 2 technology which Nigerian technicians are very used to.

With 6x4 drive type and 32000 kg GVW, FAW tipper stands out among out among competition while delivering between 290 horsepower to 340 horsepower.

Built for all terrains, the FAW tipper is equipped with FAW 457 percussion welding rear axle while delivering maximum torque of 1350/1200-1600 Nm/r/min, which is very impressive.

Another advantage of FAW tipper is its suspension which is flat spring type while type of cad lifting mechanism is manual hydrau-

lic, enhancing it road handling and adaptability to different terrains. It comes in a single cab.

FAW J5 Tipper is cab is flat roof, semi-floating cab with new designed interior while its fuel tank of 400 litres is suitably made to execute the tasks at construction sites and extending the refuelling intervals.

Taking into congnisance the impressive features of FAW, it was no surprise that FAW branded trucks are selling fast to construction companies, haulage operators and companies in the general road transport business.

Perfection Motors Company Limited, as the official representative of FAW in Nigeria, has in

stock three different models of the FAW brand-the J6 tractor head, J5 tractor head and the J5 tipper.

FAW Group is a global leader in the vehicle manufacturing industry with a 60-year history of innovation. Founded in 1953, FAW employs 120,000 people around the world and sells products in over 70 countries.

43

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060

Nigeria’s Ogenyi Onazi (left) during a match against Switzerland when Sunday Oliseh was in charge.

We are battle-ready for 3SC –MFM player MFM FC of Lagos winger, Sikiru Olatunbosun is talking tough ahead of match day three Nigeria Premier League fixture against a wounded Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) today at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan.

The youngster popularly addressed by his admirers as “Bariga Messi” stated that the Olukoya Boys have vowed to make a serious impact in the top flight this season.

Sikiru was on target when the Lagos-based team defeated Rivers United 2-1 on Wednesday.

“We are taking the match against Shooting Stars seriously and we are mentally and physically prepared. We will do our best to pick the maximum points.

“We have been upright in the training sessions and our performance in recent times is commendable. There will be no hiding place for 3SC,” he told Goal.

Asked about what would be MFM’s aspiration in the league this season, he noted: “We want to want to qualify to play in either the CAF Champions League or the Confederation Cup.” “I believe we can achieve our set out objective, though the task is daunting,” he concluded.

MFM FC is on top of NPFL table with six points from two games.

Eagles need consortium of coaches

FIFA still promotes corruption —FIFPro

—Onigbinde

F

ORMER Super Eagles coach, Adegboye Onigbinde has called for consortium of coaches in the interim for the side following the resignation of coach Sunday Oliseh.

Onigbinde said though unfortunate the Oliseh’s resignation, the football house must move in quickly to cover the vacuum for the sake of Nigerians.

“I was really shocked with the news of Oliseh’s resignation but not totally shocked because of the unfortunate trends between the employee and employer in recent weeks may be we were merely waiting for the accident to happen.

“The contents of his resignation letter are between him and the NFF though the nation’s fate and core interest are at stake.

“It’s unfortunate we waited helplessly to see it happens as the hand writing has been clearly on the wall.

“Before Oliseh was employed I expressed my deep reservation though I was called names because of his antecedent.

“We should not waste further time ruing the rights and wrongs of his resignation but move fast to cover the vacuum because of the

fast approaching AFCON double header against Egypt in Nigeria and Cairo.

“In 2002 when I was offered the job I alerted and stressed on the importance of the technical department to always take care of emergency of this magnitude.

“In the present situation the technical department should take over on interim basis and that was why when I came in I selected five coaches to assist me namely Fanny Amun, Henry Nwosu, Ben Duamlong, among others.

“What I’m suggesting is to build a consortium of coaches around a tested and experienced coach who will command the respect of the players as well as the assisting coaches.

“Though I know some people in the NFF who will readily offer as solution the employment of a foreign coach for the side but I know it will take the foreigner time to acclimatise and how much time do we have I must sound a note of warning right away.

“I wish the NFF the best of luck, remember I said consortium of experienced coaches and I do not say I should be given the job,” said the former Caf and

FIFA instructor to supersport.com.

Eagles will host the Pharaohs on March 25 at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in

Kaduna while three days after confront same side in Cairo. Eagles need at least four points in the double header.

WORLD Players’ Union FIFPro believes FIFA remains “entrenched in a governance structure and culture that is open to corrupt practices” after the election of Gianni Infantino as the organisation’s new president on Friday.

FIFA Congress on Friday approved a raft of reforms intended to rid the organisation of the corruption that has seen several high-ranking officials arrested and former president Sepp Blat-

Oliseh’s resignation, a bitter lesson —Ladipo PRESIDENT of the Nigeria football and other sports supporters club, Dr Rafiu Ladipo is disappointed following the resignation of Sunday Oliseh as Super Eagles coach.

The former Nigeria captain cited lack of support and contractual failings as part of reasons for throwing in the towel with less than 30 days before Nigeria play two crucial Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Egypt.

Ladipo has no bitterness about Oliseh’s decision and is hoping the country must avoid history from repeating itself while hoping the country qualifies for Gabon 2017 Afcon.

“It’s very unfortunate that Oliseh would resign few weeks to the double header Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Egypt,” Ladipo told Goal.

“This is not a good development and Oliseh

shouldn’t have resigned at this point in time. However, we should not be distracted by this and we should find a solution – which is putting hands on deck to prepare the Super Eagles for our games against the Pharaohs.

“And if the players put in their best, it could be perhaps a blessing in disguise but all the same, the world should not end with Oliseh’s departure.

“I saw this coming longtime when things fell apart between Oliseh, the NFF and the technical committee. If we look at his contract, there may be one or two things that may be missing but as a Nigerian, he should have been patriotic to be able to stay on until after our games against Egypt.

“We probably have learnt a bitter lesson from this episode, and that has to do with the NFF appointing na-

tional team coaches.

“Their appointment should not be kept secret.

Anybody or whoever wants to handle the Super Eagles in future should submit an application, while the football house on their own part must set up a panel to do a thorough interview to ensure the best is taken.

Ladipo

ter banned from all football-related activity for six years.

But FIFPro, the global union for professional footballers, insists the changes do not go far enough and has called for players to be given more of a say.

A statement read: “FIFPro takes a dim view of Friday’s FIFA election that leaves the new president, whatever his merits or failings, entrenched in a governance structure and culture that is open to corrupt practices.

“Despite a package of reforms approved today by FIFA, FIFPro fears placing increased power in the hands of FIFA’s 209 member associations lies at the heart of the problem.

“These member organisations of FIFA are not representative of the game and, yet, wield enormous influence over issues that affect key stakeholders such as the players, fans, clubs and leagues. The newly adopted reforms failed to address the fundamental issue of making football authorities accountable to the game’s most important actors.

“FIFA’s system of governance has been based on favour swapping and financial inducements, not to mention obstructing external oversight from governments and the game’s key stakeholders.

“The players, much like the clubs, leagues and fans, were ignored in the latest reform effort and today’s governance review will not suffice to address FIFA’s inherent governance shortcomings.

44

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune With

outofplay

Dipo Ogunsola 081 169 54 641

Ronaldo flexes muscles

HIS goal against Malaga last Sunday may not have been enough to lift Real Madrid up the table, but Cristiano Ronaldo showed he wasn’t afraid of pushups on his Instagram page.

The Portuguese star scored the opening goal as Zinedine Zidane’s men took the lead in Malaga last weekend, only to be pegged back by a Raul Albentosa equaliser in the secondhalf.

And last Monday the 31-year-old showed off his muscular frame to his Instagram followers, insisting there were ‘no days off’.

Ronaldo showed himself with his back turned to the camera attempting a pull up with his back and shoulder muscles bulging.

Depay (left) and Harvey

Depay, girlfriend rock Manchester MEMPHIS Depay enjoyed a night out with new girlfriend Lori Harvey last Saturday night - and not even a parking ticket could dampen his mood.

The Sun reports thatDepay treated Lori, stepdaughter of comedian and actor Steve Harvey, to a ride in his £250,000 Rolls Royce as both headed out in Manchester for dinner.

The Dutch international was making the most of his time off with the beauty,

however his smooth approach was somewhat ruined by local parking attendants.

Depay was slapped with a parking fine for dumping his prized Wraith on double yellow lines outside every Manchester United players favourite Chinese restaurant - Wings.

A £60 fine is on its way to the £90,000 per-week star, but he can save himself some hard-earned pennies if he pays it within two weeks.

Mayweather (right) and Mr Flawless

Caroline Wozniacki

Carol endures 15-hr make-up C AROLINE Wozniacki flaunted her flawless figure in nothing but body paint for the 2016 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition, but a new behind-the-scenes video from the sultry shoot reveals that the tennis star’s nearlynude look took 15 hours to create.

The 25-year-old traveled to Petit St. Vin-

cent in the Grenadine islands for the SI shoot, which required her to pose in risque one-piece swimsuit made entirely of body paint. ‘‘I feel totally naked. But when I look in the mirror, it’s the weirdest thing - I feel like I have plenty of clothes on,’’ she says in the revealing clip.

Lover’s face on Kenedy’s ribs

Mayweather meets Mr Flawless in New York FLOYD Mayweather has never been shy about sharing the details of his extravagant wealth to the public.

The retired boxer’s Instagram account is awash with ostentatious offerings of piles of cash, jewelry, sports cars and glamorous locations around the world.

In his latest snapshot,

Mayweather - sporting a ‘Money Team’ hat - poses with jeweler, Mr Flawless, at his store in the New York.

Mayweather has been a long-time customer at the store and has dropped thousands of dollars on expensive time pieces from the outlet the past.

Ronaldo

Kenedy (right)

THEY say love hurts and it looks as if Chelsea star Kenedy was keen to put that theory to the test after getting his girlfriend’s face etched onto his ribs.

Seemingly unfazed by the painful procedure, the Brazilian grinned for the camera, alongside tattooist jeantatlondon, who clearly

impressed the player as he said: ‘‘Thank you my brother’’ in a captioned picture posted to his Instagram account.

It is not the first time a Blues star has been inked by the artist, as Lucas Piazon - on loan at Reading, paid a visit to the shop in January, adding to the array of artwork on his arms.

45

27 February, 2016

NIGERIA

Saturday Tribune

With Olawale Olaniyan olaniyankay@yahoo.com 08055165128

PREMIER LEAGUE SPECIAL Plateau goal excites Eguchulam RANGERS Chisom Eguchulam has expressed joy over the come back of his team to beat Plateau United 3-1 at the Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium, Enugu, in a match day two clash of the Nigeria Premier League..

Eguchulam said he was happy that the Flying Antelopes recorded their first victory of the season, after they had bungled their lead to lose 1-2 to Kano Pillars last Sunday in Kano.

“I feel great helping my team secure the victory, I knew it was not an easy ride but I thank God for using me to win the game for my team,” Eguchulam, who scored the last goal in the game told Goal.

“Before I came in, I remembered that my coach told me to push the game

Okpotu savours brace against Sunshine TONY Okpotu, was the hero of the match day two clash of the Nigeria Premier League as he netted a brace to help Lobi Stars beat Sunshine Stars in midweek at the Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi.

Okpotu, who had a superb outing in Ibadan last Sunday in the season’s opener, was at his best against the Owena Waves, as he became the first player this season to score a brace.

He said after the match that he enjoys support from team-mates.

“We are determined to be at our best in all our matches and I have been training personally to achieve more for the team, though I scored the two goals, the victory is for the entire team as we fought well to maintain a clean sheet so far,” Okpotu said.

Lobi Stars will no doubt be going for a hat-trick tomorrow as they storm the Onikan Stadium, Lagos, to confront newly-promoted Ikorodu United, which settled for a 1-1 draw in its first home game with Abia Warriors.

to them and that’s exactly what I did and it worked for me.

“I still remember how it all happened, the first goal was a cross from Super Eagles winger, Osas Okoro which I nodded towards the goal area and Togaba then finished up.

“The second goal was a cross from me that came from the left side which Anyasodo connected with a header, the third was a through pass from Aguda Godwin which I placed in the net.”

Ajani Ibrahim of Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) right during the game against Lobi Stars last Sunday in Ibadan. PHOTO: OLAWALE OLANIYAN.

Ganaru blames keeper for defeat

C

OACH Mohammed Baba Ganaru did not mincewords after Kano Pillars lost 0-1 to Warri Wolves in a match day two clash in Warri, as he blamed goalkeeper Yusuf Mohammed largely for the defeat.

Kelvin Tokoya’s solitary strike during added time earned the four-time Nigeria league champions their

first defeat of the season.

Goalkeeper Yusuf had in the last minute of five minutes added time spilled a shot from substitute Achibi Ewenike, while Itoya pounced on the rebound for the only goal of the match.

Yusuf had earlier misjudged a shot from Michael Okoyoh with two minutes left, but he recovered on time to hold onto the loose

ball.

“I blame my goalkeeper for this loss. He completely lost concentration during the tail end of the game and that was what caused us to lose this game,” an exasperated Ganaru told npfl.ng.

“The officiating was perfect except for the five minutes the referee added which I think was not warranted. But the referees

were perfect. I blame my goalkeeper for the loss and no one else.”

Coach of Warri Wolves, Peter Nieketen said the victory was the product of their struggle right from the blast of whistle.

“We created several opportunities we didn’t convert but we want to focus on the positives as we review this loss,” Nieketen said.

He added that player registration challenges af-

fected his game plan.

“I am just one week on this job and we had registration issues so, a couple of our players have not been able to play for us.

“Some others are injured so we have just been able to use what we have, but as regards the game, I believe we have to work on some lapses like reaction, speed of the players. We will improve as the league goes on,” Nieketen said.

League Blues... League Blues... League Blues... League Blues... League Blues...

Fallout of Pillars/Rangers clash Fallout of 3SC/Lobi Stars clash How Rivers Utd emerged •SOME fans of Kano Pillars were already on their way out of the stadium perhaps in disappointment, during last Sunday’s Nigeria Premier League opener against Rangers at the capacity-filled Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano, when Prince Aggreh scored the winner. The visitors had scored first in the 50th minute, while captain Mohammed Gambo equalised in the 78th minute. Aggreh’s goal came less than a minute to the final whistle during three minutes of added time.

•COACH of Rangers, Imama Amapakabo was clad in a brown casual wear on brown trousers during the game in Kano, while his counterpart and host, coach Mohammed Baba Ganaru, dressed in similar version, as he donned blue shortsleeve on trousers.

None of them liked the ‘oyinbo style’ you will say.

•CAPTAIN of Kano Pillars, Gambo Mohammed chose his left arm to put the captain’s armband as against the right arm. Is it an innovation or out of sheer anxiety or better still ignorance to abandon the traditional right arm for the band? Also, his goal came barely three minutes, after Rangers’ Godwin Aguda, had missed a sitter which would have earned his team a 2-0 lead, with goalkeeper already beaten, but his effort was stopped by the woodwork.

Aguda was later replaced in the 83rd minute by Chisom Eguchulam.

•SHOOTING Stars Sports Club (3SC) under new coach, Kadiri Ikhana, last Sunday started the season with a 0-1 loss to Lobi Stars at the Lekan Salami, Stadium, Ibadan. The Oluyole Warriors had also last season under coach Franklin Howard lost their first home game 1-2 to visiting Heartland. Perhaps, fans of 3SC are not happy that losing first home game has become a tradition of sorts.

•GENERAL Manager of Shooting Stars Sports Club, Mr Balogun went straight to coach Kadiri Ikhana and hugged him after the final whistle.

Some journalists who witnessed the scene noted the dawn of a new era at 3SC, but some wondered if a coach of modest pedigree would enjoy such reception from Balogun after a home defeat?

•MANY journalists had to stand at the press gallery of the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, last Sunday to cover the game, as the place is believed to be undergoing renovation, with all chairs already evacuated. Perhaps, one wonders why the press gallery is of little importance to the hosts otherwise, the same priority given to the condition of the pitch used for the game would have been extended to the designated arena for journalists to perform their official duties.

•UNKNOWN to many, Rivers United came into being on the recommendations of the six-man committee set up by the Rivers State government and headed by ex-international, Chief Adokiye Amiesimaka. His committee given the mandate to produce a blueprint to restructure Sharks and Dolphins recommended that the government did not have the resources to maintain two clubs after it owed players and officials of both Sharks and Dolphins over N1billion. At the town meeting held in Port Harcourt, Adokiye, a former player and chairman of Sharks in the mid 1990s also defended that only a new club for the state will be more helpful, hence the emergence of Rivers United to take over the slot NPL WEEK 3 FIXTURES of Dolphins vs Giwa FC FC, while a Nasarawa Utd buyer is be- Rivers Utd vs Ifeanyi Ubah ing sought 3SC vs MFM FC to take over Sunshine Stars vs Enyimba the slot of Ikorodu Utd vs Lobi stars relegated El-Kanemei

vs Akwa Utd Sharks in Heartland

vs Abia War the Nigeria vs Wikki Tourists N a t i o n a l Kano Pillars L e a g u e Plateau Utd vs Warri Wolves (NNL).

Rangers vs N/Tornadoes

46 sport

27 February, 2016

Saturday Tribune

Eagles qualification for 2017 AFCON in jeopardy —Tenger

By Olawale Olaniyan FORMER Lobi Stars handler, coach Justin Tenger, believes the resignation of the Super Eagles head coach, Sunday Oliseh, is capable of putting Nigeria’s hope of qualifying for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in jeopardy.

Tenger told Tribunesport by phone that Oliseh by his decision was not professional adding, he ought to have considered the right time to throw in the towel if at all.

“I was shocked when I read his resignation letter this morning (Friday) because this is not the right time for him to quit. It is like putting the chances of the national team in jeopardy now that we are having a critical double header against Egypt.

The outcome of these games against Egypt would perhaps determine if we are going to

qualify for the 2017 Nations Cup. “I was not comfortable with his resignation, why did he resign now? his resignation came at a very wrong time, why can’t he wait and play against Egypt before he dropped this letter? It is very unfortunate that this is happening to our football.

“Most people will look at him that he is running away from his responsibilty, at least he should have resigned before now in order to allow the authority to prepare well for the AFCON qualifiers. A very good coach will make up his mind in accepting all criticisms from every quarters which will definitely help him to succeed because such thing has happened to many coaches before. So, with crucial qualifiers ahead of us in a couple of days, his decision to resign is unfortunate,” said the former Kwara United tactician.

Nigerian football calls for concern —Amiesimaka Nigeria’s Paul Onobi (middle), during the CHAN 2016 group clash with Guinea. Nigeria lost the match 0-1 which turned out to be Sunday Oliseh’s last game as Eagles coach.

Oliseh’s resignation is ill-timed —Owolabi

By Nurudeen Alimi

F

ORMER international, Dr Felix Owolabi (MON), has described the resignation of the Super Eagles head coach, Sunday Oliseh

as unfortunate.

He told Tribunesport by phone that Oliseh’s action was ill-timed as it came at a time Nigeria is getting ready for next month’s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against the Pha-

Oliseh, during one of his outings as Eagles coach.

raohs of Egypt.

“There is no doubt about the fact that this development will affect the qualifiers against Egypt and the most painful part of it is that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will have an excuse if the results of the matches are negative.

“As for Oliseh, I believe he was confused from the outset because he has been surrounded with negative issues. He finds it extremely diificult to handle the situation he found himself. As a matter of fact, I believe the job is too heavy for him and that I think was responsible for his resignation,” Owolabi, a member of the 1980 AFCON winning Green Eagles squad said.

In his reaction, ex-international, Idowu Otubusen expressed surprise that Oliseh lacked maturity to cope with the rigours of handling the senior national team.

“It is so sad that somebody like Oliseh finds it difficult

to manage the Super Eagles.

Maybe because he has not been able to manage a big team before in his coaching career.

“One would have thought he should be able to adjust when the situation arises.

What actually happened in this case as far as I am concerned is a case of maturity which I think has not come to play,” Otubusen, who inspired the then IICC Shooting Stars to win the 1976 African Cup Winners Cup said.

Also, current team manager of Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC), Dimeji Lawal said he expected Oliseh to handle the situation as a professional.

“What transpired between Oliseh and his employers, the NFF has not come to the level of his decision to resign his appointment. I think he should have handled the matter as a professional instead of calling it quits,” Dimeji, the Damman Miracle hero said.

FORMER international, Adokiye Amiesimaka claims the Nigerian football calls for transposition, following the resignation of head coach, Sunday Oliseh barely after seven months he took charge.

The 1980 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winner feels the resignation of Oliseh is a pointer that there must be something fundamentally wrong with Nigerian football.

“It’s no big deal. If you are not satisfied with your job for any reason and you think the wise course of action, you are at liberty to do so. In many instances, it is an honourable thing to do,” Amiesimaka told Goal.

“This calls for concern about our football. The problem is that we do the

Adokiye Amiesimaka

same thing over and over the same way and we expect different result.

“The NFF has always had perpetual problems with their coaches. There must be something fundamentally wrong.

“Why is it that they find faults in every coaches they employ on the pages of newspapers and it’s either he is resigning or being fired? There must be something wrong with this football governing body.

“The media have also failed to ask why the NFF are not properly incorporated. That means they can carry on the way they like and nothing to hold them accountable, meanwhile they are receiving public funds by the way of subvention and Nigerians are not questioning them.”

47

sport

27 February, 2016

Liverpool draws Man U in Europa League

Bayern Munich made me —Dante

DANTE has stressed his affection for Bayern Munich ahead of Wolfsburg’s Bundesliga meeting with the champions, but says he does not regret leaving the Allianz Arena.

The Brazilian swapped Bayern for Wolfsburg in August, having won nine trophies during his three-year stay in Bavaria.

Wolfsburg host Bayern today hoping to erase memories of the reverse fixture, when Robert Lewandowski scored five goals in nine second-half minutes to consign Dieter Hecking’s men to a 5-1 defeat.

Asked what playing against Bayern meant to him, Dante told TZ: “A lot. With Bayern I achieved everything I always dreamed of. That’s why I’ll always have a great respect for this club.

“I experienced only positive things in Bavaria. All the games, the titles, the friendships – Bayern is a club that has shaped my life.

Saturday Tribune

Next five games will determine our title fate —Ranieri

L

EICESTER City manager, Claudio Ranieri has identified the next five matches as crucial for the Foxes as they bid to win their first ever premier league title.

The premier league leaders have been on a seven-day holiday after the Italian manager decided to give his

wards a break following their heartbreaking last-gasp defeat at Arsenal last time out.

However, Leicester returns to premier league action at home to struggling Norwich on Saturday at the King Power stadium which will be followed by games against West Brom, Wat-

ford, Newcastle and Crystal Palace before the next international break at the end of March.

“It was right decision because they deserved to have a rest,” Ranieri, said.

“We have a block of games now until March 19 that could be the key to our season

MANCHESTER United and Liverpool, English football’s two most decorated clubs, were drawn together in the last 16 of the Europa League on Friday.

The arch-rivals have won 38 league titles between them as well as eight European Cups yet both are struggling in the Premier League this season and are unlikely to relish being pitted against each other at this stage of the competition.

Bookmakers’ favourites Borussia Dortmund were also handed a tricky route into the last eight after being drawn against Tottenham Hotspur, who are second in the Premier League behind Leicester City.

Holders Sevilla, chasing a third successive title, will play Basle, while Valencia, who have enjoyed a recent resurgence by winning their last four games under English coach Gary Neville, face an all-Spanish tie against Athletic Bilbao.

Dasuki accuses Buhari of being responsible for his continued detention Sunday Ejike - Abuja FORMER National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Mohamed Dasuki (retd) on Friday told a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory that President Muhammadu Buhari was behind his unlawful arrest and detention without trial since December 29, 2015.

Dasuki, through his counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN), claimed that the president unjustly instigated his arrest and detention by the Department of State Security (DSS) against the bail granted him by three different courts in various criminal charges preferred against him by the Federal Government.

He claimed that President Buhari’s comment during his maiden presidential media chat in December 2015 confirmed that he was behind his ordeal.

In a further and better affidavit filed in support of his application at the High Court of FCT, the former NSA claimed that the president betrayed his emotion during the media chat when he openly told Nigerians that he (Dasuki) and Nnamdi Kanu would not be allowed on bail because we would

jump bail.

Dasuki claimed he had since been held incommunicado since his rearrest on December 29 when he perfected the third bail conditions granted him by Justice Peter Affem of a High Court of the FCT. He asked Justice Affem to prohibit his further trial until the Federal Government allows him on bail so as to prepare effectively for defence in the various criminal charges brought against him by the Federal Government.

Dasuki claimed that his continued detention in spite of the bail granted him was contemptuous of the three courts and urged that the government be made to purge itself of the contempt.

The former NSA who has been in detention since December 29 last year claimed that the detention has prevented him from filing effective defence because he has no access to his lawyers.

The defendant exhibited several newspaper cuttings in support of his motion seeking to stop his trial, adding that the newspaper publications were the comments of President Buhari during the presidential media chat to the effect that he (Dasuki) and Nnamdi Kanu should not be allowed to go

home even if granted bail by any court.

Dasuki said up till now the newspaper publications have not been refuted by the presidency.

Daudu, who argued the motion on behalf of his client, urged Justice Affen to enforce his court order which granted bail to Dasuki adding that justice is for all parties in any court action.

The counsel also stated that the claim that Dasuki was being held by the DSS and not the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) cannot hold water because the Federal Government is the complainant in the charge against Dasuki and that both the DSS and EFCC are agents of the Federal Government.

However, in opposing the application, counsel for the Federal Government, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), informed Justice Affem that the charge against Dasuki was at the instance of the EFCC and not the DSS. He denied that the Federal Government disobeyed the court on the grounds that on December 29, 2015 when the bail conditions were perfected, Dasuki was released by the prison authorities at Kuje but was, however, rearrested by another government agency.

EPL FIXTURES

SATURDAY, 27 FEBRUARY, 2016

NO 1140

N150

Saturday, February 27 West Ham v Sunderland Watford v Bournemouth Stoke City v Aston Villa Southampton v Chelsea

2:45pm 6:00pm 6:00pm 6:00pm

Leicester West Brom

v Norwich City 6:00pm v Crystal Palace 8:30pm

Sunday, February 28 Tottenham v Swansea 5:05pm Man Utd v Arsenal 5:05pm

Siasia returns as Eagles coach

By Niyi Alebiosu

T

HE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has named the current coach of the U-23 team, Dream Team VI, Samson Siasia as substantive coach of the Super Eagles following the resignation of coach Sunday Oliseh on Thursday night.

Oliseh resigned his appointment citing break in contractual agreement by the NFF. Also according to ex-international, Tijjani Babangida, Oliseh’s decision was also because of the talks the NFF had with former Cote d’Ivoire coach, Havard Renard.

Arising from a meeting held at the glass house on Friday afternoon, the NFF technical and development committee, led by Barrister Chris Green, announced the redeployment of Siasia to the

team ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against the Pharaohs of Egypt next month.

Siasia, it will be recalled, coached the Eagles which failed to qualify for the 2012 AFCON. The technical committee also revealed through the NFF official website that the coach who won the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, Emmanuel Amuneke, the current Eagles assistant coach, Salisu Yusuf and goalkeeper trainer, Allo Agu will work with Siasia to tinker the Eagles in the crucial AFCON qualifiers, first to hold in Kaduna on March 25 ahead of the reverse fixture in Cairo.

Green stated that the coaching crew will work under the office of the NFF technical director, Shaibu Amodu, ahead of the double header against the Pharaohs.

“We have decided as a matter of urgency to get

a consortium of coaches to oversee the team in the mean time.

“We have two very important matches coming up in [one in] Kaduna and the other in Cairo which seem late in the time. [Oliseh’s resignation] came as a rude shock.

“We were not guarded when this event happened.

We need to do what we ought to get the best of the very bad situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tribunesport gathered that Oliseh’s resignation came after he was said to have been paid the backlog of his salaries by the NFF. Dr Mohammed Sanusi, Secretary General of the NFF, confirmed the exit of Oliseh from the driver’s seat, saying “Yes, we have received a letter from him and I can tell you he has resigned as coach of the national team (Super Eagles).”

Siasia

...As Oliseh quits

By Olawale Olaniyan BARELY seven months after he was unveiled at a colourful ceremony in Abuja, Sunday Oliseh on Thursday resigned as head coach of the Super Eagles.

In a letter sent to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Oliseh also thanked the NFF for the opportunity given to him to serve the country.

Oliseh, who replaced sacked Stephen Keshi in July 2015, had a frosty re-

lationship towards the end of his reign with the NFF’s technical and development committee, headed by Barrister Chris Green, following his unsavoury reaction to the criticisms which greeted the performance of the Super Eagles at the just-ended African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda.

Oliseh had via You Tube channel, while reacting to the barrage of criticisms, said his critics were insane.

The former international

announced his resignation via his twitter handle after he had sent a letter to his employers, citing reasons behind his decision, to include working in an unconducive environment.

His purported resignation letter reads: Dear General Secretary of NFF, Subject: Letter of Resignation.

“Due to incessant violations of our signed agreement (Contract), I am

From left, Jean Francis Losciuto, Salisu Yusuf, Sunday Oliseh and Alloy Agu during their unveiling in Abuja last July.

hereby informing you of my decision to terminate our working collaboration signed in July 2015.

“The most important objective is for the Super Eagles of Nigeria to qualify (sic) to the next AFCON and the World Cup 2018.

“Since so little help is being rendered me in getting the players to give their best and very vital conditions and advantages to the team play are also being sacrificed, coupled with non-redress of the aforementioned despite my several e-mails and others, seeking your aid to effectively carry out my duties were ignored.

“These unconducive working conditions that my coaching crew and myself have to live with, your contractual violations and the interest of the nation necessitates that I tender my resignation and recourse to the termination of our working agreement.

“Many thanks for the opportunity to serve my fatherland.”

Sunday Oliseh, Chief Coach, Super Eagles of Nigeria.

Infantino succeeds Blatter as FIFA president UEFA interim chief, Gianni Infantino has been elected the new president of the world football’s governing body, FIFA. The Swiss-Italian lawyer received 115 votes during the second round of election at the Hallenstadion in Zürich on Friday.

Infantino edged CAF favourite Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa who received 88 votes, while ex-FIFA executive committee member, Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein received four votes and former FIFA deputy general secretary Jérome Cham-

pagne none.

South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale had announced his withdrawal from the FIFA presidential race earlier on Friday.

The ninth president of FIFA, Infantino has been elected until 2019.

Infantino

Printed and Published by the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, Imalefalafia Street, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. E mail: saturdaytribuneeditor@yahoo.com Website: www.tribuneonlineng.com MANAGING DIRECTOR / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: EDWARD DICKSON. EDITOR: LASISI OLAGUNJU. All Correspondence to P. O. Box 78, Ibadan. ISSN 2712. ABC Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation. 27/2/2016.