27th December 2015 by Nigerian Tribune

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 2,026

SUNDAY, 27 DECEMBER, 2015

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Nigerian Tribune

Boko Haram hits Borno pg4 again

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Nigerian Tribune

Kills 13, injures 17, abducts 8 No community is under terrorists’ control —NEMA FG budgets N10bn to fight insurgents pg5

N200

pg17

How Xmas gas explosion cost us millions — Ibadan fire disaster victims pg5 Scene of a fire disaster, which occurred at Sango Plank market, Ibadan. PHOTO: MOSES ALAO

I’m not returning to PDP, it’ll soon die — Alao-Akala pg32

FG to reduce road haulage of fuel •Subsidy removal: Govt should protect consumers from marketers’ gang up —Expert

pg4

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

life&living Pains, uncertainties as fuel crisis persists

It is two months already into the fuel crisis ravaging the country. DAPO FALADE, BIOLA AZEEZ and KOLA OYELERE report on the prevailing situation which has grounded almost all sectors of the economy.

A typical traffic chaos in Lagos

CROSS the country, the problem of fuel scarcity has painfully persisted casting a pall of uncertainties on what awaits the people as the new year draws near.

Ibadan Days to Christmas celebrations, the agonies and pains of the residents of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, continue unabated as the pangs of fuel scarcity bite harder. Like every other part of the country which experienced the scarcity of the petroleum product a few months back, the pace-setter state was not left out then. But while the pains have receded a bit in some parts of the country, the scarcity continues in Ibadan and its environs as motorists and other end users are finding it difficult to find the product to buy. At the peak of the fuel scarcity, last November, a litre went for as much as N350 at the black market, while most of the petrol stations within Ibadan closed shops due to the non-availability of the product. The black marketers then were having a field day, with motorists having no choice than to find the product to buy. There were also long queues at the few stations where the petroleum product was available for sale, with people spending several hours before it could get to their turn. While the official selling price remained N87 per litre, the filling stations were selling for as high as N180 per litre, with the people left with no option than to buy it. The black marketers had, of course, taken an advantage of the situation, selling the product for as much as between N6,000 and N7,000 in 20-litre jerry cans.

Though the price has come down considerably, the problem continues, as motorists and other end users alike, including artisans, are sweating through their nose to get the product. The pump price now varies between N120 and N150 per litre at some of the filling stations, while black marketers are still smiling to the banks, selling same for as much as N200 per litre. Port Harcourt Findings by Sunday Tribune revealed that the queues are now back in most of the filling stations within the Port Harcourt metropolis. Because of the fear of anticipated shortage during the Yuletide season, residents of the state capital have resorted to stockpiling fuel to avoid being stranded. The situation, as of Wednesday, in the oil-rich state was worse than what obtained during the last nationwide scarcity. Most of the few filling stations where fuel is available are now like war zones, as they are jampacked with people scrambling to get the product. A filling station, a major marketer, situated very close to the Federal High Court premises, along the Azikiwe Road, had fuel supply last Wednesday and was selling at the recommended price. However, it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for an end user to get even a litre of fuel due to the chaos orchestrated by the long queue. Motorists and other buyers blocked the major road, with passers-by and commuters going through hell in order to get a passage through the crowd waiting to buy the scarce

product. To worsen the situation, some filling stations have capitalised on the pervading scarcity to further compound the woes of the people. Some of these stations, in order to defy the instruction not to sell above the recommended pump price of N87, would rather close shop during the day and sell in the night, for as high as N140 per litre. Many people, affected by the biting fuel scarcity and the increasing hardship to get the product, have been lamenting their misfortune in a state noted to be one of the largest producers of crude oil in the South-South region. Speaking with Sunday Tribune on the prevailing situation, Mrs Eseoghene, a housewife living at Justus Ojika Avenue, Off Mini Orlu Road, Ada-George, said the pains were becoming unbearable. “I just cannot fathom what is happening. We have been experiencing the scarcity for about two months now unending. Initially, I thought it was a passing phase, a problem that would be quickly resolved. But the stark reality is that it seems the problem has come to be part of us. “The scarcity is taking its toll on me, my children and the household. We live in a part of Port Harcourt where access to regular power supply is a rare luxury. We barely get light once in two weeks and when it comes, it is usually at night,” she lamented. The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), last November, had said there was no justification for the scarcity of the product in Port Harcourt. It attributed the Continues pg 3

life&living

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

‘They close filling stations during day time, sell at night’

Continued from pg 2

scarcity and the attendant high cost and hardship the people of the state were experiencing to hoarding of the product by some loading depots in the state capital. DPR Head, Regional Operations, Port Harcourt, Mr Olaniyi Ibiyemi, while carrying out a surveillance exercise on the loading depots in the state, also said the problem was due to the attitude of some of the loading depots in the state. According to him, DPR discovered that the affected depots were hoarding the product, thus causing low truck out and low supply in the state capital. To ease the problem, Olaniyi advised marketers within the Port Harcourt metropolis to visit the Master Energy Depot, an independent marketer based at Rumuolumeni in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, to load the product, disclosing that the Managing Director of the depot had told him that it had about 20 million litres of petrol in stock, but the marketers were not coming to load. Group Resident of Master Energy Group also confirmed that there was enough supply at the depot, not only for the state, but also for some other parts of the country. He said what largely accounted for the scarcity in Port Harcourt and its environs was the refusal of the marketers to come to the depot to load, due to bad road. “What I am saying is that you can see that we are loading at full capacity. The trucks are loaded, they are packed on the roads; everywhere. They cannot leave the environment because of bad road. “There should not be any reason for the scarcity of the product in Port Harcourt, because we have enough capacity in this place (Master Energy) to supply, not even only Port Harcourt, but nationwide. “We are loading people from the North, from the West and from the East. If Port Harcourt marketers come, we will load them; in fact, if they come now, we will load them. But some of them are avoiding

coming here because they said there is bad road,” he had said then. Given the persistent scarcity of the product, the Rivers State government had also then warned against the hoarding of petroleum products. The state deputy governor, Dr (Mrs) Ipalibo Harry Banigo, who gave the warning, urged filling stations to also desist from diverting the products, saying such an act would cause untold hardship to the residents of the state. Kwara Queues for fuel are ubiquitous at every fuel station in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, just as vehicles queuing for fuel block roads, making life unbearable for other road users. It took the intervention of men of the airforce, police and civil defence corps to fire tear gas canisters to disperse unruly people who had queued for fuel at the NNPC mega station during the week. The vehicles actually blocked the two lanes of Asa Dam Expressway where the fuel station is located. Offa Garage Road, Murtala Mohammed Way and Unity Road are some other areas in Ilorin metropolis that usually experience this chaotic situation whenever there is no fuel to dispense. The fuel scarcity situation in Kwara State is peculiar. The state government and the DPR officials had warned fuel stations not to hoard fuel or sell above the official N87 pump price. On some occasions, these officials had sold fuel free to motorists in such stations that flouted the order. With this situation, only few petrol stations dispensed fuel unlike the situation in some neighbouring states where fuel stations are allowed to sell for between N120 and N140 per litre, thus making fuel available in these areas. Speaking with journalists in Ilorin on the purported gradual and painless fuel subsidy removal being planned by the government, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said that:

“For me, the issues have not changed. The narratives also about the challenges in the system have not changed; therefore that is not expected as they have not canvassed for that. I remember when we were waging the war against these incessant increases and bad policies some of them were with us in Abuja and in the streets of Nigeria. “So for how long should we continue in a circle of exporting crude oil and importing refined products at the detriment of all Nigerians. I don’t see any justification in the adjustment because the reason that was given to us why the price was reduced from N97 to N87 is the fact that at the international market, the price of crude oil has continued to come down. In fact, by the time it was reduced to N87 the price was hovering around over $42 per barrel; today we are even talking about less than $40 per barrel. “Does it mean that anytime there is difficulty in the economy the burden should be shifted to majority of Nigerians who are already impoverished? This is the critical question we should ask. Therefore, NLC as usual will mobilise Nigerians to resist such policies. This is not what we canvassed for; we canvassed for positive change so that over time we can be able to build refineries. Niger and Chad Republics built refineries under 18 months. These are countries that just discovered oil in less than three years. The difference between them and Nigeria is because they can think out of the box. “Therefore, we challenge our political elites to think about the people, to think about our society and to think about how we can build our country for a better society. NLC has had a consistent position on policies and programmes. Policies and programmes must be tailored along addressing the issue of the poor. I don’t see any justifiable reason to contemplate withdrawal of oil subsidy.” Kano The persistence of fuel scarcity has not

only worsened the economic situation in the country, but the masses have been having a negative impression on the present government of Muhammadu Buhari , as the teeming masses of the country seem to be at a cross-roads on what can be the panacea for this ugly situation. However, the irony of it all is a question of why many petrol stations in Kano metropolis are under lock and key. When Sunday Tribune took a trip around the ancient city, jerry cans full with the products were being displayed by black marketers begging buyers to procure at exorbitant prices ranging from N700 –N800 per litre. Another unanswered question is: where are these black marketers getting the fuel they are selling to motorists? . Sunday Tribune’s investigation revealed that many petrol stations would rather sell fuel to black marketers at night to gain more profit than selling the product during the day at the official price of N87 per litre, a situation that has worsened the plight of commuters. According to Sunday Tribune findings, many motorists resorted to abandoning their vehicles, with the prevailing fuel crisis in Kano city, while most of the filling stations were shut down. Sunday Tribune noticed that in some areas of the city such as Na’ibawa, Hotoro and Sharada, only the NNPC petrol stations and a few major independent marketers were dispensing petroleum products, thereby attracting long queues of vehicles. However, at some of the petrol stations, thugs were having a field day demanding money from motorists in order to grant them access into the stations to buy fuel. Some motorists, who spoke to Sunday Tribune, said they had to drive long distances to the outskirts of the city to buy petrol at increased pump prices, ranging from N135 to N140 per litre, as against the official price N87. Speaking with the chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Kano State chapter, Bashir Ahmad Dan Malam, he blamed the increase in price and inadequacy of fuel supply to marketers as the main cause of the fuel scarcity. Dan Malam said in a phone interview that fuel marketers had been forced to suspend lifting fuel, because their suppliers had increased their prices to not less than N83 per litre, which, he said, was too expensive. According to him, “If our members purchase a litre of petrol from our suppliers at N83 or N85, it’s impossible to transport the product to Kano and sell it at N87, because we would be selling at a loss. This is why we asked our members to suspend the lifting of expensive fuel until it is cheaper,” he said. He said the executives of the association were always persuading their members to desist from selling petrol above the official pump price. Despite the various steps taken by the DPR to find a lasting solution to the problem of fuel scarcity in the country , Sunday Tribune’s investigation revealed that some stations still lacked the product. A cross section of residents interviewed, have however, appealed to the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, pay more attention to the problem.

news

Sunday Tribune

27 December, 2015

Boko Haram hits Borno again, kills 13, injures 17, abducts 8 others No community under sect’s control —NEMA James Bwala -Maiduguri with Agency Report

OLDIERS of the Operation Lafiya Dole in Borno State have reportedly taken control of Kimba village in Gur ward of Biu Local Government following a night attack on the village by the Boko Haram terrorists on Friday. The terrorists, Sunday Tribune gathered stormed the village around 8.30 p.m. on Christmas Day, killing 13 people and abducting eight others, while several others are said to be receiving treatment from injuries sustained in the attack. Some of the residents of the village lamented that despite the village’s closeness to Sabon Gari, where the military is stationed, they did not get rescue on time. The attack was said to be the sixth the area witnessed in recent time. “They burnt down our houses, killed our brothers and abducted our children. We are close to Sabon Gari and there are military there at Sabon Gari but they could not come to our rescue. Many people have been wounded. About 17 are currently being treated in Biu. We have lost 13 people and they took eight with them,” a resident identified as Umar Sani informed Sunday Tribune. But a military source, who spoke on a condition of anonymity on Saturday, after efforts to get the reaction of the spokesman of the Army, Col Sani Usman Kukasheka, were abortive, stated that the military took control of the situation before it went out of hand, noting that soldiers were already in the village. Explaining the attack, the resident, Sani, however, said the Boko Haram militants had invaded the village in their usual manner, chanting “Allahu Akbar!” meaning “Allah is Great”. “We were about to visit one of our relations whose son got married earlier when we heard gunshots and thought the soldiers

were the ones firing. But the firing persisted. At that time, they were just coming into the village, and before we could say anything, they began to set houses ablaze and we ran for our lives,” he added. “I slept in Sabon Gari. We informed the soldiers but they did not go to the village until this morning. For now, I can confirm to you that 13 people were killed and eight people

were abducted; seven women and one boy, while 17 were wounded,” Sani said. Meanwhile, the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Sani Sidi, at the weekend, said no community in the NorthEast remained under the control of Boko Haram insurgents. It will be recalled that following the December 31 deadline given to the mili-

tary to end Boko Haram insurgency, President Buhari had, during the week, maintained that the sect had been technically defeated. Sidi, who was quoted by an online news medium, Premium Times, to have made the statement at an award ceremony organised by Northern Youth Council in Kaduna, said: “There is no community that has not been liberated from Boko Haram now. We should

thank our soldiers and the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to making sure this has come to pass.” Sidi also hailed the president for reducing the work of the emergency agency from dealing with emergency situations to rehabilitation of victims of all kinds of emergency, noting that victims of disaster were no longer brought to the IDPs camps anywhere in the country.

“We are soon getting over with the emergency issues; we are heading towards rehabilitation of IDPs instead. The government is working with various international agencies to make sure those at the IDPs camps are fully rehabilitated,” Mr. Sidi said. The youth council honoured Mr. Sidi with the award of Ambassador of Hope at an event held at the Kunfukun Hotel Kaduna.

FG moves to reduce road haulage of fuel

Govt should protect fuel consumers from marketers’ gangup —Expert By Sulaimon Olanrewaju

THE Federal Government has moved to maximally use the country’s 5,000 km long fuel pipeline network to distribute petroleum products and reduce the use of trucks in the new year. The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu disclosed on Friday that subsidy on petroleum products had been stopped by government. The policy on pipelines and road haulage is part of the general reforms. He told the media on Christmas Day that the government had decided to reduce the haulage of petroleum products by road by strengthening security of the pipelines and using them to distribute the products. “We are bringing in private securities to secure the pipelines. The key is to continue to maintain this and I think we are beginning to get the feel that we are getting some sense of what we need to do. “It is a combination of many factors: communities, contractors and all sorts, it still makes it expensive but it is better than having to truck them through the roads.” Another official said the PPMC is now opening up the pipelines and pumping products via them to different parts of Nigeria. “Since the beginning of the fuel scarcity, what we’ve done is to manually

track every truck leaving any of our depots either in Lagos; Warri, Oghara or Calabar. “What we have done is to insist that our pipelines must work. We have an initiative with the private sector to help us secure and maintain our pipelines and that has yielded positive results almost immediately, vandals are being caught.” “We have now started pumping all the way to Ibadan. Our target is to move to Ilorin and that will relieve bridging products from the coastal towns to the hinterlands of the North. “We are also building a simultaneous effort in Port Harcourt, hoping that it will lead all the way to Makurdi to Yola and these are things we have never done before for a long time. We want to have a more efficient way of distributing products nationwide.” The official also said that the PPMC will from January 2016 introduce new tracking measures to stop products diversion in the country. “PEF is already doing a depot to depot tracking to calculate the mileages of tankers for their payment, however, in PPMC, we are interested in realtime tracking to help us detect diversion and we are expecting that we will fully launch this within the first weeks of January,” she said. Kachikwu on Friday an-

nounced the stoppage of subsidy on fuel just as he declared that a liter of petrol would sell for N85 by January one. He broke the news to journalists at the Port Harcourt Refinery Company (PHRC), where he spent Christmas inspecting the plant. Asked when the Federal Government would release the new price temperate of the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulation Agency (PPPRA), he said that he approved the new price for the agency on Thursday. Kachikwu, who is also the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said “like I said, we have done a modulation calculation and it is showing us below N87. I imagine that if PPPRA publishes it today, it will become effective immediately. But the 1st of January that is when we are looking at.” According to him, the new price is below the current N87 per litre and it would now convince Nigerians that the pricing modulation that the Federal Government promised to embark on a few days ago was not a trick. Subsidy removal: Govt should protect consumers from marketers’ gangup —Expert Reacting to this on Saturday, the Director of Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law (CPEEL), University of

Ibadan, Professor Adeola Adenikinju, lauded the decision by the Federal Government to stop the subsidy regime, saying it was long overdue but asked the government to ensure that marketers do not use the opportunity to foist a regime of high prices on consumers. Adenikinju, a Professor of Energy Economics, told the Sunday Tribune that the decision to scrap the subsidy regime would result in the development of the downstream sector that had suffered neglect over the years. He explained, “What the government should do now is to shift towards ensuring compliance with set standard and quality assurance. The government needs to ensure that only high quality products are brought into the country by marketers. The government should also move to institute antitrust policy to guard against any attempt by product importers to gang up against consumers by trying to control prices at which products are sold.” Adenikinju also counseled the government to cancel the issuance of import licences. “Let the marketers bring in their product from anywhere so long as it meets the set standard. Scrapping the issuance of import licences will reduce corruption in the downstream sector,” he said. Speaking on the effect of the removal of subsidy on

the populace, Adenikinju said it would have minimal effect because of the falling prices of crude oil in the world market. The Energy Economist said, “It is a good thing that we are removing subsidy when the price of crude oil has gone down. That means it is cheaper to import the product now. The price would have been lower than what the government is even suggesting were we to be producing locally.” He, however, noted that in spite of the low prices of crude the pump price of fuel would be higher if marketers were unable to source dollar at the official rate and were left to get it from the black market. Adenikinju faulted the decision of the government to fix the pump price of fuel while announcing the deregulation of the market, adding that the issue of price should be left to market forces to determine. “The minister spoke about the template used to arrive at that price but did not say anything about what went into the template. It is not right to deregulate and fix the price, market forces should be allowed to determine the price. The government should work on encouraging foreign and local companies to build new refineries. That is what would ensure the availability and affordability of petroleum products in every part of the country.”

news

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

How gas explosion cost us millions —Victims of Ibadan fire disaster By Moses Alao

raders and operators at the popular SangoOju Irin Plank Market in Ibadan, on Saturday, counted their losses following a Christmas Day inferno which lasted over nine hours, destroying machines and planks worth several millions of Naira. They called on the Oyo State government to urgently rise to their aid by assisting them financially, noting that the unfortunate incident had devastated them and thrown them into heavy debts. Some of the affected traders who spoke with Sunday Tribune stated that they lost several multimillion Naira equipment including plane machines; circular machines; spindle machines and generating sets as well as finished planks meant to be sold to customers. One of the members of the market committee, who identified himself as Chief Benjamin Abimbola, said some of those who were around tried to

no avail to put out the fire before fire fighters came around, hours after calls were placed to them, noting that equipment and materials lost to the fire ran into billions of Naira. This is just as he called on the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, to “take pity on those affected, because a lot of us took loans

from banks and cooperative and thrift societies.” Other traders affected in the incident, Mr Akeem Babatunde Adebiyi and Mr Olajide Afolayan, among others, also narrated their ordeals, calling on the government to quickly come to their aid. The fire, which Sunday Tribune gathered started

around 1:30 p.m. on Friday, when traders in the market were away from their shops following the Christmas break, allegedly started as a result of a gas explosion from a storey building around the market. Though Sunday Tribune could not confirm the authenticity of the claim that the gas cylin-

der was thrown out of the house, as the house was razed and residents could not be accessed for comments, some of the traders who lost their shops to the fire noted that they were summoned to the market after the fire had started. Mr Afolayan lamented that only two fire-fighting

Teachers call for inclusion in FG’s plan to recruit 500,000 teachers in 2016

Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode (left), with the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, during a Christmas party at the Vice President’s mother’s residence, Adebambo Street, Obanikoro, Lagos, at the weekend.

FG budgets N10bn to fight Boko Haram By Rita Okonoboh The federal government has earmarked the sum of N10 billion to fight insurgency in the North East. President Muhammadu Buhari, last week, made a formal presentation of the 2016 budget of N6.08 trillion, to the National Assembly. According to the Appropriation Bill 2016, apart from the N10 billion budgeted for Operation Lafiya Dole, which is the code name for the North East military operations, while the Ministry of Defence has an allocation of N294.5 billion; N57 billion will go to the National Security Adviser; benefits of retired Heads of the Civil Service of the federation and Federal Permanent Secretaries stand at N2.5 billion, while entitlements of former Presidents/ Heads of State and Vice-Presidents/Chiefs of General Staff stand at N2.3 billion. A breakdown of the 2016 budget shows that N3.86 trillion represents the projected revenue and N2.22 trillion represents a debt profile which is 2.16 per cent per Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The capital expenditure showed an increase from N557 billion in the 2015 budget to N1.8 trillion in the 2016 budget, representing 30 per cent of the 2016

vehicles from the Oyo State Fire Service were available while the fire raged for hours, noting that traders had to contact a private fire-fighting firm for assistance when the efforts of individuals and the state firemen could not salvage the situation. Sunday Tribune gathered that no life was lost in the incident.

budget. For Capital expenditure, Power, Works and Housing will get N433.4 billion; Transport, N202 billion; Special intervention funds, N200 billion; Defence, N132.6 billion and Interior, N56.1 billion. For recurrent expenditure, Education sector will

get N369.6 billion, and Interior, N145.3 billion. President Buhari, while presenting the budget estimates and addressing a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives said, “These investments in infrastructure and security are meant to support our reforms in the

Agriculture, Solid Minerals and other core job creating sectors of our economy. “Indeed, the future looks bright and I ask that we all work together to make this vision a reality. The 223 per cent year on year growth in capital expenditure demonstrates our desire to make Nigeria more competitive,

and start the journey to deliver sustainable development in our country. “In fulfilment of our promise to run a lean government, we have proposed a 9 per cent reduction in non-debt recurrent expenditure, from N2.59 trillion in the 2015 Budget to N2.35 trillion in 2016, he stated.

Reduction of petrol pump price, a deceit —Fayose Urges Nigerians to pray for Buhari Sam Nwaoko - Ado Ekiti GOVERNOR Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State has described the reduction in the pump price of petroleum announced by the Federal Government, through the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, at the weekend, as a deceit by the government. Fayose, in a statement in Ado Ekiti on Saturday, said the announcement was “governance by deceit” because according to him, “even secondary school students of economics know that you cannot deregulate and regulate at the same time.” The governor in the statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said “it is only in a confused and

clueless economy that government will plan to spend more when revenue has reduced by more than 50 per cent.” Governor Fayose, who maintained that petrol will not sell below N100 per litre in 2016, added that “even now that the price is N87 and subsidy is yet to be removed, Nigerians are buying at between N130 and N300 per litre. What will now happen when they remove subsidy and allow market forces to determine the price?” He called on Nigerians to pray specially for President Muhammadu Buhari, saying “the president needs God to give him the necessary wisdom to be able to find solution to the country’s economic and security problems.” He said: “Only God’s intervention can save Nigeria

from the present economic and security problems as it is glaring that the man running the affairs of the country at the federal level does not have any answer to the problems. “Even the Holy Bible said in James 1:5 that if anyone lacks wisdom, he should ask God and as it is, Nigerians must assist

the President in asking for wisdom and understanding to tackle the country’s economic and security problems before Nigeria is further plunged into more woes with the federal government’s decision to borrow N2.2 trillion, which translates to N6.066 billion per day to finance the 2016 budget.”

The Lagos Wing of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), has called on the Federal Government to carry teachers along in its proposed recruitment of 500,000 teachers in 2016. Deputy Chairman of the union, Mr Adesina Adedoyin, made the call during interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Lagos on Saturday. Adedoyin said it was necessary to carry teachers along through the union because the union has more information about the areas where teachers are needed. “If the recruitment of 500,000 teachers is not a political statement, the NUT should be carried along while carrying out such decision. “Over 300 teachers have been murdered in Borno by terrorists; over 50 died in bomb blasts close to the governor’s house in Kaduna. It is in situation such as this that the teachers’ advice is needed for proper implementation. “Teachers are in the system and can tell areas, subjects and places were teachers are needed most,” he said. He also called on the federal government to explain who will pay the teachers after recruiment. He, however, described the plan as a good one, provided the exercise was properly and sincerely executed.

Gani Adams preaches religious tolerance By Tunde Busari THE National Coordinator of the Oodua People’s Congress Otunba Gani Adams, has called for religious tolerance among Nigerians, regardless of cultural and religious diversity. The absence of this, Gani stressed, is the result of pockets of violence by some religious fanatics. Adams said this at the maiden Christmas Carol

and Nine Lessons sponsored by the Gani Adams Foundation and held at All Seasons Plaza, Ikeja, Lagos. “What we have lost is religious tolerance and revival of African virtues. This is a challenge to our religious leaders. One aspect of the Yoruba culture particularly harps on brotherhood. We are brought up to be our brothers’ keepers. If this virtue is to be emulated, I believe it will have positive

impact on those who perpetrate violence using religion,” he said. Other ministers of God present include Pastor Olaade Kalia of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (Ijeshatedo) Lagos; Pastor Adesanya Oshinkalu; Primate Peter Oyebode of C & S Church, Abaranje, Ikotun, Lagos; Evangelist Donald Shoyoola; Venerable J.A.O. Philips; Rev Koyejo Gbobade among others.

27 December, 2015

crimereports

Sunday Tribune

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

Gun belongs to my dead cultist neighbour —Herbalist suspected to be cultists’ armourer By Oluwatoyin Malik

herbalist, Musiliu Otun, suspected to be an armourer for criminals, has been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command. Speaking on the arrest of the suspect during a press briefing in his office during the week, the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Abdulmajid Ali, said that the suspect was arrested in Sagamu on December 11, 2015 by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) who acted on a tip-off. The police commissioner said that Otun specialised in keeping arms for cultists who had been terrorizing the people of Ogun State; and was also making

charms for them. “While a search was carried out in his house at Itunranikenken area of Sagamu, some arms, ammunition and assorted charms were recovered,” the CP stated further. He said that the case was under investigation while efforts were on to track other members of cult groups the suspect was working with. But in an interview with Crime Reports, Otun denied being an armourer for cultists. According to him, “I am a native doctor. I became one after divination that it was what God destined for me. I started the work about three years ago. I was the one who took the police to where I kept the gun. “What happened was

that the owner of the gun was a furniture maker with whom I lived in the same compound. I knew him to be a cultist. He belonged to Black Axe Confraternity. I

learnt that he died during a clash in Lagos. Whenever he was at home before his death, I used to peep on him whenever he went to keep the gun within the

compound. “When I learnt of his death, I went to where he kept the gun and took it. That was the greatest mistake of my life. Initially, I

wanted to throw it away, but a voice stopped me from the move. It was not more than six days after that the police came for me.”

Oyo/Osun Customs intercept eleven vehicles loaded with rice, Indian hemp

TheAbdulsalam suspected The Acting Customs Area Controller, Hassan truck thieves (second left) displaying a bottle of the imported drugs. Inset is the picture of the intercepted cars By Oluwatoyin Malik

The suspect, Musiliu Otun

SOME recalcitrant criminals and smugglers had the rug pulled off their feet again on December 20, when an anti-smuggling patrol team of the Oyo/ Osun Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service intercepted 11 fairly-used vehicles loaded with bags of cannabis sativa, rice and other general goods. The interception was reportedly made at Eruwa axis of Ibarapa zone of Oyo State at about 11.45p.m. Among the general goods were drugs without NAFDAC’s registration number. The drugs were suspected to have been imported into Nigeria. The seizure came on the heels of the 3000 bags loaded in five trucks which were intercepted recently when Customs officials stormed a forest along Kishi-Igbeti axis of Oyo State

and found the smuggled goods hidden in the bush. Speaking during a press briefing in Ibadan on Tuesday, December 22, the Acting Area Controller of Customs, Hassan Abdulsalam told Crime Reports that the seizure was made to keep to the Area Command’s stance on not going back on duty payment on rice imports from land borders. He added that the Area Command would not allow a hiding place for smugglers within its area of ju-

risdiction, especially during the yuletide. The Area Controller used the medium to assure genuine and patriotic importers of his area command’s support through facilitation of trade, warning smugglers to repent or face the wrath of the law. Abdulsalam thereafter handed over the intercepted cannabis to the Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in Oyo State, Mrs Omolade Faboyede, for further investigations by

the anti-drug agency. In her remarks, the NDLEA commander expressed appreciation to the Acting Area Controller, saying that the seizure and handing-over were evidences of robust relationship between the two sister agencies. Mrs Faboyede said that the act had further cemented the relationship, promising the continued support of her agency in curbing crime and the activities of criminals in the state.

crimereports

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

I used gun found in my room for protection —Suspect Stories by Oluwatoyin Malik

NE of the two men suspected of belonging to a robbery gang and arrested by the Ogun State Police Command, Sulaimon Saka (26), has said that the gun found in his possession was a weapon of protection he acquired during his days as a cultist. Saka also claimed that the knives found hidden in the ceiling of his room belonged to his wife and were meant for nothing else but use in the kitchen. Crime Reports learnt that Saka and his friend, Tosin Ojelere (31) were arrested at Idedo Community in Ota after Ojelere was caught breaking into a house at Atan-Iju community on December 20, 2015. The Commissioner of Police in Ogun State, Abdulmajid Ali, said that when Ojelere was apprehended, he confessed to have carried out the act and took the police to the house where he was residing with the second suspect. It was further gathered that when the police conducted a search in the room where the duo lived, a locally-made pistol, a live cartridge, assorted phones, army camouflage knickers, a belt belonging to a mobile police and several knives kept in box were recovered. The box in which the knives kept was reportedly found in the ceiling of the suspects’ room Ojelere, who told Crime Reports that he was from Iwere Ile in Oyo State but residing with his friend at Oju Ore area of Sango, Ogun State, stated: “I am not an armed robber. I was arrested by residents of Atan-Iju community; they accused me of planning to break into a house at about 12noon. “It was a bricklayer working by the side of a building where I was who raised the alarm that I wanted to tear the mosquito net covering the window of the house to steal properties. He held me and started beating me. I was later taken to a nearby police station.” Speaking on locallymade pistol and box of knives found in the ceiling of the room in which he resides with his friend, Ojelere said that his friend claimed that the knives belonged to his wife, while he got the gun when he was

a member of a cult group while he was in school. “My friend said he was using the gun to protect himself from attacks,” Ojelere stated. Admitting that the items were found with him, the second suspect, Saka, claimed that the gun was not meant for criminal purposes but for his own protection. He also said that the knives belonged to his wife and were kept in the celing because of lack of space in his room. In an interview with Crime Reports, Saka said: “I am from Kogi State. I bought the camouflage knickers at an open market and it was just a house wear. The knives belong to my wife; she uses them during meal preparation. “A gun was also found in my room but I got it when I was still in school and belonged to a cult group. I was a member of Black Axe Confraternity but I have

withdrawn my membership. I found the live cartridge on the ground somewhere and kept it. “The belt belonged to a mobile police who forgot it in my shop sometimes ago. He had always promised to come for it but I had not seen him before my arrest. I have never been an armed robber.” When Crime Reports pointed out that the knives were still new and asked why they were kept in the ceiling if they were meant for the kitchen, Sulaimon said it was because there was no space to keep them in the kitchen. On further enquiry on any other items kept in the ceiling for lack of space, he replied that it was only the knives. Again, when asked why he did not dispose of the gun after his exit from the cult group, Sulaimon said: “That was the mistake I made.”

The suspects

Man steals customer’s vehicle by trick, sells it to spare parts dealer A man, Obed Samuel, who pretended to be a mechanic, but disappeared with his customer’s vehicle, has been apprehended by the Oyo State Police Command. Disclosing the circumstances that led to the arrest of the suspect to Crime Reports, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Leye Oyebade, said that Samuel approached one Mrs Christiana Zainab recently and presented himself as an auto mechanic who could help the woman to repair her Mazda Multi Purpose Van (MPV). Oyebade stated further

Obed Samuel

that no sooner was the vehicle given to Samuel than he absconded with it and allegedly conspired with one Nurudeen Olayiwola to sell the vehicle. Crime Reports learnt that the suspect took the vehicle to a spare parts dealer for sale. When the spare parts dealer demanded for the original papers, Samuel reportedly went back to the owner, telling her that she should give him the original documents of the vehicles, as the police who impounded it needed them to confirm the ownership. Mrs Zainab fell for Samuel’s lie and gave him the

Ogun Police Command intercepts truck loaded with 297 bags of Indian hemp OPERATIVES of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) intercepted a truck loaded with 297 bags of substances suspected to be cannabis sativa (Indian hemp) along Akute-Ajuwon road in Ogun State on December 18. Showing the impounded truck with its content to journalists in Abeokuta during the week during a press briefing, the state Commissioner of Police, Abdulmajid Ali, said that the SARS operatives sighted the driver of the truck and some men with

him, and noticed that their movement was suspicious. He stated further that immediately the SARS operatives moved closer to where the truck was parked, the driver and other men in it fled and abandoned the truck. “When searched, 297 bags of weed suspected to be marijuana were found in the truck. Investigation into the matter is ongoing while the exhibits are in police custody for proper investigation and prosecution,” the CP added.

CP Ali showing journalists the intercepted bags of marijuana

documents, unknown to her that she was giving the suspect a lifeline to complete the sale of her vehicle. Subsequent calls to Samuel’s line went unanswered, until he was arrested by the police after his case was reported. Samuel was said to have succeeded in his plans because his victim believed he could not do her any harm since they belonged to the same ethnic group. Narrating her experience, Mrs Zainab told Crime Reports: “Obed Samuel came to me and claimed to be a mechanic. He later said he wanted to take my vehicle to his shop for repairs, promising to return it in five days. After the stipulated days, I started calling him when he did not bring my car. “He later told me that SARS operatives had impounded the car and were asking for the original copies of the car particulars. I released them to him. After this, he refused to pick my calls and I didn’t know any other way of contacting him. I involved the police and they succeeded in helping me to track him within two days. “It was when he was arrested that he confessed that he had sold the vehicle and that it had been dismantled.” Crime Reports learnt that the suspect had been arraigned in court.

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune PHOTOS: D’TOYIN

GET-TOGETHER PARTY FOR THE H.I.D AWOLOWO BURIAL CEREMONY COMMITTEE MEMBERS, HELD AT THE AWOLOWO FAMILY’S RESIDENCE, IKENNE REMO, OGUN STATE, ON SATURDAY.

Reverend (Mrs) Omotola Oyediran (standing left); the Alakenne of Ikenne-Remo, Oba Adeyinka Onakade (second right) and his wife, Oluyemisi, during the get-together party for the planning committee for the burial of H.I.D Awolowo, organised by the Awolowo family at the Awolowos residence, Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State, on Saturday.

Ambassador Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu (right) and Chief (Mrs) Mercy Owolana.

Professor Kayode Oyediran and Barrister Segun Awolowo.

Ogun State Commissioner of Police, G.A.M. Ali and his wife, Hajia Idiat.

Sagamu Unit Command, FRSC, ASC CDR Abdullah M. Lawal and his wife, Hajia Rabiat.

Dr Nnamoi Okoro and Mr Ajayi Amos.

Mr Buki Awolowo (right); Mrs Funmilayo Adeyemi (middle) and Mrs Yemisi Subau.

Consultant/Director, ANN Plc, Pastor (Dr) Segun Olatunji (right) and Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, Mr Edward Dickson.

From left, Mrs Oluwemimo Anifowose; Master Iyanuloluwa Anifowose and Mr Kunle Awolowo.

Mrs Ayotola Iranola (left); Iranola Ayodeji (middle) and Mrs Kemi Aderemi.

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune PHOTOS: ALOLADE GANIYU

2015 CONFERENCE OF NEW LIFE FOR ALL NATIONS MINISTRIES HELD AT INTERNATIONAL CAMP GROUND, NEW FELELE, OLOOLA, SOKA BUS STOP, IBADAN, ON FRIDAY

From right, acting General Overseer, Pastor Ade Adeoye; acting Assistant General Overseer, Pastor S.F. Edokpayi; ex-Director of Missions/Outreaches, Pastor B.T. Lasisi and board of elders.

From left, Director, Youth/ICT, Pastor Isaac Boboye; Director, Mission Institute, Pastor Yemi Taiwo and other central executives.

Pastor Adeoye (middle); Pastor Edokpayi (left) and General Secretary/Executive Director of Administration, Pastor S.O. Orekoya.

Cross-section of zonal pastors.

Cross-section of members of the choir.

Cross-section of pastors.

Cross-section of the congregation.

Cross-section of Central Executives.

Cross-section of those that gave their lives to Jesus.

Cross-section of the congregation.

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

specialreport Controversy trails plan to commence toll collections on federal roads

The Federal Government recently announced plans to reintroduce toll gates on federal roads in order to generate funds to maintain the roads. CHUKS OKPARAOSHA looks at the controversy trailing such suggestions and reports people’s opinions on the issue.

HEN the immediate past governor of Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Fashola, was given three ‘key’ ministries - Housing, Power and Works - the development, no doubt, generated varied reactions from different groups of people. For some, Fashola bagged the ‘juicy’ portfolios because of the streams of achievements he was able to record in his eight-year stint as the governor of Lagos, one of the richest cities in Africa, after all, Fashola had himself declared on a number of occasions that the reward for hard work was more work. But for others, the appointment of the ex-governor into the three ministries could only mean one thing - Nigerians should brace up for a rigorous tax/revenue generation regime. How prophetic this seems to be proving to be, because just weeks into his appointment, the Fasholaled Ministry of Works has stated its desire to introduce toll collection on key federal roads across the country. It is no longer news that the Federal Government has concluded plans to bring back toll gates on major high-

ways and bridges in the country, more than 10 years after ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo demolished them. According to the government, the move is aimed at ensuring that all major highways ‘have enough fund’ that will be used for their regular maintenance so that they can witness a total and dramatic turnaround. The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Works, has equally admitted that many major highways in the country were in a total state of disrepair, including popular roads such as the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, among others. Needless to say, a number of people are of the view that setting up toll gates on roads that are in a total state of disrepair is synonymous with heaping more burdens on the already beleaguered citizens of the country. But others have pitched their tents with the government as they are of the belief that tolling is the only solution to the fast and endless dilapidation of road infrastructure in the country. While some have questioned the rationale and sinceri-

ty of the government for even ‘dreaming’ of bringing back toll gates, others are of the opinion that massive corrupt practices that characterised the old tolling system are yet to be dealt with, and hence starting a new tolling regime will end up yielding past results. It will be recalled that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had, in 2004, abolished the scheme and dismantled all toll gates across the country, after accusing the managers of using the revenue generated from motorists to enrich themselves. When commenting on the development, in a chat with Sunday Tribune, a Lagos resident and public analyst, Michael Ibe-Anisi, stated that Nigerians should demand from the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government on why it must introduce tolling on major roads when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government deemed it not necessary and subsequently used millions of naira to demolish the old toll gates in the first continues pg 11

specialreport

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

‘Tolling is necessary to support govt funding of roads’

President Muhammadu Buhari continued from pg 10

place amid public outcry. “Did the PDP government not spend millions to pull down all toll gates a few years ago? Now, I am sure they will spend 10 times that amount to rebuild them all over again, while the roads will most likely be as bad as they were before. Again, one wonders what has happened to the SUREP programme of the immediate past administration, which was set up to help raise fund for the maintenance of public infrastructure in the country, including roads?” he queried.

Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation “This is another avenue to extort money from poor, innocent and poverty-stricken Nigerians all in the name of developing our roads. The Federal Government can’t simply be trusted,” he concluded. Sharing a similar view, Dr Ismail Akinola, an Economics lecturer in one of the tertiary institutions in the country, also questioned what had become of the maintenance schemes and policies set up by the previous administrations which ensured that tolls were not collected in over 10 years. “What happened to the road maintenance policies of past administrations

which were used to take care of responsibilities such as road maintenance and upgrade?Is the government so broke that the only way it can raise money to maintain roads is to start milking money from the average Nigerian road user after collecting tax from the same person?” he argued. However, another resident, who wished to be identified simply as BJ seemed sympathetic to the plight of the Federal Government, which he insisted, was in a “tough situation” and needed to raise money to provide what all Nigerians needed as well as ensure the existing ones were in good condition. “I think the FG is in a tough situation when it comes to revenue generation. It is common knowledge that Nigeria is broke, as it is not as rich as it used to be. It has no money to adequately finance road construction and maintenance, that is why it often resorts to borrowing to finance certain key projects. This clearly explains why the government abruptly came up with the decision to start tolling the roads, as it needs to raise money to do its obligations anyway,” he noted. This view was supported by another resident, Mrs Florence Abaji, who claimed to frequently ply the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. She pointed out that if objectively considered, it would be noted that when roads had toll gates they were not as bad as they are now without toll gate. “This idea is an excellent one. If we really want to enjoy certain things then we must be ready to embrace privatisation, as the government alone cannot solve all problems. Some people might say it is going to be an avenue to extort the masses,

but if you as a traveller can put a car on a major highway to travel, fuel the car, and even buy snacks and drinks on the way, then a toll of 100 or 200 naira should not be a problem for you to pay,” she stated. A commercial bus operator who earns his livelihood plying the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway said he had nothing against the idea, especially since any money paid as toll, would be eventually recouped from passengers through increased fares. “Personally, I wouldn’t want tolls to be brought back, because it will lead to traffic gridlocks on the expressway. However, if the government deems it fit that this is the only way for us to have good roads, then we (commercial bus operators) might be left with no choice but to increase our fares by a certain fraction,” he said. Professional bodies and associations have equally voiced their opinions about the issue. In a recent communique issued to newsmen, the Lagos Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) called on the Federal Government to repair roads across the country before reintroducing toll gates. The communiqué, which was signed by the chairman of the council, Mr Deji Elumoye, asked for major repair of federal roads across the country in the interest of the citizenry, before the planned re-introduction of toll gates on highways in the country by the federal government. But on its own part, the Trade Union Congress (TUC)of Nigeria described the planned reintroduction of tolls as an unwelcome development. Also in a communiqué issued at the end of its National Executive Council meeting in Lagos, the union noted that the cost of demolition of the toll gates during the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime was more than the cost of its construction. The communiqué signed by the President, TUC, Bobboi Kaigama and the General Secretary, Musa Lawal, stressed that such frequent policy somersault was responsible for delayed development of the country. When recently declaring the government’s plans to commence tolling on major highways and bridges in the country, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, said that the Federal Government would reintroduce toll gates where revenue generated could be channelled towards sustaining and maintaining quality federal roads. “Maintenance would be our watchword. We are setting up a robust maintenance regime to keep our highways in good shape. This shows that tolling is necessary to support government funding. So, it will not be too much if we ask every road user to pay a little to augment government funding for road maintenance,” Fashola had said. “It is eminent commonsense for us to find that money. We will use technology; so if you don’t pay cash, you will pay by tokens or tickets and the money is accountable and it will go to the right place. We will manage that fund properly and we will hold those who we put there to account,” he had also noted.

feature

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

How Boko Haram is killing our farms —Victims

Photo: IRIN By Ibrahim Abdul’Aziz (IRIN)

ULAMA Buba Kadai feeds his remaining two cows in North-Eastern Nigeria. The rest of his herd, which included more than 100 head of cattle, was destroyed by Boko Haram. Bulama Buba Kadai once owned 20 farms and more than 100 head of cattle near Gwoza in northeastern Nigeria. A year ago, when Boko Haram attacked his village, Kadai’s land and all but two cows were destroyed. He also lost his two sons – the sole heirs of any property he may one day leave behind. “I think most of us are going back to our graves,” Kadai told IRIN. Ongoing attacks have destroyed land and killed thousands of young men since 2009, and, in some cases, wiped out or displaced entire generations of farmers and herders. The future of many rural communities in northeastern Nigeria is, at best, uncertain, at worst, unsustainable. Kadai, and some 500 other farmers from his former community have taken refuge in Malkohi, on the outskirts of Yola, the capital city and administrative capital of Adamawa State. Some of them were temporarily allotted a small piece of land by the local government earlier this year, but yields were poor. He, and many of the others, say they dream of going back to Gwoza, but fear there is also no future there. “In the rural north, the youth are the pillars of agriculture, tending to farms and cattle,” said Yakubu Musa, a farmer from Askira. “Now, six years of Boko Haram violence has left farms idle and animals dead or stolen.” Like Kadai, Musa lost everything, including his sons, during a Boko Haram raid last year. Living in fear Ahmadu Buba, who escaped a Boko Haram attack earlier this year along with his family, now farms some 20 kilometres away on the outskirts of the border town of Mubi. Though he was “lucky enough” to survive, he saw many of his neighbours slaughtered, and fears a similar fate for himself. “I was on my way to work on the farm with my four children when I caught sight of five men,” he told IRIN. “Their faces were covered with turbans and they were carrying AK-47 rifles. They killed some of our most prom-

inent farmers.” Buba said many farmers who stayed restrict their movements to “safe areas” and work limited hours in the fields to minimise the risk. He worries about the impact this would have on food supplies and feared the timing of previous attacks could mean food shortages this year. Bulama Modu, a rice farmer from Gwoza who has since taken refuge at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Malkohi, told IRIN: “Boko Haram has prevented farmers from tilling their fields. They have been attacking us and many farmers were killed, mostly youth. We had to run without tilling our rice.” At first, the militants imposed levies and taxes on the farmers in exchange for not burning their crops, he said. In one village in the Chwawa area of Madagali, a community leader, who wished to remain anonymous, said these “fines” ranged from between one and three million naira ($6,000–$18,000), depending on the size of the village. “But later, they started slaughtering people and this situation forced us all to flee,” Modu said. His village has since been recaptured by soldiers, and while he hopes to farm again one day, he is still too scared to start replanting. Impact on food security More than 17,000 farmers have fled from northeastern Nigeria to the south since 2012, according to Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) says food production throughout the region will be below average this year, and that areas of western Yobe State, northern Adamawa State and most of Borno State, along with areas in and around Maiduguri, where many IDPs have taken refuge, are expected to remain “in crisis” until at least March 2016. Food prices have also been affected. Inusa Daudu, who sells onions at the Mile 12 Market in Lagos, said that since Boko Haram began attacking farmers the prices of beans and onions have risen by up to 70 percent. “Most of our traders are now afraid to go to the food markets up north,” Daudu told IRIN. “Transporters see it as [a] high risk going to such places as Maiduguri to carry farm produce.”

He cited the example of an attack on the popular Baga fish market in Borno State, which was attacked one morning by Boko Haram gunmen. “Many food stores are locked and whatever is inside is perishing,” Daudu said. “It is not only the farmers that are running away, [but] the food sellers and transporters too.” Landmine risk Many farmers who have tried to return home are still unable to replant their fields due to landmines. They are forced to seek other employment until their land has been cleared. Others aren’t so lucky Yandum Kwageh spent almost a year in an IDP camp after Boko Haram tore her from the land she called home in Michika. A long-time farmer, she said the only thing that helped her survive the hardships of camp life was the dream of returning to her farm. But in April, when troops finally recaptured her village and she was allowed back, she returned to find destroyed, fallow fields, which, unbeknownst to her, were riddled with landmines. After weeks of digging out weeds and replanting corn, she stepped on a mine left behind by Boko Haram while tending her crops. Kwageh came to in a hospital bed. Now, unable to farm and grow food for her family, she hopes to be able to take out a small loan to start a business. The Commander of the 28 Taskforce Brigade headquarters in Mubi, General V.O. Ezeugwu, told IRIN that there have been “many” similar explosions in farm fields in recent months as refugees and IDPs return to their land in greater numbers. The government says Nigerian troops are working to clear landmines from recaptured areas, but that the work is “both dangerous and very time-consuming.” “The troops focus mostly on schools, [health] clinics and roads,” Muhammad Bindow Jibrilla, a governor in Adamawa State, told IRIN. “Farms are not considered a high priority.” Back in Malkohi, Kadai has given up hope that his farming community near Gwoza will be able to get back on its feet. “What is the use when the youth are all gone?” he asked IRIN. “How can we cope when all we had is gone?”

13 Continued from

27 December, 2015 last week

HE first realism of the situation which we must face is that every one of our four governments is in the grips of financial crisis. It is imperative that we should direct all our energies to finding answers to this problem. On the other hand, it will be a disservice to the nation for any leader to dissipate his efforts in devising a means of escape for his part in bringing about the present difficulties. I have no doubt that the Federal Minister of Finance is already devoting a good deal of time to the construction of his escape routes. He has blamed the financial ills in the East and the West on the former regimes in these two regions. Expressly, he has stated in the House of Representatives on the 20th of November, 1961, and I quote his exact words, that: ‘The Hon. Leader of the Opposition (that is myself) handed to the present Premier (that is of the Western Region) a half- submerged wreck which the Premier is desperately trying to salvage.’ I spoke immediately after the Minister, only to debunk some of the economic heresies to which he gave vent. But I deliberately refrained from commenting on his statement which I have just quoted, for a number of reasons. First, I do not at any time consider myself answerable to the House of Representatives for my conduct in the Western Region, as one-time head of the Region’s Government. Second, I hold the considered view that the name and affairs of a Regional Government should never be brought into debate in the House of Representatives either for eulogy or obloquy. Consequently, I personally have never spoken there in praise or criticism of any Regional Government, and have persistently tried to enjoin a similar attitude on my fellow-parliamentarians. It is most unfair to bring the affairs of a Regional Government into debate in the Federal Parliament, partly because the Regional Legislature and not the Federal Parliament is the only proper forum for such an exercise. For instance, whether or not there was a half-submerged wreck in the Western Region which its present Premier inherited and which he was desperately trying to salvage was an issue which no one, in the House of Representatives, other than myself could tackle without notice. And as I said before, I am in no way answerable to the House of Representatives for my past participation in the administration of the Western Region, or my official connection therewith, in the House of Representatives. Any such defence would only evoke more venomous attacks, and in due course we

Awo’s thoughts VOICE OF REASON

Call to rededication and reconstruction A Statement made at the meeting of the Federal Executive Council at the Action Group of Nigeria held at Ikeja VIP on 18th December, 1961. would all find ourselves defending and counter-attacking one Region and another. The first and the last duty of the members of the Federal Parliament is to devote their attention to dealing with issues which affect the Federation as a whole and not just one segment or region of it. Third, I am quite satisfied that the Federal Minister of Finance was merely drawing on the figment of his imagination. This satisfaction of mine stems not only from the fact that the finances of the Western Region were sound when I handed the affairs of its government to my successor, but also from the clear and unequivocal appraisal of the true financial state of affairs by the new Premier himself. In February 1960, the Western Region government made a substantial reduction in rates throughout the Region. This reduction was so substantial that it is now costing the Regional Government about £1.6m per annum, in subsidy to Local Governments. In concluding a statement which he made to the press on this rate reduction, the Hon. Chief Akintola said: ‘The measures (that is tax reduction measures) now approved are possible because of the wise and eminently commendable manner in which the finances of the Region were managed under the leadership of my dis-

Sunday Tribune

tinguished predecessor, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.’ The Federation of Nigeria is one body politic. Whatever adversely affects any member of that body is bound to incommode the rest of the body. The Action Group of Nigeria, as a country-wide organisation, treats with the utmost concern any problem whatsoever which may affect any of the Regions and the entire Federation. I call upon all political leaders to unite in meeting the crisis that looms ahead, and desist from a fruitless search for scapegoats. The second realism which we must face is that the Federal Government’s approach to our economic problems lacks principle, vision and enlightenment. I have spoken on this matter a good deal of late, and I do not wish to repeat in extenso what I have persistently drummed in everybody’s ear. I would like to be permitted however, to recapitulate briefly what I have advocated on this score, and to say something in defence of my advocacy. I have advocated that our economy should be nationally planned, and that such planning should be guided by the ideals of Democratic Socialism. Specifically, I have advocated the public ownership of certain industries, and the studied encouragement of Nigerian entrepreneurs, within the ambit of a national plan, to take their rightful places in the development of the country. It has been said by my opponents, in criticism of me, that I have taken these standpoints only after my party lost the last federal election. In order to rebut this charge and to show that the views which I now express have been consistently held by me some years before 1959, I make the following extracts from my Indian Report and from two of my past speeches. In my report on my Indian Tour which I submitted to my colleagues, and circulated to all the then Ministers in the other three governments of Nigeria, dated 11th December, 1952, I observed as follows: ‘It has been said by someone whose opinion deserves notice that a government which entered into trade would flop. I disagree with all my might. Indiscriminate trading by government is not only unwise, but might prove to be the worse form of inroad into the liberty of the citizens. But trading and industrial activities for government in certain selected fields, and under certain circumstances, are indisputably beneficial not only to the national economy but also to the national security.

To be continued

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voxpop

27 December, 2015

Should toll gates return in 2016?

Yes, it should return. Toll gate fee is essential for all states, due to it’s capability in a way of controlling/ checkmating crime.

The proposed return of toll gates has been greeted with mixed reactions from Nigerians. Hannah Sasodje and Yetunde Tijani went to town to ask Nigerians about their views on the possible return of Toll Gates.

MR OLUWAYEMISI ADEYEMI I don’t support it because, they will not have a solid account of how the funds would be spent, and this may cause a big problem in the country.

MR GBADEBO ADEDAPO

Sunday Tribune

MR SAMSON ADEWALE It shouldn’t be brought back. The main reason for toll gate is that it serves as a source of revenue, but the truth is that the government has so many sources of revenue. Bringing back toll gate is a waste of time.

MISS BAMIDUPE OWOEYE

Yes, toll gate should return, so as to generate more funds for the government. These funds will therefore be used to meet the necessary needs of the country.

It should return. It helps the economic situation of the country by getting funds to meet the country’s needs.

MR ADEBOLA ADEYANJU It should be brought back because the government we have now is trustworthy and reliable. The money derived from the toll gate payment should be used wisely in ways that will help the growth of the country.

MR OLATUNJI OLAWALE I don’t support the idea of bringing toll gate back, because people are no longer used to it and this present country where there is no money.

MR ABDULSALAM RASHEED I support the idea because it will help the economic situation of the country and also tighten the security level so as to avoid troubles and unwanted persons .

MR OLUSEGUN GABRIEL I will advice the government to bring it back if it will improve the road maintenance and construction of other infrastructure. It also helps the security of the country

MR STEPHEN SASODJE Yes, it should return. Toll gate fee is essential for all states, due to it’s capability in a way of controlling/ checkmating crime, through clean up of incoming and outgong vehicles. It’s another way of generating revenue for economical development.

MRS RIHANAT OLAWALE I don’t support the idea because some people use embezzle the money, leaving the country in a bad state instead of using the money for economical growth.

MR OMOTAYO MACKSON Yes, it should return. It helps the economical development of the country. Money derived from that should be easily accounted for and used the right way. It also increases the security level and may help prevent unwanted entries into the state.

MR MUDASHIR TIJANI I don’t support the idea, because it will increase corruption in the country and this is one thing we all have been trying to avoid in Nigeria.

27 December, 2015

homes&interior r s

Sunday Tribune

Remi Anifowose And Seyi Sokoya oluremi_anifowose@yahoo.com seyi_sky@yahoo.com 09090652322, 08141986123 08075166585

Are you an interior decorator? Advertise on our offline (page) and online platforms

Add quality to your kitchen, use dual door-in-door refrigerator

he era of going through rigours in preserving foods and beverages and positioning your refrigerator in an unnoticed area is over, as the innovation of a cooling device, Door-in-Door refrigerators, gives more confidence and class to people. The electronic-freak would enjoy its scintillating and energy-efficient features which includes durability, quality and makes any kitchen fascinating. The refrigerator’s Door-in-Door design reduces the amount of cold air that escapes by up to 47 per cent. With the addition of a second independent Door-in-Door compartment, cold air loss is further reduced. This means that foods stored in the refrigerator’s door compartments remains fresh for longer periods of time. The refrigerator’s compartment is also accessible from the outside with the simple push of a button allowing

it to be used as a ‘family space’. This ingenious feature makes frequently-used items like snacks, drinks and lunches easily accessible for the whole family. The left compartment can be opened by a handle at the bottom of the door and serves as a designated ‘cooking space’, ideal for storing essential cooking ingredients such as previously prepared vegetables, condiments and sauces. Accessible through both the Door-in-Door as well as the main door, the incredibly convenient Tilting Basket is also located within the ‘cooking space’ on the left side of the refrigerator. Both the refrigerator compartments are also equipped with moving baskets, enabling users to easily adjust the height of the internal compartments as they see fit. The Dual Door-in-Door™ refrigerator comes in two expertly crafted designs ideal for any kitchen and home in-

terior. The first features a contour processed, tempered glass outer finish that has been meticulously applied over a curved glass exterior. The alternative is a refrigerator with a diamond black stainless steel finish that is aesthetically pleasing and provides the exterior surface with fingerprint and smudge-resistance. It also utilises Inverter Linear Compressor, allowing it to consume 36 per cent less energy and produce 25 per cent less noise; employing a linear piston drive instead of a conventional reciprocating drive. The reduction in friction results in lower energy requirements and noise production, as well as greater reliability and durability for the compressor due to the reduction of friction points. The Inverter Linear Compressor creates an optimal temperature balance inside the refrigerator, helping to extend the amount of time that food stays fresh.

27 December, 2015

“W

HAT is Christmas without a turkey? What is Christmas worth without the celebration that goes along with it? How can we celebrate the birth of the Lord without jubilation and merrymaking?” These were the words of a friend from yesteryears. To him, Christmas is nothing but an occasion to hold fireworks display, an opportunity to revel in shindig, a time to down drinks and an excuse to paint the town in all shades of red. I dare say that not many of us are much different from my old friend; Christmas celebration offers us an opportunity to unwind and chill out. We gobble everything in sight, drink ourselves to stupor and party non-stop. But if that is what Christmas is all about, then it is neither different from my birthday nor, indeed, yours. If the celebration of Christmas is reduced to an occasion to stuff the tummy, compare the sizes of turkeys, a time to see whose party draws the most guests or a time to engage in debauchery, then the essence is missed because no one needs Christmas as an excuse to go on a binge or parade their possession. No one needs this special occasion to give vent to licentiousness or wantonness. I am of the persuasion that we will be doing the memory of Jesus Christ great injustice if we focus more on the festivity that goes with Christmas rather than the lifestyle and message of Christ. Probably the most profound statement made by Jesus is the golden rule; “All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye so to them; for this is the law and the prophets”. Simply put, treat others as you would want to be treated. It is the contravention of this injunction that leads to injustice. It is the violation of this instruction that leads to strife. It is the neglect of the golden rule that robs the world of the much needed peace. Government functionaries plunder the treasury and misappropriate resources meant for the generality of the people. Consequently, developmental projects are abandoned, infrastructure goes to wrack and ruin, factories close shop, lecturers go on strike, etc. The pillage of the treasury results in poverty and extreme deprivation among the people. A family of eight subsists on less than N500 a day, while maternal and infant mortality is on the

With Sulaimon Olanrewaju 08055001708

lanresulaimon@yahoo.com

Christmas without turkey

upscale. University graduates have no work to do; the moderate amongst them decide to join the swelling army of okada and tricycle riders or sell recharge cards. The immoderate seek the easy way out; prostitution for the girls and crime for the boys. The criminally-minded deploy their mental acumen to destructive ingenuity, some of them engage in cyber-crime, while others become armed robbers, blowing up banks, raiding the streets with sophisticated weapons that make a mockery of the ones lumbered by men of the Nigeria Police, killing, maiming, kidnapping and generally making life a misery for everyone, especially the affluent. Those who have amassed wealth cannot even openly enjoy same because of the fear of attack by armed robbers and kidnappers. Those who have unfairly benefited from the nation’s commonwealth are the ones that cry the loudest about their plight.

Sunday Tribune

But at the root of the pervading insecurity is the insensitivity of the privileged members of the society who personalise the people’s commonwealth. Had they imbibed the instruction of Jesus about treating others as they would want to be treated, they would have refrained themselves from dipping their hands into the kitty and would not have depleted the common patrimony for their selfish reasons. Thus, developmental projects would have been executed, infrastructure would not have been destroyed, companies would not have been forced to close down or relocate and there would have been employment for the youth. This Christmas is an opportunity for us to ponder on this maxim of Jesus and mend our ways so that we could have a better society. But interestingly, every religion has a version of the golden rule. In Islam, it is put thus: ‘No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself. Sunnah. Judaism puts it this way: ‘What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellowman. This is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary.’ Talmud, Shabbat 3id. Confucianism says: ‘Do not do to others what you would not like yourself. Then there will be no resentment against you, either in the family or in the state.’ Analects 12:2. In Buddhism, they say: ‘Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.’ Udana Varga 5, 1. In Hinduism, it is: ‘This is the sum of duty; do naught onto others what you would not have them do unto you.’ Mahabharata 5,1517. ‘Regard your neighbour’s gain as your gain, and your neighbour’s loss as your own loss,’ is the way Taoism puts it. And for Zoroastrians, it is: ‘That nature alone is good which refrains from doing another whatsoever is not good for itself.’ This says something to me; the focus of every religion is a better society. The question then is, since most of us identify with one religion or the other, why is our society the way it is? Merry Christmas.

opinion Maryam Babangida: A triple heritage of humanity, humility, heroism By Salman Yusuf

ODAY, 27th December 2015 makes it precisely seven years since a former Nigeria’s First Lady, Her Excellency, the late Hajiya (Dr.) Maryam Babangida’s soul departed this world. Well, that was the will of Almighty Allah (SWT). Every soul must die. May her gentle soul rest in peace. And may her family, friends and well-wishers, among others, continue to have the heart to contain the loss, reflect on her virtues and pray for her. Hajiya Babangida was a stunning character by all benchmarks, always calm and confident. She was a wife, mother, leader, role model and so on, of an exceedingly remarkable proportion. As a wife, she gave courage and support to her dear husband and former military president and Commanderin-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (retd). She comforted him when no one did; gave him hope when he needed it mostly and stood by him in the most trying times of his life and career. It is indeed an understatement, therefore, to say she is being sorely missed. As a mother, well, I had better refrain from long comment because no words can adequately explain how terrific a mother she was. Simply put, she was very outstanding. She imbibed in her children the necessary moral and spiritual character while raising them. A close interaction with any of her children will convince any doubting mind. An aged long wise crack in Africa that an Elephant does not get tired of supporting its trunk, exemplified the fact that Hajiya Maryam Babangida never got tired of supporting the weak, less-endowed, marginalised, deprived, poor and vulnerable, among others, especially among the

women folk. It could be recalled with nostalgic feelings that the project she initiated when she was the First Lady of Nigeria between 31st December, 1985 and August 1993- “Better Life for Rural Women”, as the then First Lady, she gave a new meaning to the lives of millions of Nigerian women. Many rural women, for the first time ever, were practically empowered through vocational activities, educational development through adult literacy programme and self-actualisation. The late Hajiya Babangida must be given credit for adding more respect, substance and glamour to the office of the First Lady in Nigeria, there is no question about that. Even as a private citizen, having left the position; she was undaunted. She extended the scope of her pet project to become Better Life for African Women. She stood firmly to protect and promote the interests of women. In this respect, though belated, it was expected that the African Union (AU) ought to have given the departed Amazon and African matriarch a befitting posthumous award in recognition of her contributions to the improvement in the welfare of women in the continent. It is needful to further encourage other aspiring women leaders to pick

up the gauntlet from where she stopped before she answered the final call. No doubt, Hajiya (Dr.} Maryam Babangida, as she was fondly called by her teeming friends and admirers, was a leader and a role model of no mean repute and without precedence. So, it is very difficult to capture all her activities in this piece when she was on this side of the divide. But let me just scoop a ladle from the ocean of her achievements. Consider her giant strides in the field of education for example. Her legacies continue to touch the entire world in an amazingly positive manner. The late heroine saw wisdom in the words of Herman Adler: “The object of education is not merely to enable children to gain their bread and so acquire pleasant means of recreation, but that they should know God and serve Him with earnestness and devotion.” Thus, Hajiya conceived, planned and established El- Amin International School (E-AIS) on 24th October, 1995. With that step, the former First Lady had taken an insightful leap to build the future; as a former American president, George Herbert Walker Bush asserted that: “Think about every problem, every challenge we face, the solution to it starts with education.” Humanity can only be thankful to Almighty Allah for giving us an artful, perceptive and a mother with foresight, Hajiya Babangida, who changed the course of knowledge acquisition and pursuit of excellence. It is a common sense that when we give our children quality education, we are equally giving them the best arms to fight many odds and tribulations of life. How can we forget such a wonderful great woman of history? • Yusuf, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the E-AIS PTA, writes from Minna.

27 December, 2015

2015:

s e s s o l , s n i a G n a i r e of Nig s... e i t i r b cele

Sunday Tribune

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

Tade Makinde tademt2@yahoo.com 08055001753

Afrocandy counts her blessings By Seyi Sokoya

U ‘Jammin’ with Banx Nigerian musician, Susan Banx, is set to round off the year with the release of a new single entitled ‘Jammin’. The single is produced by Eminik and written by Banx in collaboration with Jeff Jones, Tomboxe and 2BadGuys. The new song is inspired by the way love fills life with warmth and music. “I want this song to take the listeners on a beautiful love journey,” she said. Banx believes that this year has been amazing for her. “From ‘Dance Floor’ and ‘Home (Ile)’ to ‘That Kind Bobo’, I am proving that I am worth all the hype! Serving as a teaser for her forthcoming debut EP titled “Destiny”, which is scheduled to be released in 2016, ‘Jammin’ is only the tip of what fans should expect from me in the new year,” she added.

S-based actress, Judith Okpara Mazagwu, has described the outgoing year as a remarkable one, just as she noted that she has every reason to thank God for the gift of life and her achievements in the year. Afrocandy told R that she could not quantify God’s blessings and the gift of life over her life and that of her family, “but my greatest achievements in 2015 is that I have relocated to a better neighborhood and I bought a brand new car I love and enjoy so much. Indeed, it is a remarkable year for me.” While assessing her career in the year, she stated that, “though I didn't do much this year in terms of showbiz, I am hoping to do better next year. Afrocandy, however, released a set of sexy and Xmas pictures as a reflection of the season of love in the early hours of Sunday. "I wish my fans and followers a swell celebration. It is a season of love and I wish to reaffirm my love to you all. Merry Christmas and New year in advance," she told R.

Lycett, Joke Silva, Bimbo Akintola hold stage show A show based on a collection of true life stories of a poignant, joyous and heartbreaking examination of female selfdiscovery and challenges facing Nigerian women, Hear Word, will end today after three days of live production at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos. The play examines the cultural, social behaviour and beliefs that oppress, reject and limit a woman’s potential. HEAR WORD! inspires women to break barriers, realise their full potential and contribute to nation building. It is produced and directed by Ifeoma Fafunwa and has been featuring TaiwoAjai-Lycett, Joke Silva, Bimbo Akintola, Omonor, ElvinaIbru, Ufuoma McDermott, Zara Udofia, Deborah Ohiri, Rita Edward and Odenike. The stage show will be on at 2pm and 7pm.

‘Britain’s Got Talent’ winner debuts new single

Clevatee releases “Run Ba Streetz” video IBADAN-BASED HipHopper, Clevatee, real names Okunola Babatunde, has just premiered and released a new single and also the video of the song entitled “Run Da Streetz”. The song is produced by BTP, while the video was directed by Seyi Davids. Clevatee has worked with Adol, Jayru, Wale Waves, Tuwyze and many more.

Faces of celebrities who spotted Ruggedman’s Twentieth September Wears during Iyabo Ojos 38th birthday on Wednesday . They included Faithia Balogun; Mercy Aigbe Gentry; Dayo Amusa; Adediwurablarkgold; Funke Etti; Regina Chukwu; Liz Da-Silva; Kemi Korede; Nkechi Sunday; Kaffy; Abiola Osho; Mabel; Bimbo Success; Ef Sexy; Bunifard; Fadekemi Momoh; Kuddy and Gbemi Iyabos, Sharon Momoh. The entourage later on moved to a Chinese Restaurant at Ikeja GRA for dinner.

AWARD-winning UK-born Nigerian artist and 2009 Britain’s Got Talent winner, IKE CHUKS, has released his new single titled ‘Play Like Play’. The song was first played by DJ Edu on BBC 1Xtra and on i Tunes on December 20. With six UK and Ireland tours including three arena tours, plus performances at Wireless Festival, T4 On The Beach, and the MOBO Awards, Ike, has also starred in British 3D film ‘StreetDance’. His new single is the first official Afrobeats song from the UK-based Nigerian entertainer. The song is produced by TwoSeven, who had worked with Tinie Tempah and Stormzy. ‘Play Like Play’ is a rap track which sees Ike in confident mode as he speaks of his life journey to success, while offering inspiration for listeners to chase their dreams.

razzmatazz

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

SK releases new single, ‘Mr Man’ FOLLOWING on from his last single, ‘Independent’, pop sensation, SK has released a brand new single entitled ‘Mr Man’. Released on Krystal City Record and produced by Notch & Bones, ‘Mr Man’ sees SK in gratuitous mode as he thanks his fans for their support in 2015. With previous singles such as ‘Let’s Go There’, ‘Mujo’ and ‘Independent’ all silently making an inroad into Nigeria’s music circle, the UK-based musician is excited that his singles, four in all, have been a success.

StoneWhiz comes Korrect

PEFTI partners French, German Embassies By Hannah Sasodje PEFTI (Pencils Film and Television Institute) has affirmed its position as the topmost Media and Vocational Skills institution across Nigeria as it enters into a strategic relationship with the French and German Embassies which will see the trio collaboration on several projects in 2016 and beyond. The partnership commenced recently with a week-long practical workshop which included

recording on-location sound for a music video shoot in a Lagos market, Femi Kuti’s stage performance at the Afrika Shrine and the movie premiere of Remi Vaughan Richards’ “Faaji Agba” at Campos Square, Lagos. Next year, PEFTI will shoot a movie on the French-German Day celebrations on January 22, the Francophonics week in March, as well as other events organised by both cultural centers. According to Abiola Adenuga, Managing Director of PEFTI,

“we’ve been in talks with Christine Deuve, Director of Alliance Francaise, and Marc-Andre Schmachtel, Director of Goethe Institute, for long and we are glad that they eventually chose PEFTI for collaboration on these projects. Watch out for our activities in 2016,” he said. PEFTI is reknowned for holding courses in acting, directing, choreography, script writing, editing, photography and several other related courses at Ajao Estate, Lagos State.

StoneWhiz, on the stable of Big Dreams Music, has released a new song entitled “Korrect”. The young man has dedicated it to disc jockeys, media houses and fans. The song, produced by K-Solo, is a tune master-minded for clubs. Known for past singles like “Ughe Ule,” “Rundiele,” “Owotambuwa” and “Choppin’ Bananas,” StoneWhiz told R that he has “shown maximum traits of an evolving artiste, reminiscent of my latest music.

9ice releases Abefe Begins audition for Faji video By Abiola Oyedeji 9ICE has released a new song entitled ‘Abefe’. It is a love song produced by Olumix especially for the Christmas. “Abefe is a love song. It is about how a man loves his wife and won’t stop telling her not to listen to men who want to snatch her from his man. It is a very interesting song that delivers creative character,” 9ice. Aside Abefe, the Alapomeji label boss is also preparing to shoot the video of his other new song, “Faji” and has begun auditioning for dancers who will feature in the video, even as he released videos for Ogara and Sugar. The videos were shot in South Africa and were directed by Alexander The Great. The forthcoming effort is the fifth single from the “Gongo Aso” crooner and he is working on his seventh album. He had earlier released singles such as “Sugar”, “Familete”, produced by ID Cabasa and “Lord’s Prayer”, which was produced by Puffy T.

Tilla ready for 2015 TILLA D’Real Omoba (DRO), who has been away from the music scene for several months in London where he spent most of the year building a futuristic band, has returned to release a single entitled “Hey Mama”. He followed it up immediately with the video as his yuletide gift for fans. “Hey Mama” is produced by Otyno & Phantom, and mastered by Sheyman. Tilla, who told R that he has returned to the country to focus on his album and other projects for the coming year, kicked this off with a visit to his father, the Alaafin of Oyo, HRM Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, where he received the paramount ruler’s blessings. “I am energized and prepared for the new year from January to December.

Kel in surprise appearance at Soundcity UB Festival AFTER over two-year hiatus, Kel made a shocking appearance at the Soundcity Urban Blast Festival where she performed ‘U Go Wound’ featuring illbliss & Suspekt which was released in 2007. Kel’s rising success fell on hard times as she split with her former label, Capital Music, and fans started looking at her differently because of an apparent increase in weight.

Although she still finds the time to relate with music fans on social media, Kel has not recorded a new song in a long time. Another surprise act was HarrySongz who came through and sprayed wads of cash in the crowd. Just as he was on stage performing, Soso(Five Star Manager) walked up stage and gave him a bundle of cash which he sprayed in the crowd.

27 December, 2015

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

2015:

Gains, losses of Nigerian celebrities...

Don Jazzy

Dayo Adeneye

D’banj

s it happened to the Israelites many years after Joseph died while a new king reigned in the stead of the former who knew the prisoner-turned prime minister, the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari at the 2015 election blew a wind of change that hit some entertainment stakeholders, especially those who had publicly identified with the government of the PDP either at the state or national level. In the country presently, a new government is now in power and expectedly, majority of those who were once favorites have become unfavoured. In the days of Jonathan, celebrities such as Ini Edo, Kate Henshaw, Pawpaw, KanayoKanayo and many others were close to that government as they were always on hand to promote the ideals of the former president and some other PDP governors. The entertainment sector benefitted, especially as GEJ approved $200m for the movie industry, just as there were moves by entertainment stakeholdrs to lobby for an entertainment ministry under Jonathan if he had won the election. All that has been lost to GEJ’s electoral poor performance at the 2015 election. Not only that, many individual celebrities have lost out of government pa-

tronage from state to national level as APC has taken over governance in the centre and many states in the country. The more states the party controls, the better for some artistes and vice-versa. Leading the list of beneficiaries of APC’s largesse is K1. Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, his real names, made more money appearing on political stages of APC during the party’s political campaigns, making cool cash per state where he performed, including Abuja. Wasiu has not hidden his love for the ‘progressives’ right from Bola Tinubu’s days when he was governor of Lagos State. The governor made the fuji musician his official musician at many social events and Wasiu soon became the envy of many, especially from his own constituency. In fact, attempts by two prominent ‘Omo Ibadan’ musicians to topple him failed but one of the two ‘coup plotters’ quickly joined the PDP train from where he also made easy money in the last days of Jonathan courtesy of an Ibadan fan of his who had the president’s ears. Among the list of other beneficiaries is Olamide. The young man has wormed his way into the hearts of APC stalwarts in Lagos State and laughed to the banks as the party campaigned all over the aquatic states and also Abuja in exchange for his services. Olamide is

Kate Henshaw also into the ruling political party’s national leader, Tinubu, that he asserted in a song, “Jagaban”, that he “hobnobs with the original Jagaban”. No tongues wagged when the vice president in waiting then, Osinbajo, was spotted at the maiden edition of the rapper’s OLIC gig. The award-winner had contributed, with his music, to the overall success of APC at the elections. Wasiu and Olamide were not the only prominent artistes who were favourites of APC. Others are top actors and actresses in the Yoruba speaking movies. Jide Kosoko was the leader of the group that campaigned for APC in Lagos and other South West states. As regards those who made it big performing for the PDP at their political campaigns, topping the list are Obesere, Sean Tizzle,Seyi Shay, Oritsefemi Yomi Fabiyi, Ibinabo Fibresima, Emeka Ike, Segun Arinze. Reports then were that GEJ’s largesse to AGN split the body as

K1 many were not happy that Ibinabo, as president of the Actors Guild, was the only person that was recognised by the presidency when the money was disbursed. Even the G Class Benz that she bought around that time caught the attention of many. Continues on pg21

interview

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

NASS management must pay our severance package this year —Akingbasote A Senior Legislative Aide in the 7th Session of the National Assembly, Mr Wole Akingbasote, speaks with MOSES ALAO on the non-payment of legislative aides’ severance packages several months after their principals in the last NASS session received theirs, calling on NASS management to act on the matter.

National Assembly management and since then, we no longer have a voice fighting for us. Unfortunately, there is a little the aides who were in the last National Assembly whose principals returned for another term can do, because they are scared that if they press to hard; it might affect them.

HERE have been issues with the severance package of Legislative Aides of lawmakers in the 7th National Assembly, have they been resolved now? The issue with severance package is yet to be resolved despite the inclusion of the package in the recently approved 2015 supplementary budget by both upper and lower chambers of National Assembly. N10,618,837,435 of the outgone aides’ severance benefits is at stake as today. At a time that Nigerians are crying of economic hardship, why is your severance package important that you are making a fuss about it? Is it even legal anyway? Legislative Aides are Nigerians and part of the economic hardship currently experienced in Nigeria. Secondly, what we are asking for is not a favour or privilege; it is our right and entitlement for serving this country in the last National Assembly. According to the letters of appointment given to us; our appointment is non-pensionable and short time, but allowances will be paid as applicable in public service. So, to answer your question, the severance package is legal within the public service rule. Since you said a provision was made for it in the supplementary budget, have you begun to receive the payments? No payment yet. As far as I am aware, no one has been paid despite the fact that the supplementary budget has been passed and that is not too good. This is the first time in the history of the National Assembly that Legislative Aide’s severance package is being specified in the supplementary budget, which is a plus for the present administration. But the excitement we had about the payment is already fading, because we have not been paid the approved severance package by the NASS management as at today [23 December]. Do you think there is a cause for alarm, given the fact that if it is not paid this, it could be paid in January? Yes; there is a cause for alarm. The issue is that the money is meant to be paid this year and since it was voted

Wole Akingbasote

in the supplementary budget for 2015, failure to pay it now means that it will be returned to the treasury from January next year. Those who were aides before us have not even received their full package and the problem arose because they were not paid in the specified fiscal year they were meant to be paid. Up till now, they have not treated their issue; how can we remain calm when we know our case might end up the same way? What did you and your colleagues do about the situation before now? We have a union we call Association of Legislative Aides in the 7th Assembly, which tried to push this thing. But immediately after the expiration of the last session of the National Assembly, the institute was put under the

So far, what has been the reaction of NASS management regarding the payment and your agitations? The management has kept sealed lips on the issue. The last comment on the issue was pasted on the notice board saying funds were yet to be available and 2015 will be history by next week. Why should we be treated in this manner when the severance allowances of the legislators we served were paid immediately after the end of the 7th Assembly? It is unfair and it is only in Nigeria that people who have worked hard are treated shabbily. Now, most of the aides whose principals didn’t win re-election have been on their own, struggling to make a living. For instance, I came from the United States to serve as a legislative aide; most others left their jobs and businesses. But now, we are being treated unfairly, when our principals have received their severance packages. Let me also tell you that many legislative aides obtained loans from banks in expectation that they would get their severance packages; now, interests are piling up and there is no hope of repaying. Finally, what is your demand? The National Assembly Service Commission needs to recognise the input of Legislative Aides in policy and legislative functions in Nigeria and endeavour to tap into the experiences of the aides for consistency and sustainable legislative institution in Nigeria. The management should pay our money and not subject us to further hardships. I am also calling on the Federal Ministry of Finance to ensure that money is made available. We are also calling on the leadership of the National Assembly to please speak for us, because if 2015 ends, the Ministry of Finance will mop up the funds and say that the supplementary budget is for 2015 and that if the funds were not disbursed; then there can be no provision for it in the 2016 budget, which has already been presented.

I have no regret over 2015 elections —Alao-Akala Continued from

pg 33

the Labour Party with us, we left them in charge of consultations and mobilisations; we left them talking to the electorate on our behalf. I thought those people that I met in LP, who defected from APC, would be of use, so we allowed them to use their powers to mobilise the people, but they failed us. I would have done the mobilisation on my own, but if I know Moses is a good politician and can talk to his people, why do I have to confront him and mobilise people in his locality when he can do it and we are in the same party? Unfortunately, these people failed us and allowed our enemy to have a field day. So, we lost largely because of miscalculation and misinformation. There were some elements that thought they should be left alone; that in their areas they should be able to bring out votes but they all disappointed us. Some people were given the opportunity to be candidates of the LP, but they also failed us. So, everything boiled down to out-smarting and miscalculation. As a former governor that oversaw the affairs of the state at a time of plenty, how can you advise the government in terms of the call for diversification of the economy at this trying moment? Unfortunately, we have a mono-economy. I agree with you that there must be diversification and I strongly be-

lieve that an agro-based economy is the best for us in this country. This is what we have been using before the advent of crude oil. And as such, we should try as much as possible to go back to the land, let us go and cultivate the land. We made a lot of money from agriculture many years ago, so I think we should go back to what we used to know. This is the only thing that will not let us down. Having said that, a return to agriculture may not be sufficient because we didn’t plan for this population explosion; we never thought about it all along. So now, we should get everybody working in a farm. The largest percentage of our population should go back to farming; this is what can help us. I know that this is permanent than crude oil, because I know that some technicalities could be applied to determine the prices of oil as it is being done now. I hope we will not get to 10 dollars per barrel. The governments at all levels need to take that decision, because if they don’t, we will remain where we are for a long time. Sir, if there is something that you regret about the 2015 governorship election in Oyo State, what would that thing be? Unfortunately, I do not regret anything; I was only happy that I participated in the election. With due respect to Governor Ajimobi, I hope he will be able to sleep at nights. I don’t know what I would be doing now in the

face of the financial crisis, if I had won the election. I thank God that I did not win the election and I am sleeping in my house peacefully. Governance at this time in the history of our country is not a bed of roses. The truth is I don’t know what would have happened to me. When I look back, I don’t regret that the election went the way it went, because I can’t imagine what the governor is going through now. You want to execute projects but the money is not there for you to use. The problem we have in this country is that we are practising federalism in a funny way; how can we insist that all states must pay the same minimum wage when the same resources are not available to all states. How can a civil servant in Oyo State earn the same salary as his counterpart in Rivers State? The internally-generated revenue that Lagos State is making is more than the allocation they get from the Federal Government every month. The truth is that Oyo State takes more money than Lagos from Abuja but we will expect the two states to pay workers the same salary. You can’t compare Oyo State with Rivers State or Akwa Ibom State. For God’s sake, we are not the same in this country but people have refused to accept that fact. The same reason the a civil servant in Oyo State should not take the same salary as a civil servant in Rivers State should also mean that Osun State should not be paying the same salary that a civil servant in Oyo State earns.

27 December, 2015

entartainment

Sunday Tribune with Segun Adebayo tegbollistic@yahoo.com 08116954644

Femi Solar gets ready for New Year engagements

ASA gospel singer, Femi Solar, has had a busy year all through, but he’s not ready to back down even as the new year approaches fast. Solar who last dropped an album in 2014 has already begun work on another album which would be dropped in March next year. Speaking with E during the week about his plans for the new year, Solar who has just shot a new video from his last album, Grace, said next year would be a busy one for him, adding that he would be launching his new album and releasing a new video in March next year. On what his fans should expect from the album,

the soft-spoken singer also added that apart from the album launch which would come with a new dimension, he added that he would also be opening his new music studio and in his new office next year. “2015 has been a busy year for me and my band, but we can’t complain, because that is what we have been praying for. Moving to next level is our prayer and I am grateful that we are already climbing the ladder of success. We would be launching a new album, open a new office and a music studio next year. I also have a couple of collaborations and new singles that would be unleashed next year,” he said.

MI, P Square, Sammy Okposo, others serenade Uyo residents THE Emerald Event Centre, Uyo venue of the Glo Slide ‘n’ Bounce concert was on Thursday jampacked with Glo subscrib-

ers who had great fun. Top-rated Glo brand ambassadors and “A” list acts MI, Korede Bello, Sammie Okposo, PSquare and disc

January 1st Concert will be on a new level —Ali Baba

IT is now few days to the second edition of Ali Baba’s January 1st Concert. The concert that many lovers of entertainment in the country and beyond have openly embraced and have looked forward to, will hold on the 1st of January, 2016 at the Eko Hotel Convention Centre. And as E reliably gathered from Ali Baba, the event would be on a different level. The performers for the day, comedians and musicians, according to Ali Baba would don black and white Tuxedo. More than fifteen top comedians and ten musicians are expected to perform at the event. “This event will be on a different level in 2016. I am sure there is no better place

to be on that day except the venue of the concert. I look forward to a great show and I wish my fans all over Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.”

jockey Jimmy Jatt were in their elements as they belted out melodious tunes enthusiastically applauded by guests. The Uyo Slide ‘n’ Bounce kicked off with select, up and coming acts from Akwa Ibom State showing what they could do in singing and dancing. The raw talents pleasantly surprised the audience. Comedian Okon Lagos also put in a cameo appearance on stage to the delight of fans. The main show of the evening teed off with Nigeria’s foremost D.J., Jimmy Jatt, who got the crowd rocking with a blend of old and new sounds from his juke box. Sammie Okposo gave the show a gospel twist and the audience splurged on the ace gospel artiste’s medley of vernacular and English songs. At this point, the audience refused to sit. Sammie even got some members of the audience to participate in a singing and dancing talent hunt.

The audience was really entertained as those who participated in the contest did remarkably well. Korede Bello was given a standing ovation as the young star hopped on stage. He raised the entertainment bar to new levels as he sang his popular “God win” song and other popu-

lar tunes. The emergence of African Rapper Number One, M.I. on stage was wildly received by the audience who stood on their chairs. M.I was simply at his best as he interacted with the fans who also sang along with him, displaying rich knowledge of his compositions.

Chassis drops ‘Mumu Button’, new video ready THINGS appear to be looking good for the career of budding Afro pop singer, Samuel Oyebode also known as Chassis at the moment. He has been getting a lot of attention from his fans after the release of his much-talked about single, Mumu Button months back. The talented musician is one of the afro pop revelations of 2015 and many of his fans are expecting that he would step up his game in the new year. His latest single Mumu Button is already enjoying airplay across radio stations and clubs across the country, but Chassis said he would not rest on his oars. Speaking with E on how he plans to build on his fast-rising career, he said understands the demands from his fans and the rate with which the industry is growing, hence his decision to go all out to take his career with all the seriousness it deserves. “I am dropping Mumu Button video next year and we are also taking our time to sort out new collaborations. It is really on my mind, but we will reveal our plans early next year.”

27 December, 2015

sundayzest

Christmas is over… Now what?

HRISTMAS ‘merriment is certainly very contagious, as non-Christians also join in the celebration and as weeks of decorating, shopping, wrapping, visiting and being visited ends within a day or two, the only thing keeping post Christmas blues at bay is the anticipation of the new year’s celebration which also brings its own realisation of how hard the dreaded January would be. Overindulgence during Christmas as career prospects and dignity gets thrown out the window during office parties, alcohol replaces water, and food consumed as if there is no tomorrow, all leads to a serious anti-climax which makes some people feel blue and almost unable to return to their normal routine. As bad as post Christmas depression is, it has nothing on embarrassing party antics, overeating, binge drinking and over spending.

Office shindigs have caused the end of many lucrative careers; free drinks and relaxed atmosphere have been blamed for employee’s uncouth behaviour at office gatherings. To some degree, recovering from a terrible faux pas at the office party is possible depending on how you handle the situation and bounce back from it. The faster you get into damage control, the quicker the situation is resolved. If your behaviour affected another person, apologising immediately will defuse any simmering anger. Saying sorry is better done in person, by a hand written note or card. Email and text is generally considered, less personal and sincere. If your apology is rejected, then give the person some time to get over your action but do not antagonise him further or compel him to forgive you. No matter what you have done, apologise to your boss. After all, your career

Sunday Tribune

With Victory Oyeleke victoryoyeleke@yahoo.com

rests in his hands. As for the rest of your colleagues, if they like you, they will laugh off your behaviour and if they do not like you, they will be glad you have embarrassed yourself and make you the topic of gossip for a long time so, brace yourself. High level of alcohol intake during Christmas accounts for some of the deaths and tragedies of the season. Lax or no traffic rules places innocent people in harms way of those drinking to stupor. Alcohol affects each person differently and many factors such as age, weight, type and speed of drink influences the level of alcohol in the blood and have an unfavourable effect on driving abilities and influences driving reactions, vision and judgment of speed and distance. The rule of thumb is, ‘if you drink, do not drive’. If you have binge drink over Christmas, now is the time, to detox. Increase your water intake- water detoxifies and fights dehydration. Water

also helps in flushing out toxins. Avoid stimulants like alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine. Eat well and exercise. Overeating at Christmas is inevitable and we are all guilty of this. The question is not how to prevent overeating but what to do after overeating? And the answer is in ‘clean eating.’ For the next couple of days, try eating very light foods, drink plenty of water, and snack on fruits and vegetables. Avoid rice, yam, garri, bread, sugary and heavy high calorie foods. Bank accounts are the worse hit during Christmas as almost everyone goes over his or her budget. Though it might be impossible to get back the extra money spent, a few tricks can help you recover. Instead of re-gifting unwanted gifts or passing it on, sell them. For the next couple of months, reduce your expenses and commit to buying and spending on needs rather than wants.

makeover

Photo: www.redbookmag.com

I Photo:www. richclubgirl.com

Sunday Tribune

27 December, 2015

t’s that time of the year to tone down the office formality, relax on the stress associated with work and generally celebrate the end of that year and this is usually marked in many offices by an end-of-the-year party. It could be an entire day dedicated to the event or simply a party during work hours. Whatever category the party falls into, below are a few tips to become

Rita Okonoboh 08053789087 rosarumese@gmail.com

Fashion tips for

end-of-the-year office party the belle of the ball: The dress Go for a dress that speaks volumes in terms of design as well as character. Black dresses, as long as they are decent, are a fail-safe option. Not only do they work well with lighting, they can take almost anything – sweat from dancing, stains from spilled drinks and food and even from mingling with the crowd. If you go for a short dress, whether English of ankara-themed, let the length reach just before or right on the knees. If it’s a long dress, endeavour not to dress in your best evening gown. It’s supposed to be a night to simply relax. Hair Office parties do not necessarily call for special hairstyles. However, let your hair hand loose, if possible. Try to achieve a hair look that is slightly different from what the colleagues expect. The important thing is to make sure you know what fits you. Skin Considering that the party could last a few hours, and sometimes into late evening, ensure to keep your face and body hydrated. Use moisturiser generously to bring the skin to shine,

considering the dry weather. Makeup You may keep your makeup till you get to the venue of the party, especially if you’re coming from a distance or if the party will start just after work closes. Visit an eyebrow expert to shapen your brows, unless you can achieve the same results doing it yourself. Before applying makeup, wash your face to get rid of old makeup and rehydrate the skin on the face. Apply lotion to rejuvenate the face which may become tired from the harsh weather and from the dry airconditioning in the office, just before you apply the bronzer, foundation, or powder, depending on what suits you. For the lips, work with colours such as red, purple, pink or chocolate, depending on the skin tone. To make lipstick stay on longer, apply with the finger. You can also consider a lipstick primer for lasting results. For the eyes, if you use eye shadow, tone it down a little. Cat eye makeup is a wonderful alternative for office parties. Don’t forget to add a pop of colour to your finger and toe nails. Things not to wear to the office party Indecent outfits: As much as the

party is an informal setting, keep in mind that it involves people from the office and you still have to return to work after the euphoria of partying wears off. As such, it is important to dress decently. Tight or low cut dresses are recipes for long-lasting negative impression on your colleagues and even your bosses. They also set one up for lewd remarks and unwanted flirting. Remember that night club clients are absolutely different from your working colleagues. Besides, there may be a recording of the event and you don’t want to be labelled the office slut. Loud makeup: While bold colours are acceptable, take care to ensure that it doesn’t crowd the face. Keep the general makeup to a balanced level. Shiny or loud accessories: Christmas colours tend to evoke a sense of glitter but for the general human outlook, when it comes to the office party, avoid extremely shiny accessories or over-lighted outfits. It will not only draw unnecessary and unwanted attention, it will also breed irritating distraction. Most importantly, be yourself and dress as comfortable as possible.

27 December, 2015

relationships

… Issues, family, sex

Sunday Tribune

Rita Okonoboh 08053789087 rosarumese@gmail.com

Don't drink and dial We all know drinking and dialing is a disaster. If you're recently broken hearted, the holidays can seem like a lonely time. Then add a couple of drinks to the scenario and you can feel even sorrier for yourself. And then there's the phone. But you must stop. Anything that can be gained or changed in your life is better decided when you're sober. Do not scroll through your address book looking for people to hook up with, get back together with, or drown your sorrows with. Give your phone to a friend and ask them to remind you why dialing anyone in that moment is a bad idea.

Even if you’re a stable, calm, unflappable couple, there’s something about the busy holiday season that can bring out the worst in anyone

Do sober socialising Just like phoning and texting, now there's the opportunity to mortify ourselves the morning after a night of revelry through social networking sites. And not just with words, but with pictures. Try not to use your smartphone as a camera while out partying. You might be tempted to use your tipsy judgment to share your fun with all your Facebook or Twitter friends. Do you really want all your friends or followers knowing what you were up to? A Facebook status update can wait until morning. Don't text drunken messages Saying something silly or regrettable while tipsy is one thing, but firing off a drunken text to an ex partner can hang around forever. Save yourself the potential humiliation and prevent yourself from texting before you have too many drinks. For those without a smartphone, turn to your friends. Tell them not to let you, under any circumstance, use your phone to text your ex or anyone else considered inappropriate.

Dos and don’ts for

Do stay cool Family get-togethers during the holidays can be a difficult time to navigate. The best tip is to remember: you don't have to get along with everyone. Try not to be defensive, particularly when someone is trying to press your buttons, and let the wise cracks, bossy advice or irritations roll off you while you take a deep breath. The best way to deal with challenging family gatherings is to keep them short and sweet. When dealing with tricky in-laws, ask your partner to be each other's primary allegiance and deal with the situation together as a team. That way you can politely manage the covert and overt agendas if they occur.

relationships

during the holidays

he holidays can bring a reasonable amount of stress and tension, especially as a result of the many activities crammed into limited space and time and this can have a telling effect on relationships. Sex and relationship expert, Dr Gabrielle Morrissey, shares her advice for staying

Random Fact

strong through the season: Do flirt (carefully) For those who are single, a bit of playful flirting can be fun this time of the year. But be wary of who you flirt with. If you're single and truly looking for love, make sure you spot the signs as to who is

A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short. —Andre Marois

Photo: www.candidbelle.com

searching for a longer term partner over those after a flash summer fling. It can be as simple as listening closely to the other and not hearing what you wish they were saying. Spot the signs too. If they don't seem engaged in your conversation, they aren't interested in who you are as much as if you're available. And if you've started seeing someone new, be careful not to take your flirting with others too far unless you know that both you and your new lust interest are on the same casual page.

Don't argue Even if you're a stable, calm, unflappable couple, there's something about the busy holiday season that can bring out the worst in anyone. Shopping, crowds, families, finances, lack of routine, travel, compromises – if the stress at the holidays is making you argue, be sure to take time out as a couple to unwind and reprioritise. Remember it's the spirit of Christmas, not the to-do list, that is most important. Allow yourselves a break and some downtime to enjoy the holiday period together.

27 December, 2015

With Akintayo Abodunrin akinjaa03@yahoo.co.uk 08111813058

Academic and newspaper columnist, Professor Segun Gbadegesin, marked his 70th birthday with the presentation of his autobiography, ‘All the Way: Serving with Conscience’ at a well attended ceremony in Lagos.

OYALTY, eminent politicians, professionals, activists and other people of goodwill converging to honour an individual on a Monday morning is a rarity. But then, when that individual is Segun Gbadegesin, professor of philosophy, public intellectual, covert National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) operative and humanist, you would understand why the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos, resonated with his praise on December 21. It was the day the Okeho, Oyo State-born academic marked his 70th birthday with the presentation of his autobiography, ‘All the Way: Serving with Conscience’. National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, interim national chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, Deputy National Chairman (Southwest) of APC, Chief Pius Akinyelure and Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi were among top politicians at the event. Others were ex-governors of Ogun and Ekiti states, Chief Segun Osoba and Otunba Niyi Adebayo, and Senator ‘Nimbe Mamora. Representing the pro-democracy movement and professionals were General Alani Akinrinade (Rtd), Professor Ropo Sekoni, Comrade Wale Oshun, Sola Ogunbode, Dele Alake, Femi Falana (SAN), Professor Adigun Agbaje, Dr. Olu Otubusin and Mr Moyo Ajekigbe, a retired Managing Director of First Bank. Some of the kings who came to felicitate with Gbadegesin, Head, Department of Philosophy and Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Howard University, US were the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, Olota of Ota, Alani Oyede and Onjo of Okeho, Rafiu Osuolale Mustapha, Adeitan II. Unsurprisingly, they all had nothing but commendations for the celebrant, beginning with Tinubu, chair of the occasion who described him as “an over comer in many respects.” Tinubu recalled the Professor’s activities in the pro-democracy movement, noting that “as an involuntary exile myself

From left; Prof Segun Gbadegesin, Oba Osuolale Mustapha and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the presentation

Segun Gbadegesin: Celebrating a life full of grace during those years of horror in our dear country, I was a first-hand witness to the remarkable resilience and consistency of our Diaspora activist population which Professor Gbadegesin led with distinction. And no perceptive reader of this wonderful book can fail to recognise the web of activities that the pro-democracy movement, particularly in the United States and Europe, got involved in and how they caused panic in this country. Professor Gbadegesin was in the thick of it all. We collaborated on several fronts and I got to know him well as a result.” The APC National Leader added that though military rule ended in 1999, Professor Gbadegesin, who used to read Yoruba commentaries on the defunct Radio Kudirat as Alarape Aiyegboyin, continued his activism, “especially with his intellectual contributions to political praxis in the country.” He then noted of the autobiography: “This is a book that documents in readable prose and sound clear thinking, the life and times of the author. This is important in two

senses. First, in general terms, we all have a special obligation to chronicle the history of events around us. And it is a fact that events worth recording for posterity occur around us on a daily basis. Second, individuals who are endowed to serve their communities have a special responsibility to document their remembrance of events that shape their lives and stewardship. This is what Professor Gbadegesin has done in this book. I applaud him.” Executive Editor/Director of TheNEWS and PM NEWS, Kunle Ajibade in his review entitled ‘Of Gbadegesin’s Sense of Duty’ noted that the past comes alive calmly and wisely in the autobiography. He said, “In a blend of moral seriousness, sound logic and passionate prose, Gbadegesin renders an account of his life that has been full of grace. Knowing that his destiny is tied together with the destinies of his hometown, Okeho, Yorubaland, Nigeria and the world, he tells his story in the light of some significant local, national and world historical events.

Seyi Shay, Naeto-C, others shine at COPA Lagos THOUGH essentially a soccer event, the COPA Lagos International Beach Tournament has never lacked entertainment since its debut five years ago. Fittingly, it was the same at this year’s edition which ended on Sunday, December 20 at Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island, Lagos. While soccer fans enjoyed the football on show as teams from England, Lebanon, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria battled themselves for the ultimate prize, revelers were also having a ball on the sidelines with lifestyle events including a fashion show, celebrity match and musical performances. The celebrity match saw ex-internationals including Mutiu Adepoju and Victor Ikpeba squaring up against entertainers like Sound

Sultan, Mozez Praiz and Shina Rambo with fans and spectators loving every minute of it. Beach wears made with an African touch were showcased by attractive male and female models on the runway during the fashion show by designers including Ejiro Amos-Tafiri, Andrea Iyamah, Okun Beachwear, Tzar and Iconic Invanity. The icing on the cake, however, was the grand musical concert that ended the tournament on Sunday with A-list artistes including Seyi Shay, Naeto-C, Falz, Lil Kesh and Tekno amongst others on the bill. The teeming music lovers were held spell-bound till the wee-hours of Monday dancing to numbers from the musicians.

Seyi Shay at COPA Lagos

We encounter in this book a man who takes responsibilities seriously. We encounter a man with a strong sense of honour who has made a lot of sacrifice for the growth and development of every community he has ever found himself serving. We encounter a happy family man Chief Bisi Akande, who wrote the foreword to the book, testifies to this. We encounter a man who has been blessed these past 70 years with exceptional good fortune.” Speaking about the celebrant, General Akinrinade disclosed that he heard about him before meeting him in the US and that though he has participated actively in the struggle, there’s more to be done. “We have not got democracy yet; we have not found a way of controlling the people we voted for so the struggle continues till we get true federalism, equity and justice for everybody.” The General and other speakers after him also commended Gbadegesin’s wife, Adetoun, for her hospitality and support during the struggle. He specially acknowledged the amala and gbegiri she used to serve them in the US. Chief Osoba noted that Gbadegesin is not only versed in Yoruba language but is also deeply involved in the survival of Yoruba land. He disclosed that the academic had come to plead with him recently to return to Tinubu’s camp for the survival of Yoruba land. “I promise you it will be well; by the grace of God it will be well,” he said with Gbadegesin rising to applaud him. Prof Sekoni said that though Gbadegesin was not a financier of the struggle the way Tinubu and Akinrinade were, “his salary was always available to fund our bills,” and that “he is always ready to sacrifice anything for the community.” Comrade Oshun also touched on the celebrant’s humane nature, disclosing that the late Kudirat Abiola’s children had a very good guardian in Professor Gbadegesin. Otubunsin, who took over from Gbadegesin as Egbe continues pg27

arts&culture

27 December, 2015

Wakaa! The Musical opens December 30 ALL is now set for the public unveiling of the newest baby from the stables of Bolanle Austen-Peters Production, ‘Wakaa! The Musical’. Written by Tunde Babalola and directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters herself, the production will run at Shell Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan from December 30 to January 3, 2016 with two daily shows except for the last day when there will be three shows. With famous designer, Deola Sagoe and the University of Southern Illinois, US designing the costumes and popular musician, Brymo producing original soundtracks, Nigerians are set to have the time of their lives with the family-orientated two-hour extravaganza of drama, comedy, live music and dance. A Broadway - style musical like ‘Saro’, Austen-Peters’ first production, ‘Wakaa!’ is about the trials, successes and experiences of six young graduates, Tosan, Kike, Ngozi, Ahmed, Rex and Alero with varied background. A wager between them after graduation has a twist when the realities of life and the folly of their choices hit them. Tosan is the patriotic Nigerian who falls

Behind the scene photo from ‘Wakaa!’. in love with Kike, the extravagant and frivolous girl from a rich home. He is a revolutionary who believes in the prospects of Nigeria as a great nation free of corruption. He

helps his uncle become governor with his brilliant ideas and strategies and is later appointed special adviser on youth affairs. He has a lineup of great ideas to improve the

Kakadu returns to MUSON

A scene from Kakadu

HEATRE lovers who missed the last staging of the award winning production, ‘Kakadu The Musical’ during the 2015 MUSON Festival now have another opportunity as the play is set to return to the stage this yuletide. Courtesy MTN Foundation and Access Bank Plc, ‘Kakadu’ returns to the Agip Recital Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan on December 29 and 30, 2015 and from January 1 to 3, 2016 for its 12th run since it was first staged in 2013. Produced by lawyer, Uche Nwokedi’s (SAN), Playhouse Initiative, the musical is returning with a new cast and re-invigorated music in keeping with Nwokedi’s objective of discovering and empowering new artists. “The Kakadu storyline catches the watershed years in Nigeria’s history,” Nwokedi said of the play, an exciting and eclectic blend of music, drama and dance. It is a tribute to the period and infinite possibilities of Nigeria in the 60s and 70s, using the famous Kakadu Nightclub of the 60s as a backdrop for an era which gave birth to wonderful music and the distinctive social life that followed the birthing of a young nation. The production which has been described as “complete theatre that educates and enlightens while it entertains,” chronicles the journey of four friends through a time of infinite possibilities. It is a story of peace and

war, of friendships and broken promises, and of innocence. It is a powerful plot and a captivating storyline that looks at Lagos in the 1960s as the nation celebrates the end of colonialism.

Directed by Kanayo Omo with Ben Ogbeiwei as musical director, ‘Kakadu’ was Nigeria’s official cultural performance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2014.

lives of people in the state on the governor’s desk waiting to be executed but unknown to him, his proposed projects are for siphoning money by his uncle and associates. Kike wants nothing than to become the wife of a wealthy man, travel around the world, shop in the best and most expensive shops outside Nigeria, and take life one luxurious day after the other. She sticks to Tosan because of his good looks and very bright future. Ngozi is a kind hearted medical doctor who returns to the village to give back to the community. Having experienced child labour first hand, Ngozi is determined to use her education and position to combat child labour, child trafficking and actively partake in all other forms of community service and development. She meets a motor spare parts dealer, Cletus who though not educated, is a passionate idealist. Ahmed saves every kobo he has to travel to England with Cassandra’s assistance but getting there, she turns out to be nothing of the person he has been dating for well over a year. Both in person and character, Cassandra turns out to be a lie. Rex is a flamboyant, happy go lucky dancer who parades himself as an artist and a promoter of art. Having tasted poverty in life, Rex has sworn to make it at all cost, whether by hook or by crook. He is hurt when he losses Kike to Tosan and vows to either get her back or marry a girl from a wealthier home than Kike’s. Alero is the backstabbing friend who is envious of Kike and is willing to do anything to take her place.

Segun Gbadegesin: Celebrating a life full of grace continued from pg26

Isokan Yoruba in Washington DC, spoke in the same vein. For Ajimobi, it was not just a book that was being presented but “loyalty, patriotism, brotherhood, intellectualism, professionalism and above all, the success of Prof. Gbadegesin, an embodiment of all these qualities. He is a fountain of knowledge and I have also benefitted from that fountain in the person of Muyiwa Gbadegesin; a chip off the old block.” Prof. Gbadegesin’s kinsman, Ajekigbe, told his brother that he has a lot to do back home in Okeho when he retires from Howard University next year while urging people to serve well in any position they find themselves. The Onjo of Okeho, Oba Mustapha recounted Gbadegesin’s altruism and contributions to the development of the community. While praising Ajimobi for establishing a school of science in the town, Oba Mustapha

requested for federal presence in the form of rehabilitating the Iseyin-Okeho road. The Olota, Oba Oyede, who was overcome with emotion because he and Gbadegesin last saw themselves in 1966, recalled their days back at African Church Teacher Training College, Ifako, Lagos. Responding later, Gbadegesin who began with a Christian song praised Tinubu for his contributions to the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria but urged him not to relent because there is still much work to be done. The columnist with The Nation newspaper also reiterated his call for unity among Yoruba leaders and politicians, noting that it is the only way to progress. The occasion, expectedly, was not without entertainment. Dr. Adeola Faleye and her cultural voices did a celebratory rara (traditional Yoruba chant) during which they praised the author and guests. Another highlight of the presentation ceremony was the inter-generational con-

versation moderated by Adebola Williams of Red Media. It involved Tinubu, Gbadegesin, Chude Jideonwo, Japhet Omojuwa and Yemi Adamolekun. A major talking point was the young people’s observation that the older ones, exemplified by Tinubu and others, were not leaving political power to them. Tinubu’s response was telling: “We can be proud of you for having the tools we didn’t have; the internet revolution. But power is not served ala carte. You work on it; you work for it. I tell you, you are recognised but the young ones must persevere, demonstrate commitment and readiness to take responsibility. I am not quarrelling with you for being in a hurry but the journey is not going to be easy. Your creativity is far better than ours; you see opportunities quicker and you utilise it faster. Without you, we would not have been able to send Jonathan out of office. You can’t say we should roll over; we will mentor you to a certain age.”

Sunday Tribune

27 December , 2015

Growing up came from a wonderful family and was raised by lovely parents and of course siblings who shaped up my childhood. I am from Ogun State. I did my primary, secondary and tertiary education in Ogun State and then I took up a passion for modelling. From there, I got into a beauty contest, where I emerged as Miss Orekelewa in 2007. It was also from there I developed a passion for arts and creativity which has shaped me into the person I’ve become. It might also interest you to know that I’m a Christian and I’m passionate about it. Foray into acting I got into the movie industry in 2010 after I was successfully auditioned for a role in Two sides of a coin. Since then, I had featured in movies like One Minute Man, Where Does Beauty Go?, Mind Terror and Ikeji Omo. It was however Two Sides of a Coin that made me popular. Challenges faced as an actress One of the challenges faced was to distinguish myself and build up my skills to the level that will be commensurate with my vision. I was also hard pressed by the need to infuse passion and love for my career (two important qualities which were fading out in the industry). Description of self I’m passionate and devoted to what I do. I’m an extrovert but not without limits, I’ve also considered myself to be straight forward and honest with people. I value relationships, most importantly my relationship with God. Philosophy of life I have several philosophies but the one which stands out the most is “what goes around comes around.” Other things I do aside acting I model, I have flair for fashion and I’m also into humanitarian works. Definition of style Style for me is keeping it simple, decent and comfortable. I’ve come to understand that sometimes, less is more, so I try to keep it simple but chic. Beauty regimen I don’t conform to a lengthy beauty routine as some people might believe. I work on tight schedule so that mostly defines how my beauty routine goes. Accessory I can’t do without when going out I never go anywhere without my wristwatch and I love good looking earrings Favourite designers I’m not particular about designers. I buy whatever I like and whatever looks good on me. Favourite perfumes I’m not particular about perfumes either but I’m a lover of Tom Ford’s brand. What I can’t be caught dead wearing

glamour I won’t be caught dead wearing revealing clothes —Ronke Shittu Aderonke Shittu, a graduate of Mass Communications from Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ogun State is an actress and a model. In this interview with TAYO GESINDE, the beautiful actress speaks on her passion for modelling and acting, her fashion preferences and the qualities she wants in a man. Excerpts: I can’t be caught dead wearing a revealing or indecent dress. Greatest physical asset My greatest physical asset is my smile. My opinion on toning From my own point of view, I believe black is beautiful and beauty is best at its natural state so, I don’t really subscribe to toning. My view on provocative dressing Well, I believe provocative dressing mostly gets the wrong kind of attention so to avoid that, one should dress decently. On cosmetic surgery Honesty, I love the way I am. I’m won-

derfully and beautifully made. How I have been coping with competition in the industry Well, God has been seeing me through all the way and He has also created doors of opportunities for me.

A fan was once all over me at a place where I had wanted to be anonymous. She blew my cover. Special treat I prepare those dishes I haven’t had in a while because I love to cook.

Marital status I’m currently in a relationship. The qualities I desire most in a man are: sincerity, dedication and he must be God-fearing.

Most expensive item in my wardrobe I don’t keep tabs on the monetary value of my wardrobe.

How I handle advances from my male admirers I deal with them maturely.

Where I want to be in five years time Heavens. If the world hasn’t ended in five years time otherwise. I see myself fulfilling purpose on a higher level, that means I will be a better person.

Most embarrassing thing a fan has ever done to me

With Tayo Gesinde temiligali03@yahoo.com 08054727801

aspire

27 December, 2015

BY OLAIDE SOKOYA 0807 449 7425 (sms only)

BB pin: 290B9652

How to increase your sales in the new year (1)

HIS week, we want to focus on the front end of the sales cycle. Specifically targeting, prospecting and calling net-new leads. That is because in order to make sales, you have to have more leads and better quality leads. You might remember that I am particularly fond of the expression “every sales problem can be solved with improved prospecting skills.” Enjoy the list and be sure to implement all five ideas this week as written by Colleen Francis on www.engageselling.com

money and the greatest sphere of influence. So take a look at your current customers’ list, identify where your best customers live and target your marketing efforts to others in those neighborhoods. If your best buyers are usually the biggest companies that are spending money and are profitable now. Check your database, who spent last year? Chances are, they will be spending again this year. Once you have your list, create a plan to reach out to this best buyers at least every other week, no matter what, to let these companies know who you are?

Make just one more call Discipline is the one sure way by which poverty may be converted into riches, failure into success - and shortterm success into a winning track record that will last throughout your entire career. Discipline to provide just a little bit better service than your competitors offer or your clients expect. Discipline to make one more call, attend one more networking event or block an extra hour in your calendar every day to do business development. Discipline to document the objections you receive and create responses to deal with them consistently and effectively. And discipline to practice your sales presentation one more time, every time you head out the door to meet a prospect or close a deal.

Spend money on those who are spending with you This is not the time to be taking a shotgun approach to sales, trying to sell all things to all people. Rather, this is when you should be targeting those who know you best— particularly customers that have a higher propensity to buy from you in good times and bad. Spend money on those who are spending with you. Don't make the mistake that so many companies make during an economic downturn, taking a hatchet to their marketing budget. There's a real opportunity right now for smart companies to step up their advertising and marketing efforts—provided that they are willing to invest the time to target who they are going to reach with their message and then measure the results.

Make testimonials part of your strategy for cold calls It's a great way to get the conversation started on the right note because it's one (or more) of your customers who is talking about all the great things you can do for that prospect at the other end of phone. This strategy can be really compelling when the testimonial is one that the person you are calling can relate to specifically in their line of work. Create a Profit 100 Ask yourself: who are your best buyers? Whether you're a dentist, accountant, chiropractor, real estate broker or financial advisor, chances are your best buyers live in the best neighborhoods. They have the most

Network There are many mysteries in life, but this much is clear: nothing can help you get by like a little help from your friends. This is just as true in sales as it is in life. Truly effective sales people - the ones who always have time to make one more prospect call, finish one more project and grow their client base by another 10 percent, all while bringing fresh-baked cookies to the office every day - all have one thing in common. They are all more likely to employ a broad network of connections, friends, family and acquaintances to help them seize opportunities, and respond to challenges. In other words, the most successful and effective sales people are also the ones who are most likely to ask for help.

Your Life Counts

Sunday Tribune

by Tunde Jaiyebo 0803 406 2013

Stand up and fight the battles of life Life, sometimes, can be complex and to make a success of it we have to be flexible in our approach. Our approach and strategy must be based on the angle life presents to us. Life sometimes can be a battle and at such times we have to fight. At other times the angle life presents to us is life as a party and at such times we must simply enjoy ourselves. Life can show up as work which will demand we need to work hard. Life can sometimes seem unfair and at such times we must rise up and not be deterred from doing what we know ought to be done and not have a victim mentality. “Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian.” Dennis Wholey The problem arises when a person wants to always see life from just one angle. When a person sees life as a battle he will live his life fighting – even when there is a party he will be busy fighting. A person who sees life as simply a party will never take life serious – everything is a joke. A person who sees life as unfair will go about life complaining of unfair treatment and expecting other people to understand and sympathize with him. In this article we want to look at life as a battle. The truth of the matter is that the most common angle life presents to us all is the battle angle. Life is usually a battle or a series of battles. “Life is a constant battle for survival, and as we grow older, the rules change on daily basis…Our mission is not to escape but to survive. Not to deal with triumph, but to deal with failure. Not to run away with fear but to master it. It takes courage to keep on fighting. So if you feel right the rules have shifted one step higher. Deal with it with greater faith. God is our strength.” Unknown We must learn to fight the battles of life fairly and squarely. We have to learn battle strategies and tactics. When life shows up with a battle we must realize we are warriors and to win we must not just know our weapons but know how to use them effectively. The battles of life will demand an effective use of courage, fortitude, wisdom, foresight, vision and grace among other weapons. Our greatest enemies are fear, worry, depression and discouragement. Trying to live life without battles is simply impossible. “When life is represented as a warfare, some peaceful minds may feel a little alarmed at the pictures; yet there are other minds with enough of gallantry in their constitutions to feel their blood pulsing the stronger at the thought that life is to be one continued contest.” Charles Spurgeon Most of the advancement or setbacks we will make in life will be the result of how we handle battles. Without battles there can be no victories. “The battle of life is, in most cases, fought uphill; and to win it without a struggle were perhaps to win it without honor. If there were no difficulties there would be no success; if there were nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing to be achieved.” Samuel smiles As it is commonly said, no pain no gain. “There is a warfare in which all of us are engaged. What is life but a great battle, lasting from our earliest days until we sheathe sword in death?” Charles Spurgeon To make our lives to count we must be masters of fighting battles. Nothing worthwhile in life comes on a platter of gold. Enduring success is the product of enduring and winning battles. Whenever any success is achieved by accident you can be rest assured it will be lost also by accident. Life, as we have said, demands a balance. We must not have a mindset that life is all about battles else we become battle weary and become too tired to enjoy the victories that we get. For enquiries/comments please send email to urlifecounts@yahoo.com

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

thepolity Buhari and the 2016 N6.08 trillion budget

In this report, KOLAWOLE DANIEL highlights the 2016 budget as presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to the joint sitting of the National Assembly.

EFORE President Muhammadu Buhari officially presented the 2016 Appropriation Bill of N6.08 trillion to the joint session of the National Assembly on December 22, many had thought that there would be delay in this year’s budget presentation owing to the late composition of the Federal Executive Council. While presenting the document, the president noted that the state of the economy was a source of concern for many. He said: “By June 2014, oil prices averaged $112 per barrel. But as at today, the price is under $39 per barrel. This huge decline is having a painful effect on our economy. Consumption has declined at all levels. In both the private and public sectors, employers have struggled to meet their salary and other employee related obligations. The small business owners and traders have been particularly hard hit by this state of affairs”. Speaking on the budget proposal, he said, “This budget proposal, the first by our government, seeks to stimulate the economy, making it more competitive by focusing on infrastructural development; delivering inclusive growth; and prioritizing the welfare of Nigerians. We believe that this budget, while helping industry, commerce and investment to pick up, will as a matter of urgency, address the immediate problems of youth unemployment and the terrible living conditions of the extremely poor and vulnerable Nigerians. “In the medium to longer term, we remain committed to economic diversification through import substitution and export promotion. This will build resilience in our economy. It will guarantee that the problems we have today, will not confront our children and their children. This shall be our legacy for generations to come. “On the economy, we injected new leadership at the helm of our revenue generating agencies including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS). We implemented the Treasury Single Account (TSA) which, so far, has provided greater visibility of Government revenues and cash flows. We intervened to support States to navigate their fiscal challenges by restructuring their commercial bank loans and by providing facilities to enable them to pay salary arrears. On the 2016 budget assumptions, the president noted that, “after reviewing the trends in the global oil industry, we have set a benchmark price of $38 per barrel and a production estimate of 2.2 million barrels per day for 2016. We have focused on non-oil revenues by broadening our tax base and improving the effectiveness of our revenue collecting agencies. “Also, with the full implementation of the Treasury Single Account, we expect significant improvements in the collection and remittance of independent revenues. To further support the drive for increased remittances, we will ensure that all MDAs present their budgets in advance, and remit their operating surpluses as required by section 22 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act. The recently established Efficiency Unit, he added, is working across MDAs to identify and eliminate wasteful spending, duplication and other inefficiencies, adding that the government engaged costing experts to scru-

President Muhammadu Buhari

tinize the 2016 budget proposals. Speaking further, he said “We have directed the extension of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) to all MDAs to reap its full benefits. We will also strengthen the controls over our personnel and pension costs with the imminent introduction of the Continuous Audit Process (CAP). These initiatives will ensure personnel costs are reduced. Our commitment to a lean and cost effective government remains a priority, and the initiatives we are introducing will signal a fundamental change in how Government spends public revenue”. In the area of employment generation, the president said “As we focus on inclusive growth, we are conscious of the current rate of unemployment and under-employment. This is a challenge we are determined to meet; and this budget is the platform for putting more Nigerians to work. I can assure you that this administration will have a job creation focus in every aspect of the execution of this budget. Nigeria’s job creation drive will be private sector led. We will encourage this by a reduction in tax rates for smaller businesses as well as subsidized funding for priority sectors such as agriculture and solid minerals”. To address the chronic shortage of teachers in public schools across the country, President Buhari stated: “we also will partner with state and local governments to re-

Senator Bukola Saraki, Senate President

cruit, train and deploy 500,000 unemployed graduates and NCE holders. These graduate teachers will be deployed to primary schools, thereby, enhancing the provision of basic education especially in our rural areas. The 2016 Budget is pegged at N6.08 trillion with a revenue projection of N3.86 trillion resulting in a deficit of N2.22 trillion. “The deficit is equivalent to 2.16 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, will take our overall debt profile to 14% of our GDP. This remains well within acceptable fiscal limits. Our deficit will be financed by a combination of domestic borrowing of N984 billion, and foreign borrowing of N900 billion totaling N1.84 trillion. Over the medium term, we expect to increase revenues and reduce overheads, to bring the fiscal deficit down to 1.3% of GDP by 2018. In 2016, oil-related revenues are expected to contribute N820 billion. Non-oil revenues, comprising Company Income Tax (CIT), Value Added Tax (VAT), Customs and Excise duties, and Federation Account levies, will contribute N1.45 trillion.” By enforcing strict compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 and public expenditure reforms in all MDAs, we have projected up to N1.51 trillion from independent revenues. The present government is working continues pg 34

sundayinterview

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

I’m not returning to PDP, it ’ll soon die —Alao-Akala

Former Governor of Oyo State, Chief Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala, in this exclusive interview with MOSES ALAO and SEGUN ADEBAYO, speaks on why he is joining the All Progressives Congress (APC); his regret about the last general election and why Nigeria needs to diversify its economy, among other issues. Excerpts:

T was recently reported that you are joining the All Progressives Congress (APC), a party peopled by those whom one could call your ‘enemies’. Why? First, let me correct the impression that the APC or any other party for that matter is peopled by those you may call my enemies; I have no enemies in any party. Anyone who knows my kind of politics knows that I do not keep enemies; you can only call them my political opponents and in politics, there are no permanent friends or enemies. Now, to answer your question on why I am joining the APC, I want to make it clear to you that I am not the only one joining APC. The name Alao-Akala is not only about me; it is about a large group of politicians, like minds and those are the people that took the decision to move to the APC, because their interests are no longer protected where they were. If they did not take that decision, we would have remained where we were. So you are saying that the decision to join APC was not exclusively yours? It was not my decision alone; the people wanted me to move and I followed the wish of my people.

When you and your followers took that decision, there were mixed reactions. A lot of people felt disappointed and some felt happy. It was also a shocker to a lot of people, because it was expected that after the election, your disagreement and misunderstanding with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would be resolved and you would return to the PDP, what went wrong sir? I already said goodbye to the PDP; I would not have gone back to the PDP. What would I have gone back to do in PDP? Those people that had dissenting voices were not the people who followed me to Labour Party (LP), so they must be the ones expecting that maybe I would come back to PDP. But the decision to leave PDP back then was unanimously taken by my followers, so if some people are expecting me to return to PDP, they are not many; they are very small in percentage and I will say they are insignificant. Nobody would have expected me to come back to PDP; the party will soon die a natural death, so there is no way I can go back to a party that is in comatose. At present, PDP is in comatose, why do I have to go and join issues or be part of the people that will bury PDP? I can’t go back to PDP. I have said goodbye to them and I wish them good luck. I hope they can get a good doctor to revive the party. So if they get a good doctor to revive them by way of restructuring and rebuilding, will you return? No, no, no; I cannot and I won’t return to PDP. The only way I can go back to PDP is if the thing that made me to be going to the APC, if that thing is no more there, maybe I can go back. But to be truthful with you, I am done with PDP and that’s just the truth of the matter. What is that thing that made you to be joining APC, because if you would recall, immediately after the APC took over power in 2011, you were the subject of attack for the party and the govern-

Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala

ment? Also, before the last election, they discredited you, calling you several names such as ATM and saying that you destroyed Oyo State before they took over. People expected that APC would be the last party you would go to, what can you say about that? You are very right, but the truth is that what was happening at that time was politics and it was expected, because we wanted to contest an election. My opponents had to say something about me. People that were saying it were not actually members of APC. Don’t forget that most of them too have left APC and they left because they felt they were not getting what they thought they should get. Let me now come back to your question, don’t forget that any good politician will always have an interest and that interest is what is permanent. There is neither permanent friend nor permanent enemy as I said earlier. It is my new interest now that brought me to APC. A lot of people that we have the same mindset as to how gover-

nance should be done are now in APC. If you look at my political career very well, my pattern of politics is to move in the direction where the interest of my people will be protected. It is not just about moving sheepishly. A lot of my friends have left the PDP for APC. A lot of my political associates have left the PDP for APC, so what am I still doing in PDP? In fact, 85 per cent of my political associates are now in APC. But you did mention that there is one thing in the PDP which made you leave for APC, maybe if it is corrected, you would return to the PDP. What is that thing sir? No, I cannot go back to PDP. What I am trying to tell you is that the interest that made me to stay in PDP has already been defeated, so PDP is not where I can go to again. The things they were supposed to do were not done before the election. How am I sure they will do it now? I have just told you now that 85 per cent of my political alContinues

pg 33

sundayinterview

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

‘Why I’m joining APC’ Continued from

pg 32

lies are now in APC. Talking about interests, how can you guarantee that the interests of your loyalists who will be following you to APC will be protected, given the fact that they worked against the interest of APC prior to the election that brought in Senator Abiola Ajimobi for second term? See, what we are talking about is not about an immediate gain. We are not looking for any gain from the government per se; the sole aim is to see how we can be of help to the present government in order to take care of the people of Oyo State very well. We should not be seen to be antagonising or making things difficult for him. These are difficult times when all hands must be on deck. So, taking care of my people’s interests will not come first. That should be secondary and I believe water will find its level. If he knows you are good in a position, I am sure the governor will not say because you are just coming into the party, you don’t deserve to have this or that. For the advancement and progress of the state, we must all be seen to be working together. Anyway, it is not until you are in government that you will be useful to the state. These are the things we will tell them. We know where we are going and we will get there. You said water will find its level and going by your pedigree as a revered politician in Oyo State and Nigeria at large, when a politician says water will find its level, it has a lot of meaning. One of the meanings could be that your followers and APC members you meet in the party will soon be in a show of might and the real politicians will be discovered. Don’t you think there will be confrontations in the APC because of you? There can’t be any confrontation. As I said that water will find its level, when you get to a certain place, your substance will always show. For instance, if you take an elephant from Ilorin to Ibadan; won’t it remain an elephant? Take the same elephant from Ibadan to Lagos, it will still remain an elephant. So, wherever you go, if you are a good politician, you will be relevant. If you are a politician that should be reckoned with at your ward level, they will reckon with you. You don’t need to be confrontational. You know that politics is a game of number; if I know that you are very strong in a particular ward and that you can deliver your local government, you will be respected. We are not talking about paper weight politicians, but those who can make APC strong in the state. A politician will always be a politician. Presently in Oyo State, if you want to go to any place, you know those who can talk to the people there, because they are the movers and shakers of their locality. So, for God’s sake, water will find its own level. Sir, in one of your recent interviews, you were quoted to have said that the incumbent governor did not win the 2011 election but that he only out-smarted you… (Cuts in)… we have passed that. What do you want to know about that? Four years after that election, he

Chief Alao-Akala

broke the second term jinx that you could not break as a sitting governor and now that you have finally joined the party, have you finally conceded that he’s smarter than you? Look, at a particular time in politics, you have to outsmart each other. Abiola Ajimobi is the governor now, do I need to tell you that he has out-smarted me or he’s better than me? I don’t need to tell you that. At that material time, he was smarter than me. As I said earlier; that has already gone. Let by-gone be by-gone. You have to use what you have in the past to remedy the future. But there is this political custom in Nigeria where the governor is recognised as the leader of the party at the state level and the president as the leader of the party at the national level. Now that you have joined the APC, does that mean you have conceded that Governor Ajimobi is your leader? Currently in Oyo State, Governor Ajimobi is the leader of the party and if he’s the leader, am I coming to struggle for the leadership of the party with him? Don’t forget that I have had the opportunity to be a leader and also the opportunity to have worked with two ex-governors. I didn’t say they were not leaders, neither did they say otherwise. There is a way you go about things like that; if the man is on the stage, he deserves all the respect he can get, because he’s not representing himself. He is representing the whole of Oyo State. It is just like you asking me whether President Muhammadu Buhari is the leader of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Anybody on top is the leader. The governor of a state is the leader of everybody in the state. I am a citizen of this state; Senator Ajimobi is my governor. The kind of respect I expected to be given when I was governor should equally be extended to the current governor. But when you talk of politics, at

different levels, we have leaders. Are you aware that the Labour Party has accused you of leaving for the APC in hope that the corruption charges against you would be dropped? How will you react to this? Unfortunately, the present government has nothing to do with the corruption charges leveled against me. Will they go and meet the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to come and arrest me? It is not ideal for us to talk about a case that is still in court but I want to tell you that this state government has nothing to do with my case with EFCC. The truth of the matter is that it was not the current government that took me to court; it was the PDP people that wrote a petition against us. It was done by people who wanted to become governor by all means. They thought they could indict me to get me out of the way. I don’t want to predict what the court would do, but the charges hold no water. Don’t forget that it was all about roads in the local governments. They didn’t charge me for anything about the state. Was I a local government chairman? I can’t even remember the year I was a local government chairman. So, the LP people don’t know what they are saying, because they don’t know the fact of the case. Unfortunately, it is not their fault, when you are drowning, you will look for anything that you could hold on to. And because I didn’t want PDP to bring me down politically, I had to hold on to the Labour Party at that time. But as I said, my associates and allies have taken a decision to leave the party for the APC and that is why we are leaving. Another very critical issue that I would like to ask you… (Cuts in)… And I will give you a critical answer. In the last four years, you have

been one of the most active critics of the activities of the APC government in Oyo State. Now that you have joined the APC, how will things change? Don’t forget that I am not in government, I am a party member. If I am in that party and I now have the opportunity to advise on how things could be done differently, because they will take note of the fact that I was once a governor and they say experience is the best teacher, I believe we can turn things around. Let me also tell you that you can’t compare what is happening now to what happened in my time as the governor. By the time I was governing, Nigeria was selling a barrel of crude oil for about 165 Dollars. We got our allocation from the Federal Government regularly and that’s why I did not borrow money. I found out later on that the income of the government is not the same with what we had when I was there. If it is not the same while I was there, then the expenditure may not be the same and you will have to cut your clothes according to you cloth, because you will need money to execute a lot of projects. And if money is needed and you are not getting the money, there are bound to be subventions in taking care of the need of the people, especially when it comes to recurrent expenditure such as salary. Really, I don’t see any government that would not like to perform and if you look at it very well, I have never condemned this government in all my interviews. If you look at them, when anybody asked me about the performance of the governor, I always said they should let him do whatever he can do and leave the place. I can never condemn any government, because no government will come to power without having plans to do something good for the people. Nobody will like to leave the government without an achievement and for you to achieve something tangible, you need money. I think we are even blessed in Oyo State that we do not owe so much salaries. Some states owe their workers more than what Oyo State owes. So, now that I am going into APC, I think I have a cause to be part of those who will advise the government in accordance with the resources available to them, because if there is no money, there is nothing anybody can do. I think any good government will not borrow to pay workers’ salaries. If you borrow to pay this month, would you still go ahead to borrow next month and so on to pay salaries? The truth is that the economy is bad and it is affecting every Nigerian. In Oke Ogun which many believe to be your stronghold, the APC took over in most of the local governments. With your joining the APC, it is believed that you are just seeking a soft landing because you have already lost your territories. Is that true? No, I don’t agree with you. What happened during the last election in Oke Ogun was misinformation, because some people said I had a working agreement with a particular political party. Unfortunately, those that didn’t want to have anything to do with this political party decided not to work for the Labour Party or that party. So, most people there went to vote for APC. Secondly, the people we thought were in Continues

pg 37

thepolity

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

Looters and the controversy of plea bargaining continued from pg 31

to diversify our economy, we will not lose sight of the need to restructure the oil and gas sector which has been marred by corruption and plagued with inefficiencies. Accordingly, the president said that he had directed the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to adjust its pricing template to reflect competitive and market driven components, as this could lower input costs and attain efficiency savings that would enable PPPRA to keep the selling price for all marketers of petrol at N87 per liter for now. To deliver its development objectives, he said, government had increased the capital expenditure portion of the budget from N557 billion in the 2015 budget to N1.8 trillion, in the 2016 budget, stressing that for the first time in many years, capital expenditure will represent 30% of 2016 total budget. “This increased capital expenditure commits significant resources to critical sectors such as Works, Power and Housing – N433.4 billion; Transport – N202.0 billion; Special Intervention Programs – N200.0 billion; Defence – N134.6 billion; and Interior – N53.1 billion. These investments in infrastructure and security are meant to support our reforms in the Agriculture, Solid Minerals and other core job creating sectors of our economy. On the youth he said, “We will invest in training our youths, through the revival of our technical and vocational institutions, to ensure they are competent enough to seize the opportunities that will arise from this economic revival. Saraki’s take on the budget The Senate President, Bukola Saraki , who gave the welcome address before the budget presentation, commended the President Buhari for coming to the National Assembly in person to present the 2016 draft Appropriation Bill. According to him, “This is the first time in a few years that the President of Nigeria has personally performed this constitutional task. It highlights the importance you have attached to building a smooth working relationship with the National Assembly. This is a positive gesture that is not lost on all of us”. The 2016 budget, he said, must be bold and pragmatic in providing transparent incentives and conducive environment that would prime private sector-led development, encourage local production and promote made-in Nigeria goods. The National Assembly, he noted, was conscious of the yearning of Nigerians for quick delivery of democracy dividends. Speaking further, he said “We are ready to move swiftly and speedily to pass the 2016 Appropriation Bill. The swift passage of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper already points to our commitment and resolve towards this. I would like to use this opportunity to thank all my colleagues in the Senate and the House for their steadfastness and patriotism in this area. We will apply same but in the light of the great importance of this document we will not shortcircuit scrutiny on the altar of expediency”. While acknowledging that the task of implementing the budget was primarily that of the Executive, he pointed out that, “our recent experience has shown that even with the best of intentions, too much discretionary powers over budget matters are inimical to accountability. It is also true that impunity and corruption thrive best when the democratic safeguards for checks and balances collapse and accountability institutions abdicate their responsibilities. In this regard, the 8th National Assembly intends to discharge our oversight responsibilities fully. If only half of the unfolding allegations regarding financial misappropriation under the previous administration are true, they would already be sufficient evidence of the dangers that we face when public officials treat accountability institutions with disdain and oversight activities with irritation.” He then assured the president that both chambers of

Honourable Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, House of Representatives the National Assembly were united in its support for his administration, saying that, “we both recognize that even as we seek to maintain the integrity and independence of our respective Chambers, that autonomy must be embedded within the overriding responsibility we all have, to improve the quality of lives of our people and make them proud once again to be Nigerians”. In his vote of thanks at the ceremony, the Speaker, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, commended the President over the presentation, saying, “this is a clear demonstration of executive capacity which has put a lie to the widespread apprehension that the 2016 budget was going to be negatively impacted by the seeming delay in the constitution of the Federal Executive Council.” He equally commended President Buhari on the general structural improvements apparent in the document, it gives a positive pointer to the quality of the contents. Of course I am not oblivious of the fact that a book is not judged by the quality of its cover. The Speaker also commended President Buhari’s anti corruption war which according to him largely the reason why the country can afford the size of N6.08 trillion budget proposal, saying “It is important to hold firmly to the awareness that this war against corruption is not a tea party. Recently, there have been orchestrations in certain sections of the media subtly discouraging prosecution of the anti corruption war. These tend to focus on the methodology of the war and other sectional, partisan or even primordial considerations rather than the devastating impact of corruption on the society. “Let me assure Mr President that the college of Nigeri-

This budget proposal, the first by our government, seeks to stimulate the economy, making it more competitive by focusing on infrastructural development; delivering inclusive growth; and prioritizing the welfare of Nigerians

Kemi Adeosun, Minister of Finance ans favorably disposed to corruption is a small one, terribly small. Indeed, if a census is conducted, it would show that less than two per cent of Nigerians have that disposition and that the real practitioners would number not more than one percent. Make no mistake, though few in number, they are very loud because they have the means. In accordance with the dictates of democracy they may have their say but the majority must have its way. It will therefore amount to despicable failure of governance to succumb to the shenanigans of this terrible minority by subjecting the fate of the 98 percent non corrupt Nigerians to their sinister designs.” According to him, Section 318 of the Constitution defines a ‘Financial Year’ to mean ‘any period of twelve months beginning on the first day of January in any year or such other date as the National Assembly may prescribe’. “The National Assembly, going forward, may need therefore, to prescribe another date as the financial year in line with provisions of Section 318 of the Constitution, whenever the budget is not passed before January 1 in any given year. The letter and spirit of the Constitution requires that the Financial year shall not be less than 12 months. The date of commencement of the financial year may change but not the 12 months period, it seems. “Consequently, if this proposal is accepted, it may become imperative that the 2016 budget may commence 12 months from the date it is signed into Law by Mr President. A budget may have a realistic chance of implementation when the executive has 12 uninterrupted months to execute it. Mr President’s Change Agenda can only be realized for the benefit of the Nigerian people when his policies and programmes are faithfully executed. This proposal would need to be effected in full consultation with the executive branch,” he said. Going forward As the first budget prepared by the All Progressives Congress (APC) government, the 2016 budget no doubt presents a unique opportunity to the president to persuade Nigerians that he can deliver change in practical terms. With the seeming continuous slide of the Naira at the global market, Nigerians expect to see how the Buhari administration will take up its fiscal responsibilities and the direction which his economic policy will take. While, on the face of it, the 2016 budget captures the needs of various sectors of the economy in line with modest revenue expenditures, whether or not it will achieve its avowed claims will depend on how fast and well enough will depend on how Buhari and his team settle down to the task of delivering the promised change.

thepolity

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

What INEC must do to sustain credible elections —Okoye

Ahead of the rescheduled governorship election in Bayelsa State following the declaration of the December 5 election as inconclusive, the Executive Director of Human Rights Monitor and legal practitioner, Mr Festus Okoye, speaks with MOSES ALAO, on the need to sustain credible elections, the controversial ‘anti-social media bill’ before the Senate and human rights situation in Nigeria. Excerpts:

OU were in Bayelsa for the last governorship election. What are your major observations regarding the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC’s) preparation and conduct of that election? The electoral process is a multi-stakeholder venture. It encompasses so many stakeholders including the INEC, the security agencies, the political parties, civil society groups and organisations, the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. It is like a chain that needs each other to function and the malfunctioning of any of the intersections or aspects of the chain affects the operations of the entire process. This demands that the critical stakeholders in the electoral process must work symbiotically to deliver credible elections. INEC did its best to deliver good elections in Bayelsa State. Unfortunately, some critical challenges arose and this led to the inconclusiveness of the election. In the first place, out of the eight local governments in Bayelsa State, the commission characterised six as high risk and two as medium risk. It was, therefore, clear that the election was not going to be a tea party. For some inexplicable reasons, the security agencies did not take proactive measures to secure the environment for the free and unimpeded movement of electoral personnel and materials. Furthermore, the commission seemed not to have solved some of the technical issues and problems identified with the smart card readers. More fundamentally, it is disheartening that the political elite in Bayelsa State completely surrendered the state to militants to dictate when and how elections should be conducted. The militants kidnapped electoral officials and hijacked electoral materials and this created the state of anomie that led to the postponement of the elections in Southern Ijaw Local Government. We cannot allow a regression of our electoral process. Those that are afraid of clean elections must be forced out of the electoral process. Our elections must conform to regional and international standards. There is the insinuation that INEC under the new chairman is fast losing the goodwill garnered by Prof. Jega, with many blaming INEC for the poor conduct of elections in Bayelsa and Kogi states leading to the elections being inconclusive. What is your take? There is nothing strange or mythical in having inconclusive elections. It is part of the electoral process. The events and situation in Kogi State presented Nigeria with a difficult constitutional and legal logjam. Section 36 of the Electoral Act provides that where a candidate dies before the conduct of poll and after the close of nominations, the commission can countermand the election and appoint another date for the holding of the election within a period of 14 days. The section did not provide for or envisage a candidate dying during the conduct of an election and before swearing in. The section did not provide guidance on how to replace the dead candidate as section 85 of the Act

Going by the position of the constitution on defamation, don’t you think the bill, which many have said is targeted at controlling the social media, already has a footing? I agree that in no distant future, the Nigerian people must address some of the challenges posed by the social media. But the truth is that the social media is a powerful medium in a democracy. It serves both positive and negative purposes but its advantages in advancing the course of democracy and our freedom far outweigh its disadvantages. But the fact remains that some of those that are talking of frivolous petitions are afraid of their shadows and have something to hide. There are enough laws in our statute books to deal with criminal and civil defamation and we do not need people nibbling at our freedoms.

Festus Okoye

provides that Political Parties intending to conduct party primaries shall give the commission 21 days’ notice and the candidate must also participate in all stages of the party primary election. Moreover, it is the activities of political parties that led to the supplementary elections in Kogi State. Some of them undermined and or attempted to bypass the Smart Card Readers. Others used violence and intimidation to undermine the electoral process. At the end, it became imperative to conduct supplementary elections. I believe that the commission did well in Kogi State given the fact that the Nigerian people feared that the election was going to end up in chaos. I commend the commission for its conduct of the election in Kogi State. The issue of the death of one of the candidates was something that was not anticipated and the commission did well in taking a position to conclude the supplementary elections. It would have been a tragedy if the commission annulled its own elections. The ball is in the court of the parties and the courts to deal with the unanticipated constitutional and legal fallouts from the election. I also believe that the commission could have done better in Bayelsa State. However, I am confident that it will tackle some of the challenges the moment the chairman and National Commissioners settle down fully. The Chairman and the National Commissioners have the courage and the pedigree to drive the process of clean elections in Nigeria. You and some of your colleagues put up a position paper to INEC following the expiration of Jega’s tenure. What is your advice for the commission and the Presidency?

Our position is that we must sustain the legacy of credible elections in Nigeria. We also insisted and still insist that the electoral revolution in Nigeria must be powered and continue to be powered by technology. We also insisted that the electoral management body must have full complement of National and Resident Electoral Commissioners. We also insisted and still insist that the inchoate constitutional and electoral reform process in Nigeria must be completed. It is, therefore, imperative for INEC to lead the struggle for constitutional and electoral reform. This reform must start now and be completed at least a year before the 2019 elections. The commission must also clean up the voters register, break up big polling units, carry out constituency delimitation and put in place a new regime of monitoring party primary elections. Nigerians have continued to react to the bill before the Senate, which seeks to criminalise frivolous petitions, saying it is an attempt to inhibit freedom of speech. What is your view as a lawyer and human rights activist? No individual, group, organisation or institution will be allowed to violate or in any way serially abridge the constitutional rights of the people to freedom of expression and the press. The right to freedom of speech is a fundamental right and the process of altering the said provision is very strict. It is, therefore, an exercise in futility for any individual to seek to abridge the fundamental rights of the Nigerian people through an ordinary legislation. Furthermore, our penal statutes have made adequate provision for most of the issues that the Bill seeks to address and it is therefore an exercise in duplicity.

On December 10, the world marked World Human Rights Day, as a human right stakeholder, what is your perception of Nigeria’s human rights credentials in recent times? The human rights record of Nigeria is still poor. We still have cases of detention without trial. We have cases of torture in police cells. We have cases of extra judicial executions. We have cases of serious violation of the right to personal liberty. We have serious case of violation of the right to association and assembly. We have cases of forced evictions. We have cases of discrimination and other cases of excessive use of force by the various forces. Unfortunately, so many of the cases are not reported. Some of the victims are so poor that they do not even contemplate seeking redress in court. The rise of religious and ethnic fundamentalism has also increased the challenges of protecting the rights of women and children. We must make a commitment to the rule of law and due process. The protection and enforcement of the fundamental rights of the Nigerian people is not an option of charity. For instance, look at the unfortunate confrontation of December 12, 2015 in Zaria, between members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria [Shiites sect] and the Nigerian military and how lives were needlessly wasted. As we speak, a lot of human rights issues are at stake in the matter; the leader of the sect, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zak-Zaky is still in detention while many of the sect members are still in custody. Already, we have raised a position paper on the situation, calling on the Kaduna State Government to immediately set up a neutral and transparent Judicial Commission of Inquiry that will command the respect of the key stakeholders in the unfortunate incident. The members of the Commission should be made up of persons of integrity who some level of detachment to the crisis. Preferably, the Chairman of the Commission should be a serving Judicial Officer of any of the Superior Courts of Record and the bulk of the members should be chosen from outside the jurisdiction of the state and preferably persons outside the jurisdiction of Kaduna State.

interview

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

We ’ll ensure rural development projects go round —Adebutu The member representing Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and chairman of the House Committee on Rural Development, Honourable Oladipupo Olatunde Adebutu, speaks with SEYI SOKOYA on rural development issues and the activities of his committee. Excerpts:

URING the interactive session between your committee and the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, it emerged that the issue of outstanding payments on fertiliser subsidy may be an impediment to the country’s growth. What is your view on this? I have said clearly that as a nation, we have to choose clearly which subsidies to prioritise and those we can do without. The Honourable Minister informed us that there is a N42 billion deficit the nation is currently carrying on subsidies on fertilisers. We should ask ourselves should we go through tough times to pay trillions on petroleum subsidy or billions for fertiliser subsidy. I think we must address the issue of petroleum subsidies vis-à-vis the release of funds to implement capital projects for Nigerians. There are key frontline sectors such as education and health, which can benefit from more funding to improve the lives of Nigerians. I believe that in comparison to the petroleum subsidy, the fertiliser subsidy is money better spent, because of the nature of agriculture. Gradually, we are practising intensive farming and we need fertilisers and other supplements to boost our annual yield. If we must pay to get better yielding seeds and inputs then it is imperative we do so to achieve the boom in yield. We must bear in mind that governments all over the world intervene in agriculture to promote and sustain their farmers. Therefore, denying farmers necessary support is unfair, unkind and outright immoral. Isn’t your approach more like trying to protect the farmers at the expense of others? Let us look inwards. I am a livestock farmer and some years ago, I recall we were confronted with issues of a price ceiling and how much our livestock could sell for. Given that in Europe, it is cheaper to fill an aircraft with surplus subsidised meat for export to Nigeria, our industry came under immense pressure. However, the [former President Olusegun] Obasanjo administration said rather than export our jobs; we should produce here and protect our jobs, so a ban on meat products was put in place. Through that, livestock farmers had a reprieve and we succeeded in keeping the jobs on our farms. Hence, we were able to prosper and lay a solid foundation for Nigeria’s livestock industry. In Europe and America, agricultural programmes are subsidised by the European Union (EU)/the United States government respectively, hence they ship their surplus subsidised agricultural products to Nigeria and in the process kill our own industry. Protectionism is neither here nor there in the circumstance; if some must go without jobs, I’d rather they are not Nigerians. Billions are spent on importing agricultural products; yet, we can produce them here, generate jobs, secure our self-sufficiency and enhance our national pride. As chairman of the House Committee on Rural Development, how does the committee intend to fulfil its mandate and make an impact on the vast areas in rural Nigeria? First, rural development does not refer to the villages in Remo or Kaduna alone. Rural areas include places that show similar levels of development indices such as parts of Ajegunle in Lagos State and the like, which lack basic amenities. And you need to know that living standards are in essence rural as well, so virtually nowhere in Nigeria escapes being called rural. If you go to Orile-Oko communities in Remo North Local Government Area of Ogun State, some of the villages have never had potable water. I am sure you will find areas in Lagos experiencing

Honourable Oladipupo Adebutu

the same neglect. All these indices make our work on the committee more compelling. After 55 years of independence, some very basic things are still not guaranteed. It is an abuse of fundamental human rights to be denied potable water. This must be seen as such in recognition of the fact that we can fast and go a distance without food

I believe that in comparison to the petroleum subsidy, the fertiliser subsidy is money better spent, because of the nature of agriculture. Gradually, we are practising intensive farming and we need fertilisers and other supplements to boost our annual yield

but not without water. Our citizens must have access to safe drinking water; we must set a basic minimum target that everywhere there are 500 Nigerians gathered; there should be a water project. How will you factor your constituency into this task before the committee? Prior to my becoming a federal legislator, I provided bore-holes from my personal resources for communities in my constituency; the same applies for rural electrification. I have personally donated numerous transformers to various communities. I have also constructed flood control structures, culverts and so on to make life easier for rural dwellers, especially relating to movement of goods and services. I have lived in rural Remo since 1991 and I have a deep understanding of requirements for rural development. The truth is that most of our rural communities lack basic amenities to improve their standard of living. God, in His infinite wisdom deemed it fit to place me at the helm of affairs of a committee that focuses on rural development and as chairman of the House Committee on Rural Development, I will seize the opportunity to effect with public funds, the things which, for many years, I have struggled to do using my personal resources. God willing, I will ensure that rural projects go around my constituency and Nigeria as a whole for the betterment of our people.

interview

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

Wole Akingbasote

I have no regret over 2015 elections —Alao-Akala Continued from

pg 33

ORMER governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio was the man who taunted the former spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed during Senate’s screening of ministerial nominees. The Senate Minority Leader, while seconding the motion that Lai Mohammed be made to take a ‘bow and go’ added that the minister be allowed to say something and “maybe he will drop one or two propaganda before leaving.” Though most Senators laughed off the comment by Akpabio, it was apparent the former Akwa Ibom helmsman had dropped some big words on the laps of the man who has, in recent times, spent the longest years projecting party politics (opposition politics). Beyond the laughter, the former Akwa Ibom governor appeared to be telling Mohammed of the need to draw a thick line between party politics and government information dissemination. Akpabio seemed to be telling our Egbon Lai that while party information machines can dish out half-truth and sometimes incorrect information and get away with it, a government’s spokesman does not have that liberty. Where he tends to seise the liberty to adopt the political party tactics, he risks piling undue pressure on the government and further alienating it from the people, thus increasing the mystery of disbelief that is usually the lot of government from the populace. Months into the assignment, it still appears that the man credited with so much experience in party information management is still at the starting blocks. Recently, he addressed media men at the conference hall of the Federal Secretariat, after returning from a tour of villages liberated by the military from Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State. He heaped praises on the military for especially liberating local governments of Borno State from Boko Haram’s control under the Buhari administration. Not a few newsmen around cringed at that declaration, because the news out there was that the previous administration had freed the local governments where insurgents had hoisted their flags and also entered Sambisa Forest, ahead of the March 2015 election. There are also reports that in that process, they liberated close to a thousand women and children. On Monday, December 21, however, Alhaji Lai Mohammed added what looks like a difficult angle to his arguments when he asked Nigerians to put the blame for the current fuel scarcity on the administration of former

PUBLIC Address System was designed for use especially in public places like markets and public squares where people in thousands stand to listen to political and commercial messages. In the past, religious houses were used to preach the word of God in order to win souls for Christ but now they are making louder noises through the PAS to win (so-called converts) and rake in money to their pockets. May God save us. Amen. — Revd Afolabi Moses G; Agodongbo, Oyo08074217723 My response: It is comforting to know that there are still a few “servants of God” who have their real calling in view, and who are prepared to speak out against the murky dealings in the House of God. The truth of the matter is that the so-called mushroom churches and mosques make the loudest noise in a bid to attract potential worshippers. It is good news, therefore, that the Oyo state House of Assembly has passed a bill that would curtail the noise being generated by worship centres and which constitutes dangerous noise pollution and environmental hazard. The government should urgently set up an agency that would ensure that all comply with the directive with immediate effect. This second term of Governor Abiola Ajimobi should be used to let law-breakers know that the government is serious and that the time of violating laws is over. There must be sanity not only in Oyo state, but also in all the other states of the Federation. As stated earlier, a task force should be set up to ensure the law is not only enforced but complied with by all concerned organisations as it is happening in Lagos State. When there is sanity, there is room for development and progress. — Gordon Chika Nnorom; Umukabia, Abia State- 07084644222 I understand your plight and you are 100% correct about the unhealthy noise these worship centres make.

27 December, 2015

the lynxeye with Taiwo adisa

08072000046 taiadisbabatj@gmail.com

When will Jonathan stop being the issue?

President Goodluck Jonathan, who he said failed to make adequate provisions for fuel subsidy in the 2015 budget. Hear Mohammed: “One of the reasons for the fuel scarcity was the inability of the last government to make adequate provision for fuel subsidy. We do face some other logistic problems but mostly, we are paying for the sins of the last administration. “What I will be telling Nigerians is that what we met on ground is such that we are paying for the sins of the last administration. I am being very serious. You remember that about two weeks ago, we had to go to the National Assembly for a supplementary budget of N674 billion. “Of that figure, N522billion was for arrears of fuel subsidy, which was incurred as far back as August last

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

Re: This noise pollution Many churches and some mosques are guilty of this noise pollution. The unfortunate thing is that they are unaware of the fact that through their acts they are committing sin because they inconvenience others in the name of worship. They forget that their freedom ends where that of the next person starts. Government at the various levels – federal, state and local, fail to live up to their responsibilities simply because they want re-elections. Unfortunately, the current crop of leaders believes in ruling rather than in governing. I am assured however, that God is on the throne; he is watching everyone! — Lanre Oseni -07064181043 If pollution can be likened to an introduction of toxic or waste materials into the environment, then why are we disturbing ourselves? An adage says, “the sky is wide enough for the birds to fly without one touching the other.” Let us not chase shadows, but accept the fact that Nigeria is big enough for every one (irrespective of spiritual inclination) to worship his or her God without one disturbing the other. A great caution has to be taken by you and me not to allow these categories of people to make us sin against the Almighty God. Well, I still believe that God Almighty knows his people. Remem-

Sunday Tribune

year. The solution is what you have seen us doing. The first thing we have done now is to make sure that unlike before when the marketers used to import the major percentage of the fuel. NNPC has been involved in importation, because some of the marketers had stopped importing for a couple of months.” It looked strange to many that we are still battling with the blame game, six months after the takeoff of government. Recall that it took General Murtala Muhammed only six months to write his name into Nigerian’s history books. It was heartwarming to see comments from different corners rejecting the “Jonathan’s sins” excuse. Even the State House reporters, whom he addressed, could not help but laugh off his submission. But I guess that Alhaji Lai was trying to stick to the books; seize all avenues to make your opponent look bad in the eyes of the people. But you want to bother how far that strategy will go. The reality on ground now is that leaders of the APC applied for the job of running Nigeria, notwithstanding its challenges. And in truth, they must be seen to bring to bear their managerial acumen, rather than penchant for excuses. You want to imagine where the United States of America would be today if the blame game had been the order of the day several years back. There would be so much former presidents to blame for “sins,” and at the end of the day no concrete foundation would be laid. I recall that America was in bad shape when Bill Clinton took over as president. He simply unfolded his agenda and when he left, the economy was on a solid ground. The same situation was repeated ahead of the election of Barack Obama. The American economy and that of the world was on shaky note; the first black president of America never engaged in blame game with his predecessors. He got to work and redeemed his country. Thus, while the blame of ruining the economy would rest on other, the credit for stabilising it becomes the lots of Clinton in his own time and currently Obama. Perhaps, some words of succour that came through from the president, Muhammadu Buhari, should comfort us that hope was not lost. The retired General, who in his October 1 speech had said that every regime must inherit its own challenges, further reinforced that with an apology to Nigerians over the lingering fuel crisis. Alhaji Lai would easily carry many along if he sticks to just telling us as it is rather than seeking to shift the blame at the slightest opportunity.

ber, one man’s food is another man’s poison. — Taiwo Sangotikun; Iseyin, Oyo 08056309372

State-

My response: Your last sentence says it all. “One man’s food is another man’s poison.” This is the more reason why religious leaders should be sensitive to the feelings of others. Why should I be forced to eat the poison, which is a delicacy to another? Why would I have to endure many sleepless nights because some people want to worship ‘their God’? I know a popular Pentecostal church in Ibadan that had to muffle its PAS because the neighbours complained about the disturbance the night vigils and other programmes constituted to them. What that church did is responsible. It was sensitive to the feelings of those in the neighbourhood and acted promptly. Unfortunately, it is the mushroom worship centres that won’t listen. And it is a pity! It was being bandied about during the Buhari/Idiagbon regime of 1983/1984 that the fourth policy of that government was to control noise making in Nigeria. Alas, the Gen. Ibrahim Babangida’s interruption of that government disallowed it. Today the menace of noise making has to be addressed at ALL levels of government. How can one justify one to five people in a church or mosque disturbing thousands of others outside? Worse still is the local herbal/native drug sellers and their accomplices in crime, the record sellers. These people should be curbed before they turn us to ‘deaf citizens’ beckoning at the World Health Organisation for assistance. The Oyo State House of Assembly’s motion should be passed into law and must be enforced. — Segun Olujimi; Saki, Oyo State- 08059854764 I wish all my readers a Happy New Year in advance. You have all made the year very interesting despite the harsh economic situation. May the new year usher in the real change we all want. Amen.

27 December, 2015

on the

With Bolanle Bolawole turnpot@gmail.com 07052631058

lord’sday EFCC’s anticipated letter to Jonathan

ave you heard the news? The Economic and Fi“ nancial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is said to be contemplating writing a letter to yesterday’s man of power, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. “What for?” “Did you ask what for? Do you not reside in this country?” “Of course, I do! There are a million and one reasons that can make anyone want to write a letter to the former president” “EFCC is not anybody’s ‘anyone’; the mere mention of that name connotes missing money.” “I see! Between missing persons and missing money, it is difficult to say which is more rampant in this country these days.” “It is not difficult. Missing money is more rampant”. “Does it then mean that they have traced some missing money to Otuoke?” “The letter will reveal that.” “What an irony! Who be EFCC or who born monkey when Jonathan was Jonathan?” “Such is life! That is what Zik of blessed memory called ‘no condition is permanent’” “Unfortunately, our leaders don’t get to realise this when they are in power” “Don’t blame them; power is the most dastardly of all intoxicants in the whole world; it excludes no one, be they Christian or Muslim, progressive or conservative” “The current holders of power appear to have begun to get tipsy with the same intoxicant” “That is understandable” “But they are supposed to be change agents” “They are! The change began when Muhammadu Buhari replaced Goodluck Jonathan; the EFCC would-be letter to Jonathan is another evidence of change” “You are right; few months ago, who in EFCC dare shine torchlight on Jonathan’s face?” “Like an unruly policeman reeking of “burukutu” and “kain-kain” would belch ‘who goes there?’” “Those must not be the kind of policemen who will write the Jonathan letter” “You are right. They will most likely get some accomplished letter-writers or “ogbonge” lawyers to do the letter” “Like who and who?” “Have you forgotten Oga Tony Momoh? The letter-writing wizard of the IBB regime; mercifully, he is a top gun in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)” “That was a long time ago; the man must have gone stale. We are in the digital age; not the analogue of yore” “How, then, about the Otta farmer?” Perfect! He is current and digital; besides, he writes letters that drip with blood, malice, and vindictiveness” “How soon are we to expect the letter?” “No one is sure yet; but it should be pretty soon because it is best to hit the iron while it is still very hot” “You are right; the revelations of the arms deal saga are mind-boggling. This is therefore the right time for the Oga at the top when the bazaar took place to tell his own side of the story” “But don’t forget that this is Nigeria; often, the more you look the less you see.” “This case is too straightforward to admit of any ‘magomago’ or ‘wuru-wuru’” “You are being too idealistic. Already, it has been said that EFCC will seek clearance before it can write the letter” “Clearance from who? Is the EFCC not an independent anti-corruption agency?” “Yes, but up to the point that it knows it limits; there are no powers without restraint” “It means, then, that it is not totally independent” “Correct! No one is; not even the president who said he belonged to no one is totally independent” “But by law as well as by intent, the EFCC is meant to be independent” “On paper, yes; the truth, however, is, he who pays the piper dictates the tune” “That way, not much will be achieved in the anti-graft war” “Correct; not much was ever planned to be achieved, be it in the past, now, or in the future” “How can that be; seeing that there is so much talk about the war against corruption?” “For the simple fact that none is immune from corruption; the ruling party as well as the opposition; public as well as private sector” “But Buhari is seen by most Nigerians to be incorruptible” “Not after he admitted collecting exotic cars from Jonathan” “It was his legitimate entitlement as a retired head of state” “Agreed; but the timing was awfully wrong. He possibly never imagined the depth of the corruption in the Jonathan administration” “That may be true but another plausible explanation could be that offered by the Western media” “And what was it?” “They referred to Buhari as one of the least corrupt African leaders” “Meaning that they do not believe that there is a single African leader who is not tainted” “Correct. The

Let us assume for the purpose of argument that the EFCC gets the clearance to write Jonathan a ‘love’ letter? That will only be the first hurdle crossed

only difference is the extent of corruption” “When placed side-by-side other African leaders, Buhari could qualify as a saint” “Correct. But there is a caveat; the West is usually jaundiced about all things Black; racism cannot be ruled out of their put-them-down syndrome.” “That is true because corruption is also rife in the West; witness what is happening in FIFA. The culprits are not limited to any creed, race or region” “Back to the EFCC letter: What happens if the president declines to approve?” “Finito! The matter gets swept under the carpet” “Not with all the revelations that have already escaped into the public domain; and not with all the people already charged to court, some of who are singing like canary” “A respectable SAN has suggested a way out: Jonathan should go to Buhari and confess his ‘sins’” “After which...?” “Forgiveness, of course! It is only he who covers his sins that the Bible says will not prosper; for those who confess and forsake

Sunday Tribune

their sins, there is remission of sin” “That is moral sin; we are talking here of monumental financial crimes; thereby causing untold hardship to the citizenry” “Not every citizen sees it that way. For some, ethnic, political party, and religious sentiments supersede any national consideration” “You mean once the thief is your own man, nothing else matters?” “Exactly; but where do we go from here?” “Nowhere! We merry-go-round and walk in circles! We propose cosmetic changes that won’t last and that won’t take us far.” “Let us assume for the purpose of argument that the EFCC gets the clearance to write Jonathan a ‘love’ letter?” “That will only be the first hurdle crossed” “What did you mean ‘the first hurdle crossed’? What other hurdles would there be?” We must thereafter wait with bated breath to see whether the man will reply the letter or shred it” “Like ex-President Obasanjo caused his PDP membership card to be shredded in public?” “Exactly!” “But that will be serious. Ex-presidents don’t have immunity; they can be compelled to behave” “That is on paper; in real life, it is immunity for life” “I expect a bold and forthright person like Buhari to bell the cat” “He will be the last person to do that” “How do you mean?” “Simple: He belongs to the club” “Of ex-presidents?” “Yes; but more importantly, to the club of ex-presidents who trampled the law and dared a sitting president to arrest him if he could” “I see! That was in 2011 when he allegedly made those incendiary statements that threatened election-rigging with mayhem” “Exactly! Despite that many innocent Nigerians lost their lives, Buhari walked away scot-free.” “Blame Jonathan who was spineless” “It is now Jonathan’s turn to hold Buhari to ransom. If he refuses to reply any letter from the EFCC or snub any invitation from the anti-graft agency, let Buhari order his arrest if he can.” “So it is now tit-fortat?” “Exactly! What goes around comes around” “I agree with you; the precedents on ground are not encouraging at all” “Our leaders have a poor sense of history. If only Buhari knew there would be a day like this, he would not have thumbed his long nose at Jonathan in 2011.” “Now is the time for the Otuoke boy to maintain studded silence and his trade-mark emotionless grin while Buhari roils in his own stew.” “Remember, too, that when Obasanjo set up the Oputa panel, the trio of Buhari, IBB, and Abdulsalami shunned it and nothing happened” “You are right. It was amazing that even Obasanjo could not compel them to attend” “Does it then mean that Jonathan will escape justice?” “No! He will be guilty as charged in the court of public opinion” “But there is a way Buhari can negotiate the corner?” “How?” “The same way he tried to solve the Umaru Dikko problem” “Crating? It failed and the attempt gave Buhari’s dictatorial military regime a bloodied nose” “Correct, but now the pyramid is inverted and Buhari could very much be in the good books of the Western powers” “How do you mean? The West will never support crating?” “You are still ensconced in the past. Umaru Dikko is dead and gone; have you forgotten?” “But whenever we talk of crating, it still brings back memories, whether fond or distasteful, of the man” “The focus now is Jonathan. Buhari dare not haul him before a law court; neither will he want to let him go scot-free” “I understand the dilemma; to prosecute him may be seen by many as putting the whole Ijaw nation or the entire South-south in the dock” “Correct; and to let him walk away will rubbish the anti-graft war” “It is a lose-lose situation” “But which can be turned into a win-win situation” “How?” “A British court has almost virtually indicted Jonathan of grand corruption in the Malabu oil deal case. Jonathan needs only to commit the same error as James Ibori to end up in prison” “But will he be that foolish? He will never go near Britain” “Marabouts can charm him” “What if his own prayer warriors successfully counter the marabouts?” “Then Buhari will have to try the Dikko option” “What?” “Crate Jonathan in Nigeria and send him to London! I am sure Britain will not object to that” “Now I understand! Otuoke boy must henceforth watch where he goes; sleep with one eye closed; and throw curious and suspicious glances around himself, even while in his bedroom!” LAST WORD: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the readers of this column!

language&style With a view to…

AMPLE 2: “Sunday Punch had sought to know if former President Jonathan had sent emissaries to the President and whether or not he had been approached by influential individuals with a view to intervene based on the ongoing revelations.” (Arms Scam: Suspects Run to Obasanjo for Help, the Sunday Punch, December 13, 2015) I draw readers’ attention to the word intervene which occurs in the following context: “with a view to intervene.” Please note that the appropriate form is the gerund: with a view to intervening. This is so for this special construction: with a view to…In other words, the expression “with a view to” must be followed by the –ing form of the verb. But in other cases, wherever the verb is preceded by the particle to, that verb has to be in its basic, uninflected form (or the infinitive form): 1)My intention is to proceed on leave immediately. 2) They are planning to change the name of the school. 3) The soldiers decided to attack the notorious village. 4) The committee members are to consider the matter urgently. 5) The payment motivated him to work harder. 6) The sermon encouraged him to tackle the problem boldly. 7) He attempted to kill his wife. 8) She wanted to use her feminine qualities to win his heart. 9) The accountant had planned to delay the payment. 10) The lawyer has been paid to represent the two suspects. Now compare those sentences with the following: 1) Loans and fertilizers were made available to farmers with a view to increasing agricultural yields. 2) They set forth early in the morning with a view to reaching their destination by 9 am. 3) Several checkpoints were created with a view to arresting the perpetrators of the heinous crime. 4) Two anti-corruption agencies were set up with a view to reducing bribery and corruption to the barest minimum. 6) A curfew was imposed on the town witha view to stopping the senseless blood-letting. 7) More policemen are being recruited with a view to increasing police presence in every nook and cranny of the country. 8) Infants are to enjoy free medical care with a view to reducing the infant mortality rate in the country. 9)The accounting officer changed many of the figures with a view to perpetrating massive fraud. 10) He has been writing articles in newspapers with a view to undermining the government. Sample 2: “Already, the agency has seized 24 property and several cars from three civil servants with one of them having 18 property. A document obtained from the office of the Chairman of the ICPC…revealed that the commission seized the property from three officials of the Ministry of Niger Delta. It stated that the property was seized because they were excessive of the emoluments of the affected officers…The ICPC boss said the decision to seize the property would be served on the appropriate Land Registries and Departments in all the states where the property are situated…’The commission is investigating a matter involving some staff (members) of the Niger Delta Ministry, with certain movable and immovable property owned by the said staff…Other plots of land said to belong to Obah are located in UmuodiliOdubo Community in Rivers State that is worth #16.5m…the Federal Government’s anti-corruption operatives had been sent after ‘super rich’ public officers who had multiple property and other assets suspected to have been the rewards of graft…According to the report, the searchlight of the anti-corruption agents was on civil servants that possess questionable property in the Federal Capital Territory…He explained that the funds for the furniture supply was certified paid whereas inspection carried out by the Auditor-General’s office revealed that no single chair was distributed during the period under review.” (Anti-corruption War Begins: ICPC Seizes 24 Property from Three Civil Servants, The Sunday Punch, August 16, 2015) Before addressing the issue of the status of word property which is the main purpose of drawing readers’ attention to this excerpt,let’s consider one separate matter of concord. We are looking at the status of the verb was which occurs in the context: “the funds for the furniture was certified paid.”It should be clear that the verbwas is in its singular form. What is the noun this verb is meant to be in concord with? The only singular noun in sight is furniture. Could that be the subject of the verb? There is nothing in the logic and grammar of the structure to suggest the noun furniture bears any relevance to the verb-slot. The relevant noun is funds, a noun in its plural form. Given the plural nature of this noun, the verb (was) should be changed to its plural form: were.

Sunday Tribune

27 December, 2015

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

line

life

with Niyi Osundare

Random Blues Significantly, the noun property is never pluralized throughout the text in which the word occurs ten (10) times. This is so even when the noun is modified with a number, suggesting that it is countable: 24 property (occurring twice: one in the headline, the other in the body of the text); 18 property. It would seem that the word property is being used in the sense of house/land here. Consider the following: 24 property and several cars(That must mean that the “property” being contemplated here is different from “several cars”); with certain movable and immovable property (The idea of “immovable property” must suggest land/house); multiple property and other assets (Other assets contrast with the idea of land/house). Perhaps the worst crisis involves the choice of mutually contradictory verb forms, which is itself an indication of the reporter’s uncertainty regarding the grammatical status of the noun property. Sometimes, he would treat the noun as singular and at another time he would treat it as plural. Consider the following for example: “the state where the property are situated.” Note the choice of the plural verb-form are, an indication that the noun is regarded as a plural entity. Note the choice of the verb-forms in the following structure also: “the property was seized because they were excessive of the emoluments of the affected officers.” First, note the singular verb-form in the phrase, “the property was seized.” This is followed by the plural pronoun they and then the plural verb-form, were. The text is really grammatically chaotic. Let’s rely on the examples we gave in this place earlier for our illustrations of the two important uses of the word property. Whenever we use the word property to refer to personal effects or movable items such as shoes, clothes, furniture, television sets, fridges, generators, and even motor cars, we should use it in its singular form. No matter the volume or quantity of such items, the word property should remain in its singular form and the choice of verb should be singular. Please read the following sentences: 1) The landlord has seized the tenant’s property kept in two rooms, saying he won’t release it until and unless he pays all his debt. 2) No matter how long you stay in the UK, your property will remain in this room and it will be intact. 3) Before I woke up, he had gathered all his property and travelled back to our home town. 4) Since he owns little property, he doesn’t need more than one room. 5) Fire destroyed the entire house including his sister’s property kept in one of the rooms. 6) His property consists of a few items all of which are kept in one huge bag. 7) After working for two years, his property is so much that he needs to rent a second room. 8) Thieves broke into the room and made away with almost all his property. 9) He has found a new house and his children are helping to carry her property to the new place. 10) Two trucks carried his property to his newly built house. 11) In those days, slaves were considered part of the personal property of rich men. 12) Shoes and shirts are the most prominent elements of my property. The word property has been used in its singular form in each of those sentences because it is about personal effects, household items, movable belongings. However, when the word is employed in reference to land and houses, it can be used in the singular sense if the reference is to a singular item or in the plural if the reference is to two or more items. Indeed, whenever the word property is used in the plural by knowledgeable people, the assumption is that the reference is to land/houses. It should not be used in the plural sense if the reference is to personal effects as discussed and illustrated earlier. Now read the following sentences: 1) The government has decided to sell all its properties in the choicest parts of the country. 2) Properties are more expensive in Lagos than in any other part of Nigeria. 3) I have three uncles who are into the business of buying and selling of properties. 4) There is an uncompleted property which the owner wants to sell at a moderate price. 5) I have refused to buy that property because it is too close to a stream. 6) The prosecution has alleged that the politically exposed persons have acquired the said properties with the proceeds of corruption. 7) Only teachers are allowed to buy and own properties in the estate. 8) I want to acquire a property in an exclusive area. 9) He rejected the property because it was too close to the police barracks. 10) Being in a marshy and undeveloped area, the property should not be expensive.

I have fanciful scars Like patches of an old quilt Say, I have fanciful scars Like patches of an ancient quilt Oh how I long for a magic cream And a cute little house that Beauty built

I walk so slow I stub a toe Hear? I walk so slow I stub a toe I change my speed And surprise the foe

Dissolve in silence That I may hear your voice Say, melt into silence That I may hear your voice The quietest things of life May leave us with the loudest choice

The nose which sits between the eyes Sees more clearly than its vigilant guards Yes, the nose which squats between the eyes May see more clearly than its vigilant guards Redolent troubles disperse their whiff From regions farther than a thousand yards

Our sun will shine From its favourite part of the sky Say, our sun will shine From its favourite part of the sky Away from clouds which befriend the night Far, far, from the malevolent eye

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune With Rita Okonoboh rosarumese@gmail.com 08053789087

tribunechurch

The church: 2015 in retrospect

As 2015 ends, the Christian community has much to tell in terms of “breakthrough and horror,” as Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations summed it up at his end-of-year press conference held at the UN headquarters, recently. RITA OKONOBOH and OLAIDE SOKOYA examine activities in the church in the past twelve months.

PASTOR Bimbo Odukoya, ten years after Aged 45, when she passed, popular preacher and counsellor, Pastor Bimbo Odukoya, was one of the victims of the Sosoliso air crash that took place in 2005. Author of How to Choose a Life Partner, The Single Life, Living Free: How to Handle Rejection, among other issues, until her death, she was the Associate Pastor of the Fountain of Life Church, the recipient of many awards, and was an inspiration to many single and married Nigerians.

PASTOR Akinosun clocks 70 President, Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Worldwide, Pastor Olukunle Akinosun, also turned 70 in 2015. Called to the gospel ministry in 1972, Pastor Akinosun is a renowned author and has served as the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Osun State Chapter, between 2002 and 2010.

Speaking on his visit as reported by the BBC, Pope Francis said he “loved Africa”, even as he termed it a “victim” that had always been exploited by other powers, be it the slaves “sold to America” or the exploitation of the continent’s mineral wealth. Pope Francis visited Africa as part of efforts to encourage peaceful relations, especially in countries experiencing religious crisis, such as the Central African Republic. Speaking on Islam on the plane on his way back, Pope Francis noted that “Wars of religions have always existed. We Christians need to apologise too. How many wars have we had? Fundamentalism is a sickness in every religion.” When asked what struck him most on the papal visit, Pope Francis noted that “It was the joy. The crowds. The capacity to celebrate, even with an empty stomach.” Meanwhile, in September 2015, the Pope met with the members of the General Assemby of the UN at the United

POPE Francis visits Africa, meets UN General Assembly Pope Francis, between November 25th and 30th, visited countries in Africa – Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic.

CHURCH of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, takes stand against gay marriage The Most Reverend Nicholas D. Okoh, Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria, in a communiqué issued at the end of the Standing Committee Meeting of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) held from 21st to 25th September, 2015 at the Cathedral Church of St. David, Ijomu, Akure, Ondo State, reiterated the church’s commitment to stand against foreign pressure to legalise same sex marriage. According to the statement, with the theme, “Look and Live,” based on Numbers 21:8, “The Standing Committee unanimously resolved to continue to maintain the orthodox biblical stand on this matter. It also calls on her members to defend the orthodox biblical teaching on marriage and family. On its part, the Federal Govern-

Nations Headquarters, New York, and in his speech, noted that “The misuse and destruction of the environment are also accompanied by a relentless process of exclusion. In effect, a selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity leads both to the misuse of available natural resources and to the exclusion of the weak and disadvantaged, either because they are differently abled (handicapped), or because they lack adequate information and technical expertise, or are incapable of decisive political action. Economic and social exclusion is a complete denial of human fraternity and a grave offense against human rights and the environment. The poorest are those who suffer most from such offenses, for three serious reasons: they are cast off by society, forced to live off what is discarded and suffer unjustly from the abuse of the environment. They are part of today’s widespread and quietly growing ‘culture of waste’.”

ment is further enjoined to continue to resist the foreign pressure to make it rescind its stand on same-sex marriage.”

MOUNT Zion celebrates 30th anniversary Evangelist Mike Bamiloye, President and Founder of Mount Zion Faith Ministries International, in August, celebrated the founding of the Mount Zion Ministry thirty years ago. As part of celebrations to mark the anniversary, the ministry held anniversary march, movie premiere, live drama presentation and the graduation ceremony of the first set of diploma students in Christian Drama Arts. Speaking on the journey so far, Bamiloye noted that “When you see me, you will know that I am happy. On behalf of myself and other drama ministers, I’m fulfilled because of the result of the work we do which is so evident everywhere. The work cuts across religions in terms of blessings that it has been to others. Even those who are not Christians tell us they enjoy our movies. We are fulfilled because the church of God is happy and God has been taking care of us.”

Akinfenwa urges Buhari to lead with probity

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‘Running a ministry is not defined by numbers’

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Akinosun tasks FG on corruption Pg42

RENOWNED cleric, Prophet Fakeye, dies There was shock and disbelief in churches around the world, when the death was announced of popular Nigerian preacher, Prophet Gabriel O. Fakeye. Fakeye, who was the General Leader/District Chairman of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church (Surulere), Ayo Ni O, died on Sunday, January 11, 2015. He was a Nigerian televangelist and a Christian radio talk show host, and his style of worship involved ministering through psalms. He was, until his death, member, Nigeria Religious Council (NIREC); President, Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), and member, National Executive Council, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). OYO CAN Chairman, Pastor Olabisi, dies Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Adamasingba, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, was thrown into mourning due to the sudden death of the District Co-ordinating Council (DCC) Superintendent and Chairman of the Oyo State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Johnson Ayo Olabisi. Olabisi, who was serving his second term as the state chairman of CAN, was re-elected early this year. Continues on

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27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune With Olaide Sokoya ollydesanmi@yahoo.com 08074497425

churchnews

Akinfenwa urges Buhari to lead with probity By Olaide Sokoya

HE Bishop of Ibadan Anglican Diocese, the Right Reverend Joseph Akinfenwa, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to continue to lead the nation along paths of

probity and development, and never to shirk from whatever sacrifices may be necessary to uplift our nation; knowing that a divine reward awaits all leaders who defend the cause of the people. In a press release issued to TribuneChurch

tagged “Festive message to the nation,” Akinfenwa therefore enjoined all Nigerians to make this a season of sober reflection and necessary change of lifestyle. “Unless we make tangible progress in becoming Christ-like people, the blessings of this festive pe-

Akinosun tasks FG on corruption By Tolu Olamiriki THE President, Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) worldwide, Pastor Abraham Akinosun, has urged the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to continue with the war against the scourge of corruption that pervaded the entire nation by ensuring that all concerned people are brought to book as all eyes are on the current administration. Akinosun stated this during an interaction with newsmen at the Joseph Ayo Babalola Miracle Camp, Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun State, recently.

“We Nigerians are expecting much from the President Buhari-led administration, most especially, on war against corruption. He should not mind those crying that he is selective and shun what they are saying,” he said. He advised Nigerians to exercise patience with the federal government and urged local governments and states to look for other sources of improving their Internally Generated revenue (IGR) instead of relying on federal allocations alone. He, however, admonished Christians to be agents of change at this

critical period of the nation’s history and pray fervently for God’s intervention in the affairs of the nation. He used the occasion to advise the 1,230 newly ordained pastors to work for God with undivided loyalty, faithfulness, endurance, love and obedience. Pastor Akinosun admonished the new pastors to shun provocation in all ramifications, adding that their wives, children, as well as relations, may forsake them in the course of the new assignment but they needed to follow Jesus Christ, who will never neglect them.

riod may not endure in our land. “At this point in our national history, the role of corruption in our underdevelopment has become a leading topic of national discourse. As we seek new paths as a people, we urge all Nigerians to pay closer attention to the lessons of the life of Jesus Christ. We must go beyond mere lip service and merry making, and actually pattern our lives after the example of

Christ. If we do this, corruption shall become a thing of the past and Nigeria shall experience rapid transformation and growth”. He further congratulated leaders at various levels of governance, especially President Muhammadu Buhari, on the successful completion of this year on the seat of power, commending Buhari, especially, for his commitment to disciplined and transparent governance since the begin-

ning of his administration. He called on political office holders to know that leadership is a matter of trust, and that there shall surely be a day of reckoning. “Recent developments in the polity suggest that our politicians have not imbibed this lesson. Let all who are in power conduct themselves in such a manner that, on the day of reckoning, they shall not be disgraced,” he stated.

From left, mother of the Vice-President, Mrs Olubisi Osinbajo; District Superintendent, The Apostolic Faith Church, Revd Bayo Adeniran; former Head of Interim Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan; former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; Chief Olusegun Osunkeye; Mrs Olufunke Daniel and former Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Tunde Lemo, during the Apostolic Faith Church Anthony 2015 Christmas Concert, held in Lagos, last Sunday. PHOTO: SYLVESTER OKORUWA.

New Life for All Nations Ministries holds convention By Rita Okonoboh NEW Life for All Nations Ministries, located at Oloola, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, held its 2015 annual convention which started on 24th December and will come to a close today, 27th December, 2015. The convention began with the 26th annual delegates’ conference with the theme, “Seeking the Ancient Path,” held at the campground of the church, from 22nd December till 24th December, 2015. In his keynote address at the conference, the speaker, Pastor O.K. Tubi, who

gave thanks to God for the grace of another convention, stated that the church should work towards more vibrant evangelism, planting of churches and general mission work. At the convention with the theme, “Trimming Your Lamp,” the Acting General Overseer, Pastor Ade Adeoye, in his address, noted “What we experience indicates that the return of Jesus Christ draws near. Thus, all humans should know the importance of a lamp as a means of getting illumination in a world full of darkness. If a Christian will have to show the way of life to an-

other person, he must also be a light.” In his address, the Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, Pastor S.F. Edokpayi, stated that “The parable of ten virgins made it clear that not all those who are attendants to Christ will finally make it to be where Christ would be. Thus, we should keep watching and get ready all the time, as part of the price to be paid before we can be where He is.” The event featured special talks, spiritual workshop, children variety show, graduation, faith clinic, among others.

The Olowu of Owu-Ikija Ijebu, Oba (Engr) Olusegun Adesina, The Right Reverend (Dr) E. Ayodele Awosoga; his wife, Florence; The Right Reverend (Dr) Babatunde Ogunbanwo and Mr Adeleke Ogunde, during the unveiling of the 40th anniversary logo to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Ijebu Anglican Diocese. PHOTO: OLAYINKA OLUKOYA.

Ijebu Anglican Diocese to celebrate 40th Founder’s Day Olayinka Olukoya-Abeokuta ACTIVITIES to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Ijebu Anglican Diocese in grand style have been rolled out by the Diocesan Bishop, The Right Reverend Ayodele Awosoga. Awosaga while address-

ing a pre-event press conference heralding the one-year programme of activities, held at the Bishop’s Court conference room in Ijebu-Ode, last week, said the Lord had been manifesting himself in the diocese since its creation. The Bishop flanked by his wife, Florence, the Bishop

of Ijebu South West, The Right Reverend Babatunde Ogunbanwo,the Olowu of Owu-Ikija Ijebu,Oba Olusegun Adesina and the chairman planning committee of the anniversary, Mr. Adeleke Ogunde, said the theme of the anniversary is “Christ in us: The hope of glory.”

Acting General Overseer, Pastor Ade Adeoye (fourth left); General Secretary, Pastor, S.O. Orekoya (third right); Chairman, Planning Committee, Pastor S.F. Edokpayi (third left); Director of Finance, Pastor M. Bayode (second right), and other executives, all of New Life for All Nations Ministries, during the 2015 annual delegates’ conference held last week.

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27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

Running a ministry is not defined by numbers —Olumide Emmanuel

Popular motivational speaker, President, Dynamites Forum International, and host of the “Wisdom for Singles” conference the General Overseer of Calvary Bible Church, Lagos, Pastor Olumide Emmanuel, in this interview, shares with OLAIDE SOKOYA the experiences of the church in the past 20 years, and other issues relating to his ministry. Excerpts:

ID you envisage the church was going to come this far when you took off? Well, whatever God does one knows it will definitely grow from the scriptures and covenant relationship. We expected we’d grow and expand but we couldn’t have known where we’d be at every point or turn. In some aspects, what we are seeing are really mind-blowing but in some, we know we could have done better. But through it all, we are grateful to God. When we started in a rented apartment, it took us three months to raise the fee. When we look at the caliber of people we had, we were not sure anything good would come from us. The first set of lands we bought was for N70, 000 per plot. We got four plots at N280, 000. It took us over one year to raise the money. To look at where we are now is a miracle. However, on the number of people we have, we believe we have what it takes to attract more people. We were like by now, we should have more people. But you know there are many dynamics to that. Are we ready to pay the price? Can we handle them if they come? There are environmental and logistical is-

sues. Like I tell people, there are two ways to look at a thing for balance. You look at the people ahead for inspiration and those behind to be grateful to God. There are people who started before us but do not have a church to look after again today. So for that, we are grateful to God. So, would you say that by virtue of the fact that your activities take you out of the church a lot has also contributed to the challenge of increase in members? Well, I don’t think so necessarily. We are a kingdom church. On an annual basis, we reach out to 10,000 people based on verifiable statistics. We go to bus stations, prisons, hotels and football pitches. The 10,000 are not here because we are a kingdom church. It is not about our seating capacity but impact-capacity. The Kingdom is not about that but we also want those seating to be more. Many people have difficulties defining you. Are you a general overseer, businessman, common sense coach or itinerant preacher? When you start, you are an individual. Then you get married and become a husband. When you have children, you are a father. You are the same person but your title changes by virtue of your responsibilities and roles. So, that is the challenge with defining me. I always tell people I am an apostle in the marketplace. God has raised me to raise kingdom believers and ministries. For those in the church, there is no confusion at all about that. The difference about church and kingdom is that the church says ‘just come and be part of us’ while the kingdom is about going forth. So, we are not interested in drawing people that will just seat and not make a difference in their world. I will just say I am an apostle in the marketplace. I am more than a church man.

When you started the real estate business, many wondered if you were leaving ministry for business. Can you explain the rationale behind it? Well, they will come to understand more with time. When you pioneer something, you face that challenge. The challenge with the church in Nigeria is that we have more understanding of the church than the kingdom. When somebody receives a call now, the first thing they do is to start a church. But God could be calling them to start ministries. There are many evangelists pastoring. Many who should be in different ministries are sitting down in churches. The Kenneth Copelands, Kenneth Hagins and Benny Hinns of the world did not have churches. They imparted the world running ministries. It is not about how many people you could seat. So, when we went into the estate business, it was because many Christians say the earth is of the Lord but do not have a plot of land. If the earth is of the Lord, why can’t He give Christians lands? We came to a place where we realised that faith is about lands. I came into an investment understanding at a time, took the church on that journey and we began to grow. Whoever owns the land determines the faith of the land. If you are born in Pakistan today, you are going to be a Muslim. Why? It is because whoever owns the lands owns the faith. That was how God told me to connect people to own territories. That was what inspired the real estate issue. It was to inspire believers to own territories so that they can have influence for God. We have made home owners and estates for believers. But in the last two years, I have left the business and church for younger ministers to run. If you were to start all over, what would you do differently? When we started out, there were lots of things that we believed that affected the way we did the ministry. So, I would change my methodologies. It took me years to realise that the message is the same but the methodologies are different. We were too rigid when we started. There was a time I didn’t believe that women should preach. Sometimes, when I mounted the pulpit, I focused on weavons and trousers. Even though we were trying

People have asked me what I will be involved in after handing over the church, but I am not bothered. It is not my church. It belongs to God. It is not a family business.

to make people holy, we were scaring people away. I remember we refused to borrow money in the name of church that will change now. Some people were willing to give us musical equipment on installment payment, but we refused because we said we didn’t want to owe. If we had accepted, it would have boosted our music and drawn more people. So, I will just change my methodologies and mindset. In those days, I would have joined those criticising the use of comedians to church. But I understand better now. We have never compromised on integrity and standing for God but we are evolving in our methods. We have had to learn from making mistakes. Have you outgrown ‘Wisdom for Singles’ conferences? I have not. In fact, there is a ‘Wisdom for Teenagers’ event this month. It is not that one is not doing these things again but one is busy and the scale is changing. We use different strategies now. At this stage, I have raised people that should do what we used to do so that we can do what they cannot do. In those days, I was everywhere with publicity. My face was always in the media. But now, one is busy. From November 2 till date, I don’t think I have spent up to five days in my house. The time is not there. I have handed over the church and business to people. I don’t have to be here for the church to run. What made you hand over the church while you are still alive? It is because I don’t run a church but a kingdom. People have asked me what I will be involved in after handing over the church, but I am not bothered. It is not my church. It belongs to God. It is not a family business. If I need money, I just ask if we can afford it or not. I don’t even know how much we have in the account. And that does not bother you? Why should it? If I want to know all that, it becomes micro-managing. One will just die before his/her time doing that. The reason people do that is because they don’t run the church like the Kingdom. It is only the pastor and his wife that are signatories. They carry the offering and go with it. It is like what is happening now in Nigeria. If the PDP had won, we won’t have the current reactions. They would have just covered up. But another party took over and we are seeing all the mess created. So, it is like in many churches too. They don’t want to hand over to someone that will expose them. That means a succession crisis will not be a challenge here? Of course, there won’t be. For over a decade now, everybody knew who would take over from me. We have another resident pastor also in the waiting. God forbid, if anything happens now, there is no wife that will fight the church or a mother that will say we started the church together. In 20 years, we have not had breakaway because we allow people to display their talents. There can be visions within visions. When people leave, we celebrate them. We also support them if we can.

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MYSTERY, gloom as church founder dies during service The congregation of the New Life Spring of Joy church, situated at Otunubi street, Orita Challenge, Ibadan, Oyo State, in June, were in total shock when the founder, who was also the former chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Oluyole axis, Reverend Olusayo Fadeyibi, died after a short exhortation during the church service. He was seated quietly and when it was noticed that he hadn’t moved in a while, his son went to rouse him and it was discovered that he had stopped breathing. The whole church broke into pandemonium immediately the founder was confirmed to have passed away. The church premises was a flurry of confusion, just as members and the neighbourhood were confounded as to what led to sudden end of the ser-

27 December, 2015

The Church:

2015 in retrospect RCCG youths set new record with 73 hours marathon praise The National Youth Affairs of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), organised a 73-hour marathon praise concert in commemoration of the birthday anniversary of the General Overseer of RCCG, Pastor Enoch A. Adeboye. The worship sessions, which was the fourth edition in the series, traces its beginnings to 2012, when Pastor Adeboye clocked 70, and the hours of praise are dedicated to God as appreciation for His works upon the life of the cleric. The RCCG Youth Centre, venue of the event, was brimming with thousands of youths who were on ground to witness the performances. ABINA clocks 80 The General Overseer of the Gospel Faith Mission International (GOFAMINT), Pastor Elijah Oludele Abina, celebrated his 80th birthday. FOURSQUARE celebrates diamond jubilee The Foursquare Gospel Church, with Reverend Felix Meduoye as the General Overseer, also celebrated its 60th anniversary. The event, which held at the National Headquarters of the Church in Lagos, had in attendance, former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and Pastor Enoch Adeboye.

Embrace Christ at Christmas —Archbishop Job By Rita Okonoboh THE Emeritus Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan, Most Reverend (Dr) Felix Alaba Job, has called on Christians to welcome Jesus Christ into their hearts, especially during this festive period and keep away from sins as Jesus is a special gift from God the Father to humans. He made this call during his Christmas homily at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, OkeAdo, Ibadan, last week, during the evening of nine lessons and carols. “Everybody celebrates for the gift of God the father to us, which is the gift of Jesus Christ to the world. In this festive period, we must welcome Christ into our hearts, homes, family and our country Nigeria, and we have reasons to celebrate Christ’s birth because Christ came to overcome sin and

Oke-Ado choir performing at the event.

CHERUBIM and Seraphim celebrates 90th anniversary, 50 years overseas The Eternal Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim (ESOCS) on September 9th, 2015 clocked 90 years. The event featured a variety of activities including spiritual outreaches and gospel ministration. The C&S, one of the oldest of the African Instituted Churches in Nigeria, which places emphasis on spirituality, also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Cherubim and Seraphim church overseas this year.

death. Therefore, we as Christians must make our hearts free of sins and ask for the blessings of Jesus Christ and give our lives to Jesus,” Archbishop Job stated. Various choir groups that featured in the carol include the host, St Joseph’s Oke-Ado choir; Sacred Heart Catholic Church Gegelose choir; Our Lady Queen of Nigeria JoyceB choir, while there were special presentations from Holy Childhood group, Catholic Women Organisation (CWO) and Catholic Men Organisation (CMO), all of St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. The coordinator, Very Reverend Fr Richard Omolade, appreciated the organising committee, Emeritus Archbishop Alaba Job, performers and the parish priest of St Joseph’s, Oke-Ado, Revd Fr Joseph Akinbinu, for the opportunity.

The site of the suicide bomb attack at RCCG, Potiskum. Photo: AP BOMB blast rocks RCCG, Potiskum In July 2015, a female suicide bomber struck a crowded service of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Potiskum, killing six people, according to witnesses.

Sunday Tribune

BISHOP Mike Okonkwo celebrates 70 The Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) on Sunday, September 6, clocked 70 years. Consecrated the Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) on the 7th of May 1988, Dr. Mike Okonkwo is one of the founding members of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), the first National Secretary General and former President of PFN; the convener of the Communion of Covenant Ministers International (CCMI); past National Vice President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), among other prestigious positions.

WayBacktoGod By Pastor Abraham O. Akinosun, 0803 345 6369, 0807 173 3072

Jesus is the only way to eternal bliss TEXT: John 14:6; Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Christmas Message: This Christmas season, we give all thanks, praises, honour, glory and adoration to the Lord God Almighty for His loving kindness, for His multifarious blessings, and for keeping us alive to await the arrival of the glorious New Year. I prophesy that all the good promises of God will be fulfilled in our lives this coming year in Jesus’ name. Amen. The claim of the Bible remains the truth forever. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth and all things therein. But Adam and Eve, our first parents fell for Satan’s deceit. Since the creation is a miracle, “come out of nothing,” then the redemption of man would be miraculous. Hence, God Himself is miraculous because He has no beginning or end. It is then unwise to believe Jesus as the Saviour of the world because we have not seen any miracle child of His type since the world began. And whosoever does not believe in Him can never know God because God is a God of miracle and it is through Jesus that we can see God. Therefore, we are to approach God with a holy reverence. His word tells us that we can come before him with courage. And though God will punish sin – His ultimate desire is for us to confess our sin, be cleansed of our sin. One other thing is far too easy to bow on the outside and refuse to bow on the inside through true obedience and submission to God’s will for your life. The Bible says: “Je-

sus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on, you know Him and have seen Him.” (John 14:6,7). The very thing Jesus is saying is that there may be many paths, but I am the only one that leads to God. It is the same claim that Peter makes in Acts chapter 4. After healing a crippled beggar, Peter says this to the religious leaders of the day. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven, given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). But, often, those who claim that all religions are valid and true have not really looked closely at the truth involved because when one looks closer, we find that often these different religions contradict Christian in many important ways. And it becomes clear that both of them cannot be true, that one has to be right and the other wrong. That is a picture of the desperation many have in trying to reach up to God; they strive but never reach high enough. Other religions are a system of rules and pious commandments which will perhaps bring people closer to God, but they never get close enough. In conclusion, just in case you thought it might be possible to find another way, a new truth or a different life, there is none, All those who are welcomed into the father’s presence must come through Jesus; no one can come any other way.

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27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

dawnofanewera

firmfaith:rightreason

with Most Revd J.O. Akinfenwa Bishop of Ibadan Anglican Diocese

with Bishop Emmanuel Badejo, fradebadejo@yahoo.com

A time to be thankful

Songs to stifle our sorrows

The psalms of Christmas “For God so loved the world that he gave us his only son so that all those who believe in him might be saved”. These golden words from the gospel might as well form the signal tune for the entire Christmas season. They are probably second in importance only to the phrase that exposes the eruption of Jesus Christ in the world. “And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us”. That indeed is the fact of the incarnation. But long before the New Testament expressions came the Old Testament passages that announced his coming. A shoot shall spring from the root of Jesse... (Is. 11:1). Anyway , God intervened in the world because it belongs to Him along with all it contains. The psalms that communicated that message ought to allay our anxieties when we are confronted by the evidence of evil and the power of the devil in our world. “The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord, the world and all that dwell in it. He has founded it upon the ocean and set it firmly upon the waters” (Ps. 24: 1-2). The son of God born for us called himself the Good Shepherd. That personalized title turned psalm 23 into probably the most quoted psalm in Christendom. “The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want, fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose, near restful waters he leads me to revive my drooping spirits... “ (Ps. 23: 1-2)

The song of Mary The “Magnificat” of Mary, the mother of Jesus, should really be acclaimed the first Christmas carol ever. It was composed by Mary under the stress of the sudden realisation that God would actually mix with man to secure man’s salvation. All the human assurance Mary could count on were the words of her cousin, Elizabeth who herself was dependent only on the promise of God to remove her shame from among men. No doubt these days we are often in such situations whereby we lose our equilibrium and doubt God. When Mary hastened to see Elizabeth her cousin, she chose to go God’s way to see her, whom the angel proposed to her as evidence of God’s power and goodness. It was her encounter with Elizabeth that “ brought out the best in Mary” and made her compose those beautiful verses. They ought to still speak to us today when we are tried and tested as a beautiful Christmas carol should. “My soul proclaims the

God intervened in the world because it belongs to Him along with all it contains. The psalms that communicated that message ought to allay our anxieties when we are confronted by the evidence of evil and the power of the devil in our world.

greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God my savior. He has looked upon his servant in her lowliness, and people forever will call me blessed...He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up those who are downtrodden...” (Lk. 1: 46-55). These are the kind of sentiments that will always be necessary for survival in our fickle human condition. Can we find a better expression of it than what Mary, visited by the angel and overshadowed by the Holy Spirit expressed? The “Magnificat” is therefore both a song and a prayer which expresses the efficacy of the incarnation in this holy season. The Song of Zechariah Prophet Zechariah could simply not comprehend what the angel said to him about bearing a child. The prognosis were that bad and so he expressed his strong doubts. “How can I believe this? I am an old man and my wife is elderly too” (Lk 1:18). Zechariah got into a lot of trouble for his retort, perhaps more chastised than Mary for the same offence. Thus, Mary’s character of being “blessed by God among women” thereby makes more meaning. Zechariah was struck dumb. However when he eventually recovered from his troubles he composed one of the most beautiful canticles which should also be top of the charts among all Christmas carols. “Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel for he has come and redeemed his people.... This is the work of the mercy of our God who comes from on high as a rising sun, shining in those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death...” (Lk. 1:” 68-79). The Canticle of Simeon The canticle of Simeon is the song of victory and fulfillment of the hopes of those who patiently waited for Jesus’ coming. Simeon simply confirmed the words of the prophet Isaiah about those who wait on the Lord. “...those who hope in Yahweh will renew their strength. They will soar as with eagle’s wing; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and never tire” (Is. 40:31) By the mere emergence of Jesus in the temple the pains of Israel were assuaged. His presence gave Simeon the old prophet the inspiration to speak the words that now form the classical night prayers for Catholics all over the world: “Now O Lord, you can dismiss your servant in peace, for you have fulfilled your word and my eyes have seen your salvation which you display for all the people to see. Here is the light you will reveal to the nations and the glory of your people Israel” (Lk. 2:29-32). Such canticles and songs are excellent Christmas carols because the reality of the savior’s birth began that very moment when Mary said to the angel Gabriel: “I am the hand-maid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said”. All events and activities that followed that “yes” from Mary certainly form part of the story of his birth. In that same way must these canticles open up our hearts and lives in a big “yes” to God, such that makes the saviour come down and his love join heaven and our earth together. Merry Christmas to everyone!

Christmas is in the air, and today is the last Sunday of year 2015! Two days ago, we said “Merry Christmas!”, and in a few days, we shall be greeting one another “Happy New Year!” once again. We give thanks to God for His goodness to us all and to our nation in 2015. To be alive to celebrate another Christmas is a great blessing indeed. We give thanks to our great and good Lord who has given us both life and health. May His glorious name be praised for ever. Christmas is a season of joy. It is a time to remember the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to thank God for the great blessing that God gave us through His Son. If not for Jesus Christ, where shall we be today? Jesus Christ broke down the wall of separation between humanity and God. He bore the burden of our sins, so that we can stand before God blameless, and thus partake of eternal life. It is that eternal life, given to believers here on earth and promised to us in the life after death; that separates Christians from other people in the world. It is eternal life makes us such a unique people. It is the gift of Jesus that sets us apart from the rest of humanity. That is why we cannot stop celebrating Christmas. The birth of Jesus Christ generated great excitement. In Luke chapter 2, we read: Luke 2:10-11 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David

a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. The birth of Jesus created hope in the midst of hopelessness. The birth of Jesus brought joy in the place of despair and sorrow. As we remember his birth, and as we get ready for a new year, shall we rise above the despair and frustration of today’s world and become excited because Jesus lives? That songwriter says, “Because he lives, I can face tomorrow...” The birth of Jesus Christ offers us hope. Let us march into 2016 buoyed by that blessed hope, refusing to be weighed down by events around us. As you celebrate the Christmas season, dear reader, please be sure to discover the secret of Christmas joy as well. You have celebrated so many Christmas seasons on earth. You will still celebrate many more in Jesus’,name. But what is the use of one thousand Christmas seasons on earth to you if you will not celebrate at that Marriage Supper of the Lamb? What is the use of all this merriment if you will not partake of eternal merriment in the Paradise of God? That is why, beyond getting excited about Christmas, you must get excited about Jesus Christ. Friend, are you excited about Jesus? I ask you again, how excited are you about Jesus? The angels were excited. The three wise men were excited. The disciples were excited. Are you excited? It is time to catch the excitement that a living faith in Jesus Christ gives. See you next year.

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

You are ordained for exemption! (4) Since this month began, we have been examining our exemption rights in Christ Jesus. In the course of the teaching, we understood that through revelation from scriptures, we boost our faith and confidence, and that in turn establishes our exemption from what the world suffers from. Furthermore, we discovered how the Church in the Wilderness was exempted in the Bible days and how redemption guarantees our access to same. In this concluding edition, we shall be examining Covenant Platforms that guarantees Our Exemption which include: Redemption: In the last edition of this four-part series, we established that at the foundation of our exemption is redemption. We also understand from scriptures that if the foundation is destroyed, the righteous can do nothing. Thus, without redemption, our exemption package would remain farfetched (Psalms 11:3). The anointing: When we are truly anointed, evil is kept away from our lives (Psalms 105:13-15). Revelation: It is written: In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world (John 1: 4-5, 9; see also Isaiah 60:1-3). “Light” here connotes revelation. Revelation is what guarantees our access to exemption. This is because what we don’t understand, we cannot believe and what

we don’t believe, we are not empowered to become. Obedience: Light empowers us to make a difference; but walking in that light is what empowers us to make the difference (Deuteronomy 28:1). Consecration: Daniel and his colleagues purposed in their hearts not to defile themselves with the king’s rich food, and they were gloriously exempted from what destroys others (Daniel 1:8, 6:1-5). Dedication: This entails commitment to Christ and to the course of His kingdom (John 12:23-26; Matthew 6:33). When the Father honours us, no devil can dishonour us. Therefore, only true dedication guarantees our exemption, and that engenders our gloriously distinguished among others. Be a Church Dweller: The Bible says: He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalms 91:1). Not he that “visiteth” but he that “dwelleth”. There are too many church goers and visitors but very few church dwellers. In few days, 2015 will be over and God will usher in the New Year on Friday, January 1, 2016. Let this period be a time of thanksgiving and seeking God’s plan for you and your family in 2016. Remember, God is always speaking and these remaining days, as you seek Him, He will speak to you in clear terms from His Word (The Bible) and your inward witness! I wish you and your family a fulfiling and Prosperous Happy New Year!

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

feature MARE 2015: The glamour, glory

Unlike previous editions, Mare 2015 was a one-day event. Nevertheless, the mountain climbing festival was held with glamour and glitz in Idanre, the ancient town of many hills in Ondo State. Abiodun Awolaja was there.

his time around, it was in the full glow of the sun that the Idanre hills came into view, solid in their majestic splendour. They mountains have never ceased to inspire both visitors and residents alike, because of their intimidating expanse. Not that great rock formations are rare in Nigeria—what would anyone say about Abeokuta’s Olumo rock?—but Idanre stands out in its being naturally and richly walled by mountains, creating a linear settlement that gives an impression of order imposed by nature. Idanre, in and out, is a geographic poetry: the houses are built on solid rock and backed by solid rock. And the 2015 Mare, held on December 19 in the thick of cold, did not fail to live up to its billing as an increasingly outstanding cultural event. Mare festival (Mare means “don’t slip/ fall” in Yoruba) is in the main a mountain climbing event, but it has always incorporated athletics (marathon race), lucky dips and cultural displays and music performances. Since last year when the Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, inaugurated the Idanre Hills Resort, which was promptly classifified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Mare has acquired greater splendour, in part because of the masterful layout of the resort as a haven of rest and touristic exploration, and as a site where the best of Yoruba culture coheres with the best of hospitality, with modern conveniences to make the site the destination of choice for tourists from across the world. At the cultural performance and prizegiving event held at the Idanre Hills Resort, the crowds seemed more enthusiastic than last year’s. It was time to reward the athletes who excelled in the mountain climbing earlier held at Methodist High School, Idanre, as well as the marathon race, and present on the occasion were members of the state executive council, including the Chief of Staff to the governor, Dr Kola Ademujimi; the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Kayode Akinmade and his Culture and Tourism and Finance counterparts, Femi Adekanmbi and Yele Ogundipe; members of royalty, and the Nollywood crew comprising Jibola Dabo, Bimbo Osin, Olofa Ina, among others. As was usual with Mare celebrations, there were performances from various cultural troupes from across the state, with the legendary traditional music maestro, Francis Akintade, taking the audience into the heart of Idanre culture. The lucky dip event provided members of the audience who had earlier purchased tickets a cause for cheer. They won home appliances including washing machine, deep freezers, microwave ovens and a motorbike. As the names of the lucky winners were announced, the audience roared. Sometimes, there were no winners, and “going, going, gone,” would be the refrain. But whenever there was a winner, the venue came alive, and winners had no trouble finding relatives or well wishers willing to

Gov Olusegun Mimiko and the Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, at the Mare grand finale in Idanre, Ondo State.

Woman weeping in Benue after an attack by herdsmen

An athlete competing during Mare 2015

lend a helping hand in lifting the prizes away from the venue. But there was no dull moment with the Ondo State Cultural Troupe not only performing traditional songs in Ondo State but, this time around, criss-crossing the entire Yoruba land, with dancers costumed in the Eyo masquerade attire adding to the glamour of the afternoon. Speaking on the occasion, the state Commissioner for Information and chairman of the local organising committee, Honourable Kayode Akinmade, gave thanks to the Almighty God for making the day a reality. As everyone was well aware, he noted, the importance of tourism in human development could not be over emphasised. He said: “The governor of Ondo State appreciates this value and that is why he is inContinues on pg 47

feature

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

Great moments of Mare

Mrs Olukemi Mimiko, Ara, Governor Mimiko and 2Face at the Mare grand finale.

Ondo Cultural Troupe performing Eyo masquerade dance at Mare 2015 Continued from pg 46

vesting heavily in tourism. In developed countries, tourism provides close to 50 or 60 per cent of revenue earnings; what we are trying to do in Ondo State, God willing, is to turn Idanre Hills Resort to a tourist destination. As you can see, Idanre Hills Resort has become known in Nigerian lexicon. More importantly, Mare celebration has entered the international lexicon. Male and female athletes competed at Methodist Grammar School for laurels in mountain climbing. What we did this year was to domesticate mountain climbing and from the results that would be made available to us today, you will realise that the investment is really worth it,” he said. Speaking with Sunday Tribune at the venue, the Ondo state Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Honourable Femi Adekanmbi, said the state government remained irrevocably committed to driving the economy through tourism. While insisting that the current dire economic situation in the country would not stop the celebration of culture. He added: “Mare, to the average Ondo indigene, is the festival that unites us together. It is a festival that showcases our cultural heritage in Idanre, especially the Idanre hills. We are showcasing our cultural background and all the values.We want to take Mare to another level. I can assure you that, come next year, you will see a different Mare entirely.” Saturday night of razzmatazz If Saturday afternoon was dedicated to the celebration of cultural performances by local groups, Saturday night catered mostly to the needs of the modern generation. Venue was Olofin Grammar School, and on parade were various artistes from across the country, numbering over 30. There were established stars such as 2Face, Ara, Dairo Paul Play and many others. Naturally, security operatives includ-

There is no question about the fact that, leveraging on domestic tourism, we can do a lot to drive our economy. In the last three months, we have explored tourism possibilities through Mare.

ing men of the Nigerian Army, DSS, police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps took charge of various points at the venue, but reining in the crowds running into thousands proved quite a daunting task. Governor Mimiko was, as usual, present with his wife as well as members of the state executive council. There was former vice chancellor of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Professor Femi Mimiko, as well as the Nollywood crew led by Jibola Dabo. Some artistes fumbled but others ruled the night. The biggest revelation proved to be a rapper, Deola, who wowed the audience by rapping about objects displayed before him on stage, without previous notice. Paul Play, taking the stage, succeeded in driving lethargy out of the audience. His hit track, Angel of my life, was loudly received by the audience, but it was when he sang “Mo so riiire o, eleda mi mo dupe o,” that the people’s love for his music became most evident. The people laid their heads in their hands and proclaimed themselves successful, and even Governor Mimiko and his wife, Olukemi, danced to the By the time Ara came on stage, it was already morning. As she came on stage, she shouted: “Idanre, how are you doing!” and the audience roared. Ara, she said, had come with a bang because this was her moment, and success had become the lot of the audience. Unlike in previous performances, Ara preferred dancing to drumming, and her drummers did not disappoint. “I like to praise God, I like to recognise his hand in my life. A ku odun,” she said during the interlude. However, when 2Face eventually mounted the stage at exactly 1:35 a.m, the people took their love for his music to daring heights. They broke their lines and surged forward, with many jumping on the stage and hugging the star, defying security restrictions. 2Face was ready. As he pointed at various sections of the audience and chanted “I see you, I see you, I see you,” and “No be small thing o,” the people became crazy. Literally. They jumped up and down, hollered and roared. And so it was not Tu Baba singing “One love,” “You are my African Queen,” or “Ma lo rope iwo nikan lo ma lówo.” It was, it seemed, the entire Idanre. Surprisingly, while Sunday Tribune was busy with journalism, colleagues that will not be named in this report abandoned their calling and flowed with the crowd of “You are my African queen” fanatics. They cavorted and, sadly, it was in the moment of happy madness that Sunday Tribune lost a bag containing all the notes that would have made this report a comprehen-

Mrs Olukemi Mimiko congratulating the rapper, Deola on his outstanding performance

sive picture, and also a shirt. Governor Mimiko, eager to allow the people to continue their performance, spoke very briefly on the occasion. His words: “We thank God for yet another Mare festival. This has been a very, very profound edition. We’ve enjoyed ourselves. Tonight, we have had celebration of culture, of creativity, and of the very, very immense and infinite possibilities of our state. I want to appreciate all the artistes that performed tonight and I want to make it absolutely clear that we remain irrevocably committed to exploring the instrumentality of tourism as a driver of the economy, especially in this era of financial challenges occasioned by the drop in the global price of crude oil. “There is no question about the fact that, leveraging on domestic tourism, we can do a lot to drive our economy. In the last three months, we have explored heritage tourism possibilities through MARE. We’ve had medical tourism and all the genres of tourism, and we have no doubt in our minds that moving forward, talking about diversification of our economy, tourism is a very strong instrument of that diversification. I wish you all Merry Xmas and I say, continue to enjoy yourselves.” But the performance would not last too much longer as 2Face, overwhelmed by the crowd, left the stage shortly after Governor Mimiko. As our bus left Idanre, following in the Akure-bound trail of Governor Mimiko, the thought on this writer’s mind was: we shall come again.

Ojoro performing at Mare 2015

Femi Adekanmbi, Commissioner for Culture and Tourism

27 December, 2015

children’sarena

Sunday Tribune Olaide Sokoya ollydesanmi@yahoo.com 0807 449 7425

Words from the kids

My New Year resolution

I want to have the fear of God in everything I do in 2016 —Alolagbe Oluwanifemi, Basic 4 In 2016, I want to be a good girl. I want to be obedient to my parents and elderly people. I want Almighty God to give me a better life in the coming year. I also want to obtain first position in my class next term. I want to move closer to God and always listen to the words of God. I want to fear God in everything I do.

History of

T the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, a billion people will stop what they are doing in order to watch a big ball slide down a pole. The Times Square device is a dazzling spectacle: an aluminum, geodesic skeleton covered in wedge-cut crystals and more than thirty-two thousand light-emitting diodes, which are capable of creating billions of kaleidoscopic color patterns. But despite its modern shell, the nearly twelve-thousand-pound ball is a nineteenth-century contraption. Time balls originated in the early eighteenhundreds, before there were time zones. Most American cities kept their own time, based on the sun. Knowing the exact time at sea was exceptionally difficult but was crucial to navigators, who used it to calculate their precise longitude. To determine the time, seafarers relied on a marine chronometer, an apparatus that resembled an oversized pocket watch, carefully gimballed in a wooden box to keep it level as rough seas rose and fell. The first ball drop took place in late 1829, in a dockyard at Portsmouth, England.

New year eve ball Wauchope’s design used two balls, both five feet in diameter, set on a flagpole at the water’s edge. One was fixed at the top; the second was weighted and mobile. Minutes before noon, the second ball was raised up the flagpole until it met the stationary ball, so that no light passed between them. A flag was flown nearby, to warn observers of the imminent drop, which Wauchope estimated took a little less than half a second. At the moment captains saw light between the balls, they checked their chronometers against the official time.

poem Hooray! Hooray! It’s New Year’s Day Hooray! Hooray! It's New Year's Day! The day we start anew. So this year I've decided to become a kangaroo. Or maybe I will learn to fly, or how to walk through walls, or how to turn invisible, or surf on waterfalls. I'll make myself elastic and I'll teach myself to shrink. I'll turn into a liquid and I'll pour me down the sink.

I'll visit other planets and meet aliens galore. I'll travel to the distant past and ride a dinosaur. I've got so many wondrous plans. I'm starting right away. Yes, this will be the best year yet. Hooray! It's New Year's Day! --Kenn Nesbitt

I want to be kind and generous to people in 2016 —Olojede Emmanuel, Basic 5 I want to be very hardworking in 2016. I want to be obedient to God and to my parents. I want to study hard for my common entrance examination and I pray that God will help me. I will like to make new friends in school, I want to be kind and generous to people who are in need.

w e N Year Year in advance

I want God to love me more —Oyedeji Feranmi, Basic 4 In 2016, I want to be a good boy. I want to be very diligent with my work in school. I want to be obedient to my teachers in school and also to my parents. I also want to be a God-fearing child so that God will love me more. I want to maintain first in my class and everywhere I go.

I want to be more spiritual —Fadipe Victor, Basic 3 I want to live a life that will be better than the previous years. I want to make new friends in and outside of my school. I want to become first in everything I do. I want to be more obedient in school and church; I want to obey the word of God so that I will be more spiritual.

I pray for a better life in 2016 —Durojaiye Goodness, Basic 5 In the coming year, I want to be very diligent with my work in school. I want to be God-fearing so that God will not be angry with me. I don’t want to fall sick in 2016 and I also pray for a better life. I want God to give me knowledge and wisdom to be able to read and pass my entrance examination.

All students are from Yemi Ogunbiyi Anglican Nur/Pry School, Sagamu, Ogun state.

news

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

Kalu sad over Nnewi’s gas explosion, consoles Lamido of Adamawa, CBN gov Shola Adekola - Lagos

Bishop of Ibadan Diocese, The Very Reverend (Dr) Joseph Akinfenwa (middle); Provost, Venerable Olasode Olagbaju (right) and the Deputy Chancellor of the Diocese of Ibadan, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (left), during the Christmas Day service, held at the Cathedral of St James the Great, Oke-Bola, Ibadan, on Friday. PHOTO: D’TOYIN

Osun PDP challenges Aregbesola on helicopter purchase

SUN State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged Governor Rauf Aregbesola to come clean on the issue of helicopter he claimed his administration bought for surveillance in the state. The PDP, in a statement issued in Osogbo, the state capital, on Friday, by Prince Diran Odeyemi, its Director of Media and Strategy, recalled that the APC chairman in the state, Prince Gboyega Famoodun, had early this year, told journalists that the said helicopter was bought and given to OAS helicopter to rent out and generate fund for the state. The statement read: “OAS helicopter company claimed on their website that Osun State leased AS355 brand from them. Contrarily, Osun State government told us it leased the helicopter out to OAS as a revenue drive when

the lie that it was bought for surveillance did not fly. “Who are we to believe? What exactly is the truth and where is the N500million the government claimed was the cost of purchasing the machine? A lie will need another million lies to cover

up the deceit. “Can Osun State government please tell us the truth. Who owns this helicopter and who is the actual lessor? “How much of Osun State money has gone into the purchase and maintenance of the machine and if it was

Bayelsa polls: Dickson visits violence victims in hospital, says their survival was miraculous GOVERNOR of Bayelsa State, Honourable Seriake Dickson, has expressed shock and disbelief over the unprovoked attack of savagery meted out to the victims of the December 5 and 6 gubernatorial poll in Southern Ijaw and other parts of the state. During his visit to the victims at the Gloryland Hospital in the Opolo area of Yenagoa, he described it as a miracle for them to have survived because of the seriousness of the injuries they sustained.

While wishing them and their families merry Christmas, Dickson thanked God for sparing their lives, expressing surprise on how brothers and friends could attack their unarmed brothers in the name of politics. The governor assured the victims that all those who perpetrated the violence would be brought to book to serve as deterrence to others. He said: “I want to let you all know about our unwavering commitment to ensuring that all those persons who caused this to you and to

Be patient with Buhari’s govt, Maku urges Nigerians Ademola Adegbite - Lafia FORMER Minister of Information and gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Nasarawa State, Mr Labaran Maku, on Saturday, appealed to Nigerians to exercise patience with President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government, lamenting that Nigeria`s problems were too enormous, but surmountable. Speaking with newsmen

leased from OAS, how much has been committed into its usage?” “Again, if it was indeed leased to OAS, how much has been generated through the lease and where are the evidences?,” the PDP asked.

at Wakama in Akun Development Area of the state, the APGA’s national secretary further implored Nigerians to pray and support the newly-elected leaders to enable them to succeed in moving the country forwrd. According to him, “My Christmas message to all Nigerians is to embrace peace, show love and assist the needy and under privileged at all times, in order to improve their standard of living for the overall development of the country.

“Let me use this medium to appeal to Nigerians to be patient with President Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration. “Let us give the new government the opportunities towards the fulfilment of its campaign promises to Nigerians and the opportunity towards tackling the challenges facing the country. Let us continue to pray for the success of the government so that things can improve for the better,” he added.

your families will not go unpunished. Whoever they are and whatever political colour they are hiding under, these are purely criminal activities and we do not condone crime and criminality and violence, irrespective of the political colour or garb that they now wear. “We condemn it in its totality and again, we use this opportunity as a government to ensure that those who did this are properly identified and brought to book. You can be sure of our support all the way. We want to thank the Medical Director and committed staff for all they have been able to do; God has actually used them wonderfully to save the lives of all of you.” According to him, political differences not be settled with guns and bullets, but through the ballot box, stressing that instead of preparing for elections, some individuals and parties prepared for war. He used the opportunity to renew his call on the security agencies to dispassionately carry out impartial law enforcement, in order to restore the confidence of the citizenry in the ability of the security forces to protect them.

FORMER governor of Abia State, Dr Orji Kalu, has expressed sadness over Thursday’s gas explosion at an industrial complex in Nnewi, Anambra State, describing the development as a colossal loss to the nation. According to Kalu, the huge loss of lives is worrisome and painful. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser, Kunle Oyewumi, Kalu said, “the scores of lives lost in the unfortunate gas explosion in Nnewi is devastating and shocking. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the deceased at this sorrowful moment. May God rest the souls of the victims.” The former governor, while commiserating with the government and people of Anambra State, prayed that God should give the victims’ families the fortitude to bear the losses. He also prayed for the speedy recovery of those hospitalised. Kalu also condoled with the Lamido of Adamawa, Alh aji Barkindo Musdafa, over the death of his mother, Hajiya Adda Gombeji, who passed on at the age of 87. According to Kalu, the roles of a mother could not be over-emphasised in the life of a child. He urged the paramount ruler to take solace in the fact that his mother left behind a good legacy for her family members to uphold. While sympathising with the government and people of Adamawa State and Adamawa Emirate Council, he prayed to God to grant the deceased a peaceful rest. Similarly, Kalu sympathised with the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele who lost his mother, Madam Alice Emefiele, at the age of 94, just as he acknowledged the significant roles played by a mother in a family.

Brief Revival A four-day crossover night organised by the Feast of Christ Bible Church will start tomorrow and end on Thursday, December 31, 2015, at the church auditorium, Mokola Assembly, Alafia Street, Mokola, Ibadan. The programme, tagged: “GOD IS NOT A MAN,” will take place between 11p.m. and 3a.m. daily while on Thursday, December 31, the programme will hold between 9:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. Ministering are Prophet Wole Omo-Obaorun; Bishop Sunday Ikiedemhe; Pastor Tolulope Okunola and Pastor and Pastor (Mrs) Ayorinde Oyewunmi (Chief hosts.)

Remembrance

Remembrance IT’s exactly a year today that Mrs Modupeoluwa Johnson Ayoola passed on to eternal glory. May her gentle soul rest perfectly in the bosom of God until the resurrection day when we shall part no more.

A short service to commemorate the 18 years remembrance of Mrs Taiwo Ajayi Adejumo, who passed on on August 20, 1997 will be held at her residence. May her gentle soul rest in the bosom of God until resurrection day. She is survived by children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

news

27 December, 2015

Robbers kill 2 in Ekiti Christmas eve tragedy Sam Nwaoko-Ado Ekiti

kemesi community in Ekiti West Local Government Area of Ekiti State was thrown into mourning on Christmas eve as two persons, including a private security guard identified simply as Matthew, were shot dead in a daylight robbery of a branch of an old generation bank in the community. The robbers had also shot dead 53-year-old Ayo Alawode, said to be a carpenter, in an operation witnesses also claimed was

carried out by a nine-man gang of armed robbers. The witnesses said the robbers had cordoned Odo Ese area of the town as they invaded the bank and shot sporadically, causing confusion, while commercial activities were brought to an abrupt end. According to witnesses, when the robbers couldn’t gain entry into the bank hall, they blew off its security door with an explosive device. Customers who had queued at the bank’s Automated Teller Machine (ATM) were marched inside the bank

hall by four of the robbers while others took positions outside. Sources disclosed that while the robbers were on rampage, one of them was shot and killed instantly by a yet-to-be identified person, an action which infuriated his gang. It was at this point that they were said to have started shooting indiscriminately outside, where Alawode, whose shop was said to be near the bank was hit in the head by bullet while Matthew was said to have died on his way to the hospital.

The witnesses also said about 10 other persons, who hid in their different homes were reportedly hit by bullets and were now receiving treatments at a teaching hospital in one of the neighbouring states. When contacted , the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the state command, Mr Alberto Adeyemi, confirmed that two persons died during the daylight robbery. He said investigations were ongoing and promised that those behind the gruesome attack would be apprehended soon.

Oyo State Commissioner of Police, CP Adeleye Oyebade (right) praising God with the children and widows of ISI Children Orphanage and Widows Centre, Ashi Bodija, Ibadan. PHOTO: OLAWALE OLANIYAN

Oyo CP celebrates Xmas with underprivileged By Olawale Olaniyan The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Adeleye Oyebade on Saturday celebrated the yuletide with the underprivileged, saying it was part of the social responsibilty of the Nigerian Police Force. Oyebade, who was accompanied to ISI Children Orphanage and Widows Centre, Ashi, Ibadan, by his officers and men, to donate food items, disclosed that it was necessary to celebrate with the needy and associate with them, even in the festive period. Some of the items donated to the home included bags of rice, beverages and biscuits, among other things. The police commissioner further stated that his move was informed by the fact that the Christmas season, which was set aside to celebrate Jesus Christ as God’s gift to mankind, was a period of caring and sharing He said: “Though we are

in a festive period, it is part of the commitment of the Nigerian Police to meet the needs of the public.” Oyebade also used the opportunity to pray for the children and the widows, charging them to be courageous and never lose the hope of becoming important personalities in life. “These kids can still be useful to their communi-

ties and their fatherland if they are properly managed. That is why I need to give kudos to the owner of this home for taking care of these lovely ones and the widows.” Thanking the police commissioner, the owner of the orphanage, Chief Mrs Sola Taiwo Lisk-Carew (JP) said she and her wards were delighted to host CP

Oyebade, describing the visit as a surprise package to the children. “We feel very honoured today with the hosting of one of the important personalities in the state. It is a great honour to us and the children because they will forever remember this day, having dinner and handshake with Oyo CP,” she said.

The Ogun State Government has equipped some hospitals in the state with medical equipment worth N20 million towards providing efficient and affordable health care service delivery to the people. The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye made this known while handing over one Anaesthetic and two Infant Incubator machines to the Chief Medical Director of Olabisi-Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Alfred Jaiyesimi in Abeokuta. Items donated included two Anaesthetic machines, six infant incubators, 50

British Parturition bed, blood bank, magnesium sulphates and suction machines. Meanwhle, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye has assured residents of Ogun state that efficient health care delivery remains paramount to Governor Ibikunle Amosun led government and no stone would be left unturned in ensuring its realisation. While speaking on his visit to General Hospital, Ibiade, Ogun Waterside, which was ravaged by rainstorm recently. Ipaye said the government is ready to renovate

the hospital which was badly damaged and aside that, 40 primary health care centers will be renovated in the state in the coming year, making them model centers that could provide health care facilities to 75 per cent of the people in the state . According to him, two primary health care centers will be renovated per local government, making them performance based in terms of funding while General hospitals across the senatorial districts would be massively equipped to provide backup for the primary health care centers.

Ogun equips hospitals with N20m worth of equipment •Assures of efficient health care

Sunday Tribune

Lawmaker donates N7m worth of food, clothing items to constituency Biola Azeez-Ilorn A member of the House of Representatives, representing Kwara South Federal Constituency, Hon. Funke Adedoyin, has distributed N7 million worth of food and clothing materials to the people of her constituency. Sunday Tribune gathered that beneficiaries of the donation, who comprised of both Muslims and Christians, included artisans, party leaders, market women, union officials and community leaders. The lawmaker, who is representing Ekiti, Oke-Ero, Isin and Irepodun Federal constituency, at the distribution of the items in Omu-Aran, said that it was part of her contribution to improve the well-being of the people of the constituency. She said the donation was also aimed at bringing succour to the people as they celebrate yuletide, in line with her election promise to serve the people within her capabilities.

2016: Cleric allays fears over predictions of doom Sam Nwaoko-Ado ekiti The General Overseer of Hour of Mercy Prayer Ministry, Prophet Moses Muyideen Kasali, has urged Nigerians not to entertain fears over the predictions of doom coming from many quarters about the incoming year. Kasali advised President Muhammadu Buhari to always seek and be guided by the wisdom of God in all his undertakings as he pilots the ship of state to safe haven in the incoming year. Many political leaders have advised Nigerians to prepare for tougher times and hardship in 2016, in view of the dwindling revenues accruing to the governments owing to falling oil prices. But Kasali, who said that “the ways of God are different from those of men”, said Nigerians should rather pray for a blissful new year and neither be discouraged nor dissuaded by the calculations of man. The renowned evangelist said in a statement in Ado Ekiti while announcing the 9th Annual Convention of his ministry with the theme: “But the Fruit of the Spirit is...”, said Nigerians should pray for the manifestation of God’s plan for the country in the incoming year. He said the three-day convention billed for Tuesday December 29, to Thursday December 31, at Ori Oke Alaseyori, Moniya Ibadan in Oyo State would be yet another opportunity for the renewal of the country for its spiritual growth and socio-economic development.

Lam -Adesina promises more empowerment for constituents By Moses Alao The member representing Ibadan North-East/Ibadan South-East Federal Constituency, Honourable Adedapo Lam-Adesina, at the weekend, gave account of his stewardship in the past six months to members of the constituency cutting across political, religious and professional divides. This was as he promised not to relent in empowering the constituents and make life better for them by providing quality representation and embarking on projects that would meaningfully impact on the lives of the constituents, such as the distribution of about 350 GCE forms and free writing materials to students, as well as construction of boreholes and public toilets that he embarked on some months back. Lam-Adesina, who stated this during a Town Hall meeting held at the Mapo Hall, Ibadan, tagged “Omo Oloore Constituency Accountability Town Hall Meeting,” said the programme was organised in order to know the needs of the constituents and to improve in his representation, stating: “Since we were sworn in on June 9, 2015, I have not sponsored any bill but I have moved a motion on how to generate employment for the youths. “I was in the United Kingdom and Sweden to find out how to empower the youths and people in my constituency. I am a member of nine committees, which include labour, productivity, special duties, agriculture, Niger Delta, poverty alleviation and health care; and I have opened two constituency offices to be more accessible to my people.” The lawmaker, who promised to continue collaboration with the Community Development Council (CDC) within his constituency to know the people’s needs, assured that he would embark on a massive vocational training and empowerment for the youths. Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the constituency, Chief Kayode Arowolo and Chief Ayo Eniade, among others, commended the lawmaker for being up to the task in his style of representation.

xmasnews

27 December, 2015

Clerics charge Nigerians to rededicate lives to God Adelowo Oladipo -Minna

igerians, especially Christians, have been charged to retrace their steps to Jesus Christ by demonstrating love to one another as failure to heed the divine instruction is capable of leading to crisis of monumental dimension in the society. The Shepherd, Celestial Church of Christ, Parish 3, Kpakungu, Minna, Niger State, Most Senior Evangelist Omoniyi Victor Kuti, gave this advice in his Christmas message at the Church service held on Friday to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. He stated further that the birth of Jesus symbolised peace to mankind as it was foretold in the book of Isaiah that “a baby would be born with the government upon his shoulders, while his name shall be called Marvelous, Wonderful, Counselor, a mighty man and a prince of peace.

“When we relate this experience to the present situation in our country, Nigeria, it means we need to go back to Jesus Christ because life without Him is full of crisis. If we look around us today, we will discover that there is no love among us as a people and any life without love, there is bound to be uncertainty . But the word of God told us in the book of Mathew that “we should cheer up and that God Himself is the word and as such, we should not be afraid of anything”, he said. He, however advised Nigerians to exercise patience in order to get to the promised land, highlighting that the incumbent administration, both in Niger State and the Federal Government will surely deliver the dividends of democracy, just as he urged the citizenry to learn how to forgive one another, as well as ensure that peace reign in the country.

Also in his Christmas message , the Chairman, Niger State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Musa Tsado Dada has advised Nigerians to thank God for giving them the opportunity of celebrating another Christmas in good health and in a peaceful atmosphere, unlike in the previous years. He stated this on Friday in an interactive session with newsmen at the state Secretariat of CAN, Minna, pointing out also that some who would have loved to see this season were no more. “We should thank God that we are alive and for His provisions,” he said. “I want Christians, in the course of celebrating this Christmas, to dedicate themselves to God, worship Him for what He has done in our lives , but not to be roaming the streets causing trouble. They should not get drunk or distrupt the peace of the nation,” he added.

Babalola calls for selflessness among political class By Nurudeen Alimi AN Ibadan based engineer and businessman, Femi Babalola, has called on Nigerians, particularly the political class, to embrace selfless service to the nation in consonance with the example of Jesus Christ. Babalola, in a Christmas and New Year message made available to Sunday Tribune, enjoined the political class, to reflect on the humility of the birth of Jesus and the selflessness of his service to humanity and emulate the Messiah’s service-driven leadership in the conduct of their offices. ”Jesus, whose birth we now celebrate throughout the world, was categorical in His teachings that those who aspire to become leaders must be servants and not masters; and He unequivocally demonstrated that by stooping to wash the feet of His disciples.”, he expatiated. As the birth of Jesus heralded good life and hope as he fed, healed and encouraged the people, politicians, Babalola said, should, in like manner, devote themselves to enhancing standard of living in the country. While felicitating with Nigerians on this year’s

Christmas, he expressed hoped that the New Year would usher a new lease of life for the people. He called on the Federal Government to fulfill its promise of payment of N5, 000 monthly stipend to unemployed youths in the country, saying that would be a perfect New Year gift to the citizenry, just as the gesture would galvanise the economy.

Sunday Tribune

photonews

From left, Corps Marshal /Chief Executive Officer, Federal Road Safety Corps , Mr Boboye Oyeyemi; Head, Media Relation and Strategy, FRSC, Mr Bisi Kazeem; and Group Captain Simon Peter, during the FRSC /Nigerian Airforce joint area surveillance in Abuja.

From left, The Chancellor, Honourable Justice A.A Ajeigbe; the Diocesan Bishop, Rt Rev J.A. Popoola; Mama Bishop, Mrs Beatrice Popoola; The Regisrar, Mr Emmanuel Afolabi, during the Christmas Service at the Cathedral of All Saints, Diocese of Osun (Anglican Communion), Balogun-Agoro, Osogbo, Osun State.

He also enjoined state governments to take a cue from the Federal Government and equally seek to put smile on workers’ faces by offsetting outstanding salaries, ensure prompt payment in the New Year, resist the temptation to sack workers and actually work on bridging infrastructure gap which has eroded on welfare at that tier of government.

Muslims, Christians urged to live in peace The Chief Imam of Apo Legislators’ Quarter’s Abuja Jumat Mosque, Sheikh Nuru Khalid, on Saturday, urged Muslims and Christians to live in peace and harmony wherever they find themselves. Khalid, who gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja, said the call became imperative now that the country was facing serious security challenge. He noted that the Yuletide celebrations signified the birth of the two prophets, ``hence we should always emulate their lifestyles while they were on earth.” “If we all call ourselves followers of the two prophets, I see no reason why we should not live in peace when they both preached peace. “It is when we live in peace

that the country can move forward the way it should be. If there is no peace, it will be very difficult for any country to attain any meaningful development,” he said. Khalid advised Nigerians not to wait until times like this before they see it as a must to live together in peace and preach peace in their respective domains. “We are all one, irrespective of our socio-political, religious and economic background. We should not allow disgruntled elements who find pleasure in destruction to destroy our nation in the name of religion.” “That is why we find it necessary, especially at this time, to preach to those behind the security challenge in the country, to desist from such acts.”

From left, Bishop of Lagos West Diocese, Anglican Communion, Right Reverend James Odedeji; his wife, Mrs Lydia; Chancellor, Lagos West Diocese, Justice Babashola Ogunade and his deputy and former Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayo Phillips, after the 2015 Christmas service, held at the Archbishop Vinning Memorial Catheral, Ikeja GRA, at the weekend, in Lagos. PHOTO: SYLVESTER OKORUWA

From left, bride’s father, Elder Emmanuel Ogunkanmi; groom’s mother, Mrs Oluyemisi Sobiyi; the couple, Daniel and Lydia; the ring bearer and little bride (front); groom’s father, Pa Olugbenga Okueyungbo and bride’s mother, Deaconess Yoade Ogunkanmi, at the Church of God Nigeria headquarters, Beyerunka gospel hall, Ibadan, Oyo State.

27 December, 2015

sport

SUNDAY

Sunday Tribune

Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060

Wolves, El-Kanemi have paid their players —LMC The League Management Company (LMC) has confirmed Warri Wolves and El-Kanemi Warriors have provided evidence of payment of outstanding salary to their players and officials. Both clubs had risked sporting sanctions which could have included the docking of six points had they not complied with the LMC order. Chairman of the LMC, Shehu Dikko, also confirmed that players, coaches and other staff of FC Taraba were on Tuesday, December 23, numbering 53 have been paid one month salary by the LMC to enable them celebrate the Christmas and New Year festivities pending the resolution of their salary dispute with the gov-

ernment of Taraba State. While confirming the remittance of the salaries directly to the concerned beneficiaries, Dikko said the payment came from the balance of the Basic Award and Merit Award due the club for participating in the 2015/16 Globacom Premier League season. The 53 employees of the club who received the payment is made up of 34 players, registered with the LMC for the season and 19 officials who received the payment through their individual bank accounts. “This payment was made pursuant to our letter to FC Taraba dated December 6th, 2015 and in line with the non-sporting sanctions imposed on FC Taraba since November,” Dikko said.

India Pro Wrestling League:

Adekuoroye goes for gold

Usman (right)

Portuguese club woos Nigeria U-23 star, Usman P ortuguese club, Uniao Madeira, is believed to have tabled an offer of about 400,000 Euros for another Nigerian midfielder, Usman Mohammed. Uniao Madeira, the hometown club of Real Madrid superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, who already boast of Nigeria international, Shehu Abdullahi, is ready to pay in three instalments for the former FC Taraba skipper. It is now left for Usman’s handlers to agree or reject this offer. Usman will move to Europe as a free agent as he was only on loan at Taraba after a failed move to play in Ukraine. He was instrumental in the Dream Team’s victory at the just-ended African U-23 Nations Cup in Senegal where Nigeria defeated Les Fennecs of Algeria 2-1.

Usman, who has been capped by the Super Eagles is currently in the Eagles training camp in

Abuja ahead of next month’s African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda.

... As Club Africain, Etoile chase Adeniji, Aniefiok

Tunisian clubs have continued their new-found romance with Nigerian players with Sunshine Stars striker, Tunde Adeniji and U-23 midfielder, Godspower Aniefiok both close to securing deals in that country. Godspower Aniefiok from Kano Pillars is set to join league leaders, Etoile du Sahel after he arrived Sousse on Thursday, while another Tunisian side, Club Africain, is ready to give Sunshine Stars striker, Adeniji a trial. Adeniji finished as the second highest goalscorer at the justended Glo Premier League

season with 16 goals, one behind the eventual winner, Gbolahan Salami, while towering defensive midfielder, Aniefiok featured at the recent African U-23 Nations Cup in Senegal. Already, Emem Eduok and Bernard Bulbwa are at Esperance and Junior Ajayi and Kingsley Sokari are on the books of CS Sfaxien. Three Tunisian clubs including Esperance are also on the hot chase for another Nigeria U23 star, Oghenekaro Etebo who emerged the highest goalscorer at the just-ended Senegal 2015 with five goals.

Adekuoroye (left) celebrates

NIGERIA’S Odunayo Adekuoroye will today go for gold once more in her career as she files out for her team, Mumbai Garuda, from 3pm Nigeria time, in the 53kg final of the ongoing maiden India Pro Wrestling League. This followed her sensational victory on Friday in the semifinal of the competition, where she once again humbled Priyanka Phogat of Punjab Royals 10-0 at the K.D. Jadhav Wrestling Stadium in New Delhi. The two-time African champion, Adekuoroye needed just one minute, 15 seconds to confirm her superiority over Priyanka for the second time at the ongoing India Wrestling League.

Adekuoroye who has been labelled the dancing wrestler motivated herself by singing song of victory while dancing as well. It will be recalled that Adekuoroye in her first bout defeated Priyanka 10-2 despite her arrival in the match venue a few minutes to the bout. The 2015 World Wrestling bronze medallist failed to fight against Haryana Hammers’ Tatyana Kit after their category was blocked on Thursday night. The 2014 Commonwealth gold medallist, had previously defeated Ukrainian’s Liliya Horishna, Babita Kumari, Lalita Sherawat and Priyanka Phogat in the championship which ends today.

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

WEDDING CEREMONY OF THE CHILDREN OF DEACON & ENGINEER ADETUNJI GIDEON AJIBOLADE PHOTOS: TOMMY ADEGBITE AND PASTOR & PASTOR (MRS) BENARD OLUDIMEHIN

The newly wedded couple, Mr and Mrs Olayemi Andrew Fadimilehin.

From left, bride’s father, Deacon and Engineer Adetunji Gideon Ajibolade; the bride, Miss Oluyemi Blessing Ajibolade and the bride’s mother, Mrs Remi Agbi.

From left, Elder O. Olayande; Pastor Benard Oludimehin; the groom, Mr Olayemi Fadimilehin and Pastor (Mrs) Oludimehin.

From left, bride’s father, Engineer Ajibolade; bride’s mother, Mrs Remi Agbi, Mrs R.O. Ajibolade, Engineer Nelson Bunmi Agbi and bride, Miss Oluyemi Blessing Ajibllade.

A cross-section of the bride’s family during the engagement ceremony.

A cross-section of groom’s family during the engagement ceremony.

The Onidogun of Idogunland, Oba Moses Ekundayo Bakare (left) with Deacon Amos Ajibolade.

From left, Oba Moses Bakare and his wife, Funmilayo, Madam R.M. Olaseinde and Engineer Adetunji Ajibolade.

From left, bride’s father, Deacon Ajibolade; the couple, Mr and Mrs Olayemi Fadimilehin and the bride’s mother, Mrs Remi Agbi.

From left, Mrs Banke Adekunle; Deacon Amos Ajibolade; Pastor Joseph Adelakun (a.k.a Ayewa); Bishop and Pastor (Mrs) Tunji Odeleye.

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

WEDDING CEREMONY OF THE CHILDREN OF DEACON & ENGINEER ADETUNJI GIDEON AJIBOLADE PHOTOS: TOMMY ADEGBITE AND PASTOR & PASTOR (MRS) BENARD OLUDIMEHIN

Bride’s father, Engineer Adetunji Ajibolade (third left) presenting the bride, Miss Oluyemi Ajibolade to the Bishop. With them is the groom, Mr Olayemi Fadimilehin, at the St James Cathedral Church, Oke-Bola, Ibadan.

From left, Lady Evangelist Toyin Ajibolade; Deacon Amos Ajibolade; Mrs R.O. Ajibolade and the bride’s father, Engineer Tunji Ajibolade.

A cross-section of the Ajibolade and Agbi’s families on the occasion.

From left, Mrs R.O. Ajibolade and her husband, Engineer Tunji; Pastor (Mrs) Oludimehin, the groom’s father; the couple, Mr and Mrs Olayemi Fadimilehin, bride’s mother, Mrs Remi Agbi and the groom’s father, Pastor Benard Oludimehin.

From left, groom’s mother, Pastor Oludimehin; the couple, Mr and Mrs Olayemi Fadimilehin and the groom’s father, Pastor Benard Oludimehin.

A cross-section of the couple’s friends with Mr and Mrs Olayemi Fadimehin.

Deacon Ajibolade and his wife, Toyin (middle); Prince Abiodun Oloyede (right) and other guests.

From left, chairman on the occasion, Professor Michael Olufisayo Ologunde; Engineer Ajibolade and Pastor Oludimehin.

The newly wedded couple, Mr and Mrs Olayemi Fadimehin posing for photograph with clergymen on the occasion.

From left, Professor Michael Olufisayo Ologunde; the couple, Mr and Mrs Olayemi Fadimehin and Deacon Amos Ajibolade, during the cutting of wedding cake.

sport

27 December, 2015

Sunday Tribune

Liverpool ends Leicester’s 9-game unbeaten run Leaders, Leicester City saw their nine-match unbeaten Premier League run ended by Liverpool substitute, Christian Benteke’s second-half winner. The Reds dominated the first half at Anfield, but failed to fully test the Foxes keeper, Kasper Schmeichel. They were rewarded when Roberto Firmino’s pull-back from the left was steered in by a stretching Benteke. Leicester offered little threat, Nathan Dyer going closest as they failed to score for the first time this season. Leicester spent Christmas Day on top of the Premier League, capping a marvellous turnaround after being bottom of the table 12 months ago. But their first league defeat since losing 5-2 at home to Arsenal on 26 September now leaves them vulnerable to be overtaken by the Gunners. Can Claudio Ranieri’s side react positively to defeat? That’s the question many sceptics have been asking about the surprise leaders. After a toothless display at Anfield, where they managed just three shots on target, Leicester will have to improve dramatically if they are to maintain their lofty position. “We have to clean this result away and restart,” said Ranieri afterwards. Two of the brightest stars in Leicester’s resurgence have been England striker, Jamie Vardy and Algeria playmaker, Riyad Mahrez. The two men have contributed 29 of Leicester’s 37 Premier League goals this season, as well as providing 10 assists for each other or their team-mates. But neither made an impact against Liverpool, with Ranieri revealing afterwards that Vardy played with a fever and Mahrez was “very tired”. As a team, Leicester lacked their usual energy and managed to muster just seven attempts at the Liverpool goal.

Benteke (middle) after scoring the winner against Leicester City.

I can quit Man U —Van Gaal Goes for ‘last’ game against Chelsea

ouis van Gaal is preparing to quit Manchester United if the club flop to their fifth defeat in a row against Chelsea tomorrow at Old Trafford. The downcast United manager is fighting for his job after another dreadful 0-2 defeat against Stoke City on Saturday and made it clear if he is unable to get a response at Old Trafford, he will jump before he is pushed – provided the club don’t take their own unilateral action in the next 24 hours and throw Ryan Giggs in to take temporary charge. “It is not always the club that has to sack me. Sometimes I do it by myself. I am the one who wants to speak first,” said the 64-yearold tactician whose gamble to drop captain Wayne Rooney backfired as Stoke hit two early goals through Bojan Krkic and Marko Arnautovic to complete United’s worst run since 1961. Executive vice-chairman, Ed

Woodward wasn’t at Stoke to see the latest horror show. Van Gaal expects to be given one final chance against Chelsea on the understanding that he will walk if he fails again. “It is getting more difficult because I am also part of the four defeats we have lost so people are looking at me and I have to deal with that,” said the Dutchman. “For me, it is much more important what people are saying to me

in private than public but I don’t say what (he’s been told) because it is not any of your business. “I can also quit by myself but that is something I speak with Ed Woodward and not with you. That is also something I don’t have to say.” Asked if he would be in charge against Chelsea, he said: “We will have to wait and see, but I think so.” The decision may yet be taken out of his hands in the next 24

hours with midfielder Michael Carrick admitting: “It is a horrible run, a horrible feeling. It hurts a lot. We aren’t playing well enough as a team. It is Manchester United were are playing for and it is a privilege.” Van Gaal said the pressure was getting to his players. “We didn’t dare to play football. I’ve tried to do everything but the pressure shall be every match higher and higher and we have to solve that problem,” he said.

Costa nets brace against Watford Diego Costa scored twice as Guus Hiddink’s second spell as Chelsea boss started with a draw against Watford on Saturday at Stamford Bridge. It could have been more for Hiddink, in charge after Jose Mourinho’s sacking, had Oscar not missed a late penalty as the game ended in a 2-2 draw. Spaniard Costa hooked in the opener for the Blues before Nemanja Matic’s handball allowed Troy Deeney to level from the penalty spot. Odion Ighalo’s deflected shot gave the visitors the lead, only for Costa to fire in and earn Chelsea a point.

Ighalo in the 56th minue put the Hornets ahead before Costa drew parity. The Blues have won just one of their last five Premier League games and are 15th on the table, just two points above the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Costa will miss tomorrow’s clash with Manchester United through suspension after picking up a booking during the champions’ clash with Watford at Stamford Bridge. The Spain international was shown a yellow card in the 88th minute following a late challenge on Craig Cathcart.

Van Gaal

Eagles off to South Africa training camp Jan 2 The Super Eagles squad for next month’s CHAN are scheduled to fly out of the country on January 2 for a training camp in South Africa, officials have disclosed. A squad of 25 players have been training in Abuja for the CHAN with ailing Enugu Rangers defender Kalu Orji due to

rejoin the camp after a short Christmas break. Orji has been sidelined by chickenpox. Nigeria will set up a training camp in Pretoria, South Africa, for the final phase of their buildup for the championship for players featuring in their home leagues.

The home-based Super Eagles are scheduled to play two warmup games against Cote d’Ivoire and Angola, who have both qualified for the CHAN in Rwanda. Nigeria is drawn with Tunisia, Niger and Guinea in group C of the 2016 CHAN and play their opening match on January 18 in Kigali.

SIDELINES NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER

NO 2,026

27 DECEMBER, 2015

www.tribune.com.ng

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Some Muslim leaders and youths who joined Christians in a Kaduna church to celebrate Christmas used the opportunity to pray for peace and unity in the state and the country as a whole while others provided security for the church while the service was on. Muslims and Christians worshipping together in the North? Indeed, change has come to Nigeria.

Nigeria: Looking to the future

E stand at the end of a year that has been full of great developments for our country. By January, our country swayed ominously under our most visionless, corrupt and indolent presidency ever. Today, our country is experiencing some revival of hope under a president who promises change and who is attacking public corruption with considerable seriousness. By January, Islamic fundamentalist terrorism was at the peak of its power in our Northeast, and Boko Haram was arrogantly threatening to overrun our whole country. Today, though we have not destroyed Boko Haram, we can claim to be pushing creditably back against Boko Haram and its culture of destruction and mass killing. Certainly, major deficits still exist in all directions.The trenchant demands for Biafra, the apparent revival of the strength of terrorism in the Ijaw homeland, the constant reports of bloody inter-ethnic conflicts in the Middle Belt, the virtual collapse of education in our public schools, the mass unemployment in all parts of our country, the massive lack of skills and of proper job ethic among our people, the unfortunate tendency of our country’s federal rulers to act as agents of their own particular ethnic nationalities, all show that it is yet far from being well with our country. Nevertheless, it is fair to say that we are better able to dream of a better future today than we were able to do last January. We may therefore ask today: What lies in the future for us the nationalities and the masses of citizens of Nigeria as another year is about to begin? What we Nigerians need is to change the direction of our country’s current path, radically change our country into one that works, and imbue every one of our nationalities with the joy and pride of belonging to a successful Nigeria in which each nationality can reasonably happily thrive. But, what are the possibilities for that kind of change? If such a radical change is ever to come, the beginnings of it must appear clearly and strongly under the present Buhari presidency. The first step will necessarily be what President Buhari is doing now – the fight against corruption. But it must be not merely a fight against corruption in

the handling of public money, but a dedicated struggle to clean up our total governance – to enthrone fairness and a meritocracy in our public appointments, high quality in the management of our schools, high job ethics for our workers in all sectors, fairness in our system of wages and rewards, thoroughly clean and respectable election processes, a clean and respectable judiciary, etc. At the root of this whole package of

are saying that since the Nigerian family has become a machine for wrecking its members, it would be insane for them to desire to continue to be members of it. For the first time, without any particular provocation (such as the pogroms against Igbos in 1966), some of our nationalities are now saying that their own first consideration is their own well-being and their chance to prosper on their own in the world. They are saying that they will seek

diranapata@yahoo.com

change must be a rational restructuring of the Nigerian federation, a restructuring based, for the first time, on a careful (even tender) respect for our many nationalities. Our nationalities are the fundamental building blocks of our country. They are the inevitable factors in the structuring of a federal system for our country. Our British-made regions of the 1950s failed to take cognizance of that fact, and when our smaller nationalities cried out,their cries were ignored. Then since 1967, we have progressively twisted and distorted the manifest facts of our country’s existence, and created a total monstrosity - a federation of disorder, confusion and lawlessness, a factory for the production of mass failure, poverty, conflicts and pain, over which an unrestrained federal government revels like a drunken demolition crew.In the context of all this, our citizens and nationalities are now much poorer than they were in 1960. Consequently, more and more of our nationalities are now making it clear that they are not prepared to continue to live in the political, economic and moral mess that Nigeria has become. More and more

this goal in the context of Nigeria if Nigeria makes it possible – or out of Nigeria if Nigeria continues to make it impossible. For Nigeria, therefore, the new frontier, the ultimate battle line, has crystallized. For those who specialize and revel in strategizing for some ethnic dominance over Nigeria, the door has now shut, whether they recognize that or not. And for those gurus among the “save Nigeria” patriots who think that the way to sustain Nigeria is to romanticize Nigeria, the chances of getting any serious audience are vanishing. To continue to exist, Nigeria must convincingly change itself into a family in which every nationality can proper in its own way and make its own kind of contribution to the over-all prosperity of all. If the foundation for such change is not laid in the present presidency, then it seems that saying goodbye to Nigeria could become the response of many of our nationalities. That would be a pity. But the pain of poverty and deprivation, and the agony and fear of insecurity from crimes, conflicts and terrorism, have together driven Nigerians to a totally new level of realism concerning their country. From this point

on, merely urging Nigerians to consider the interest of Nigeria is not likely to work. Nigerians have closer and more pressing interests to consider. And Nigeria as one family must pay very serious attention to these. What all these things portend for our future is obvious. The territory that is now Nigeria could soon be the homes of a number of separate countries. Most Nigerians can easily visualize such countries – to name a few, probably a country in our present South-south (an oil-rich small federation, a land of fast growth, and a magnet for investments from all over the world); an Igbo country (a paradise for small businesses and technological innovations); a Yoruba country (a land of proudly democratic and orderly government, the home of prosperity, scholarship, the arts and elegance); a Hausa-Fulani country (probably the most progressive Muslim country in the world, and a land of prosperity based, at last, on its enormous agricultural potentials), etc. All these are, among some of us, optimistic visions of our lives after a possible dissolution of Nigeria. But we must not be naïve; we must be aware that there are pessimistic visions too of what could happen to us after a dissolution of this country. For instance, some American researchers wrote recently that after a dissolution of Nigeria we may end up with “a collection of smaller failed states (that) would be sources of spreading instability” in the African region. We must not dismiss this pessimism. It can happen. The answer for us as citizens, peoples and leaders of this country are therefore obvious. We must strive seriously to make our country a satisfying home for everyone of our nationalities, and a land of fairness, law, justice, equality before the law, order and confident hope for all Nigerians. We have the capabilities to accomplish these things. What we have lacked is a deliberate choice to go after accomplishing them. By promising change and starting a war against corruption, President Buhari has started something important. We need him, and we all need to encourage him, to take the more important steps. I wish this country a year of happy changes.

Ighalo set record at Watford, grabs 13th EPL goal BY GANIYU SALMAN

EPL results:

Ighalo (left) celebrates after scoring. PHOTO: SPORTMAIL.

Stoke City 2 Man Utd 0 Aston Villa 1 West Ham 1 B/mouth 0 C/Palace 0 Chelsea 2 Watford 2 Liverpool 1 Leicester 0 Man City 4 S/land 1 Swansea 1 W/ Brom 0 Tottenham 3 Norwich 0 Newcastle 0 Everton 1 POOLS : 1, 2, 3, 12, 13, 32, 35, 36, 40, 47. TODAY’S MATCH (19)

RED-HOT Nigeria international, Odion Ighalo on Saturday became the first player to score in five consecutive games for Watford FC in the English Premier League. Ighalo, scored in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for his 13th EPL goal of the season. The Edo State-born player had in the 56th minute put the Hornets ahead through

a massive deflection by his marker Gary Cahill, after he had missed what would have been the curtain raiser for the visitors in the early minutes. Ighalo whose 20 goals helped Watford to gain promotion to the EPL this season, also set another record of becoming the first Nigerian player to score in five consecutive EPL games. His exploits which have raised the profile of the

newly-promoted EPL side have continued to attract offers in Europe. Ighalo who has scored 33 goals in 2015 to become the best striker in English’s all top four divisions, is now trailing the record set by fellow Nigerian, Yakubu Ayegbeni, who scored 16 goals for Portsmouth in the 2003/04 season. Osaze Odemwingie follows Ayegbeni with 15 goals which he scored for West

Bromwich Albion in the 2010/2011 season. Interestingly, it turned out to be a sad Boxing Day for compatriot, Mikel Obi, who came on to replace Cesc Fabregas in the second half of the game. Watford, which remains seventh on the table with 29 points from 18 matches following the draw at Stamford Bridge, will tomorrow at Vicarage Road host Tottenham for its 19th game of the season.

Printed and Published by the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, Imalefalafia Street, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. E mail: sundaytribuneeditor@yahoo.com Website: www.tribuneonlineng.com MANAGING DIRECTOR/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: EDWARD DICKSON. EDITOR WEEKEND TITLES: LASISI OLAGUNJU. All Correspondence to P. O. Box 78, Ibadan. ISSN 2712. ABC Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation. 27/12/2015