NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 16,512
TUESDAY, 31 MAY, 2016
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Nigerian Tribune
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Nigerian Tribune
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MASSOB protests turn bloody in 4 states TribuneOnline
—P2
•Soldiers, protesters clash in Anambra, Imo, Delta, Ebonyi •7 confirmed dead in Delta •Biafra protesters throw 2 policemen into River Niger •30 protesters, 1 cleric arrested Wike and I are targets of FG’s travel restrictions —Fayose •Says ‘I will travel abroad in full public glare when I want to’ —P4
Gunmen kill 5, sack Rivers community —P33
Oyo public schools' takeover
Members of MASSOB protesting in Enugu, on Monday. PHOTO: JUDE OSSAI.
Niger Delta Avengers: Military invades more Delta communities Says: •FG will now talk less on corruption with gunboats, •Military leaders sat on N2.1bn arms fund war jets —P3 •Civil servants rubbished our campaign promises
NUT , Muslim community condemn govt's decision —P5
I am still shocked Jonathan conceded defeat —Buhari —P3
2 news
Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
MASSOB protests turn bloody, many feared killed
•Soldiers, protesters clash in Anambra, Imo, Delta, Ebonyi •Biafra protesters throw 2 policemen into River Niger From Jude Ossai, Ebenezer Adurokiya, Alphonsus Agborh, Celestine Ihejirika, Suzy Oruya, with Agency Report
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T was a bloody day in the south-eastern states of the country, on Monday, as Biafra group marked the 49th anniversary of what it called Biafra Day.
Many feared killed in Anambra
In Anambra, many people believed to be members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) were reportedly shot dead, with a police officer killed, a soldier stabbed and several others arrested in Onitsha. It was gathered that men of the Nigerian Police had swooped on some worshippers, believed to be members of the IPOB, at about 1.68 a.m., at St. Edward Catholic Church, Nkpor Umuoji Road, Onitsha, The clash between the policemen and IPOB members was said to have left about five persons dead, with several others sustaining injuries. The development caused demonstrations around the Nkpor axis after which it was gathered that another clash by the members of the Joint Armed Forces with protesters at Nkpor Uno, in the same axis, left about 25 people dead. It was also gathered that a soldier attached to the 302 military regiment in Onitsha was stabbed, while the Nnewi South regional administrator of Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Anthony Nwodo and 14 others were arrested by the Joint Security Taskforce (JTF) at Ezinifite. Two of the protesters were said to have died on the Niger Bridge, while coming from Asaba, Delta State capital, to join their Anambra counterparts in the celebration. On getting to the bridge, it was gathered that they met resistance from men of the JTF. The development also left a policeman dead, with a soldier stabbed. All the markets in Onitsha and environs were shut, including the street market, despite the order of the state government. Reacting to the development, IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, said the armed forces killed about 25 of their members at Nkpor, adding that “they just opened fire on us as we were having a peaceful procession.” Also reacting, Emmanuel Omenka, personal assistant to the MASSOB leader, Chief Ralph Uwazurike, said “no amount of killing of Biafra
agitators will deter us from fighting to actualise a sovereign state of Biafra.” Reacting, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Okechukwu Ali, in a telephone conversation, said “I am not aware of any casualty. What we do is to use tear gas to disperse the protesters, in order to avoid destruction.” The group, according to him, did not obtain permission for the demonstration.
Protest claims 7 in Asaba
In Asaba, the clash by the police with members of IPOB claimed seven lives. In the ensuing shootout between the police and the Biafra agitators at Cable Points and Abraka area of the state capital, two policemen were confirmed dead, while IPOB lost five of its members. Residents in the area had to close their shops and doors as they scampered for safety. Report from Asaba said IPOB members carried their flags and placards in a procession to celebrate Biafra Day, which later turned violent as the protesters damaged a police patrol van belonging to Ibusa division as well as a military vehicle. The development was said to have infuriated armed policemen positioned at strategic locations in the area. Witnesses said some persons, including policemen, who were injured in the fracas, were taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba. A nurse at the FMC, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that some of the injured were brought to the hospital.
An eyewitness, Mr Uche Okelue, told NAN that the fracas broke out after a police team threw teargas at the protesters in an effort to disperse them. “The police used teargas on the MASSOB people as they were protesting on Anwai Road this morning, so the people got angry and attacked the policemen with knives and broken bottles. “They caught one policeman, beat him up before stabbing him to death; it was a fierce confrontation as everyone ran in different directions,” Okelue said. Another eyewitness, Mr Ben Onwordi, told NAN of another fight between the police and MASSOB members at the popular Mammy Market Junction on Nnebisi Road, Asaba. “As the group were protesting, the police patrol vehicle came behind them and tried to disperse them, but the MASSOB people resisted and in the process they clashed and many people were injured. “The MASSOB people damaged the police patrol vehicle, vandalising the windscreen and doors before all of them fled into different directions,” Onwordi said. The “Biafrans,” according to the state acting Police Public Relations Officer, Charles Muka, who confirmed the report, made away with AK47 and one smoke gunner rifles, while two policemen were injured. At the River Niger Bridge on the border between Delta and Anambra states, a police source who pleaded anonymity told NAN that MASSOB members had attacked some policemen at the bridge
head, overpowering two of them, before throwing them into the river. “We have been able to retrieve one of them from the river. He was brought out in an unconscious state and rushed to the hospital, however, the second victim is still missing,” he said. When contacted, spokesperson for the police command in Delta, Mr Charles Mouka, said two policemen were thrown into the River Niger by the group, adding that one of them was, however, rescued alive while the other died. Eight members of the group, Muka added, were arrested and four of them wounded. The police spokesman said five persons were killed by military officers who had confrontations with the group on Asaba-Onitsha Expressway in Asaba. He added that a pregnant woman was hit by stray bullet during the fracas, adding, however, that she is receiving treatment at the FMC, Asaba.
Police arrest 13 in Enugu
No fewer than 13 suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) were arrested by the police for alleged unlawful protest in Enugu. The Enugu police spokesman, Mr Ebere Amaraizu, told the NAN that the suspects were arrested on Obiagu Road in the Coal City, while commemorating Biafran fallen heroes and heroines of the 1967 -1970 civil war. He said they were apprehended with flags of Biafra. Amaraizu said the com-
mand had embarked on a surveillance of the state following reports of planned protests.
Police arrest 17 in Imo
The police in Owerri arrested 17 members of the MASSOB for holding a road show in commemoration of 49th anniversary of Biafra. The state PPRO, Andrew Enwerem, who confirmed the arrests, said those arrested would be prosecuted. He further added that those arrested not only displayed Biafra insignia, but that they also chanted solidarity songs and behaved in a manner capable of breaching the peace in the state. The MASSOB members began the march at Waterside Primary School, Owerri, from where they moved to Rotibi Street to Oguamana Street before linking Douglas Road. At Douglas Road, they met heavily armed security men, who threw teargas at them at Ama JK end of the street and arrested some. Mr Okechukwu Nwogu, a leader of MASSOB, said it was regrettable that the police arrested members of the group who were on a peaceful march to commemorate the 49th anniversary of Biafra and 17th anniversary of MASSOB. Earlier, Chief Canice Anojuru, the spokesman for MASSOB in Owerri zone, had said the group decided to hold the road show to awake the consciousness of the people of the defunct Biafra.
10 arrested, one injured in Abia
Ten persons have been ar-
AMCON: FG inaugurates presidential committee on loans recovery A presidential inter-agency committee on recovery of loans granted to commercial banks and corporate organisations by Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has been set up by the Federal Government. This was revealed in a statement made available to the media on Monday, by Comrade Salihu Othman Isah, spokesman of the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, who said the inauguration was held on May 19 in Abuja. Isah explained that the minister, who heads the committee, recounted in his speech that AMCON was established by the Act of the National Assembly to prevent the collapse of the Nigerian banking sector, following the banking crisis as a result of the Bank Consolida-
tion Reforms in 2008. The minister, according to the statement, pointed out that the situation led to huge indebtedness for banks, which culminated in the eventual purchase of the toxic loans by AMCON in order to stabilise the banking sector, and by extension the
Nigerian economy. However, debtors, who cut across the aviation, banking and oil and gas sectors, failed to repay the loans while some of them had resorted to court actions, all in a bid to frustrate the loan recovery efforts of AMCON, adding that in some cases, this was
with active conspiracy of some financial institutions among others. Malami explained that the development led to President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval and directive for the establishment of an inter-agency committee to effectively pursue the loan recovery.
Don’t use appointments to cause disunity, group warns Kwara APC Biola Azeez -Ilorin A socio-political organisation in Kwara State, Alidodo Vanguard, has called on leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the federal, state, and local government levels to, as a matter of urgency, redress the lingering crises among the party faithfuls. According to a communique issued at the end of its monthly meeting in Ilorin, the group described the ap-
pointment of chief executives of federal information parastatals, which saw Mr Modibo Kawu from Kwara State appointed as DirectorGeneral, Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), as a plot by enemies of the APC to destabilise the party in the state. The communique, signed by the founder of the organisation, Alhaji Muhammad Lawal Ali, said the APC should address the politics of the country according
to the rules of progressive politicking. He, therefore, urged the leadership of the party at the central to rekindle its progressive rapport with the leadership of the party in the state, towards greater development of Nigeria. Alhaji Ali also reiterated the commitment of the political leader in the state, Dr Bukola Saraki, to the oneness, growth and development of Nigeria, regardless the threat of opposition.
rested while one in a critical condition, following gunshots during the rally by MASSOB and Biafra Independence Movement (BIM) in Umuahia, Abia State. The peaceful rally, which commenced 10.00 a.m. from Asaba street, Umuahia, shortly after prayers by members of MASSOB, resulted into confrontation when police forcefully tried to stop the group from carrying out the rally. The development resulted in restiveness by members of the group. Addressing hundreds of its members earlier on Monday, the group leader/ Abia Central zonal administrator, Mr Felix Ezekwem, who spoke through the central zonal information director, Mr Anselam Ogbonna, urged members to shun act capable of causing confusion. Reacting, the state PPRO, Onyeke Udeviotu, confirmed the incident but, however, said four persons were arrested, while no one was shot, as the police used only tear gas to disperse the protesting members.
Police arrest clerics conducting service in Ebonyi
The Ebonyi State police command, on Monday, arrested some clergymen who were conducting an interdenominational service for members of MASSOB. It was gathered that policemen, numbering over 200, midway into the service, stormed the Nkaliki Primary School field, Abakaliki, venue of the 2016 Biafran day celebration of the group and arrested the clergymen as well as other members. The zonal leader of MASSOB in charge of Ebonyi No r t h , Jo h n Nw i f u r u , flanked by a member of the elders-in-council in charge of Ebonyi anniversary, Moses Eze, confirmed this at a briefing in Abakaliki. According to him, many members of the MASSOB were also arrested by the command during the celebration. Police spokesman, George Okafor, could not be reached for comments, as calls put through to his mobile phones were unanswered at the time of filing this report. But a top security source in the state, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident. The state Commissioner of Police, Peace Ibekwe Abdallah, when contacted, said she would brief the media on the matter at the appropriate time.
3 news I am still shocked Jonathan conceded defeat —Buhari Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
•Says FG will now talk less on corruption •We struggled to come to terms with administering the country, he adds Leon Usigbe -Abuja
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GAINST the backdrop of calls from some quarters for former President Goodluck Jonathan to be arrested and tried for corruption, President Muhammadu Buhari has praised him, saying he was yet to recover from the shock of the concession call Jonathan made to him before the outcome of the 2015 presidential election result. He said he respected the former president for the gesture, because he never expected that someone who had been in power for 16 years, would willingly give it up in that manner. Speaking in Abuja, on Monday, at a luncheon with State House corespondents, to mark his first one year anniversary in office, he observed that Jonathan’s action was an act of generosity and patriotism. He said: “This is where I pay my respect to former President Jonathan. This is actually a privileged information for you. He called me at a quarter past five in the evening. He said “good evening Your Excellency Sir” and “I said good evening.” “He said I have called to congratulate you that I have conceded defeat. Of course, there was dead silence on my end, because I did not expect it. And he said, “did you hear me?” “I was shocked. I did not expect it, because after 16 years, the man was a deputy governor, governor, vicepresident and president for six years. For him to have conceded defeat even before the result was announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). I think it was an act of generosity and great patriotism.” The president revealed that former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who had also
learnt of the call, reached out to him (Buhari) and advised that they go to the Presidential Villa at once to thank Jonathan. “Abdulsalami recognised the generosity of Jonathan to concede defeat and said we should go and thank him immediately, and I agreed. “That was the first time I came here (Villa),” he added. The president also spoke on the issue of corruption, saying government had decided to talk less on corruption, in order to allow the judiciary to do its job. He said less talk was also necessary, so that government could recover as much stolen funds as possible. The president said he was also shocked at the level of looting under the previous government, as he observed that officials shared money meant for arms purchase among themselves. He stated: “People were trusted and the most recent one which we haven’t recovered from is the $2.1billion, given by the government then, to the military to buy hardware to fight the insurgency, which had taken over parts of the country and they just sat just like you are sitting now and shared the money into their own accounts. “They didn’t even bother. So, we are still trying to get the cooperation of the international community and so on and we have to do it with a lot of respect to the judiciary. “We can’t go out and talk too much. We have to allow the judiciary to do its work. We give them the facts, the names, country, bank accounts. “If you talk too much, technicalities will come in. Then, we will realise less than what we want to realise.” The president also remarked that the last one year had been a tumultuous time for his government, as it struggled to come to terms with administering the country. He said civil servants rub-
bished the campaign promises of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in their desire to stick to the old ways of doing things. According to him, “the permanent secretaries who were there for the past five to seven years, the only
thing that they know is how things were done in the previous years. “Whatever we did in the campaign, in fact, we were saying rubbish and that made it very difficult for us. “Things were even more difficult during the budget
Osinbajo said “the commission will have a secretariat to be headed by a private sector professional,” who would be appointed to lead the secretariat of the Presidential Commission that would now pay even greater attention and focus on the issues of doing business in the country. At the consultation, MAN raised, among many concerns, their worries about cases of multiple taxation, and in response, the vicepresident promised to follow up on the matter, adding that “one of the key issues the Presidential Commission I am heading would be looking at is the case of multiple taxa-
ding contains...there were very serious developments which I never knew about. “So, really, it was a nasty experience for us. It was also a nasty experience for some of the ministers, who were never in government, for them to sit day and night to work.”
President Muhammadu Buhari, in a handshake with the oldest photojournalist of Triumph Newspapers in the State House, Alhaji Ladan Abubakar. With them is the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, during a lunch with the State House correspondents, at the Presidential Villa, in Abuja.
NDA: Military invades more Delta communities with gunboats, war jets As Ijaw youths beg Buhari for forgiveness Ebenezer Adurokiya -Warri DETAILED to continue with the smoking out and arrest of members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), the Nigerian Army had deployed its soldiers with more gunboats and fighter jets to volatile region of the Niger Delta to avert further destruction to the nation’s oil economy assets. The military reinforcement came into effect through the Joint Military Task Force (JTF), codenamed “Operations Pulo Shield” at the wee hours of Monday. The soldiers sent on rein-
forcement were said to have been sent to other Ijaw communities in search of vandals and militants bombing oil and gas facilities in Delta State. The communities so newly besieged as of Monday included Benikrukru, Kokodiagbene, Kurutie and Okerenkoko, the ancestral home of the Gbaramatus in Warri South-West Area of the state. It will be recalled that Oporoza, political headquarters of Gbaramatu kingdom and country home of Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo, who was now on self exile, had been under
President approves high level commission on ease of doing business —VP FEDERAL Government has again emphasised the need for ease of doing business in the country, just as President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the formation of a Presidential Commission on the matter, according to VicePresident Yemi Osinbajo. “President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a highpowered commission to work on the issues around the ease of doing business in the country,” the vice-president announced while presiding over the first quarterly consultation between the Presidency and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Friday afternoon.
which you all know about. “For somebody like me, for the first time, I heard what is called “padding.” “I think we will recover by the fourth quarter of the year. What padding means, especially for ministers who had to implement what pad-
tion.” He added that this was also an issue that the Ministry of Trade and Investment was also actively engaged with. At the end of the meeting, the president of the MAN, Dr Frank Udemba Jacobs, while speaking with State House Correspondents, expressed concern about the acts of vandalism regarding the nation’s oil and gas installations, describing such as economic sabotage. According to him, “the association is happy about what the Federal Government is doing, but we are concerned about what is happening in the Niger Delta area, which is
a kind of sabotaging the economic activities of government and, therefore, we want to call on them to lay down their arms in the interest of the country.” He called on the militants to join hands with government and move the country forward. The MAN president stated that diversification of the economy was the best way to go now, given what was happening internationally. He said the association is “keying” into government policy in terms of diversification of the economy by doing their best to increase the capacity of production.
military siege since the renewed onslaught on oil facilities in the area by the NDA. The JTF’s operation, tagged: “Cordon and Search,” is aimed at unmasking the militants and vandals, who are perpetrating the heinous economic crimes and are believed to be shielded by members of the communities. Worried residents, who spoke with Nigerian Tribune on phone, said their lives were no longer safe, as they were subjected to untold hardships and bondage. They added that several people, including women and children, had not been accounted for since they bolted into the bush about five days ago. One of the youth taking refuge in the creeks, told Nigerian Tribune that: “They (soldiers) have come to Oporoza and other communities with more gunboats and war jets. “Our women and children are now in the bush. “We are begging President Buhari in the name of God to pardon us and give us amnesty. “We have no peace here. They should pardon us. We are in pains. “War jets are flying everywhere. Journalist, please help us beg them in the name of God to pardon us,”
the Gbaramatu youths tearfully pleaded on phone. Leader of Kokodiagbene community, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, in an interview with Nigerian Tribune on Monday, said: “Their continuous invasion of the soldiers is posing serious threats to the communities. “We are living in bondage. Gbaramatu kingdom is host to oil and gas facilities and not to NDA,” he disclosed. He warned that women and children die if the siege laid on the kingdom was not relaxed and the soldiers withdrawn for people to have access to food items. Mulade said what the people expected from the Federal Government was for it detailed soldiers to man the pipeline routes to avert further destruction instead of laying siege on communities. Meanwhile, coordinator of the Federal Government Amnesty Programme, Brigadier-General Paul Boro, who spoke on behalf of the soldiers, has disclosed that they were in the kingdom to maintain peace and a cessation to economic sabotage. He debunked the various allegations levelled against the soldiers, noting that the people of the area needed not exercise fear if they cooperated with the soldiers to fish out evil men among them.
4 news Wike and I are targets of FG’s travel restrictions on govs —Fayose
Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
Says ‘I will travel abroad in full public glare when I want to’ Sam Nwaoko -Ado Ekiti
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OVERNOR Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has claimed that he and his Rivers State counterpart, Chief Nyesom Wike, are the targets of an alleged travel restriction said to have been placed on two governors by the Federal Government. Governor Fayose told newsmen in Ado Ekiti, on Monday, that the alleged travel ban, reported in the
media recently, could not hold water, saying he could not be prevented from travelling abroad as a free citizen of the country and as a governor of a state. Addressing newsmen in Ado Ekiti, on Monday, Fayose dared the Federal Government to carry out the alleged plot of preventing him from travelling out of the country, saying “under the federal system of government, state governors are not appendages of the president, and as a leading
opposition figure in Nigeria, I cannot be cowed by President Muhammadu Buhari and his agents.” The governor, who spoke through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Mr Lere Olayinka, said he was reacting “to media reports that two governors, one from the South-West and another from the SouthSouth have been placed on travel restriction on President Buhari’s order,” and declared that “whenever I
wish to travel out of Nigeria, I will do so in the full glare of the public.” He said: “I am not surprised or disappointed by this latest plot of the Buhari-led government because the President Buhari that we know is a man without any atom of respect for the rights of Nigerians as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and this he
From right, Delta State governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa; his deputy, Mr Kingsley Otuaro and the Speaker of the state Assembly, Honourable Monday Igbuya, during a stakeholders’ forum on fostering peaceful co-existence between farmers/ host communities and herdsman, at the Government House, Asaba, on Monday.
Herdsmen menace: Okowa convenes stakeholders’ meeting DETERMINED to reduce clash between herdsmen and communities in the state, the Delta State governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, on Monday, had a forum with stakeholders where carrying of offensive weapons by herdsmen was frowned on. Present at the forum, which had as its theme: “Fostering Peaceful Co-existence Between Farmers, Host Communities and Herdsmen in Delta State,” were representatives of traditional rulers’ council, communities, farmers, local government chairmen, Miyetti Allah, Miyetti Allah Kautu Hore, Cattle Dealers Association, Cattle Breeders Association, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Moslem leaders, civil society organisations, the military, police, Department of State Security (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), as well as Nigeria Immigration Service. Governor Okowa, while declaring the event, which took place at the Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba, open, urged participants to speak freely about the way out of the quagmire to ensure a peaceful state where the people co-existed and
carried out their business activities without fear. According to him, “issues of misunderstanding between the herdsmen and our communities have become worrisome in recent times and we don’t want it to continue, Deltans are hospitable people, but the would-be visitors to the state should know that they should live in peace with the people.” “The communities are beginning to lose patience
and I hope we will be able to speak frankly and in a peaceful manner for us to proffer ways forward,” he added. At the meeting, it was resolved that security agents should be proactive and arrest anybody caught with AK 47 rifle and prosecute such persons; and that security agencies should be more vigilant at the OhoroBomadi Road to ensure that farmers and villagers moved about freely without being
attacked by the herdsmen. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Alkali Usman, in his speech, called for tolerance, cooperation, mutual respect and peaceful co-existence among the people and groups and the local communities noting that “four groups of persons can be categorised as herdsmen: cattle traders, cattle rearers, cattle breeders and the itinerant cattle rustlers; the groups can be nomadic and or sedentary in nature.”
DSS, AGF dragged to court over illegal detention Yinka Oladoyinbo -Lokoja FOUR men from Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State have dragged the Department of Security Service (DSS) and the Attorney General of the Federation to the Federal High Court, sitting in Lokoja, over illegal detention since 2013. The plaintiffs, Mohammed Idris, Isah Abdulahi, Aliyu Jamiu and Audu Idris, were allegedly arrested and detained in the custody of the SSS, who is the first defendant in the suit since June 14, 2013 without trial. When the suit came up for
hearing before Justice Mohammed Sani, counsel for the plaintiffs, Sam Owoyomi, moved an application for the enforcement of the fundamental human rights of the plaintiffs. He said the application was brought pursuant to the provisions of Order 2 Rules 1-4 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Act and Section 46(1 and 2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the African Charter of Human and Peoples Right. The application prayed for 11 reliefs, arguing that the plaintiffs, their wives and children were arrested by men of the SSS since 2013,
but the wives and children were later released while the men were still in custody for three years. Owoyomi averred that the Attorney General of the Federation, who is the chief law officer of the country, had, in his affidavit, admitted that the plaintiffs were arrested and detained by the DSS, claiming that the first respondent was justified to have acted so. He said: “Nowhere in the constitution or any law gives power to DSS to detain a person for three years without arraignment. If the Attorney General advised the DSS to do so, then he goofed in respect of law.”
demonstrated as a military dictator and now demonstrating as a democratically elected president.” The governor said he was, however, amazed that “this dangerous dimension of compelling a sitting gov-
ernor that enjoyed constitutional immunity like the president to obtain clearance from the DirectorGeneral of the Department of State Service (DSS) before travelling out of Nigeria can ever be contemplated.”
INEC fixes tomorrow for Nasarawa/Toto rerun PDP vows to boycott it Godwin Agwam -Lafia
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has slated tomorrow for the rerun election of Nasarawa/Toto Federal Constituency in Nasarawa State. The commission had, on Sunday, declared the election inconclusive, citing over voting as a reason. Speaking to newsmen on Monday, at the commission’s office in Lafia, the supervising commissioner for the election and Resident Electoral Commissioner for Taraba State, Habu Zarma, said the elections were put on hold due to irregularities. “There was over voting in most polling units, that was why we cancelled the election. Section 53 of the electoral act says that whenever there is over voting, the election in the affected areas should be cancelled,” he said. He explained that, in some polling units, officials of the commission were not allowed to use card reader machines, thereby leading to over voting. He added that “51 polling units were cancelled, 11 was cancelled in Toto Local Government while 40 was cancelled in Nasarawa Local
Government.” He assured the public that the commission had made proper arrangements to ensure a hitch-free election during the rerun. Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State, has vowed not to participate in the Nasarawa/Toto re-run election slated for tomorrow by the INEC. Chairman of the state PDP, Honourable Francis Orogu, who disclosed this to newsmen in Lafia, on Monday, described the May 28 bye-election as a ‘democratic robbery’ to the people of the state. He explained that most prospective voters were denied the opportunity to participate in the election. Orogu pointed out that the leadership of INEC in the state submissively gave room for the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), to submit names of all ad hoc staff, adding that there was no place where names of ad hoc staff were placed. The chairman added that INEC cancelled elections in places that were strong holds of the PDP, saying card readers were also used to disenfranchise voters.
Taraba NUT embarks on 3-day warning strike Sylvanus Viashima -Jalingo
THE Taraba State chapter of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), on Monday, said primary school teachers would begin a three- day warning strike, effective today, over the non-payment of their three months salaries. The chairman of the union, Alhaji Aliyu Mafindi, made the call at a media briefing in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital. According to him, the outstanding salaries were for March, April and May 2016. “Teachers in Taraba State public primary schools will embark on a three-day warning strike starting from Tueaday, May 31 to Thursday, June 2, to press home
our demands. “You will recall that all civil servants in Taraba have been paid their salaries for April 2016, except primary school teachers who are owed three months salary arrears of March, April and May 2016. “If nothing tangible is done to address their demands after the warning strike, the teachers shall embark on an indefinite strike with prayers and fasting,” Mafindi said. Taraba State is among the states that are up to date in terms of salaries. Governor Darius Ishaku had promised to “rescue the state’s education sector from its pathetic state” and this revelation by the NUT cast aspersions on his claims.
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Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
Oyo public schools takeover: NUT, Muslim community condemn govt’s decision By Wale Akinselure
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he Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Oyo State chapter has condemned the resolve of the state government to permit missionaries, alumni associations and individuals to take over the management and running of public secondary schools. The union, in an advertorial signed by State Secretary of the NUT, Mr Waheed Olojede, noted that allowing other individuals or groups to run schools, apart from government, portended grave consequences for the education system of the state, especially heaping unbearable burden on the masses. Drawing inferences from the reason for government’s takeover of private schools in 1975, the NUT noted that the recent move by the state government amounted to a sojourn back to the days where school owners charged exorbitant fees, failed to give quality education to students, employed unqualified teachers and allowed religious discrimination in
pupils’ enrolment. “With reference to the situation of our schools which prompted the takeover by government in 1975, no other agency apart from the government can tackle the current problems in our schools without heaving unbearable heaps of burden on the masses. No private individual, group or missions will deliver quality education free, employ qualified teachers without retrenching the long experienced ones, recruit staff without discrimination and pay its staff according to the government salary scale. “Returning schools to former owners amounts to privatising education, which, in principle and practice, negates the resolution of the UNESCO to which our country is a signatory. “According to the UNESCO Resolution of 1998 on Privatisation of education, it has been found that privatisation or handling of schools by private agencies increases the gap between the rich and the poor and prevents social cohesion, which is the whole essence of public education. “Privatisation of educa-
No buyers for Kano housing estates —Ganduje Kola Oyelere -Kano KANO State governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, has said that people could not afford to buy houses at the three multimillion Naira housing estates built during the tenure of former governor, Dr Musa Kwankwaso, saying it was too costly. Ganduje who disclosed this during an interaction with the media on his administration’s one-year anniversary, noted that the state had resolved to sell the houses in the estate to commercial banks, to enable the state to pay money owed contractors. The three housing estates are: Kwankwasiyya, Amana and Bandurawa estates built at three different sites in the state capital. He noted that the state government had realised that the only option left was to dispose off the houses to commercial banks and pay the contractors who spent their money on the projects. The state governor further disclosed that as a result of the downturn in nation’s economy, which was due to fall in oil price globally, the meager allocation accrued to the state from the federal grant could not effectively pay salaries, hence the state had resolved to fall back on how to boost the InternallyGenerated Revenue (IGR) ‘‘In view of this, the state government has, therefore,
engaged the services of a private consultant to man the IGR,” he added, saying this would enhance more revenue generation to the state. Ganduje added that no salary was attached to the services of the consultant, but based on commission from revenue to be generated. He further stated that the service to be rendered by the consultant would also boost gainful employment, because the consultant would engage the service of over 500 staff who would be collecting revenue from all the 44 local councils of the state.
tion means commercialisation of education and a ploy to make education far beyond the reach of the poor masses. This, in essence, deviates from the universally acclaimed position on the right of every child to education without any form of hindrance which is also the position in the UBE law signed into law by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003.” Similarly, the Muslim Community of Oyo State (MUSCOYS) has condemned, in strong terms, the proposed plan by Oyo State government to sell off schools in the state, urging the state government to rescind the decision in the interest of sustaining peace in the state. It further noted that the government’s decision contradicted the provisions of Universal Basic Education Act of 2014 and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999. The Muslim community, in a statement signed by its chairman, Alhaji Kunle Sanni, and secretary, Alhaji Mursiq Siyanbade, flayed the state government for failing to consult relevant stakeholders before coming up with a decision that affected the entire citizenry. MUSCOYS expressed disappointment at the announcement, noting that the state government should have convened an education summit before arriving at the takeover plan. It warned that the policy could result in chaos and anarchy in the state. “It is worrisome and disappointing that a governor that swore on his inauguration to protect the constitution now went against it by violating provisions of the same constitution, thereby destroying Obafemi Awolowo’s legacy of free education in the state which the governor promised to uphold.”
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Nigerian Tribune
Lagos Driver bolts with beer worth N240, 000 Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin
The rains are here, the Lagoon is out. PHOTO: ELLIOT OVADJE
Devil made me rape my pregnant wife’s sister—Trader Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin
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33-year old trader, who was accused of raping his wife’s sister, has attributed his action to the devil. Adeniyi Ajofoyinbo told an Igando Customary Court that he did not know what pushed him to where his sister-in- law was sleeping before raping her. “I didn’t have the intention to rape her, the devil
pushed me, I am sorry. I know I have made a mistake,” Ajofoyinbo said, while responding to a divorce suit filed by his wife, Elizabeth, accusing him of infidelity. The husband in turn accused his wife of infidelity, claiming that she is currently pregnant for her lover. “My wife, who is accusing me of infidelity, is currently pregnant for her man-friend and she has packed out of our matrimonial home with our children,” he said, adding that his wife used to dis-
turb him with her constant night prayers. The petitioner, Elizabeth, 33, a food vendor, had sought the dissolution of her sevenyear-old marriage because her husband raped her sister in their matrimonial home. “My husband raped my sister when I went for a night vigil. When I returned, my sister told me that my husband, who had been making advances toward her succeeded in raping her. When I confronted my husband, he
admitted raping my sister, but attributed his action to the devil’s handiwork,” she told the court. The mother of two said her husband was always threatening to kill her and that he always beat her with dangerous weapons. “My husband is in the habit of beating me at the slightest provocation. He had stabbed me with bottles and knives on severally occasions. He started beating and stabbing me from the first day of our living
Famous Badagry French Village in ruins Chukwuma Okparaocha
Residents and other stakeholders in Badagry area of Lagos have sent an SOS to the Federal Government to salvage the Nigeria French Language Village, Badagry from total collapse. Lack of funding has been identified as the main reason for the current state of the village, which used to be one of the best centres for the learning of the French language in the country. Led by their lawmaker in the Lagos Assembly, Honourable David Setonji, (AP-
C-Badagry II), the residents expressed worries over the deplorable condition of institution’s physical infrastructure, a situation they said had massively reduced the tourism strength of Badagry. According to Setonji, it has become necessary for the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to re-enlist the institute as part of the beneficiaries of TETfund intervention policy. “It is sad that physical infrastructure and learning facilities in the French lan-
guage school are decaying while many have become obsolete. It also regrettable that the school was delisted from accessing TETfund, since 2010. I will urge the government to rescue the school from total ruin and save it from going into extinction. “The Federal Government should allow the French Language School to access the TETfund like other higher institutions in the country as it was before in order to restore its glory,” he said. According to him, lack of
fund has impacted negatively on students’ hostels, road network, water and power facilities, sanitary, staff capacity building and library facilities in the school. Setonji said that the institution was in the category of Universities and needed to be reconsidered for TETfund support for development and growth. The lawmaker noted that Nigerian students needed not travel to foreign countries for the special French language programme if the school was sustained.
together and I am afraid he may stab me to death one day,” she cried out. The pregnant petitioner begged the court to end the marriage. After listening to the estranged couple, the court’s president, Mr Adegboyega Omilola, adjourned the case to June 2 for judgment.
The police have accused a 39-year-old driver of stealing cartons of beer valued at N240, 000. The driver, Ademola Adesanya allegedly stole cartons of big stout and Satzenbrau beer, property of his employer, Cryslad Nigeria Limited. “He allegedly loaded assorted kinds of Guinness products to deliver to a customer in Sapele in Delta but on his way, he sold those products and converted the money to his personal use,” the police told an Ikeja Magistrate Court. The police said that all efforts made by the company to get the money from the accused were unsuccessful. “The accused had been on the run and refused to show up in the office or pick the company’s phone calls to him, until he was arrested,” the police further alleged. Ademola, who is now being tried for stealing, pleaded not guilty to the charge of theft. The court granted the accused bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two sureties in like sum. Magistrate A.A Adesanya adjourned the case till June 20.
Govt pays N561m WAEC fees for 44,000 students Bola Badmus
Lagos State government said it had paid the sum of N561,346,100 as examination and administrative fees for 44,005 students who sat for the March/May 2016 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the state. The deputy governor, Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule, who doubles as commissioner for education, made this known, at the weekend, while briefing newsmen on developments within the education sector in the state in the last one year. Adebule said the 44,005 benefitting students were those who did well in the mock examination set by the
state government to determine their preparedness for the WASSCE. According to her, part of the requirements to benefit from the payment of the examination fees is that the students must make five credits, including in English Language and Mathematics in the mock examination. The deputy governor also disclosed that three new secondary schools within the period under review were established in Amuwo-Odofin; Offin-Ile in Ikorodu and Odo Ayandelu in Epe, to broaden the space for increasing number of students in the state as well as bring secondary education closer to the communities.
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metro
Edited by
Lanre Adewole
olanreade@yahoo.com
0811 695 4647
Mobile court convicts 159, impounds 9 vehicles in 7 days Bola Badmus
Relations and well-wishers gathered at Gani Faweihinmi Freedom Park, Ojota to welcome the Marathoner, Fadesola (holding the flag) as he arrives Lagos, on Monday, after 18 days of the marathon from Abuja to Lagos. Photo: Sylvester Okoruwa.
Man arrives Lagos after 17 days’ marathon for disease awareness Newton-Ray Ukwuoma
Fadesola Adedayo, who embarked on multiple marathon races from Abuja to Lagos has arrived Lagos on Monday after 17 days of running. Fadesola, 25, reached the Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota, Lagos at 12:013pm after covering 11 states and 717 kilometres on a daily consecutive marathon, which commenced on the May 13, 2016 from the Federal Capital territory, Abuja. Speaking on the rationale behind the 17 marathons in 17 days project, the marathoner said he was on a mission to create awareness and raise research funds worth $1million for Steven Johnson Syndrome, a rare skin disease that killed his brother, Adeyosola Adedayo, on March 20, 2012. Fadesola, who got a rousing reception in Lagos on arrival, said the race was to keep alive the memory of his brother as well as to tinker out an end to the skin disease, which has been prevalent in the country since 1922. “I chose to embark on this project to raise money and awareness for Steven Johnson Syndrome that
killed my brother four years ago. All the money received will go to research so that people would not have to go through what my family went through,” he said. Also speaking, the Lagos
State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, while receiving him, assured of the state’s preparedness to boost awareness creation of the disease in the state as a significant measure to fight-
ing it. Speaking on behalf of the governor, the Senior Adviser to the Governor on Sports, Anthony Adeyinka Adeboye, also enjoined young people to make healthy lifestyle choices.
Lagos State Mobile Court sitting across the state has convicted 159 arrested road traffic offenders and impounded nine vehicles for driving against traffic in the last seven days. Out of these convicted traffic offenders 115 were private car owners and drivers while others were 30 commercial buses, 10 tricycles and 4 motorcycles. They were all charged for plying restricted routes and causing obstruction on major highways across the state in areas including Ikeja, Ikorodu, Ikoyi, Fagbaa, Mainland, Ikorodu Road, Pen-Cinema, among others. The magistrates who presided over charges and convicted the arrested offenders were Magistrate Nurudeen Layeni, Magistrate Patrick Nwaka, Magistrate Lekan Aka-Bashorun, Magistrate Lateef Owolabi and Magistrate Tosin Ojuromi. One of those convicted traffic offenders, Mr Fatai Garuba, who owns a Lexus Jeep (KRD 505 CX), after paying a fine of N10, 000 to
Tailor forces orphan apprentice to join cult Olalekan Olabulo
A suspected cult member David Seun has told the police that he was forced to join the group by a friend, Sadiq, who was alleged to be one of the leaders of the gang in Oregun area of Ikeja. The suspect, a tailor also confessed to have forced his 17-year-old apprentice, Ahmed Sulaimon, an orphan to join the group. The two suspects were arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), during a raid on criminal hideouts in Oregun area of the state. The policemen also arrested 59 hoodlums during raids on black spots and criminal hideouts in different parts of the state. Out of 59 suspects, 46 were released to their relatives after thorough screening by the RRS investigators The hoodlums were picked up in Oshodi, Ojota, Ore-
gun, Mile 12, LASU/IyanaIba junction and Mile 2 after repeated surveillance of those areas by the RRS Intelligence Teams. David, while narrating how he was initiated into the group, said “He (Sadiq) invited me out and I was initiated at Oregun High School, Oregun. Kehinde is the leader of the cult group “Eiye”. He lives in Ikorodu but I don’t know his house. He comes to our meetings occasionally. The group took all I had on me the day I was initiated.” He added, “We meet at Ita Egbe in Oregun at 7:00 p.m. Other members of the Eiye Cult group in Oregun are: Ayo, Eyo, Bobo Olusosun, Last Born, Don Banny, Elewedu, Two Yansh, Pepper, Little 9 and Akube.” The acting image maker in charge of the state police command, Damasus
Nigerian Tribune
Ozoani confirmed the arrest of the suspect and added that the police were on the trail of other members of the gang. He also added that 13
of the arrested hoodlums had been handed over to the Special Task Force on the Environment and Other Related Offences for prosecution.
Arrested cultists
the government, said that he was ignorant of the Law that forbids parking of a vehicle on kerb/walkways in the state. Another convicted commercial driver, Mr Ganiyu Isiaka, whose Volkwagen bus with registration no (AKD 930 BL) was among the impounded vehicles, said it was a greatest mistake in his life to have driven against upcoming vehicles (one-way). He, however, pleaded for forgiveness as a first offender, according to the law. Meanwhile, the Lagos State government has donated Ford security/operational vehicles with motorbikes to the Lagos State Task Force to further boost its security operations across the state.
Mushin thug remanded for multiple murder, abduction Opeyemi Owoaseye
A 35-year-old man, Wasiu Akinwande was on Friday charged before an Ebute Metta Magistrate’s Court for allegedly shooting two men to death, while injuring another. Other alleged accomplices reportedly on the run, were also charged in absentia. Akinwande, it was gathered, forcefully pushed one Adebiyi Kolade into a gutter before shooting him. He was also accused of shooting to death, one Segun Oladuyuye. Akinwande also allegedly kidnapped one Akanmu Yusuf, aged 17 years, against his will and took him to an uncompleted building after blindfolding him, where he beat him severely. All the incidents was said to have happened in Mushin. Akinwande was arraigned before the court on five counts of murder, kidnapping and illegal possession of firearms. The prosecutor Mr Jimoh Iseghede requested that the defendant be remanded in prison custody. The request of the prosecutor was granted by the Magistrate, Mrs B. O. Ope-Agbe and the case was adjourned to June, 2016 for advice fro the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
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Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
NIGERIA UNION OF TEACHERS OYO STATE WING
The Teacher’s House, Oluyole Estate, Ring Road, P.O.Box 692, Ibadan. Office Phone: 08166759352 E-mail: oyonut@yahoo.com, oyonut@hotmail.com 08033463923
(MOTTO: SERVICE AND JUSTICE)
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OYO NUT OPPOSES PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC SECONDARY EDUCATION IN OYO STATE
HE attention of the Oyo State Wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has been drawn to the advertorial of the Oyo State Government published on page 5 of the Nigerian Tribune of Wednesday 25th of May 2016 titled: “Expression of Interest in the Management of Public Secondary Schools”. As a major stakeholder, the NUT Oyo State Wing, having critically considered the negative implications of the proposed sale of Public Secondary Schools to private owners in the state is poised to make the following observations and to also raise strong objections to the policy on some patriotic grounds. Lester Smith (1975), who was the Chief Education Officer to Essex and later, Manchester, between 1931 and 1949, said “the core of education is the culture which each generation purposely gives to those who are to be its successors, in order to qualify them for at least, keeping up, and if possible, for raising the level of improvement which has been attained.” Perhaps, we could approach a discussion of this issue by raising relevant questions, which, in their answers, are capable of eliciting salient facts for a logical reasoning and conclusion. 1. Why were the schools initially taken over by government in 1975? By Edict No. 14 of 1975, government took over all private schools because, according to available records, “the owners charged exorbitant fees and did not give quality education to students. School buildings were of substandard structures, unqualified teachers were employed, teaching and learning materials were inadequate while classrooms were over-crowded.” This was the summary of the situation of privately owned schools that prompted the takeover of schools in 1975. It should be mentioned here however that the findings of the Western State Government in 1975, was not at variance with, but a replica of one common feature of the reports of the various Educational Review Committees set up at different times in the old three main regions of Nigeria. These include the Oldman’s Report in the old North, Dike’s Report of the old East, and Banjo’s Report of the Western Region. The reports of the various committees intensely reflected the acute immobility that had characterized the inherited colonial system that involves prejudice, high handedness, religious discrimination in pupils’ enrolment, staff recruitment and the general administration of schools. This, perhaps, was what informed the wisdom of the old East Central State when it took over the control and management of all primary and post-primary schools in the State in 1970. The reason advanced by the government was that the takeover of the schools “will more readily provide stability, satisfy the people’s basic educational needs, combat sectionalism, religious conflicts and disloyalty to the cause of a united Nigeria”. The government of the old Western State might have reasoned along this line of worthy and people-oriented objectives, when it initiated the takeover of all schools in the state, an act which endeared the government into the hearts of the entire enlightened and education-loving but poor masses of this State.
What then are the motives behind privatization of public secondary schools in Oyo State? The major grounds of arguments of the protagonists of privatizing schools in the state are that, the standard of education has fallen and indiscipline and moral laxity have been on the increase in recent years. Their reasons may seem compelling but they have no basis for logical argument. That the standard of education has fallen is a comparative statement about two standards. What was the standard before the take over? Who set the standard? What were the parameters for setting the standard? Those who argue on the basis of standards failed to recognize that, at present, the population of schools at all levels has grown more than triple the size in 1975. The curricular have expanded, made more comprehensive and favourably disposed to the demands of the developing world of knowledge. There has been an increasing number of high achievers at the various levels and the level of achievement compares enviably with those of yesteryears. The seeming large number of poor performers should be viewed in the comparable context of the large increase in school population and not as a mark of falling standard. In the area of morality and indiscipline, the position of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) is that if school children are indisciplined and morally decadent, it is a reflection of the adult population in the society. Indiscipline and moral laxity cut across the broad spectrum of the Nigerian society and it must be noted that the inculcation of discipline and moral values should not be seen as the monopoly of any one group nor should it be used as a reason for demanding the return of schools to Voluntary Agencies. Rather, it is a joint responsibility of all, particularly in a plural society such as ours. It is therefore, obvious that the pressure on government by some groups for the return of schools to their former owners is for the economic gains foreseen as derivable from taking over the schools. These pressure groups have observed that by the current state of economy, these schools, some of which were established cheaply through the exploitation of the kindness and hospitality of the local populace at that time, have become, by the current valuation, incredibly large investments. It is unfortunate that the objective of complementing government efforts at removing illiteracy and developing the youths for the greatness of the country, which were paramount on the minds of the original founders of the schools, had disappeared in the hearts of their modern day successors. The early missionaries, for instance, would rather attempt to contribute, more than seek to acquire for any selfish advantage, what had been given for the benefit of the majority.
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)
2.
3. (a)
(b)
(c)
Why Public Schools should NOT be sold to Private owners? With reference to the situation of our schools which prompted the takeover by government in 1975, no other agency apart from the government can tackle the current problems in our schools without heaving unbearable heaps of burden on the masses. No private individual, group or missions will deliver quality education free, employ qualified teachers without retrenching the long experienced ones, recruit staff without discrimination and pay its staff according to the government salary scale. Most curriculum of privately-run schools are fraught with “hidden syllabus” which have tendency for political, economic and or religious aggrandizement and indoctrination, as opposed to the broad-based and liberal policy of developing patriotic, nationalistic and cultural values necessary for the survival of a united multicultural society like Nigeria. Returning schools to former owners amounts to privatizing education, which, in principle and practice, negates the resolution of the UNESCO to which our country is a signatory. Privatization of education means commercialization of education and a ploy to make education far beyond the reach of the poor masses. This, in essence, deviates from the universally acclaimed position on the right of every child to education without
(j)
(k)
(l) (m)
(n)
any form of hindrance which is also the position in the UBE law signed into law by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003. Thus, the State government will be doing injustice to its responsibility to the people, if it could not defend the rights of the people who it represents. The return of the schools and the resultant commercialization of education will definitely widen the difference between the rich and the poor and precipitate class rift, social disharmony and social menace. According to the UNESCO Resolution of 1998 on Privatization of Education, it has been found that “privatization or handling of schools by private agencies increases the gap between the rich and the poor and prevents social cohesion, which is the whole essence of public education. The more you privatize, the more unequal and divided your society will ultimately become. So we think it is very important that we defend public education as a public good”. It is about three decades since the schools were taken over by the government. The edict No. 14, of 1975, legalizing the takeover did not say that they were leased, contracted or temporarily taken over by government but that they have become public schools and property. Government, on behalf of the public, has since, invested quite a lot of the people’s money into expanding, improving and equipping the schools. All the schools are therefore public property and to return the schools to certain groups or individuals would amount to looting and a daylight robbery of the innocent masses of their goods and possession. The argument that the missionaries entirely owned the schools is, in the first instance, uncharitable, impious, irreverent, disrespectful to the people, wicked and unpatriotic. There are records to witness that out of patriotism and love for education, the various communities donated the land on which missionaries built schools. Should the people also turn round now as the original owners of the land, and demand for the return of their land? Missions do not possess the capability to manage the schools that are now much larger than they were in 1975, when they were even unable to cope with a far smaller size. Asides, it is much more costly than when they were managing them in the past and to maintain the required standard of today, will result in undue exploitation of the masses and consequent denial of poor students of education. Returning schools to private hands will lead to exorbitant schools fees that will be beyond the reach of the poor thereby negating the philosophy of free education of the present government of Oyo State and also of the Federal Government as propagated through the UBE Programme. This will also result in continuous increase in illiterate population as against the spirit of the current international drive on Education For All (EFA). Returning schools to the missions in particular, will definitely widen the gulf of religious differences which the public schools systems have been suppressing by its nature of non-partisanship and indiscrimination. There is bound to be religious domination in schools governed by missions and this will definitely escalate the wave of religious sensitivity and crises in areas of admission policy and recruitment of staff. We must be aware of the trend of religious intolerance currently parading our land and which has resulted in destruction of lives and property in recent years. Seeding any of the public schools to any religious body is nothing short of further aggravating crises and arousing an unending social unrest capable of paralyzing the entire school system. The return of schools works negatively to the provisions of the National Policy on Education (NPE), which states: “Education in Nigeria is no more a private enterprise but a huge government venture that has witnessed a progressive evolution of government’s complete and dynamic intervention and active participation”. There are also legal and constitutional impediments to the return of schools. By the “Takeover of schools Validation Decree” of 1977, which still remains in force, schools should not be returned to Voluntary Agencies. “It states that the hold of government on those schools has afforded the government to be able to provide sustained education to the mass majority of the Nigerian public at an affordable cost, without religious discrimination and bias”. Return of schools to former owners amounts to government abdicating its principal responsibility of providing accessible, affordable and qualitative education to her citizenry. It is also a fact that Oyo State being the seat of the then government of Western State is unarguably reputed and stands famous in quality education delivery, given the 1955 track records of the Free Primary Education Programme of the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Limited as the resources was, as of then, the program was entirely prosecuted by government on the understanding that government owes it as a constitutional obligation to provide quality education to the citizenry. It will therefore be a hallmark of deceit, great dis-service and sinful for the current administration which claimed to be a strong adherent of the principles and ideals of Awoism and which leadership made provision of Free and Qualitative Education a cardinal manifesto during electioneering campaign, to take the unsuspecting people of Oyo State for a ride under the guise of paucity of fund. It is public knowledge that Oyo State Government recently introduced education development levy of one thousand naira (N1000.00) per student per term which makes three thousand naira (N3000.00) per student per session through which it has since gathered millions of naira for the purpose of funding and management of education in the state; a development that has forced many parents to withdraw their wards from schools for inability to meet government regulation for the new tuition. There is no gainsaying the fact that where government proposed policy of privatization is allowed, education will definitely become elitist and the exclusive preserve of the children of the rich and the political “powerfuls” in the state, thereby widening the existing avoidable gap between the rich and the poor masses.
Com. S. W. Olojede, State Secretary
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Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
10 news Nigerian govt has inherited heavy baggage —Wole Soyinka
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OBEL laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, believes the Nigerian government inherited a burden that may take a
while to lessen but it must sustain efforts at improving the economy. He was speaking to Channels Television in Johannesburg, where he
Lagos PDP chair expresses optimism over party challenges RECENTLY elected chairman of the Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) Chief Segun Adewale, said in a recent statement that he is optimistic that the challenges facing the party at the national level will be resolved amicably in the very near future. He noted that there are controversies in the PDP because of the party’s willingness to allow free expression, and individual determination, saying “wherever you allow people to express their democratic rights, you will have conflict of opinion.” Adewale added that he had faith that the elders and stakeholders of the party were acting in good faith, and would not allow their creation to disintegrate. “After the stakeholders have told themselves the bitter truth, a stronger and more united party will emerge,” he declared. Reacting to the claim by Chief Olabode George that
Mr Moshood Salvador is the chairman of the Lagos State PDP, Adewale retorted that Salvador could only be Bode George’s personal chairman, as according to him, Salvador did not go through a legitimate congress. Meanwhile, Adewale said members and stakeholders of the party in Lagos State were tired of leaders who trade the votes of party members for cash and favour from the opposition. He also alleged that leaders, who could not criticise APC because they had relatives and associates in the service of the APC administration, were double agents who did not wish the party well. Chief Adewale said he was certain that once things become normal at the national level, the PDP would be re-energised and focused to retake the Presidency, in order to win the gubernatorial race in Lagos State come 2019.
is expected to speak at a public lecture entitled: Politics, culture and the New Africa. “This administration has inherited a heavy baggage. While I am critical in some aspects of the priority, I think that to clear up the mess left by previous administrations is going to take quite a while, especially, in the economic sector. “So, I don’t use words like optimism or pessimism, I’m just pragmatic. I look at what there is on the ground and of course, wherever I can intervene, I do both privately and publicly,” he said. Professor Kole Omotoso, renowned Nigerian author and playwright, also said that the current administration has ticked a number of little things but there must be more effort to alleviate the sufferings of the people. “We are going in the right direction but in the process, we need to do so many things. We need to look at not just the suffering of the people but the way people seem to indulge in bearing suffering. “It is as if even if you try to solve the problem for them they will prefer to be suffering and smiling,” Professor Omotoso said.
Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
100th birthday celebration of Chief Olanuyi Okunuga
PHOTOS: D’TOYIN
The celebrant and Baba Ijo of Our Saviour’s Anglican Church, Chief Olanuyi Okuyiga Okunuga, cutting his 100th birthday cake and assisted by his children, at a reception held at after the church service at Our Saviour’s Anglican Church, IkenneRemo, Ogun State, on Saturday.
Co-chairman, African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, Ambassador Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu (right) with Chief (Dr) Olu Ajomo (left) and his wife, Bukky.
. The celebrant, Chief Okunuga (fourth right), flanked by his children and Bishop Olusina Fape.
The Alakenne of Ikenne-Remo, Oba Adeyinka Onakade, with his Olori, Yemisi.
The celebrant, Chief Okunuga, surrounded by members of the Boys Scout.
From right, Chief Adesina Adeleke, his wife, Kemi and Chief Sunny Adebola Soewu.
Tuesday, 31 May, 2016 11 businessnews Stakeholders FG’s women empowerment funds hit N133.69bn Chima Nwokojji-Lagos
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OLLOWING the approval of president Muhammadu Buhari to provide N1.6 billion in microfinance loans to women, there are strong indications that Nigerian women now have better funding opportunities as FG’s total women empowerment funds hit N133.69 billion. The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (FMWASD), had earlier set aside N90 million Business Development Fund. The fund was to provide soft loans to women entrepreneurs, while it also earmarked 60 percent (N132 billion) of its N220 billion through the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund (MSMEDF) to women entrepreneurs in the country. The CBN launched the MSMEs fund in August 2013 to provide the much needed capital for that subsector of the economy with the view of channelling long-term, low-interest funds through participating financial institutions. Delivering democracy day speech, commemorating his first year in office May 29, president Mohammadu Buhari announced that he has approved yet another empowerment fund for women, pushing the total to N133.69 billion. “I am very pleased to announce that the government will shortly be launching the national women’s empowerment fund, which I have approved to provide N1.6 billion in micro-finance loans to women across the na-
tion to assist in rehabilitating the economies of rural communities, particularly those impacted by the insurgency and conflict,” he said. While the loan expected to assist in rehabilitating the economies of rural communities, that of FMWASD and CBN were meant to address chal-
lenges of access to capital which women operators in the SME sub-sector were facing currently. President Buhari gave full backing to CBN in its developmental roles, saying that the apex bank will offer more fiscal incentives for businesses that prove capable of manufacturing products that are interna-
SEVEN Energy, an integrated gas company in south east Nigeria, with oil and gas interests in the region has won the prestigious “Impactful Investment in Gas to Power Industry Award” at the recent 2016 Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Awards. The LCCI Awards recognises deserving corporate and public institutions that have contributed to commerce and industrial development in different sectors of the Nigerian economy through innovation, business sustainability and positive societal impact. Commenting on the award, Phillip Ihenacho, Chief Executive Officer, Seven Energy said, “we are truly honoured to be a recipient of the LCCI award and are pleased that our effort in providing the
transfer scheme will provide financial support for up to one million vulnerable beneficiaries, and complement the enterprise programme – which will target up to one million market women; four hundred and sixty thousand artisans; and two hundred thousand agricultural workers, nationwide.
From the left: Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Chief Commercial Officer, Deolu Ijose; Director General Customer Complaint Unit (NERC), Chijioke Obi; Head Branding and Corporate Communication, Angela Olanrewaju; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (IBEDC), John Donnachie, IBEDC Head Regulatory Compliance and Government Relations,Sola Adeyegbe and the Financial Controller, Ronke Owotomo, during the opening of the customer care office at the IBEDC, Capital Building, Ibadan, last Thursday. PHOTO: OLAWALE OLANIYAN
Three years after, Niger signs air pact with Nigeria •Air Niamey to commence flights operations into Nigeria Shola Adekola-Lagos
DESPITE the plan by some foreign airlines operating in Nigeria to withdraw their services due to what they called negative effect of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) forex policy on their finances, another African carrier Air Niamey will commence flights into the country.
Air Niamey, the national carrier Niger Republic has the right to operate between Niger and Nigeria based on the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) signed between its home country and Nigeria in 2012 which allows airlines from the two countries to fly into each other’s territory. According to a source in the ministry of transport,
Seven energy awarded for investment in gas to power Olatunde Dodondawa-Lagos
tionally competitive. He formally launched, a social protection programme that both seeks to start the process of lifting many from poverty, while at the same time creating the opportunity for people to fend for themselves. Also, the president believes his administration’s planned conditional cash
much needed gas for sustainable power supply and for use by industries to drive economic growth is being recognised. We remain fully committed to delivering on the vision that sees Nigeria powered by its own gas resources”. The LCCI stated that the Group was selected for the award in recognition of its commitment to sustainable power supply in Nigeria through efficient gas delivery. Other reasons include Seven Energy’s Green Team Initiative, an innovative community-based approach to maintain, monitor and clear the Right of Way (RoW) of its gas pipelines and the recent admission of Seven Energy into the Corporate Pillar category of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. The LCCI presents a total
of 20 awards to deserving organisations every year and is the largest chamber of commerce in Nigeria with over 1,500 member organisations spread across all sectors.
to conclude the arrangements, officials from the ministry, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) were in Niamey last week to perfect the papers that would enable the airline operates into Nigeria.. Besides the commencement of flights into Nigeria, the agreement signed in 2012 also gives room for exchange of expertise between the two countries while both governments are equally considering the possibility of operating rail line services into each other’s countries as is the practice in Europe and America.
To reciprocate the agreement on the Nigeria side, Overland Airways has been designated to fly the Nigerian flag on the route with three flights a week with the possibility of increasing it to daily in the future. “Our officials were in Niger Republic for the most days of last week to perfect the papers that will enable direct flight link between Nigeria and Niger Republic. We’ve already signed a BASA agreement with them in 2012, but we only sent our officials there to perfect the papers so that there can be a seamless operations between the two”, a source in the ministry confirmed.
Wema Bank promotes financial literacy among Nigerian children WEMA Bank Plc has identified the need to promote financial literacy among parents and children in the country. This much was said during this year’s Children’s Day celebration when the bank paid host to pupils from Taadel Primary School and Maryland Covent School at its Headquarter in Marina, Lagos. Speaking during the visit that took the children around the bank to witness, firsthand key banking operations, the Head
of Retail Banking, Wema Bank Plc, Mr Dotun Ifebogun noted that there is the need to create more awareness on the relevance of financial literacy to the Nigerian child and the citizens at large. Addressing the need for the event that brought the children on excursion to the bank, he explained that “What we want for the children is not just to hear about banking but to also feel it by getting them acquainted with key banking
operations. For instance, taking them through how the ATM works, how fund from their parents moves through the banking system among others.” He added that with the high level of exposure among school children today, it is good for them to have better knowledge of finance and financial operations. “Financial literacy should not be taken for granted among children and even the adults,” He said
kick against the release of GMOs Collins Nnabuife-Abuja
STAKEHOLDERS in different organisations have objected to the release of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Nigeria, saying that it is not the solution to hunger and should be set aside until Nigeria has a system that can protect the interest of citizens. Speaking on behalf of the stakeholders at a press briefing, the Executive Secretary, Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network (AEFJN),nFather Chika Onyejiuwa? said organic foods are healthy, nutritious and remain a vital aspect of human rights to food and food security. They argued that the Nigerian bio-safety law, in its present form, is a recipe for the destruction of Nigeria’s ecosystem, food cultures and systems, adding that the process leading to its passage was devoid of critical input and public participation that would have enabled Nigerians to significantly determine and protect their food cultures and systems.
We’ll make Nigerians buy madein-Nigeria products —FG THE Federal Government says it intends to make Nigerians look inwards by buying products, especially vehicles made in the country. The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, said this when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja. Onu explained that it was the only way to make Nigeria a producer country and to encourage local manufacturers to produce and grow the economy. “We already have made in Nigeria car. “We want to champion the idea of Nigerians looking inward and thinking Nigeria promoting made in Nigeria products to encourage our own local manufacturers. “It is very important. That is the only way that we can ever become a producer nation. We cannot continue to be a consumer nation alone; it wouldn’t help us. It shouldn’t be only the automobiles; it should be on all products,” he said. The minister assured Nigerians that the government would ensure that vehicle manufacturers in the country maintained the minimum standard obtainable anywhere in the world.
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businessnews
Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
A/Ibom plans $1.5bn petroleum terminal
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HE Akwa Ibom State government is planning to build a $1.5bn petroleum terminal in the state. The terminal is expected to. have a storage capacity of 700,000 metric tonnes and serve the state, Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea sub-region, according to a member of the state Technical Committee on Foreign Direct Investment, Fifi Ejindu. Ejindu said the project would commence between June and July and have a completion period of 18 months. She added that when the project is completed, it would solve the problem of fuel scarcity in the country. “I believe that local investment should precede foreign investment. This is leading by example and this is why this project is supported by the state government, even though it is a private initiative. “Fortunately for us, there is now a political will in the state to lift the masses out of unemployment through industrialisation. We have always had vast natural resources and manpower, but now we have a genuine vision and the change is here with us. “The petroleum terminal will be strategically positioned in the state to serve not just Akwa Ibom State, but also the whole of Nigeria, as well as the entire Gulf of Guinea subregion. The construction of the project will start next month or two months time and it is a $1.5bn facility. “We’ve always had fuel scarcity crisis in the coun-
try because we don’t have reserves. Most countries in the world have reserves, so they seldom experience fuel scarcity crisis. We are hoping that this kind of initiative will bring an end to the problem. “We are planning 700,000 metric tonnes of
storage facilities and we are hoping this kind of private initiative will help us have strategic reserves. “By providing this storage capacity, which we hope will be used by the Federal Government, the suffering of the masses will reduce and we will hence-
A unit of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) known as the Customs Headquarters Compliance Team, Ogun State axis has intercepted a Mack Truck fully loaded with 1,533 cartons of 2-stroke engine generators popularly called “I better pass my neighbour” along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. The team, in another operation also intercepted a Maxibus transporting 542 cartons of foreign frozen poultry products along the SagamuIjebu-Ode expressway. The team leader, Assistant Comptroller Shittu Almaruf in a statement by the Public Relations Officer, Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’ Uche Ejesieme, stated that the truck was taken to Customs warehouse in Abeokuta alongside the mini-bus conveying the frozen poul-
manuel — is a visionary and is determined to create wealth and employment for the masses.” She added that the management of the terminal was also planning to implement a policy whereby 20 per cent of the workforce will be women.
From left: Contract Administrator, ExxonMobil, Wale Bisi; Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi; Technical Manager, Nigeria Projects Organisation ExxonMobil, Dr Adetunji Obawole and Local Content coordinator, Onesubsea Offshore Systems, Donald Ibegbu, during a courtesy visit by ExxonMobil to the Ooni and the inauguration of community assistance projects fori ts Erha North phase 2, EPC1 Project in Ile-Ife, Osun State. PHOTO: TOMMY ADEGBITE
Africa won’t fall back into 1990s-style debt trap —AfDB AFRICA is unlikely to fall into the type of unsustainable debt trap seen in the 1990s despite a spike in borrowing and widening budget deficits, the African Development Bank (AfDB) said on Monday. Falling commodity prices and slowing global growth have hammered African
economies in the past year, prompting many governments to sharply increase borrowing, drawing comparisons with the crippling debt trap many countries faced in the 1990s. The AfDB said last week that African governments must take urgent steps to ensure they can finance
Customs seize 1,533 cartons of generators Tola Adenubi-Lagos
forth have no problem with fuel supply. It will relieve the suffering of Nigerians,” he said. On why the project had never been conceived by previous governments in the state, Ejindu said, “It is because the governor we have now — Udom Em-
try products, where 100 per cent examination was conducted to ascertain the quantity of items seized. He said the team was devising other means of ensuring that the activities of smugglers in its coverage area were curtailed adding that the team had been carrying anti-smuggling campaign to all the nooks and crannies of Ogun State, promising that his team would remain deeply committed to the task of suppressing the illicit activity. Speaking on the reasons for seizing the generators, he said, “The Nigeria Customs Service is merely enforcing a law which emanated from a memo of the Federal Ministry of Environment advising the Government on the health implications of this type of generators. “This ban came into effect on 28th April, 2011 and was officially gazette
in May of the same year. Recall that the Federal Government gazette No 47 Volume 98 stated categorically that the purpose of this regulation is to restore, preserve and improve the quality of air.”
their debt after borrowing heavily when interest rates were low. In 1996, international donors cancelled tens of billions of dollars in debt owed by African countries through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. “Clearly the increase in debt coupled with serious budget deficits are putting a lot of pressure on African countries,” AfDB vicepresident Charles Boamah told Reuters on the sidelines of a meeting on debt management. “But we don’t think it is going to put us back into the pre-HIPC type of era.”
Though Africa still relies heavily on commodity exports, most of the continent’s economies are far more diverse and developed than 20 years ago while governments have adopted more responsible fiscal policies. “We certainly believe in the strength of the macroeconomic policies that many African countries are pursuing,” Boamah said. The AfDB said in a report last week that Africa was likely to grow 3.7 per cent this year as resilient private consumption and investment offset the impact of a slump in commodity prices and global headwinds.
Halogen security boss honoured with leadership award THE Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Halogen Security Company Limited, Wale Olaoye, has been conferred with the Outstanding Leadership and Professional Civil Security Award by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). The award, according to the student’s body, is in recognition of Olaoye’s contributions to the development of students/youths and the improvement of
security business in Nigeria vis-a-vis his visionary leadership in society. Speaking during the award, the Chairman of NANS, Lagos Chapter, Sanusi Suleiman, described Olaoye as an astute leader, a role model and a philanthropist who has continued to inspire youths to realise their dreams and aspirations.” Suleiman said the Halogen Security CEO had always identified with and
shared his knowledge with student not only in areas of leadership and business acumen and skills, but also his over 20 years experience in the risk management and space securities industry. “We are proud to identify with him and look forward to having him in our Hall of Fame soon,” Suleiman added. In his response, Olaoye expressed gratitude to NANS for the award.
Nigerian Tribune
FG urged to promote youth empowerment to curtail militancy Olatunde Ddondawa-Lagos
FOLLOWING incessant attacks on oil installations and youth restiveness in the Niger Delta, the federal government has been urged to promote youth empowerment through sustenance of vision 2020 which aimed to position Nigeria amongst top 20 economies in the world. Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune recently, the Managing Director of Lonadek Oil and Gas Consultants, Dr Ibilola Amao, stated that lack of continuity of programmes and respect for commitments in governance have led to youth restiveness across the country. According to her, “in tackling youth restiveness, former President Olusegun Obasanjo substituted Vision 2010 with Vision 2020 to arrest the menace. But lack of continuity in government has hampered the programme. “We challenge president Muhammadu Buhari to continue with this Vision as critical years to this Vision are within his tenure. We invite the government to partner us so that more is achieved by December 31, 2020.”
Tough economic policies, inevitable —LCCI boss Akin Adewakun-Lagos
PRESIDENT of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nike Akande has thrown her weight behind some economic policies of the present government, noting that such policies had become inevitable if the country was to move forward. The LCCI boss noted that since the collapse of oil revenue had adversely impacted government revenue, the nation’s foreign reserves, GDP growth rate, and the capacity to create jobs, it had become imperative for the government of the day to adopt tough policies to address the situation. While calling on both private and public sectors of the economy to be ready to sacrifice at these hard economic times, she counseled the federal government to accelerate Public Private Partnership programmes that would boost its efforts at providing infrastructure for the people.
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editorial
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Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
Nigerian Tribune
Funding the NYSC
OR no fault of theirs, the current batch of youth corps members almost missed being mobilised for the mandatory one-year programme because the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was cashstrapped. Not a few people heaved a sigh of relief when the NYSC eventually rode its financial storm and mobilised the set of young Nigerians who had been kept needlessly in the throes of agitation and despondency. Held in apprehension for quite a while, these young Nigerians had wondered how they became trapped in the web of a nation’s futile aspirations. Without participating in the scheme, they were unemployable—the NYSC Act had assured that—and here was the agency saddled with the responsibility of ushering them into the compulsory national service saying it might not perform its statutory duties! The NYSC had been beleaguered for quite a while and the problems which had threatened its essence varied from the economic, such as funding, to the socio-political, such as the failure of the scheme to impact the youths positively and live up to its billing as an institution. The national integration which the scheme sought to establish has remained largely a national mirage despite its existence for over four decades. We once observed in one of our comments on the NYSC that the nation had failed to harness in full the advantages which the NYSC scheme offers the Nigerian state by giving it the opportunity to meet the nation’s youths at an impressionable point in their adulthood. Rather than convert the energy, youthful exuberance and hunger for adventure as an opportunity to instill the virtues of patriotism, their delayed mobilisation may have served only to endorse the tedium which the one-year period now represents. Surely, that should be the last thing the NYSC wants to be; a tedious interregnum between the agony of education and unemployment, as many sceptics have defined it. In the hands of proactive and creative management, though, the period could serve as one for renewal of passion and love for the country even in the face of paucity of funds. The disconcerting reason given for the delayed mobilisation of the recent batch of corps members was that the NYSC was broke and we think this reason was indefensible, especially
for a national service. Since the service is not optional, the Nigerian state should rate it as such and prevent such delays in the future. If the Nigerian state takes the NYSC as a truly serious process of national concern, it will be pursued with vigour and national pride, such that delaying it will be regarded as being similar to a felony. We expect the agency to rate the scheme as inviolable. The participants must believe in the process and look forward to it as an annual ritual that completes their educational pursuit. We had also once suggested that the NYSC be enriched and elevated as a national process that is capable of infusing meaning into the lives of the youths instead of reinforcing their despondency. Elsewhere, the annual programme would have yielded results in the direction of national integration and resolving a myriad of national issues like unemployment and militancy. We are persuaded that if the scheme had been well managed and given direction from the beginning, the country might not have experienced the anger and discontent that have trailed its operations. It is easy to see that the NYSC has already gone to seed with the abuses that have threatened its essence from fake members to successful and virtual sabotage by participants who have procured its certificates without even embarking on, let alone completing, the scheme. Much as the scheme may have derailed, however, we are of the opinion that it can still be rescued and reinvented by proactive and creative management. It is not unusual for social institutions to derail once in a while but the solution is not to discard them, especially those with a noble mission like the NYSC. The solution is to alter the normative patterns of the institution and focus on the change in its results or effect on the society. We think that the NYSC can be made to go through such a process of rebirth. However, the rebirth cannot happen when it is cashstrapped. It is even unheard of that, against the background of the plethora of reports of individuals enriching themselves by exploiting the loopholes in the system to the tune of mind boggling amounts of money, a national scheme like the NYSC was reported to have been so broke that it could not mobilise prospective participants!
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14 LETTERS TO THE
Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
editor
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Remembering the late Professor Olaoba
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UNDAY, 15 May, 2016 will forever be remembered by everyone who had met Professor Olufemi Olaoba, of the Institute Studies, University of Ibadan, as a day of grief and pain. It was a day Professor Olaoba bowed to death at the age of 58. I met Professor Olaoba in 2008 when I came back from the United Kingdom and was in search of an African historian to supervise my PhD thesis in African History. The
meeting was so brief and he wasted no time in accepting my doctoral candidacy, though he instructed that we must comply with the university regulations, which subjected me to undertaking all the master’s courses in African History and Historiography from the Department of History. During the duration of the programme, Professor Olaoba subjected me and my other colleagues to the requisite professional training. Throughout the arduous and labourious
One year after: Buhari has not performed badly IT is a year since President Muhammadu Buhari assumed the mantle of leadership in this country, and despite the situation we find ourselves, I can still say that he has tried his best to stabilise the economy. By the time he took over, things were already going down, and it is not that easy to stop a car that has no break on a slope. However, President Buhari is doing everything in his power to bring the country out of this economic mess which we find ourselves. We can never
blame the president for the tough policies he has adopted because previous governments had the opportunity to diversify our economy away from oil, but they never did. Now, the focus is on diversification, and I know that by 2019 when President Buhari will be completing his first term in office, things would have improved a great deal. The only thing left is for Nigerians to be patient for government’s economic policies to come to fruition. •Idayat Kassim, Ilorin, Kwara State.
Still on the death of Ekiti doctors THE death of six medical doctors from Ekiti State who were going for a conference in Sokoto State is a great loss to Nigeria as a whole. The official position of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) is that the bus in which they were travelling had burst tyre. Many people who should contribute to the development of the country are losing their lives on a daily basis as a result of road accidents. We should not forget the late Mr James Ocholi, as well as some students from Kano State who died in Ibadan while returning to their state after participating in an educational competition in Lagos. The
list of victims of road accidents is endless, and while I will support the FRSC’s campaign to sensitise Nigerians on the need to always check their tyres, I think it is also important for the government to fix the roads. Bad roads also contribute a lot to the accidents we are recording in the country. No country should be satisfied with the rate at which its citizens are being killed through road accidents, and I hope the Federal Government will start rehabilitating all roads in the country now that the budget has been signed. •Jimoh Mumin, jimohmumin@yahoo.com
process of academic training and mentorship, he was always ready to assist and support, both academically and emotionally. Even students from other units of the institute and other departments in the university also benefitted from these humane qualities he possessed. Professor Olaoba was not only prolific in African history but erudite in African law, indigenous arbitration and conflict studies. This thoroughbred historian will be greatly missed at the weekly seminar of the Institute of African Studies by the generality of the students. His witticism dictated by passion for students’ progress endeared him to many who were privileged to relate with him or come under his tutelage, being a fantastic scholar whose mind-
set on the discipline of history, particularly African history, would secure a comfortable seat among the groundbreakers of Afro-Nigerian history. Like Saburi Biobaku, Akinjogbin, J. F. Ade Ajayi and Obaro Ikime, Professor Olaoba was a great writer and poet. He was, indeed, an excellent cultural historian, probably the only one in the University of Ibadan until his last breath on the 15th of May 2016, given his congenial, inveterate and congenital affectionate warmth, which inspired respect and reverence from his students. He was and will remain a great historian even in death. Evidently through his scholarly works and publications, Olaoba has written his own history in the hearts of his students and col-
leagues while contributing his quota to historical scholarship in Nigeria. His plethora of scholarly publications on African cultural history testifies to his professional image as a promoter of African value system. His numerous contributions to humanistic scholarship and values have left indelible and impeccable impression in the hearts of many. Though his death is a tragic loss, we are consoled by how he lived and what he gave, since these are significant parts of the parameters to measure the worth of a man while alive. Our respite is that God saw that he was getting tired… that he needed rest; he therefore put His arms around him and whispered, “Come with me.” So what people, as well as his church, may say about
him or what his creed was will not matter anymore. What matters is the history he has written for himself in our hearts that Olaoba befriended those really in need and was ever ready, with a word of good cheer, to bring back a smile, to banish a tear… hence majority of us were, indeed, sorry when he passed away. His departure was laden with grief and pains. Oh, a golden heart has stopped beating; hardworking hands have gone to rest. God broke our hearts to prove that He only takes “the best.” Adieu, my supervisor, mentor and friend, who had the uncommon courage symbolic of the cando-spirit of the Ekiti man! •Dr Kayode Onipede, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso.
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opinion
Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
Before marriage kills you
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HILE the pathetic dust that was raised by the Shonde story is yet to dissipate from the Lagos atmospheric, another perplexing one has hit the metropolis. I still shudder as I think about it, days after the news broke. Such barbarity, such wickedness, such callousness, such evil… I fall short of words to properly communicate the gargantuan sadness I feel. So much for loving, so much for trusting and giving one’s life till ‘death do us part’? I suppose that is the most ubiquitous phrase in wedding vows irrespective of the region, religion or tradition isn’t it? How does a woman hitherto comprehend meeting the Grimm’s sickle at her lover’s hand? Earlier this month, Lagos women and every other carrier of the XX chromosome, scattered all over the nation, temporarily transformed into bards and sang elegies for the pregnant banker in her mid-thirties, Ronke Shonde, who was brutally and abruptly sent on a voyage to the land of no return….we are yet relieving the horror of that pathetic death, but are forced to plunge into deeper dismay by another one of such devastatsingly irksome sagas. While both incidents bear a great sense of similitude based on their respective end results – DEATH, one evokes a more heightened sense of anger, pain and empathy. When a man, whose duty is to protect, care for and LOVE his wife, like explicitly written in the holy writs, creeps over her in the cover of darkness and snuffs life out of his supposed beloved, words fail… When the man, who should be the woman’s aegis, who should preserve her and guide her from all evils, becomes the monster, who points an unsheathed dagger, not at her enemy, but drives it through her heart, watching the red liquid seep through her broken skin and her spirit bids her body farewell, then what is left to say? A great bout of perturbation has since hit me and my frayed nerves refuse to be calm while the hairs on my spine have been activated to a default mode of standing ovation. Goose bumps have become a part of the normal flora of my epidermis as I try, with shredded courage, to conjure up the grotesque imagery in my head. “We were sleeping when my sister’s husband came to wake the first son to go and urinate. This was around 4.00 a.m. When the boy went to wake his mother, he saw that she was not responding. He shook her vigorously but she did not respond and that was
when he rushed to call me. “When I got there, I shook her to wake her but there was no response. When I touched her legs, they were very cold. I shuddered and quickly removed the cloth on her face. It was then that I saw that the husband had used a knife to slash her throat. He cut the vein in her neck. She was in a pool of blood,” Those were the heart wrenching words of Vero, sister to the deceased and in-law, to James Kafaru Esougie, who allegedly killed his wife, Rose. Their story is not the first of such and may, horrendously, not be the last of such stories that burns any rational the soul. Rose Esougie was abruptly harvested, tossed into abysmal darkness of the land of the spirits and for what? Refusing to finance her husband’s trip to his hometown in Edo State! What an unjust way to die. When did women become the provider, when did it become the woman’s onus to be financially responsible for her husband, the supposed ‘head’? When did death become as cheap as to be doled out on such flimsy reasons? I fail to understand that but what I may never comprehend in this lifetime is why, why does the woman STAY in such blistering furnace? According to reports, the couple were said to have had a turbulent marriage with James accused of having battered Rose several
veracity with Vera Onana
veraonana@gmail.com 08054680688 times. Yet she STAYED… I have and will always have zero tolerance for battery; it should not be condoned. On several occasions, when deaths like this ultimately happen, it is always, almost in all cases, chronicled by events of battery. Earlier this year, while participating in a media training aimed at ensuring proper reportage of domestic violence after the enactment of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) act, I was stunned at the statistics of this obnoxious act in the South West alone, not the entire nation and the question that keeps coming to mind is this- why do these women stay? Let us consider a number of options: maybe they STAY for religious reasons….a pastor, imam, or other religious head as the case implies may tend to broker peace in marriages fraught with violence. They, in most cases, may advice victims of violence to remain in their matrimonial homes despite how hot it may be but think about it, this religious leader, talks a woman into staying and leaves, who then watches her back when the knife comes for her throat at nightfall? Another reason, maybe they stay for their children….these children will someday become adults and walk away but that is if they are fortunate enough to have their mother groom them into adults before the knife comes calling for her throat. The society, people?…the same people will shed crocodile tears at the woman’s funeral and maybe chastise her corpse for failing to save herself while she could! Financial dependence? Yes, this one, in most cases, is the real deal and that is why I scream financial independence, every time I get the chance. The XX chromosome isn’t a disadvantage and it doesn’t make you weak. Shouldn’t marriage be blissful and not blisters- full? In a traditional Hindu wedding, Seven Steps, called the Saptha Padhi, are taken around a flame honoring the fire god, Agni. While taking these steps, the couple makes seven promises to each other. The marriage rite is considered incomplete until all seven steps are taken, not even one must be missed. Extremely riveting, I find the seventh vow of the Saptha Padhi: “Finally, let us take the seventh step and be true companions and remain lifelong partners by this wedlock.” Dear woman, you need to be LIVING to remain a lifelong partner in marriage, dead woman don’t have husbands. Never keep mute about violence, battery…it could be the first step to extermination. As for the slayers, I hope that swift justice is executed…aye; it must be an eye for an eye!
Are concessions jinxed in Nigeria? CONCESSION the world over is a means of reducing the deficit in infrastructural provision engendered by the disproportionate growth in population and the available resources for national development. And since government can hardly do it alone, private investors have to come in, in what is appropriately tagged Public-Private Partnership (PPP). As it is in other developed economies where concessioning has become part of government policies, so it is supposed to be in Nigeria. But the reverse is the case, with several attempts at concessioning public infrastructure thwarted by government officials, who after inking agreement papers, renege on such agreements in apparent demonstration of lawlessness and ignorance on the modus operandi of concessions. Since various administrations had made veiled attempts at concessioning some public utilities, which were eventually truncated by their own officials, who appeared not to share the vision of the government, Nigeria seems to have been perpetually marooned in infrastructure deficit. Even those concessions that appeared to have been successfully executed have been swimming in the ocean of controversies, which is detrimental to our national psyche. In fact, in situations where the concessionaire and the concessioner coast home successfully with their concession agreement, workers of such government utility that is being mismanaged, and eventually concessioned, have always embarked on bitter protest because of the fear of job cuts. So, in this clime, concessions appear to have been jinxed. Particularly, one concession that has remained the most controversial of all till date is that of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2) between FAAN and Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) signed on April 24, 2003. It must be said that MMA2 remains the first successfully executed concession in the country, as the terminal began operations on May 27, 2007. The concession has witnessed the highest number of court cases, all won by the concessionaire. There was also the Lekki-Epe Expressway concession be-
tween the Lagos State Government and Lekki Concession Company Limited (LCCL) for the rehabilitation and upgrade of the 50 kilometres expressway under a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) agreement. The project is trailed by controversy both in the court of law and outside it because LCCL only built less than 10 kilometres of the road and tolled it to raise funds for its completion. Many stakeholders are kicking against such action, describing it as a trick. They are also insisting, rightly, that an alternative un-tolled road must be built for those who don’t want to pay toll, as is the practice in other countries. Besides, there is a raging controversy over the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway concession between Messrs Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited (BCHSL) and the Federal Government, signed by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration. The concession, which was eventually terminated by the Goodluck Jonathan administration in November 2013, three years after it was signed for Bi-Courtney to Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) the main artery, has attracted court cases between the concessionaire and the concessioner. Even as the government tried to scupper the whole arrangement by re-concessioning the project to another company, before a court stopped it from doing so, the controversy rages on. Not a few people believe that the concession was deliberately messed up for selfish interest by government officials, who were supposed to endorse the design before execution. All these controversies notwithstanding, the Federal Government has not stopped tinkering with the idea of concession because of its benefits, as it has announced that it is ready to
concession four international airports for better management. They include the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos; Nnamdi Azikwe Airport, Abuja, Port Harcourt Airport and Aminu Kano Airport, Kano. My major fear is the sustainability of these projects. Although the Infrastructure Concessioning Regulatory Commission (ICRC) has estimated that the Federal Government must spend about N2.25 trillion annually for many years in order to reduce the infrastructure deficit facing the country, the current attitude of government officials to concessioning may not make this realisable. Countries in Europe and America have since embraced PPP, and they are better for it today. Many developing countries are also embracing the model because of its numerous advantages. In fact, the Jamaican government published the initial PPP Policy documents, popularly called PPP3, in 2012, which has led to the government divesting its large interests from the Sangster International Airport, Highway 2000, and the governmentowned sugar factories and estates. In process is the Kingston Container Terminal and the Norman Manley International Airport, both in that country. Besides, a Nigerian, Adebayo Ogunlesi, who owns Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a private-equity firm, operates the London Gatwick Airport today, and the British Government has given him full cooperation to operate freely. GIP, which manages about $18.7 billion, led the acquisition of Gatwick Airport Limited and had a stake in Australia’s Port of Brisbane. In India, despite opposition from the country’s Airports Authority Employees Union (AAEU), the government is going ahead with the privatisation of four more airports, including Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur and Ahmedabad. Until the Nigerian government changes its approach to PPP and learns to respect the agreements they sign and the rule of law, the country’s infrastructure may continue to languish in the quagmire of decay and dereliction. •Adedayo, an architect, sent in this piece from Benin.
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By Mathew Adedayo
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Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
Nigerian Tribune
agriculture Agriculture:
One year after, FG says it’s ready to revamp the sector D Collins Nnabuife -Abuja
URING the 2015 general election campaign which brought the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration into power, one of their campaign promises was to create jobs through the agricultural sector. Agriculture currently employs over 50 per cent of the country’s work force, with the smallholder farmers having a distinguished margin over the mechanized or large scale farmers. The smallholder farmers are dominated by women and men, while the youths continued seeking white collar jobs due to the perceived stress in engaging in agriculture. The President Buhari led government is currently working with the already existing agricultural framework of the past Administration of Goodluck Jonathan. The framework which is known as the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme was initiated by the former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina. The GES helped in combating the long existing corruption in the procurement and distribution of fertilizer and other farm inputs through the elimination of middlemen in the process. It also helped in getting farm inputs to farmers through the E-Wallet system and in turn improved productivity in all the value
chains. When the present Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh assumed office, he said the government would not engage in policy somersault, rather it would work with the existing framework by fine tuning it.
Having listened to Ogbeh on several occasions, one would be tempted to think that this government had a good plan to improve the agricultural sector, but looking at the 2016 budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development which is N47 billion, it may appear that
most of the promises made on revamping agriculture may not be feasible. On numerous occasions, the minister had been asked how he would manage the budgetary allocation of the ministry to execute the projects he has lined up, he always said that the ministry would source fund from
Kano earmarks N200m to buy surplus wheat KANO State government has set aside N200 million to purchase excess wheat produced by farmers the state governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has announced. Ganduje said this while inspecting tonnes of wheat harvested from various farms, stored at a government warehouse at Maganda Store in fagge Local government area on Friday. He said the government is willing to encourage the wheat farmers to boost their productivity and to protect them from incurring losses, arising from unforeseen market forces and ecological factors. This was contained in a statement signed by Halilu Ibrahim Dantiye, Director General, Media and Communications to the governor. The governor maintained that because
of dwindling resources and the Federal Government’s renewed drive to revive wheat and rice production, his government had earlier on given the farmers a loan of N100million to purchase improved wheat seeds. “The government also gave them subsidized fertilizer, provided them with pesticides and water pumping machines as well as employed 781 extension workers to assist them,” the governor maintained. In addition, he stated that the government has purchased and installed a grading and sorting machine at the warehouse to ensure that the wheat produced is qualitative and ready for use by millers. Expressing happiness over the amount of wheat so far harvested in the state, Governor Ganduje vowed that the state government would champion the produc-
tion of wheat and rice in the country, urging rice farmers in the state to get ready for engagement with the government on production of the commodity. Earlier, the state commissioner of agriculture, Nasiru Gawuna told the governor that so far about 2000 50kg of wheat produced in 12 clusters were brought to the store for grading, adding that the soft loan given to farmers is being paid by the commodity. Some wheat farmers who spoke with the governor, expressed delight with the support of his administration, disclosing that the price for a bag of wheat is now N14, 000 as against last year of N10, 000. They added that the state wheat soft loan program is very encouraging and should be emulated by all wheat producing states and the Federal Government.
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development partners. On the journey so far in the agricultural sector, one could say that the current administration is currently doing paper works, drawing up strategies on how to execute its projects. Ogbeh on several platforms had listed some of the things he would be embarking on in no distant time, such resolving the farmers/herdsmen clash, which he said is on top of his agenda. He has engaged several parties and experts to see how the issue will be addressed. In line with this, the minister made a proposal of importing pasture seeds which according to him if planted and managed well, it would provide enough grass for herdsmen to graze their cattle, thereby reducing or eliminating their encroachment into farms which have resulted in clashes with farmers and lives and properties were lost. Apart from ending the herdsmen/farmers feud, the minister also said that importing improved pasture seeds will increase milk production in the country and save Nigeria $1.3 billion it spends annually importing milk. The minister also revealed that the government will embark on one litre of milk per child for children in schools, which will consequently improve milk production and create market for dairy farmers. Furthermore, Ogbes said the government will unveil it’s agricultural roadmap which according to him, would help revolutionise agriculture in Nigeria by engaging all the key stakeholders, particularly state governments, the organised private sector, investors, women, youth farmers’ associations in the agricultural production and agro-export value chain. He also said that the goal of the currentadministration was to build an agribusiness economy capable of meeting Nigeria’s domestic food security requirements and generating exports to broaden the national revenue base. With this steps taken by the minister, it’s understood that agriculture will wear a new look in the nearest future because the minister had in several occasions said that the agricultural policies of the past Administration will be work on and a new framework unveiled. This new agricultural roadmap is expected to further have some components of the GES, such as improved method of administering subsidies on fertiliser which is key to agricultural production. On livestock production, Ogbeh said “poultry production in Nigeria is not good enough, but recently, the avian came out and wiped out a whole lot, the farmers are in grieve, we are hoping now that some vaccines have been found. There have been many plans by this administration to revamp the agricultural sector which has gone beyond the conception stage but was slackening by the late passage of the budget.” As the budget is ready for access, one would think that the first step the government would take was to resolve the issue of Tuta absoluta, otherwise known as Tomato Ebola, which has ravaged tomato production in the country and thereby causing scarcity of the fruit. Just recently, the minister said that the government had have directed the National Horticulture Research Institute, Ibadan to move into action and proffer solution to the menace. He also said that after survey, recommendations were made to the FG which led to the inclusion of Tuta absoluta containment programme in the National Budget in 2016, the FG also sort with FAO to come up with containment solution which is still ongoing for Nigeria. In about one year in office, this administration have conceived many agricultural plans which ranges from mechanization to youths in agriculture, resuscitation of some moribund or neglected value chains, maximum utilisation of the dams in the country for proper irrigation and plans to revive the extension services and many more. Although the activities in the agricultural sector have been very slow, it may be linked to the late passage and signing of the 2016 national budget into law. Now that the budget has been passed and signed, it is very important for the Minister to expedite actions especially in the area of distribution of farm inputs to farmers as the farming season have long started. More actions are need to be taken by the government to further improve the agricultural sector, as it will serve as the major sector to create jobs for the teeming youths and achieve food security and self-sufficiency in food production.
Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
Nigerian Tribune
IITA, Australia, others launch BBTV mitigation project By Emmanuel George
THE International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), University of Queensland, Australia, National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), ‘Université d’Agriculture de Kétou, Benin (UAK), Biodiversity International and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have launched Banana Bunchy Top Virus mitigation project in Nigeria and Benin. Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) is a destructive virus disease that attack banana and plantain. Infected plants are bunched at the top and they do not produce any fruit. This incurable disease spreads by aphid vector and propagating an infected planting material (corms, suckers and uncertified tissue culture plants) taken from infected plants or region(s) to another. Research shows that the virus, which entered Nigeria through Benin, has only affected some areas in Ipokia and Yewa south local governments of Ogun state. The Regional Director (Southwest) Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Doyin Awe, said drastic measures have been made to control the spread of the virus. The mitigation project; community management in Nigeria, and screening wild banana progenitors for resistance, is focused towards developing and implementing strategies for mitigation of disease impact at the community level in areas of high disease incidence in Nigeria and Benin. “Though, the disease came into Nigeria at the wrong time, because this
is the time Nigeria is diversifying into Agriculture. I had ordered all the state directors in the six states of southwest to stop any movement of banana and plantain suckers within the region, so that the disease won’t spread to other areas,” Awe said. According to the Jim Lorenzen, Senior Program Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, project donor, said “the impact is worst for the small farmers, so, the federal, state and local government should be actively involved because it is a very important problem that have affected many farmers and customers in Nigeria.” It will be recalled that Tuta absoluta, a tomato moth, caught the attention of Nigerians, and as Nigerian Tribune reported, it as the cause for high cost of tomato fruits in the markets. However, with the current mitigation project, it appears that tomato is not only infected by the moth, banana and plantain are also infected. Experts say that Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) is another incurable disease which has crept into Nigeria through Benin. What is BBTV Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) is a destructive virus disease that inflicts bananas and plantains. Infected plants are bunched at the top of the stand and they do not produce any fruit. This incurable disease spreads by aphid vector and propagating an infected planting material (corms, suckers and uncertified tissue culture plants) taken from infected plants or region(s) to another. The virus, which has been in Austra-
lia since over 100 years was firstly reported in sub-Saharan Africa in 1959. It was discovered in Nigeria in 2013 at Ogun state but farmers seem to be superstitious about it. Symptoms Though, it is difficult to identify in its early stages, a short dark dot-dash lines is often noted along the veins of the youngest leaf starting from the midrib, at the start of the infection. One can see these dot-dash lines clear when look upwards towards the sky through the bottom side of the youngest leaf. Dark green stripe running along the midrib of the infected leaf may also be present. When the disease is more advances, the new leaves become shorter, narrower and stands upright with a “bunched” leaves appearance, that’s why its called “bunchy Top”. The growth is stunted and the leaves roll slightly upwards and tend to become yellow or light green, researchers said. The virus, which is reportedly said to have crept into Nigeria through Benin, has only affected some areas in Ipokia and Yewa south local governments of Ogun state while neighboring communities are under survey. In the case of BBTV, prevention in the best control measure, by strictly avoiding importation and movement of planting materials from BBTV affected areas. Well, if it has not spread on the plantation, the farmer needs to cut, uproot, burn and bury the affected plants, in order to avoid its spread on others.
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Tuesday, 31 May, 2016 With Tommy Adegbite 0811 695 4631 tommyabijo@yahoo.com
Kwara State governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed (middle), welcoming the Executive Director, Capital Market, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Haruna Jalo Waziri (right) and Branch Manager (NSE), Adedunmola Banu, to the Government House, Ilorin, recently.
Singer and former Director-General, National Women Centre, Onyeka Onwenu with the Presiding Bishop, Sword of the Spirit Ministries, Dr Francis Wale Oke and his wife, Tokunbo, at the 2016 Family Life Convention of Christ Life Church, at Victory Garden, Ibadan, recently.
From Left, Mr Seye Oladejo, Lagos State Commissioner for Special Duties; Mr Oluwatobi Oduyale, author; Mr Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, Lagos State Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Empowerment; Dr Olukayode Oguntimileyin, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Office of Civil Engagement and Mr Kayode Akinbola, the chief launcher, during the public presentation and launch of the book: “A Legacy of Service to community and God,” organised by Oluwatobi Nathaniel Oduyale Foundation, at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
The Provost, Dr Mojisola Oyarekua, flanked by the Speaker of the Students Representative Council (SRC), Mr Emmanuel Adeyemi Aina (left) and the President of the students’ union, Mr David Gbenga Onilearo, during the inauguration of the students’ union of the College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, for the 2015/2016 academic session, recently.
From left, Pastor Adebayo Olaiya, Deacon Sola Ijaoye, the celebrant, Deaconess Adebimpe Ijaoye and Mrs Folake Olaiya, during the 40th birthday celebration of Deaconess Ijaoye, held at Wallan Hotel, Ring Road, Ibadan, Oyo State, recently.
From left, the Osile Oke Ona Egba, Oba Dapo Tejuoso and his Oloris, Omolara, Yetunde and Olabisi, during the 27th coronation anniversary of Oba Tejuoso, at his Ago-Oko Palace, Sapon, Abeokuta.
From left, Bashorun Adegbite, Alhaji Lekan Carew, his wife, Alhaji Wole Carew(Son),his wife and Alhaji Kola Carew (son), during the fidau for Alhaji Budulkabir Kolawole Adisa Carew, held at Green Spring Hotel, Old Ife Road, recently.
From left, Mr Adegboyega Onanuga, Mrs Adeola Odesanya, the widow, Mrs Felicia Onanuga, Pastor Gboye Onanuga, Pastor David Muyiwa Onanuga and Pastor Mrs Roseline Onanuga, at the commendation service of Pa Alfred Adeoye Onanuga, held recently at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Gada, Odo-Ona, Ibadan.
For bookings, contact ’Laolu Afolabi on 08054681741 or Tommy Adegbite on 08116954631
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politics&politics
Tuesday, 31 May, 2016 get but, we have the informal and non-formal sector which must be targeted. We get our IGR from PAYE if we are able to pay salaries regularly. If we are unable to pay salaries regularly, our IGR drops. From the informal sectors that we have laid sufficient foundation for, definitely we should be able to generate income. There are so many people in the informal sector that do not pay taxes. There are people who have done things that ordinarily should have obtained documentation for. We will not sanction them but ask them to regularise their documents for which the normal fees payable will be charged and collected.
Oyo now a huge construction site – SSG
In this interview with WALE AKINSELURE, Secretary to the Oyo State Government, Mr Olalekan Alli, X-rays the strides of state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, in the first year of his second term in office, and why the All Progressives Congress (APC) is poised to rule the state for a long time.
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HE tenacity with which Governor Ajimobi commenced his first term seems to be missing this second term. Has governance fatigue also set in, just like it seems to happen for worst second term governors? We started the second term by restructuring the bureaucracy. We have reduced MDAs from 23 to 13. We also realised the need to beef up our revenue arising from the shortfall in allocation to states. For almost a year, allocation to the state has been dwindling, which means that we have to look inwards to be able to afford our spending. In health, we have further consolidated the health insurance scheme. We have the prototype of four primary healthcare development agencies to emphasise the fact that the direction to go is primary health -care. The age-long Jericho hospital that is far inadequate for what it is tackling, is now being reorganised and expanded. At the Iwo Road axis, between Monatan-Olodo-Gate, there is no primary health care facility there, and we intend to build one there. In Education, we promised that we will continue to build our model colleges. Three model colleges are being constructed, and we intend to deliver. In Agriculture, we said our 10, 000 metric tonnes of silos will be concluded. It has reached about 60 per cent completion stage and what is expected is to put the hardware in place. Each of the three senatorial districts will have 10,000 metric tonnes of silos. We have started one and we are graduating to the others upon the completion of the first one. We have 28 agrarian local governments, and each local government is to provide 10,000 hectares of land for development on a Public Private Partnership with the investors we have been able to attract. Investors are coming into the state due to the foundation of peace that has been laid. Within the last year, we embarked on three outreaches:
South Africa, Ireland and China. We are trying to consolidate our agricultural initiative by bringing in the right machinery. We have investors that have keyed into our agricultural initiative. One is along the old Lagos-Ijebu road where we have Globus company which deals with fisheries, poultry, and diary. We continue to explore all these avenues to enable us increase our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). Not only do we want to block leakages, we also want to expand the revenue net. More essentially, we have solid minerals in the state, which we cannot tap into because of the conditionalities of the federal Government. We are working with the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals to ensure that we untangle all the impediments that are associated with exploring all our solid minerals. Presently, our IGR is just over a N1 billion and what we get from the Federal Government oscillates between N1.9 billion and N2.2 billion. We have a salary bill of N5.2 billion, how do we cope? And we have dedicated all we get from the Federal Government to the payment of salaries and wages leaving development projects to the N1.2 billion that we make on a monthly basis. Also, we are currently doing enumeration of properties. We need adequate database to plan. This database will enable us determine the level of infrastructure to put in place, in addition to what we have done. What we are also do-
ing is to reposition the Ministry of Lands such that people who seek approval for their plans would get it done in two weeks. We are not doing it just for taxation, but to have adequate database. How transparent is the process of selecting persons for the agriculture initiative among other programmes, considering notions that politicians or them cronies usually dominate selected participants or beneficiaries? That is not true. The 31 beneficiaries of the Graduate Industrial Loan Scheme that obtained their cheques recently were apolitical. When they fill forms at their local government levels, we don’t ask them to indicate their political parties. It is unfair when people make baseless, unfounded allegations. We should go beyond the issue of rumours in this state and that is what draws the state back. People read meanings, ulterior motives to whatever government wants to do. That is antidevelopment and people must shun that kind of habit. We should cease from being a rumour-mongering state, filled with back-biting, talking ill of people. Why is it difficult for Oyo state to attain N5 billion as monthly IGR? It is the attitude of the tax payers. PAYE contributes a lot of the percentage that we
I am surprised that all people are interested in talking about is salaries not being paid, instead of emphasising productivity.
Government continues to lament loopholes in generating revenue internally, but little is being done in terms of blocking those loopholes and shoring up the IGR. You have also just said you would not sanction them. That is not correct. I mentioned that government is more or less restructuring the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Before we sanction, the organisation that will sanction itself must be reborn. We must strengthen the arm that will do the sanctioning. And, sanctioning is not the issue; what should be the issue is to let the people realise what we have put in place and what they should be paying. Also, the agency that will collect the revenue will be collecting it, using modern trends. For example, we will not collect cash; it will be paid through the bank; through POS that we will provide. We are also expanding our net in terms of outreach. Rather than establishing tax offices here and there which will further stretch our resources, we will be resident in commercial banks where people pay and use their teller to instantly collect receipt and there is evidence of payment. It is now automatic and from that, we are able to track payment because we sweep whatever is in the bank, at the end of the day. This facility must be put in place before we talk about collection. Government is tidying up avenues where people used to steal. No sensible government will give loopholes. The state government continues to owe workers’ salary, despite the recent Memorandum of Understanding with the labour movement to commit the entire Federal Government allocation to the payment of salaries. This agreement means that the state government will continue to owe workers’ salaries if the state’s IGR remains at less than N2 billion monthly and FG allocation is considered inadequate. I am surprised that all people are interested in talking about is salaries not beingpaid, instead of emphasizing productivity. When you enhance what you produce in the state, you will be able to pay salaries and that is what we are working on and that is the essence of expanding the scope of the state using the agricultural initiative. The intention is to expand our revenue derivable from agriculture, solid minerals, and public/private partnership. We want to do business using modern trends of doing business. We will invite people that are buoyant, that have the resources to partner with government, to expand the scope of these areas commercially, industrially and in the end, we garner more taxes, more income and have what it takes to manage the state financially. There is a seeming lull in government which some pundits attributed to partial formation of a cabinet? It is unfortunate to talk about a lull in Continues on pg20
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politics&policy
Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
‘Why opposition parties are silent’ been able to overcome that. It is the attitude of the people. We have provided certain facilities for the people to discharge their refuse, but they over did it. You do not see refuse in the median now. From Secretariat to Molete to Challenge to Gate, you don’t see any rubbish there again. We have re-strategised and what we now have is Public/Private partnership to address such issues. We also have people who are engaged in waste to wealth. We have people buying waste generated by members of the public. We changed our strategy from what we did in the first term to what we call “waste buy back”. So you generate waste, you are able to make money from your waste; you classify your waste so that it becomes useful for transformation. With regards to street trading, it is a matter of enforcement. We are enforcing but we do things in such a way that people will know that this government is informed. We are reengineering to allow people own policies. We are using Community Development Associations, market associations, to jettison street trading. We are re-strategising and you will see the results very shortly.
Continued from pg19
government. The governor is available, I am working in my office, the deputy governor is in his office, the permanent secretaries are in place, and the bureaucracy is in place. There is something we call entitlements. You bring in political appointees, you must pay them. What do we use to pay them? Is it the same money that we say is inadequate that we want over stretched? So they come and they become agitators too of salaries that are unpaid. There isn’t any lull because government activities have continued. That is not to say that the cabinet will not be constituted. As promised by the governor, the process has started. But essentially, people coming in must be engaged, they must be compensated. Resources are insufficient, so we must be able to generate the resources to give such people their entitlements. When people talk about a lull in government, I wonder what they mean. Do you think the governor will be riding on the streets on a campaign when campaign is over? He has embarked on three outreaches, inclusive of the presidential outreach to China. Is that not serious business? Government and governance are serious businesses. Not going on the streets to ask, am I handsome. That is not government. The plan of the state government to relocate the plank sellers of the Temidire market met with stiff resistance from the sellers. They quoted a court injunction restraining the government from carrying out the exercise. Are you set to disobey the court injunction? We would not disobey the court. You remember what happened at Ogunpa mar-
Alli ket. The same thing is playing out at Temidire market. You allow sawmills within residential places! How does that work? Look at the several fire incidents at Sango market within the space of five days. Must we allow that to continue? I am surprised that rather than support government, people tend to say that we perpetrate injustice. Why don’t people look at the issue of safety? Why don’t people look at what should be? When you provide a place that has the needed facilities for people to thrive in their trading activities and people do not want to go there. Is it not their lives that we are protecting? So people should appreciate government beyond the issue of naira and
kobo that they want to make. Whatever action government embarks upon is in the interest of the people. We do not want a repeat of the Molete incident, where people operate in an illegal market. You want to perpetrate your activities under high tension cables, and when calamities occur, it is the same government that is called upon to rescue people. Why don’t we prevent such disasters? During the government’s first term, it seemed more firm than now in addressing street trading. It looks like we are back to square one. I am sure the dirt is no more there. There was a time it appeared overwhelming but we have
There seems to be little activities from other political parties in the state; there is almost no opposition. You have cowed opposition. Don’t you fear that the silence from other parties is like the peace of the graveyard? Not at all! You lost an election; you are shy; you are disgraced, do you want to show your face? Don’t forget that even somebody that felt he lost unduly went up to the Supreme Court and was proved wrong at the end of the day. So, what are we talking about? People who want to be intimated, may be intimated, that is their own headache.
What Buhari should do about militants —ex-ACF spokesman government has tried.
The erstwhile national publicity secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Anthony Sani, was the spokesman for Northern delegates during the 2014 National Conference. He speaks on a number of issues raised by President Muhammadu Buhari, concerning his first year in office. KUNLE ODEREMI brings some excerpts:
The president also spoke on the economy, which is currently in a precarious condition? President Buhari inherited an economy that is down because we could not save for the rainy day, which has come with the crash of price of oil. I think most Nigerians know this fact, and that was why there was no significant opposition to the increase of fuel price and the hard time that comes with it. How to diversify the economy away from dependence on oil constitutes the greatest challenge after security posed by terrorism and unbridled corruption that are themselves sand bags on the path of meaningful economic activities. To me, Mr President has got his priorities right by first tackling insecurity and corruption after which the economy can follow.
HOW do you see the decision by the President to adopt carrot and stick to tackle militancy in the Niger Delta, especially the activities of vandals? Stick and carrot style derives from the old adage which says, if one kills a human being, he is charged for murder; if one kills 10 persons, he is examined for insanity; but if one kills a thousand people, one is invited for peace talks in Geneva. But as the president applied the strategy of carrot and stick in dealing with militant activities, he must be mindful of the implications of promoting a culture whereby people make crimes veritable means of securing concessions from government. We must be wary of making Nigerians believe threats and intimidation are legitimate. I would advise that criminals are fished out and made to face the laws lest they hide under the groups that cannot be prosecuted. What about the problem of insecurity? It is the same with insecurity posed by herdsmen. We should not give ethnic coloration to the saga lest criminals hide under ethnicity and commit crimes knowing how hard it would be to prosecute ethnicity. I know there is a swarm of locust across the land, but I think
it is helpful to know the pests and deal with them. As to insecurity by terrorism, I think the regime has done creditably well in pushing the terrorists to the fringes of the three states bordering the Sambisa Forest. The
We should not give ethnic coloration to the saga lest criminals hide under ethnicity and commit crimes knowing how hard it would be to prosecute ethnicity.
One major challenge that has consistently plagued the country is unemployment, and the present administration says it plans to be involved in direct creation of a huge number of jobs? I am not persuaded by the argument that government can create jobs for millions of Nigerians looking for productive engagements. What government should do is to create an enabling environment that would make it possible for private sector to flourish and provide jobs. Our foreign reserve has been down due to the fall in oil price. As a result, there is no sufficient exchange needed for importation of finished goods for our consumption. I agree with the regime that the little foriegn exchange we have should be for importation of raw materials and machinery needed for diversification and repair of refineries which will in due course earn the nation forex. Somehow, I share the sentiment of the regime that if animals can hibernate in order to survive adversity and plants can defoliate in order to survive drought, we who have intelligence should be able to adjust amidst adversity. Our situation is not beyond redemption.
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Tuesday, 31 May, 2016 Editor: Kehinde Oyetimi featuresdesk@yahoo.com 0811 184 5048
features One of the residential buildings that had their roofs blown-off
A blown-off roof
Another affected building
Downpour of fury: Ogun community counts losses The people of Ijebu Imope in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State, after experiencing the destructive side of a recent rainstorm, are now appealing to the local and state governments to come to their aid. ADEWALE OSHODI, who recently visited the community, reports on how over 200 people have been rendered homeless after the rainfall.
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HE coming of the rainy season signifies productivity for agrarian communities, but the people of Ijebu Imope in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State are, however, counting their losses following the massive loss of properties worth millions of naira after a heavy downpour on the night of May 3, 2016. When the rainfall began, the residents thought of sweet sleep that night, but by the time the day broke, they realised they had just experienced a catastrophe. With the roofs of about 23 homes blown off, several families were thereby rendered homeless. Other residents who were lucky to still have their homes intact are now left with no other choice than to take in those who were affected. However, the level of destruction has made the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Alademeta Omotayo, reach out to the local and state governments to come to the aid of the displaced. “As the traditional ruler of Ijebu Imope, I am really saddened by the havoc the rain wreaked on my people; it has rendered many families homeless, and what I can do is to reach out to the local and state governments to come to our aid. “Officials of the Ijebu North Local Government have actually come see things for themselves, but we are yet to hear anything from them. I have also sent a letter to the state government, and we are still awaiting its response. “As things stand now, many families are putting up with their neighbours till help comes their way, and I hope that the government at the local and state level will rise up to the occasion. “Since the incident happened, I have really not been happy, particularly seeing my people squatting with their neighbours because of what happened. I can only plead with our government again to come to our aid,” Oba Omotayo said. One of the victims of the destruction, Mr Oduga-Samuel Abiodun, who works in
Oba Oba Alademeta Alademeta Omotayo Omotayo
Abiodun Oduga-Samuel
Madam Rafatu Adetola
Abeokuta, had part of the roof of his family house blown-off. “Since the incident happened, I have been coming from Abeokuta to see my mother every week so as to support her
psychologically. “One funny thing is that my mother’s house is beside my father’s, and the rain blew off part of the roofs of the two buildings. “While I have quickly raised money to fix my father’s house, I am still struggling to do same for my mother’s building. “I hope if the local or state government comes to our aid, then it will really go a long way in easing our challenges. “We all know the economic challenges many families are facing at the moment, so it is just so unfortunate for this kind of thing to happen. “At a time when we are thinking of how to survive economically, this destruction has set us back, but I pray that the local and state governments will take pity on us,” Mr Oduga-Samuel said. Another victim, Madam Rafatu Adetola, who now lives with a neighbour, called on the government to take pity on her and
help her repair her roof. “I now stay with a neighbour, and it is not really conducive for me, as well as for those I am staying with. “I am a widow, and my children have been looking for ways to help, but they also have their own challenges, so there is a limit to how much I can ask from them,” Madam Adetola, an octogenarian, said. Apart from residential buildings, the town hall was also affected, as well as some churches. When asked what he felt since the beginning of this year’s rainy season, Oba Omotayo said, “Since most of my people are farmers, they are always happy when the rainy season comes. “Despite the fact that this year’s rain has brought with it destruction, we still can’t say we don’t want the rains any more. We need the rains to grow our crops, but we just need government’s support to overcome the havoc the last storm has wreaked on our community,” Oba Omotayo said.
With the roofs of about 23 homes blown off, several families were thereby rendered homeless
features When FRSC brought its message against expired tyres to Oyo 22
Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
FRSC officials at the event. By Adewale Oshodi
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HE rising fatal road crashes resulting from burst tyres has been giving the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) sleepless nights, and that it why it has continued with its sensitization tour across the country so that Nigerians can know more about tyres. Last Wednesday, the Corps Marshal, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, represented by Deputy Corps Mashal, Mr Ademola Lawal, was in Ibadan to rub minds with stakeholders on the dangers of using expired or tokunbo tyres. Speaking at the FRSC Oyo Sector Command, Eleyele, Ibadan, the Corps Marshal first informed the attendees, who include members of the road transport union, vul-
canizers, tyre dealers and special marshals that it is high time Nigerians began taking the issue of expired tyres seriously. “For some time now, we have been having terrible road crashes which came about as a result of burst tyres; we should not forget the case of the late Minister James Ocholi, and of recent, some Ekiti medical doctors lost their lives also as a result of burst tyres. “About eight students from Kano State lost their lives when a tyre in the bus they were travelling in got burst in Ibadan. “So we can see that the issue of burst tyre is a serious one, and no right-thinking government will sit by without taking necessary measures towards reducing accidents induced by burst tyres. “And that is why the Corps Marshal has sent all the
DCMs out to different zones in the country in order to sensitise Nigerians on the proper use of tyres,” Mr Lawal said. In his brief remarks on the occasion, the Oyo State FRSC Sector Commander, Mr Yusuf Salami, said the command has been sensitizing vehicle owners in the state that tyres do expire. “For some time now, we have not been resting, as we have taken the campaign across the state, and in collaboration with different stakeholders, we have been able to achieve a degree of success in getting the message out. “However, we will not rest on our oars, as we are aware that this campaign will be a continuous one, and it is one assignment that we will see to the latter,” Mr Salami said. The team then moved to the Iwo Road Motor Park where members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the vulcanizers’ union, market women, among others, gathered to hear from the Corps Marshal. Speaking at the rally, Mr Lawal likened expired tyres to expired drugs, admitting that while an expired drug can kill just a person who has taken it, an expired tyre will kill all the passengers in a vehicle. “It is because of this that we must ensure that we take good care of our tyres; we must ensure we buy good quality new tyres, and not the fairly-used ones imported from Europe or in America,” Mr Lawal said. Speaking on behalf of the NURTW, the Oyo State chairperson of the union, Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde, while commending the FRSC for the good work it is doing, said government must ensure that the roads are repaired as they also contribute to the cause of accidents in the country. “We also want government to ensure that the electricity sector is fixed so that the tyre companies that had left Nigeria, Dunlop and Michellin, can return, as it will be cheaper to buy their products,” Alhaji Oyerinde said.
Why Obafemi Awolowo Stadium should be a monument— Curator Elder Amos Olorunnipa is the Curator of the National Museum of Unity, Ibadan. He spoke with ARAMIDE SHANU on how museums in Nigeria can be of added value to the economy, among other issues.
declared a national monument. Why the choice of Obafemi Awolowo stadium as monument? We are suggesting it to the government because of the uniqueness. It is the first, in history, if not in Africa. It has also hosted many international sporting activities. That is why we also call on Obafemi Awolowo Foundation to also join the development so that the stadium will be more of a monument.
HOW long has the National Museum of Unity been hosting the International Museum Day? It has been quite long. The Museum Day was instituted in 1977, but it became effective in 1978. Since then, Nigeria has continued to join the world to celebrate the International Museum Day. How has this event encouraged people to visit the museum? We found out that the International Museum Day affords us the opportunity to sensitise the general public about our programmes and events. Every time we commemorate the Day, people troop into the museum to see our collections. Every May 18, people tend to appreciate the importance and significance of keeping, conserving and marketing the heritage we have in this country. Museums in Nigeria have not actually lived up to expectation in the area of attracting foreign tourists and also contributing to the nation’s revenue generation like other countries. What are we not doing right? I do not agree with what you have just said that we have not been making an impact. What I want you to understand is that museums are non-profit organisations established for the progress, research, conservation, exhibition of these rare antiquities and objects to the general public. We don’t buy and sell antiquities, rather we keep them in the museum. When you look our statistics of foreign tourists, vis-à-vis the insecurity in the country, you would understand that this constitutes fear to foreigners. Museums have contributed a lot to this tourism movement because we keep culture like terra-cotta, wood carving, bronze, Aso oke among others in our galleries across the six geopolitical zones in the country. Also, the government should have political interest in promoting our culture. There are some important things that we neglect. Some foreigners may want to feel the beauty of nature knowing that our environment is rich enough. But, to what extent have we nurtured our God-given nature and landscape?
Olorunnipa Do you mean that government has not been supportive enough? The Federal Government is responsible for the maintenance and care of the museum. NGOs and the state government should rally round. Oyo State is our host and I think the state government should join hands with the Federal Government in seeing to the development of the museum. Moreover, all our staff here pay their tax to the state government. Especially, we appeal to state government to come to our aid. It may not be with respect to cash alone. It may be by building children parks, crèche, street light, borehole or a guest house. These are some of the things that attract tourists to the state. More importantly, we have not been able to have what we call national monuments in Oyo State like we have in some other states. So, our appeal is that government, through the appropriate agencies, should work towards that. We have identified some of our cultural landscape or monuments like Mapo Hall, Alaafin of Oyo Palace, Irefin Palace among others. Recently, we have proposed that Obafemi Awolowo Stadium known as Liberty Stadium in the old days should be
How effectively has the authority of Nigerian museum been able to repatriate stolen antiquities from foreign lands, in recent times? Recently, when we celebrated the International Museum Day, our Minister for Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, with the Director General, Mallam Yusuf Abdullah, repatriated at least two pieces of Nok culture from France which was a great celebration. And, when we made our findings on the objects, it was dated about 100BC. So, we are still appealing that those scattered all over the world should be returned to their indigenous places, that is why we want to make it a law that no artwork should be taken out of the country without permit. How many monuments and sites do we have across Nigeria? We have over 65 monuments and sites. In Ondo State, the palace of the Deji has been declared as a monument. We have others like Brazilian House in Tinubu Square, Lagos; Gidan Makana in Kano among others. That is why I said we should have one in Ibadan. What is new in the collection of this museum? Our collections are in various ways. If we have an individual that is tired of a particular object, he or she can donate it to the museum instead of destroying it. If the object should be kept by the individual we have to go there and make a documentation of that particular object. What are your other challenges? We have financial challenges. We need money to address lack of proper awareness. Our Public Relations unit needs to be going out often and I think the donation of a bus by government or an NGO would aid mobility. For example, the Public Relations unit organizes yearly programmes for the physically challenged.
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Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
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Ajebamidele: Producing palm oil in tears
—P25
When residents queue for daily bread in Oba’s palace —P27
Olateru-Olagbegi’s son speaks
My father produced 125 varsity graduates out of 140 children
Prince Nekan Olateru-Olagbegi, US –trained financial consultant, coordinator of Public Private Partnership in Ondo State and one of the 140 children of the legendary Oba Sir Olateru Olagbegi, speaks with ABIODUN AWOLAJA on the life and times of his father.
Y
OUR father, Oba Olateru Olagbegi, was very famous. How did you find life in the palace? Life in the palace was great and pleasant. The experience was unique and most cherished. The place was replete with complete royalty, and high standards. The palace was quite expansive and arguably the largest and the most beautiful palace in the country. It was complemented with football fields, lawn tennis courts, swimming pool, fish ponds and botanical gardens. The palace had a section for people of the Islamic faith and, of course, for Igbos and Fulanis. The palace also had large farms and gardens where people planted food crops and vegetables. The palace was also home to scores of people
that were not the biological children of my father. The place equally boasted of a mini-chapel where my father and his wives and children regularly worshipped God. A maternity home was provided near the palace where all the expectant queens were delivered of their babies. It can aptly be described as a mini-city.
children as he had done. My father told us that he would rather spend his hard earned money on taking good care of his wives and children than resorting to self-seeking accumulation of wealth and acquiring of properties world over. He said history would record it that he was the greatest spender in the aspect of rearing children.
How did he cope with so many wives and children? This, according to my father, was about the best thing to have happened to him. He considered it as manifold blessings from God because the results of his many children and wives were worth the efforts. He told us that his own father had over 300 wives but did not father as many
What remarkable things do you remember him for? First, it was uncommonly remarkable in the history of Africa for a king to have succeeded his own successor on the throne after a period of 25 years. This was the feat achieved through the grace of God by my father. He Continues on pg24
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‘He raised the status of traditional rulers in the S/West’ Continued from pg23
became the Olowo at age 30, having lost both parents. He founded Imade College, Owo, after he had only reigned for five years at the age of 35. It is remarkable that Imade College has been in existence for over 70 years now and remains one of the best High schools around. The school is in fact the oldest school on this axis after a couple of AONIAN schools like Ondo Boys High School and Christ School in Ado-Ekiti. Another particularly remarkable feat was how he mobilized the Owo community to raise scholarship fund for the late Pa Adekunle Ajasin to study at the Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone and in England. Baba Ajasin later obtained a Bachelor’s degree in History and Economics in 1946 and proceeded to obtain another Post Graduate Diploma in Education in 1947 from a university in England. The significance of this was that it was through this academic exposure that Baba Ajasin came up with a paper in 1951 which was later adopted as a policy for free education at all levels by the then Action Group. Truth is that there was no way Baba Ajasin could have been exposed to the latest European educational Charter then without the awarded scholarship which was championed by Sir Olagbegi. The free education enjoyed by so many students back then was in a way traceable to the significant role played my father. It is nonetheless remarkable that the meeting of political like minds that ultimately midwifed the Action Group was convened by Sir Olateru Olagbegi, and launched right inside his palace. Sir Olagbegi deserves credits even in death for his efforts at raising the status of traditional rulers in the South-West. There was a time he bought a Rolls Royce and refused to drive it until the then Ooni of Ife, Oba Adesoji Aderemi, took delivery of his own. He was such a huge source of influence and inspiration to his fellow traditional rulers. It is also on record that my father was actively involved in the agitation and the long walk of Nigeria towards independence. Sir Olagbegi attended all the conferences in England that eventually culminated in the decolonization of the country by Britain in 1960. It was in recognition of his efforts at securing political independence for Nigeria that he was honoured with the Knighthood of British Empire. It is equally on records that my father worked tirelessly for the enhancement of physical development of Owo city. It may interest you to know that one could hardly find few modern buildings in Owo before Sir Olagbegi ascended the throne. But, urbanization of the city became a priority for my father and the results came in no time. A replica of the famous Mapo Hall in Ibadan was built in Owo through the influence of Sir Olateru Olagbegi. He personally rebuilt the Owo palace and made it one of the most beautiful palaces in the country. Owo was an epicentre at the peak of the reign of my father. He even moved a step further by donating buildings to his community. He actually got the appellation of the unofficial minister for employment because of his tireless drive at securing jobs for countless number of people. It is indeed a remarkable feat that my father produced 125 university graduates before his demise. The children had the best of education in Harvard, Yale and other ivy league institutions. And he did not divorce any of his scores of wives and they all loved him passionately. Life must have been very traumatic when he was dethroned... The period was indeed a very trying moment not only for the children, but the Owo community as a whole. Owo
Prince Nekan Olateru-Olagbegi
A replica of the famous Mapo Hall in Ibadan was built in Owo through the influence of Sir Olateru Olagbegi. already had good roads, telephony facilities, pipe borne water, hospitals and both primary and secondary schools at the time of he was deposed. It was clear that the dethronement was politically instigated outside Owo. It was very unfortunate that the political enemies luckily could get willing collaborators within Owo community. Owo had already recorded a history that spanned over 1,000 years at the time and it was unprecedented that another king would ascend the throne when the one deposed was still alive.In a way, his dethronement turned out a blessing in disguise for the children. We could have remained locked up in the palace if not for the deposition. We eventually had the opportunities of moving out of the palace to be part of a larger society. It also turned out an opportunity to go out and struggle for better lives and to even have a better knowledge of our environment. What happened when he returned to the throne? It was of course an exceedingly joyous moment for we the children and the people of Owo. He returned to the throne in 1993 and was rousingly welcomed back to the town, although I was in the United States then. It had been predicted that he would reign for 25 years and would stay outside the palace for another 25 years and would stage a return to the throne to reign for additional years. All these prophecies accurately came to past as predicted. His return
to the throne established his constant assertion that all that happened were manipulated and instigated from outside of Owo by his political enemies. Really, 125 university graduates is quite a number... The case of Sir Olateru Olagbegi could be likened to the wisdom and the grace of God enjoyed by the biblical King Solomon. First and foremost, my father would say at umpteenth times that it was basically the grace of God that saw him through. The means, opportunities and favours that made him sailed through the financial hurdles of training 125 children in school were provided by God. I only have two kids myself and I know what it takes to pay for their school fees not to talk of someone with 140 children. Sir Olagbegi was a big time farmer with interests in food crops and cash crops like cocoa, citrus, coffee and palm trees. This to a reasonable extent gave him the financial lifelines to foot the bills of his children’s education and to provide for our nutritional needs. He denied himself the company of his beautiful and loving wives and made do with only cooks and maids that handled his cooking and chores while he ensured that his children got grounded in educational system of Owo and the cultural dynamism. This informed the reason why an average Olagbegi child has a good grasp of Owo culture and can speak the dialect very fluently. But he never contemplated this.
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going back and forth the Opa River to get enough water for the manual separation using cane baskets to remove the nuts and fibre until all that is left in the shallow ditch is a mixture of oil and plenty water.” Oil clarification “Once the separation is successfully done, the liquid is transferred from the shallow ditch into the drums and another period of boiling begins until palm oil surfaces as the water evaporates. This usually takes a lot of time. At that point we pour the oil from the drums into large containers and allow it to settle. Then the oil is transferred into containers and allowed to sit over night. The next day, it is transferred back into another container to reduce the chances of dirt settling with it. Once that is done, it is transported to the market”, she said.
Ajebamidele:
Producing palm oil in tears
For some residents of the Ajebamidele community in Ife, oil production is an inheritance but how easy has it been for these people? VERA ONANA writes about their struggles and dashed hopes as they ‘oil’ the ancient city of Ile-Ife.
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HE scorching sun had considerably gone down. Dusk was almost encroaching in Ajebamidele, located off the Ife-Ibadan expressway. The only road that led into the community was in ruins, the car virtually rode on two tyres on the good portion as erosion had eaten off the other part of the road while big cracks, took resident of the left over portions. The car was forced to a halt at the end of the damaged road, for a huge gulley lay ahead. Disembarking, the reporter had to continue the journey on foot until the first point of oil production was reached. However, according to the guide, a teenager called Rukayyat, a second point of production, bigger than the first, was located across the Opa River. “There is a bigger production point ahead and they just started making oil. You will see the entire process up there”, Rukayyat eagerly announced, pointing across the river. But, the make shift bamboo bridge that connected the first point of production to the one the teenager referred to was worn out, frail and dangerous looking. “Is this the only way to go across?,” a scared reporter asked. Rukayyat seemed amused by the look of fear and uncertainty on the reporter’s face and amidst laugher answered, “Yes, if you want to catch the action, I will take you across when you finish here.”
Production point before the bamboo bridge Two women, one middle aged and the other stricken with age, bent over a huge pile of palm kernel were sighted, meticulously sorting and packing them into sacks of various sizes while a low fire burnt at the bottom of a huge red drum, turned dirty black from fumes. Though production had reached the final stages at the first point of production, it was not over. How palm oil is made at Ajebam-
idele Rebecca Olowokere, a daughter of the soil claimed to have been living at Ajebamindele since 1982 where she grew up and learnt the dominant trade – palm oil production. “This industry has been here for as long as I can remember. I grew up knowing that palm oil was made here. I learnt the processes by watching. We do not only make use of the oil produced here, we transport it to Ife market and sometimes sell here to marketers. However, the processing is and has always been, very tedious,” she began. Boiling the ripe palm The reporter struggling to get across the bridge fruits “We source for ripe palm Oil extraction by pressing fruits from big farms in Obayun, Olowokere described oil extraction thus: Ilobe, Ilara amongst others and transport “the boiled fruits are transferred into this them here with okada. Once the fruits get locally made pressing machine to extract here, they are emptied into drums for the oil making to begin. The first step is to boil the oil from the pulp of the boiled oil palm. The pressed fruits are removed and fruits and it requires a lot of water. Since transferred into shallow pits to separate the Opa River is just below the production the fibre and nuts from the oil. This step site, we use water from the Opa River for also requires a lot of water and it is very the boiling.” demanding because we have to keep
The sad thing is since we have been operating this industry, people have only come to look at the harsh conditions with which we are producing oil. No one has ever come to alleviate the condition.
Oil extraction challenges Olowokere reminisced about the turmoil of oil extraction before the pressing machine came. “However, before the locally made pressing machine was donated to us by a mechanic a few years ago, we had to manually press the cooked fruits with our legs in the shallow pits. That was how we got the oil out but it was extremely tedious and our legs used to develop sores.” Could oil extraction be easier? According to Olowokere, the locally made pressing machine made oil extraction easy but she believes that the process could be easier. “If we had a modern machine that could separate the oil from the nuts and fibres after pressing, our lives would be made easier. This is what people use for oil processing now not this manually made engine that lumps everything together.” In oil production, nothing goes to waste “We do a lot of boiling here,” Olowokere began “and we conserve kerosene by using dried fibres (oguso). The Oguso we produce is another source of income because we sell it. Also, the nut is broken and we collect the palm kernel in bags. People who make palm kernel oil buy it from us.” Funmilayo Oluwasegun, an old woman, was busy pouring palm kernels into bags when she was approached. She gladly said, “when they put the kernels on scale, I get paid based on what it weighs. I think they use it in making oil and soap. My experience here has been good but I believe it could be better.” ‘We are producing oil under harsh conditions’ “The sad thing is since we have been operating this industry, people have only come to look at the harsh conditions with which we are producing oil. No one has ever come to alleviate the condition. Sometime ago, a group of government officials came from Osogbo and assured us that in a month’s time, they would provide us with the modern machine but till date, we have not seen them. We are over 15 people producing oil at this point but the drums are not enough so most times, we have to take turns. This also slows down production.” “If we cook two drums, we can get three to four 25 litres of oil. Another major Continues on pg26
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‘Osun LG is a dog without teeth’ Sometimes, the cracked nuts injure our legs and we bleed into the oil we are processing. The sores take a long time to heal. started. “There are many other oil producing industries scattered all over Ile-Ife like this one but they are all suffering the same fate. Technology has so improved that there is a machine that squeezes the palm fruit and separates the oil from other constituents of the fruit but none of us producing oil in Ile Ife can afford it. We have cried to the government severally but nothing positive has come out of our pleas. This process is rudimentary, slow and very demanding. We have been on this particular production for days because we have to cut the palm fruits, remove them, boil, press… before we get to the finished product, days would have gone,” he added. ‘People come here to raise our hope, then dash it’ Adereti went further, “we do not have an association but people come here from time to time saying they would help us. In fact, some people said they were ready to help us and asked us to finance 10 per cent of the project which we did but we never saw them again. This is very lucrative, if only it can become mechanised.”
Oil producers returning home at sunset Continued from pg25
source of depression is depending on the Opa River for water supply. It is hard to have to go down and fetch water for several drums of palm fruit. It is even better for us at this production point compared to the people producing oil across the bridge,” she concluded. Across the bridge Rukayyat kept her promise and helped the reporter across the bridge but across the bridge, it was a tale of incessant struggles and crushed hopes. Layi Adereti has been producing oil, across the bamboo bridge, for over 20
years and acts as the leader of the production unit. His experience, like Olowokere’s has not been pleasant but in fact, more devastating, he stated. “Our ancestors bequeathed us this trade. It is not new. It has been from generations to generations. We contributed money to buy this pressing machine only recently. Before then, it was a herculean task using our feet to squeeze the oil out of the cooked palm fruit. We suffered a lot.” ‘We cannot afford modern machinery’ “In all these years, no one has come to our aid, not even the government,” Adereti
Boiling drums and heaps of palm kernel seeds to be bagged
I will visit the site to assess their needs —Eluwole Honorable Dipo Eluwole represents Ife central constituency at the State House of Assembly, he reacts on the situation at Ajebamidele thus:
state government, there wouldn’t be any tangible result because as far as the state is concerned for now, I do not think that they have something like that in their plan. However, if the people are from the federal government, there could be hope. The local government in Osun State is a dog without teeth because virtually, there is no local government in Osun.
ARE you aware that there is local palm oil producing industry at the Ajebamidele community of Ile-Ife? Yes, I know of one at that area. However, I do not know about the situation of the place; how it is run, the size and how they carry out productions but I know that it exists. Does that mean you are not aware of the hardships the people there have to go through to produce palm oil? Ordinarily there must be hardships because whatever they are doing there will be done manually and if production is not mechanized, a lot of hardship will be involved. There are facilities that are required for palm oil production like water; there must be adequate water for palm oil production. I visited the community and I learnt the only source of water used in oil production is the Opa River, are you aware of that? I know of River Opa
Does the government have any plan to mechanise palm oil production at Ajebamidele and consequently alleviate the sufferings of the people involved in production, also, the oil producers’ claim that people from the government visit the area, make promises but all promises are yet to be fulfilled? I am not aware that government officials have been visiting the area but I do know that if people have been visiting from the
Invariably, are you saying that the state cannot come to their aid and if anything has to be done, it has to be from the federal government? I am not saying that the state cannot come to their aid, what I am saying is that for now, I do not think it is part of the state’s plan to come to their aid in that aspect. Actually, I have not visited the place recently to know their needs and requests. If I get to know about it, I will pitch it over to see if the state can do something or not. The information I am getting from you is first hand, I have not heard of it before. So, I will try and go there to see what is going on there. However, I do know that oil production requires a lot of water and at Ajebamidele, I do not think that there is any other source of water aside from the Opa River that flows at that place and I do not know how hygienic that stream can be for palm oil production. So I believe that if they can borehole and other motorized equipment, it will be good for them.
‘The rickety bridge is our sole source of connection’ “The water we use is from the Opa River and we have to fetch it from down there and carry it up this bridge. The rickety bridge is our only source of transporting water and heavy bags of palm fruits. Most devastating is the condition of the bridge. Some people from the current administration came to check the bridge promising they will build a better one but till date, we have seen no one. Was it easy for you to climb?, he asked the reporter. “Imagine doing that with kegs of finished palm oil, water or heavy bags of palm fruit. Before we collectively bought this pressing machine, we used our legs to extract the oil manually in these shallow pits. Sometimes, the cracked nuts injure our legs and we bleed into the oil we are processing. The sores take a long time to heal. Once it rains, we cannot work because we are operating under an open environment,” he concluded. ‘I do this because I must survive’ Originally from Akoraye in Modakeke, another middle aged woman who spoke in anonymity said “this oil business is new for me but I believe that it could be easier. It is terribly hard at my age to go down to the river, fetch water and carry it all the way here using that rickety bamboo bridge but I have no other choice. After all, I must survive. I will be eternally grateful if we can have better water supply, transportation and improved machinery.”
27 thesouth-west
Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
Nigerian Tribune
When residents queue for daily
bread in Oba’s palace The true face of the current economic challenge Nigerians face can be seen at the palace of the Oluwo of Iwo,Oba Abdul Rsheed Akanbi (Telu I) where hundreds of people converged to have their regular meal. TUNDE BUSARI reports.
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UR correspondent was recently at the palace of the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdul Rasheed Akanbi, on a casual visit. No sooner the entrance gate was flung open than he saw a sea of heads in the premises in scenery akin to that of a cultural festival. On enquiry, he was told that Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays have been set aside as meal days at the palace of the Oluwo. Such delicacy as cooked rice, beans, yam and others are served to the delight of the people most of whom are young boys and girls. Some of those youth revealed their regular call on the palace to collect food since the exercise started three months ago. Given their poor condition, they see the food as a divine intervention that rescues them from the jaw of hunger. “My parents are living in the village. They left me behind to attend secondary school. But the food they left for me is not enough to take me for a month. What I take here is helping me.” One Muideen Adebayo, 16, said. Nigerian Tribune learnt that the exercise was organised in a way to avert chaotic situation and ultimate breach of the palace security. This, however, according to a palace source, does not place the palace security on holiday. The food basket placed at the front of the palace by the roadside, as its name implies, serves as the spot where food donors drop their widows’ mite, after which the palace aides collect the food for cooking and eventual sharing. Aside food, clothing items as well as foot wears are all available at the palace, and many have benefited from the initiative. Sitting closely beside food bank is clothing bank inside which all types of wears are dropped by anonymous donors. Oba Akanbi’s personal items like agbada, buba, and casuals including shoes, sandal and canvas, are donated. The traditional ruler, who occasionally personally supervises the distribution, is a fulfilled monarch going by the public reaction to the exercise. He stated that the idea of feeding his subjects was conceived when he realised the number of people who visited the palace on daily basis to plead for money to feed. The Oluwo said that nothing could be more embarrassing in such a situation, hence his
Oba Akanbi giving food to some residents. resolve to find a solution to the challenge. He added that his realisation that Islam and Christianity encourage faithful to share what they have with the needy further propelled him to identify with his subjects.
He picked a hole in the culture of amassing wealth at the expense of the poor, saying making the poor happy is not only a social security but also effort to protect the rich and their families.
I will stop coming to the palace for food as soon as I get a job to do,” he assured.
Some residents on the queue to collect food at the palace. “The rich will not enjoy their deserved rest when the poor are out there crying for food. Crime rate will be reduced if the poor are taken care of at the right time. This is what obtains in advanced countries where things are done right. “And there is nothing making it impossible here if we are sincere with ourselves. I want the government to use what I am doing here as a template. I have experimented it, and it is working. federal government should create centres where food would be served to the underprivileged ,” he said. The Red Cross Society has seen the humanitarian service and keyed into it. Top officials of the Non-Governmental Organisation have since visited the palace to make their own donations and thanked the traditional ruler for the unusual gesture. A beneficiary, Mrs Ganiyat Owolabi said crime rate has reduced with the initiative. She noted that Iwo people are gentle and peace-loving with very low crime profile. But she blamed the state of economy for some pockets of crime being witnessed among the youth. Owolabi said she is optimistic that Oba Akanbi would soon rid the town off those she called enemies of law. The mother of three prayed for Oba Akanbi for providing succour to them. A 67-yeal-old man, who identified himself as Amure, also prayed for the monarch and noted that the town had never experienced such magnanimity. The man said he is a casual worker at a construction site but finding it difficult to survive when contractors are complaining of hardship. “I am not a lazy man. But when there is no work to do, what can one do? I am very happy for what Kabiyesi is doing because it has helped some of us to cope with the situation in the country. I will stop coming to the palace for food as soon as I get a job to do,” he assured. The Oluwo said the initiative is funded solely by him, urging his subjects to take the advantage. He stressed that his vision to transform the town by bring industries would be a long dream in the face of unhealthy subjects. “My people must eat well to have strong health before industries I promised them start coming to the town. Can a sick person work in a factory. This is the essence of this project. It is not that one is showing off wealth. Where is the value in the wealth you don’t share with the lessprivileged?,” he queried.
28 thesouth-west The new Obalufe of Ife, Osun State, Oba Idowu Olaniyi Adediwura who is also a maritime expert, in this interview with OLUWOLE IGE, speaks about his traditional role as the prime minister to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (Ojaja 11), the need for monarchs to have constitutional roles and his challenges since ascension to the throne among sundry issues. Excerpts:
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HAT has the experience been since you ascended the throne as the Obalufe of Ife? I thank the Almighty God because without Him, I cannot be in this position today. Even, this position has made me to realise that nobody can become anything without the approval from God. It is only God that can make you to be whatever you want to be. The Obalufe of Ife is the prime minister to the Ooni of Ife. But, in my own jurisdiction at Iremo quarters, we are still on it, the matter has not been settled up till now. However, with God, all things are possible. The elders in Iremo quarters have been trying a lot to make sure that peace reigns everywhere and I hope between now and next week, peace would reign. Personally, I have tried to reach out to people who contested the stool of Obalufe with me. Some of them have even gone to institute cases in court. That is not strange because most of them are entitled to vie for the position of Obalufe, but it is only God that installs a king or makes anybody to become what he wants to be. When God says yes, nobody can change it. I am using this opportunity to appeal to the people who are concerned at Aga royal compound to allow peace to reign and endure. I believe that once they can give me their support, everybody would enjoy my reign on the throne, even the unborn generation. As the prime minister to the Ooni of Ife, what are your traditional roles? Traditionally, I am the Obalufe of Ife. We normally call it Ooni Ode in Ife. I am the one outside as the prime minister to the Ooni of Ife, while Ooni is inside. Whatever is happening outside, I am the one in charge and to make sure I handle my role effectively and brief Ooni, I have to consult widely with all the stakeholders. All the Obas in Ife, with the exception of the Ooni are under me. We normally sit together on issues and conclude. After our conclusion, I am the one who will deliver the message or outcome of our deliberation to the Ooni of Ife. There are clamours in some quarters that traditional rulers should be accorded constitutional roles to play in terms of advisory capacity. Do you subscribe to it? Yes, I subscribe to that clamour. You know that traditional rulers are closer to the people at the grassroots and it would be ideal if they can be given a specific role in the constitution such that they can contribute their own quota to the healthy governance of the country. It is necessary and desirable if the government can look into it. Since Ooni has been on the throne, his agenda on youth empowerment and peace had gained prominence among the people. As his prime minister, how do you intend to key into this agenda? I normally give support to the Ooni, given my traditional function as his prime minister. We have to commend Ooni on his popular agenda and I have been very supportive of all his programmes and agenda which are not only for the betterment of Ife youths and indigenes, but also the entire Yoruba race. Whatever advice and input on his agenda from me are always welcomed and put to use. Person-
Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
My life as a labour leaderturned-oba — Obalufe
Nigerian Tribune
ally, I have keyed into his agenda because I have to collaborate with him to ensure that he succeeds in his determined resolve to make life meaningful for the youth, downtrodden and all categories of people not only in Ile-Ife, but the entire Yorubaland and the country as a whole. That is the noble cross the Ooni is carrying to make everybody comfortable and build bridges of unity across the South West and Nigeria. Before you became the Obalufe, you were a major stakeholder in the nation’s maritime sector. How would you describe your experience then and now that you have become Obalufe of Ife? The different is clear. I am one of the labour leaders in the maritime sector, including shipping section. The experience is not comparable. When you are in the union, you can use anything to push your interest and struggle, including dialogue to resolve issues. But, when I became Obalufe, it is a different ball game entirely. In my capacity as Obalufe, I have to listen to all sides of issues. In the labour union, you can use power to achieve whatever you want to achieve. However, in the palace, you must listen to everybody before you take your decision. It is also imperative to tell you that you cannot take your decision alone because we have many Obas in the right and left sides of the Ooni of Ife. We have to seat and brainstorm on issues before we can take a common position, which would be presented to the Ooni by my humble self. What are the challenges you are facing as the Obalufe of Ife? You cannot rule it out that being in this position, you will not face challenges. It is not possible. I have had many challenges. There are some unfounded things people carry out as rumours that Obalufe had said this and that. You have to endure and call the people, peddling such rumour or saying what you have not said. I usually tell them such people to come to me directly instead of giving their voices to such rumours. That is part of the challenges I face on the throne here. Shortly before we commenced this interview session, I saw you settling disputes among some people. Does your roles entail settling civil disputes among the people in the community? Yes, it is part of my job. When people or groups quarrel, it is my duty to call them together and resolve it. It is not all the cases that would be taken to the Ooni because Arole Oodua has so many pressing national issues to address. What is your view about the achievements and strides of the Ooni of Ife since he ascended the throne of his forefathers? I really thank God for giving us the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (Ojaja 11). He is a blessing to our generation, Ile-Ife, Yorubaland and Nigeria. God has blessed him from heaven. From experience, when you see someone blessed by God and you are trying to tackle him, you won’t be blessed. But, when you join him and give him your cooperation, you also have become a blessing. Due to that, I am very happy that within the short period that I have worked with him, I know how I was before and how I am now. What is your message to Ile-Ife people? I am using this opportunity to call on our people in Ile-Ife to sustain the atmosphere of peace we have for us to create room for the social and economic development of our ancient town both in Ife and every area in Ile-Ife and Osun State, I want our people to support the government and traditional institution to bring succour to all individuals. My appeal alsogoes to students, market women, traders, farmers and all other categories of people. Once we allow peace to reign, everybody would benefit positively.
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Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
Nigerian Tribune
with Soji-Eze Fagbemi m:08179047919 e:sojiezek@yahoo.co.uk
TUC ’ll not disappoint masses —PENGASSAN President
One of the prominent actors in the on-going crisis in the labour movement, over the increase in price of petroleum, the President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Comrade Francis Olabode Johnson, speaks with SOJI-EZE FAGBEMI on the crisis that is currently tearing the once united organised labour apart and how the crisis can be resolved.
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HE Trade Union Congress (TUC) s u d d e n l y backed out of the struggle against the fuel pump price in their very first meeting with the Federal Government, even when government did not consult you before the increase; and also insisted that there is no other option. Nigerians say they are disappointed with the action of TUC. As a leader in TUC and President of its affiliate, PENGASSAN, how did you receive this? Saying that the TUC disappointed the masses by Nigerians is very unfortunate. It is also very unfortunate that when meetings and discussions like this are going on, journalists are not allowed to be part of it. What you normally do is that at the opening ceremony, they will address you and that is all, until, you are also addressed at the end of the event. But when people are now saying that TUC disappoints Nigerians, it is really unfortunate. For me, I am the President of PENGASSAN and also an affiliate of TUC. One interesting thing is that I was also there in the meeting. When you look at issues, the most critical thing, especially when you are going for a negotiation is that you must be very flexible. Yes, at PENGASSAN, we have a Central Working Committee (CWC), we have the National Executive Council (NEC) which is the highest. It is only for the purpose of delegate conference that you have the highest delegates; that is the highest body that elected you. When you look at that, when you consult your CWC and the CWC says take this to NEC, and NEC also deliberates on it, looks at it and ratifies it. Then
NEC will tell you the specific direction to take. We also held our NEC; our own NEC says that if there is flexibility during discussion even though we have already said this is the direction we are going, we can also look for a way to shift ground. There and then, we can also say, what do we do? We don’t need to go back to NEC again, to convene a NEC. That was the mandate we got. The mandate has been given that we should handle it. Apart from not being flexible on the part of NLC, is there any other particular factor that affected this struggle? I think the main thing that is not too good, but very critical and which we must look at in Labour is that the NLC, no matter what sentiments, no matter what ego, if the intention of Labour is to protect the masses, to secure our members’ job, they must put their house together, they must forget about faction and see how we can all work together. This is important because it is too early for this government. We have a government that is going for four years, that is just one year old. So, if Labour is doing like this at this time, what happens if there are greater challenges? The faction in NLC is not good for labour. The NLC must look for a way to resolve the factionalised groups. In the interest of unity, let them put their house together. Then for NLC and TUC, definitely they can also have a meeting point. But for NLC, if you are coming to any forum now, and you are divided, how do you do it? Will you be able to go to TUC and say, let us see what we can do when you know that a faction is waiting in the wing? So, that is it. In the past 15 years we have witnessed a situation like this so
properly, For TUC, I don’t think there is any problem with that, but we must also make sure that labour, NLC factions are one. For example, if you look at the issue of minimum wage, Ayuba is saying N56,000, the other people are saying N90,000. With this, if government looks at it and says they are getting money, then let us look at XYZ and they agrees on N70, definitely you know that the other faction has gained a lot of ground. If we have a government that is also reckless, they can just continue with the division and take opportunity of the factions in NLC.
Johnson many times when Labour will reject price increase, call for strike and protest. The government as usual will initiate negotiation, but it has never happened that Labour will back out at the very first meeting, even when the government has not shifted ground or reduce a single kobo from the price. Labour will ensure there is at least, reduction before agreeing to commence negotiation. So, how come the TUC and other NLC faction caved in easily without achieving anything? Well, from what you are saying, you have a point. But it is also good that when you also have that, you try to be flexible in the interest of the country. Let me give an example, if I am going for a meeting, and the point I hold is total reversal before we start discussion, that is my plan A. My plan B is that if they are not going to accept total reversal, let us see how we can get XYZ. Doing that, Nigerians will also under-
stand. Like the saying goes, when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. People would say these people have scattered this place. But if we have agreed on something and have a meeting point, that will also be good. The government has agreed to set up a joint committee, that committee is also to look at the issue of price, look at the issue of PPPRA, the issue of refineries and things to put in place so that the refineries can work and so many other issues. Also the issue of infrastructural development as encapsulated in the budget, we will also look at that issue. So, I believe and want to appeal that labour must also fight strongly on that. The issue of minimum wage is also very important on the agenda. If they have increased to N145 per litre and labour also comes back as a result of this committee, the price is also agreed at N135 or N140. It means that it should not be above that, then set up the board of PPPRA which will be monitoring it. But for that to be captured
Besides the division in the NLC, with what happened between the NLC and TUC during this struggle, do you agree, as Nigerians are saying that Labour movement in the country is already polarized and can’t be the same? One thing I know is that definitely for PENGASSAN and other affiliates of TUC, we are all under one umbrella as affiliates of the congress and we agree together. There is no doubt about that. What we must however look at is that if NLC can put its house together, then for the labour centres, there cannot be a problem. As affiliates, we tell ourselves the truth. If we don’t look at the interest of the people and we want to continue as TUC, NLC, if we don’t come together, PENGASSAN can stand on its own. Others, like ASSBIFFI can also stand on their own. But TUC, NLC can still be united, if we decide to do it and agree together on the way forward. Yes, they can be, they can be united. So, what you are saying is that what really caused this problem was the division within the NLC? To me, as a leader and Nigerian, the division in NLC
goes a long way in causing it. But PENGASSAN and NUPENG were also accused of placing their sectoral interest over that of Nigerian masses in the present struggle. Even after the NLC and the TUC came up with same position in their different NEC to reject the fuel price increase, PENGASSAN and NUPENG came out to support it... It is not true, I take exception to that and let me say this that NUPENG and PENGASSAN are also Nigerians. For now, except there is stability and money comes from other sources, the oil and gas industry is the mainstream of Nigeria economy. Until we diversify into agriculture and other sector, oil and gas remain the mainstream of our economy. So when you look at the situation, and considering that prior to now, the two unions in the oil and gas have been advocating for deregulation of the market, they can’t accused us of placing sectoral interest above that of overall interest of Nigerians, because once the market is deregulate, everything would be taken care of. But as we have also been saying, import-driven deregulation is not acceptable to us, so the key thing is that the refineries must be put to work. Once you keep importing there is going to be depletion on the foreign exchange earnings. If for instance you put down what you are consuming locally, let’s say 35 to 40 million and may be the refineries is producing like 20 million, then the country can go for 15 million litres importation. Dangote refinery is also coming. We can also look at the issue of modular refineries which can be completed within 18 months. Coming to say PENGASSAN and NUPENG put their sectoral interest first is not correct. Take for instance if the oil and gas is functioning very well and there is massive employment, the labour centres would also be strengthened. So, that is the issues, we are all Nigerians we are not putting first our sectoral interest beyond that of the generality of Nigerians, but due to the strategic nature of the sector, the oil and gas is key.
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Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
with Bode Adewumi
m:08055001765 e:bodekafi@yahoo.com
ICT under PMB’s watch: Stakeholders give divergent verdicts Stories by Bode Adewumi
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TAKEHOLDERS in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector of the nation’s economy have expressed different views on the fortunes of the industry under President Muhammadu Buhari’s one-year administration in the country. This became imperative in the sense that various stakeholders as well as government officials at one time or the other called on subsequent governments in the country to pay attention to the sector as a veritable alternative to Oil & Gas. Indeed, the present Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu, had stated government’s commitment to the development of the sector, vowing to make it vibrant enough to generate revenue and turn it to a big rival to oil and agriculture. But while some stakeholders believe that the Federal Government has not done much to lift the industry, others believe it is too early to assess the industry under the present administration. For instance, Mr Lanre Ajayi, the immediate past president of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), believes that government could do better than it did in the first year of the administration, saying that not all its targets were met. “The industry could do better than it did in the last one year as most of the targets set were not met. For example, the 30 per cent broadband penetration target set by the government was not met. And if for anything, the cost of internet services have shot up, as not every Nigerian can afford it as things stand.” Ajayi also alluded to what he termed general disincentive on the part of the government to the operators in the industry, which he said also affected the inflow of the much sought after investors, particularly the issue of foreign exchange policy of the government. He pointed out that a good example of this was the apathy that greeted the recent attempt at the auction of the 70 MHz in the 2.6 GHz Spectrum Band where only one investor indicated interest in the spectrum. The spectrum band had been chopped into 14 slots, each pegged at $16 million by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) but investors shied away. Potential bidders could bid for a maximum of eight lots meaning the regulator had looked to two or more winning bids. He urged the government to address these developments with a view to annexing the potentials of the industry. He, however, said the late appointment of a substan-
tive minster may have affected the desired results and hopes that the government moves to add more impetus to the industry. Like Mr Ajayi, Mr Ike Nnamani, the Chief Executive Officer of Medallion Communications limited, also made a reference to the late appointment of a minister as the possible clog in the progress of the industry, but was quick to add that the ministry had succeeded in doing a lot of alliances between stakeholders and that it was a work in progress. According to Nnamani, it would be a disservice to the government to cast the pall of failure on the administration in the sector, adding that it had succeeded in some areas, while he hoped that the administration would build on its modest achievements in the coming years. On the FOREX imbroglio, Nnamani said it was not peculiar to the ICT sector alone and
that if investors are not forthcoming now, that it was probably that they are studying the situation. Mr Bayo Banjo, the immediate past president of the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), said the government had performed averagely in its performance index in the sector. He said government should have invoked the law to curb the recklessness of Nigerians in the use of the social media, insisting that government has been very passive in this regard. He equally said government should have compelled operators to access local bandwidth rather than foreign based, saying this would have reduced the dependence on FOREX for most of their operations. As for Mr Sunday Folayan, the president of the Nigeria Internet Registration (NiRA), Federal Government started well by the fact that the minister called a well-at-
tended retreat of stakeholders where many recommendations were arrived at. However, Folayan said it was his hope that the recommendations would be implemented so that the industry could move further forward. He also lauded government’s decision to change the leadership of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), adding that it was a courageous step, which has led to a positive development and wished government would do well to retain the current leadership. He also commended the government over the unprecedented MTN fine, believing it was a sign that the era of impunity had gone for good. He was of the opinion that government had done well, but he also expressed optimism that government would continue with the progress achieved so far in the industry.
Nigerian Tribune
NIGF 2016 targets inclusive development, ‘smarter’ Nigeria STAKEHOLDERS will converge on Abuja this week for this year’s edition of the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum (NIGF) to discuss and make various inputs into the National Internet Governance policy dialogue on inclusive development, intervention and smart-city initiatives in Nigeria. The NIGF 2016 forum, scheduled to hold at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre, Abuja, between June 1 and 2, is providing the renewed collaborative effort of internet stakeholders in the country to help provide a coordinated mechanism for domestic stakeholders’ participations in the local, regional and global internet governance dialogues. The first day, powered by Google Nigeria is devoted to youths, as a pre-event to encourage, empower and ensure that young minds are equipped to improve the skills that can be acquired using internet as a platform of growth and development. The second day of the forum will witness dignitaries and experts delivering papers on the theme of the event. According a statement by the organisers of the event, the effort has culminated in partnerships, coalitions and dialogues that redefine Nigeria’s position at the internet governance meetings. The 2013 edition took advantage of the NIGF multi-stakeholder platform to empower Nigerian youths, having recorded a combined attendance of over 1,000 stakeholders since its inception in 2012.
ASUS announces VivoBook Flip Series TP200
From left: Director, Information Technology and Mobile, Samsung Electronics West Africa (SEWA), Mr Emmanouil Revmatas; Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr Matthew Willsher; Global President, Samsung Electronics, Mr Dongjin Koh and Chief Marketing Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr Francesco Angelone, during a business dinner for senior management staff of the two companies in Lagos, last week.
FG urged to protect national data to boost fight against corruption A stakeholder in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, Mr Olusegun Olugbile has urged the Federal Government to ensure adequate protection of national data to ensure successful fight against corruption in the country. Olugbile, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Continental Project Affairs Associates (CPAA), said the call became necessary, following the recent wave of high-profile breaches and internet attacks. He said these internet attacks and breaches had put the nation under extraordinary pressure. “It is important for the government to ensure a strategic national cyber security by creating
software to protect national data against fraud. “This will ensure that the country’s systems are secured and national data protected,” he said. He said the dynamism of cyber threat necessitated a provision for a coordinated approach in addressing various vulnerabilities that existed within the National Critical Information infrastructure. Olugbile noted that some of the vulnerabilities were due to critical technical flaws in the system and software designs, weak security controls, and non-compliance with certified security checklists in domain of operational technology. He said the absence of mitiga-
tion response plan in most ICT systems and digital infrastructure also contributes to vulnerability. Olugbile urged government to provide a framework for the integration of cyber security assurance and monitoring mechanism for early detection, mitigation and prevention of cyber security incidence and crisis. He urged financial institutions and other critical sector operators to conduct regular security assessments of their systems in order to check for vulnerabilities and to comply with necessary Technical Security Standard (TSS). According to him, the vulnerabilities are usually due to critical technical flaws in the system and software designs.
ASUS has announced VivoBook Flip TP200, an exciting new thin and light addition to the innovative VivoBook Book Series family(convertible Windows 10 laptops). VivoBook Flip TP200 features the revolutionary reversible USB Type-C port for easy connection of peripherals, along with all the latest technology including the newest Dual-core Intel Celeron N3050 (‘Braswell’) processor and pre-installed Windows 10. According to Mr Simplice Zaongo, Country Product Manager (Notebook), Nigeria and Kenya, ASUS TP200 has a footprint smaller than a sheet of A4 paper and is thinner, lighter and more compact than ever before. He said: “VivoBook Flip TP200 is just 18.45mm thin and weighs a mere 1.2 kilogrammes. With up to eight hours battery life, it’s perfect for all-day on-the-go work or play. “The innovative 360-degree hinge, with its robust multi-gear alloy steel construction allows Flip TP200’s high-quality IPS screen, with its wide viewing angles to be flipped instantly to any angle for the ultimate versatility. ASUS TruVivid display technology ensures crisp, clear colours even in bright environments,” he said.
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Nigerian Tribune
with Chukwuma Okparaocha
m:08038984495 e: chukscop2005@gmail.com
Resort partners estate firm on housing delivery Stories by Chukwuma Okparaocha - Lagos
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primary mortgage bank, Resort Savings & Loans Plc has partnered a real estate firm, Teju Royal Estate to begin the delivery of housing units and land in the country. The marketing of the housing units and plots of land, which is about 250 plots and located at the Resort Estate, in Ofada area of Ogun State, according to the management of the mortgage bank, will be expected to go a long way
in helping to provide affordable houses to Nigerians thereby helping to reduce the massive housing deficit plaguing the country. While presenting the benefits of this housing and land acquisition programme, the Head of Business
Development of Resort Savings and Loans, Bisi Bello, disclosed that the land in question had “a global Certificate of Occupancy with the building approval being processed with the Ogun State government.”
Apart from the sale of undeveloped land, Bello said the bank would soon commence the first phase of development of housing units, which it said comprised three and two-bedroom bungalows. She further advised all prospec-
tive customers to key into the scheme appropriately, where they would be expected to make available their equity contribution of at least 20 per cent of cost of the property toward owing a unit within the estate.
Build houses within your financial means, expert advises A seasoned property developer in Nigeria has enjoined Nigerians to work within the limits of their income when buying or building houses because as many as 77 million Nigerians cannot afford houses above N1 million. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Millard Fuller Foundation (MFF), Mr Sam Odia, made this disclosure recently when attempting to describe the concept of affordable housing, and while also trying to explain why Nigerians should not be overly burdened with the desire to build expensive houses such as flats and duplexes. The developer asserted that 77 percent of Nigerians earn around N40,000 per month, thus finding it difficult to buy houses valued at over a million naira. Odia, whose company recently developed studio apartments (self-contained apartments) in Luvu Madaki, Karu Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, urged Nigerians to stop craving to own three-bedroom flats when they can’t afford them, but that rather, they should opt for studio apartments, which in some places could be bought for as low as N1 million. Speaking at a forum in Abuja tagged: “Affordable housing: Bridging the 17 million housing deficit - building for low-income earners,” Odia described affordable housing as that which the population’s median income could afford to buy. He said, “We must come to terms with our present economic conditions and cut our coats according to our clothe. Must we each have a three-bedroom house even though we can’t even afford a studio apartment?” Odia maintained that “affordable housing is not a duplex affordable to only a select and privileged few earning incomes of over N10 million per annum.”
Newly constructed Ajasa-Command Road in Alimosho Local Government Area
Experts propose ways to achieve low cost housing THE federal and state governments have been urged to work on the provision of low cost mass housing for Nigerians, as this will go a long way in saving many citizens nationwide the problem of building houses which is usually done at a very expensive cost. An estate valuer and property consultant, Mr Kunle Adedeji, dis-
closed this in a recent interview, where he stated that land which is about the most important of all things needed in building houses, should be provided and made readily available for would-be house owners. “If I got something from the government for so high, I will also sell or make it available for others at a
very high rate. “Apart from this, government should encourage the use of locally made building materials and if imported materials must be used at all, the import duties on such materials must be reduced and they should be sold to people at low rates,” Mr Adedeji said. He added that “Mortgage loans
‘Lack of liquidity in economy stifling investments in real estate’ THE Nigerian real estate industry is one of the most hit sectors of the economy as the lack of liquidity in the economy has sent many businesses gasping for life in the last few months. A seasoned real estate developer and investor, Chief Omo Aisegbonhi, made this known at a media parley recently. Aisegbonhi, who is the Chairman and CEO, OMAIS Investment Group, insisted that lack of liquidity and downturn in the economy had made many property investors to be ‘struggling’ to survive as many would-be house owners, property retailers, renters, and others had held back from investing in properties, as many of them often complained of being affected by the cash crunch that had hit the nation, a situation he said had not been helped by the activities of the banks. “Banks have refused to lend
to real estate investors while the nation’s foreign exchange is dancing naked. As I speak, this is no smiling moment for real estate investors. We are all struggling to survive and it seems the nation itself is trying to survive. As a nation, we are yet to have a clear direction of where we are going. Nigerians have drastically reduced their spending and investments in real estate,” he lamented. The OMAIS Investment Group boss, also lamented that the disposition of the government to many of the these things had not been encouraging to property investors, especially with some of the policies which he insisted had done more harm than good for the real estate sector. He said the asperity of some of the government policies, especially regarding the importation of certain items into the country,
had led to a situation whereby investors now take to smuggling or telling lies in order to get some of such goods into the country. This he argued had led to the enrichment of neighbouring countries like Benin Republic and Togo at the expense of Nigeria. In other parts of the world, the government encourages people to have their own houses, but in Nigeria, the government seems to be discouraging wouldbe house owners through some of its policies and bureaucracy, many of which are continuously getting more difficult to meet,” he said. Chief Aisegbonhi also identified multiple taxation as another area that the government needs to address quickly, if it really hopes to divest the economy from being oil dependent, and turning it into a country which makes huge revenue from the real estate sector.
with low, simple and single-digit interest rates should be encourage.” Mr Adedeji further insisted that government should also encourage private participation, as well as create a general conducive atmosphere. In a similar vein, another estate developer and property manager, Mr Kelvin Ofili had also opined that provision of low cost mass housing estates was a difficult thing to carry out, because other essential amenities such as roads, drainage, good sewage system, as well as borehole must be provided, which would unavoidably lead to high cost of production. He expressed his reservation about the idea of government building houses for people, saying this would be very expensive at the end of the day. “Government can help by providing land free of charge and infrastructure at low cost, while people are allowed to build according to their taste, but in conformity with standing rules and regulation “If on the other hand government decides to build houses for people, the perennial problems of government’s inefficiency as well as other factors relating to the attitude of contractors could make such a venture expensive, and thus, the original aim would be defeated,” Mr Ofili declared.
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My spinal cord injury story, by Al-Mustapha Chukwuma Okparaocha-Lagos
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he Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late Nigerian Head of State, General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza al-Mustapha, has said on Monday that it was God that saved him from the spinal cord injury he sustained as a result of different kinds of physical, mental and emotional torture he was subjected to for years. He however added that he has forgiven his “powerful persecutors,” who had him incarcerated for almost two decades.
Democracy Day: Presidential aide assures youths of better deals ahead Special Assistant to the President on Youth & Students Affairs, Nasir Adhama has said the next three years of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration promises to be more eventful for the youth. In a message of felicitation to Nigerians on the occasion of the first anniversary of the administration, Mr Adhama however expressed gratitude to the Nigerian youth for their patience in the last one year. Signed by his Media Aide, Gidado Shuaib, the presidential aide explained that various programmes and platforms have been outlined to empower the Nigerian youth and students by creating opportunities for them to develop their potentials to the fullest and live more productive lives. He said; “I am glad to have witnessed this day and to be part of the present administration. I am quite aware of your high expectations from this administration and I want to assure you that President Buhari places high premium on the youth as vanguards of change, and he is committed to our welfare, interest and future.” According to him, “the Social Protection Programme launched by President Muhammadu Buhari recently, will lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty as well as provide employment opportunities for many Nigerians, among them 500,000 teachers and 100,000 artisans”. He also recalled the president’s introduction of the one-meal-per-day programme, which he said when it commences, would aim at combating malnutrition among children and improving learning outcomes as well as enrolment, adding that over 5.5 million children will benefit from the programme.
Al-Mustapha said this in an interactive session with media men in Lagos, on Monday, where he also stated his determination to ensure that the peace and unity of the nation remained intact. While answering some of the questions thrown at him by journalists, AlMustspha, who failed to disclose the identity of his “persecutors,” attributed his plights in various Nigerian prisons, including the dreaded Kirikiri Maximum Prisons, in Lagos, to the will of God, who he said, had mapped out that route for him in life. Reliving his experience while in prison, Al-Mustapha recalled different kinds of physical, mental and emotional torture he was subjected to for years,
saying he just miraculously got healed from a spinal cord-related injury which he said was part of the telltale signs of the gruesome torture he was constantly subjected to mostly by masked soldiers. “I bear no grudge against my persecutors, many of who are powerful people in the country and whose identities, the public already knows. What I have gone through was because God wanted it to be so. I have forgiven them all, as I have moved on,” he said. The former CSO insisted that ex-president Goodluck Jonathan did not orchestrate his release from prison, as believed in some quarters; rather he attributed this to the work of Providence and the lack of witnesses and evidences
against him, a development he insisted had been a recurring decimal all through his travails. “If he (President Jonathan) had brought me out, I would have worked for him, especially during his campaigns or for the PDP. But as things stand now, I am not a member of PDP, or APC or any political party for that matter. What I am saddled with now is how to have full recovery of my health. I just recovered from a spinal cord-related condition, and I still have two more surgeries to undergo,” he stated. He also attested to the integrity and patriotism of President Muhammadu Buhari, who he said had always had the best interest of the nation at heart. But he urged the presi-
dent and the government as a whole to have a clear understanding of the yearnings and agitations of all forms of insurgents, saying no two insurgencies must be treated with the same idea and method. According to him, this opinion was informed by the experience he had with some of the Boko Haram insurgents who were brought to his prison cell at some point during his incarceration. He said the bond he formed with some of the insurgents made him to have a better understanding of what led to their nefarious activities, and how best to handle them, as well as how to prevent a recurrence of what led to their emergence in the first place.
President, African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina (left) with the acting Managing Director, Bank of Industry (BoI), Mr Waheed Olagunju, at the Annual General Meeting of AfDB, in Lusaka, Zambia, at the weekend.
Herdsmen: Let’s embrace true federalism to curb attacks —Gani Adams Hakeem Gbadamosi-Akure
The National Coordinator of Yoruba militia group, Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Chief Gani Adams, on Monday, said true federalism remained the only
way out to curb the incessant Fulani herdsmen attacks and insecurities in the country. Adams, who stated this in Akure, Ondo State capital, during the 2016 Democracy Day lecture, organised by the Ondo State
Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), entitled: “Herdsmen/Farmers Clashes: What Implication for Inter-ethnic Relations, Nigerian Economy,” called on traditional rulers and community leaders across
Edo 2016: Why we are supporting Obaseki —Senator Alimekhena Banji Aluko-Benin City
The Senator representing Edo North, Francis Alimekhena, has explained the reasons why All Progressives Congress (APC) National Assembly members from Edo State are backing the gubernatorial ambition of Godwin Obaseki, declaring that only Obaseki has the capacity to manage the economy of Edo State in the face of economic recession. Senator Alimekhena, who is the leader of the Edo APC caucus in the National Assembly, said Edo
APC National Assembly members decided to purchase governorship form for Obaseki because they were convinced Obaseki “is the right one, who will fit into the shoes of Governor Adams Oshiomhole.” Presenting the form to Obaseki before a crowd at the Obaseki campaign office in Benin, Alimekhena said Obaseki possess the wherewithal to lead Edo State, hence they have chosen him to represent APC come September 10 governorship election. In his acceptance speech, Obaseki appealed to other
governorship aspirants in the APC not to see the contest as a war, remarking that their support is needed to guarantee victory for the APC in the September 10 election. He said, “I thank our members in the National Assembly and everybody, who contributed to purchasing this form for me to contest the gubernatorial election in Edo State. I thank former chairmen, market women and the Obaseki family for their contribution. I want to assure you that I will not disappoint you.
the region to defend their communities against the herdsmen invasion. The OPC leader chided President Muhammadu Buhari for what he termed his tactical silence on the incessant attacks of the herdsmen on the citizens of the country. He stated that Nigeria, as it was being governed at the moment, was not sustainable, saying “If we have a federal republic that is nothing but a sham, a big fraud, why then are we surprised that a group of Boko Haram members, masquerading as herdsmen have been terrorising innocent farmers across the country?” He explained that the country needed proper restructuring, faulting the nation’s federal system of government and pointed out that it was an aberration from the Western countries, where the states came together to form the central government.
NCPC boss visits Gov Ortom
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has said that the appointment of Rev Tor Uja as the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christians Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) would usher in total reconciliation for the church. He disclosed this in Makurdi, during a courtesy call on him by the NCPC boss and his management staff. In the words of the number one citizen of Benue State, “let this appointment be a new beginning for the people of Benue State.” Governor Ortom further described Rev Uja’s appointment as the final onslaught on the enemies of the church in the state. He affirmed that Uja was a very diligent hard working man of God whose appointment to head the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission was divine. He stressed that men and women of Benue State have the capacity to contribute to national development. Earlier, the Executive Secretary of NCPC, Rev Uja thanked the governor for receiving him and his team at very short notice. He informed the governor that he was in the state so that he would join him to appreciate the Lord for his appointment. In another development, RevTor Uja, has recently been honoured in Makurdi, by the Benue Christian Leaders Consultative Forum. The Christian leaders, made up of all the five blocks of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), filed up in their numbers to receive their own, the brand new Executive Secretary of NCPC at Agan, the former toll gate. A reception was held in his honour at the Pastoral Center, Makurdi, which was graced by who is who in Benue Christian community. In his remark, the Catholic Bishop of Makurdi diocese, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, described Rev Uja as a committed person to the cause of truth and justice. He admonished him to be confident and courageous and to keep it up. His Lordship advised him to ensure he brings Christian community in Benue State and the entire country into one fold. He commended Uja’s relentless struggle to keep the Christians united. According to the Catholic Bishop, “nothing is too big when you have to pay the reward for peace.” He further described the NCPC boss as “a leader with high sense of judgment.”
news Gunmen kill 5, sack Rivers community 33
Dapo Falade - Port Harcourt
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UNMEN, on Monday, raided Ibaa community in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, killing six persons and sacking the town in the process. The latest attack was coming barely 24 hours after eight persons were killed by gunmen, suspected to
Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
be cultists, in Ozochi community in Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state in the early hours of last Sunday. The suspected cultists, said to be members of the Greenlander cult group, were said to have visited Ibaa community in the wee hours of Sunday under a heavy gunfire, killing the six persons. The victims included Mr
Prince Nyenke, Mr Dirinna, Mr Kpomasiruchi and Mr ThankGod Obisike, while the names of the remaining two were unknown as at the time of going to the press. It was gathered that the gunmen had invaded the community in a reprisal attack against a rival cult group, the Icelanders. A community source, who preferred to speak in anonymously, said the gunmen
laid siege to the community and operated freely without interruption from any quarters. According to the source, the Greenlanders were moving from house to house in search of the members of the Icelanders, whom they chased out of their camps before taking over the community. It was also gathered that a mini-police post situated
Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike (right), presenting his one year scorecard to the chairman of Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council, Amanyanabo of Opobo, King Dandeson Jaja and King Edward Asimini William-Dappa Pepple, the Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom, at a town hall meeting in Port Harcourt, on Monday.
Buhari is committed to Ogoni clean-up —Environment Minister Dapo Falade - Port Harcourt PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari is committed to the clean up of the oil-rich Ogoniland as contained in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report. Minister of Environment, Ms. Amina Mohammed, gave the assurance after inspecting a clean-up demonstration site in Bodo, Gokana Local Government of Rivers State She did the inspection exercise in the company of the acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mrs Ibim Semenitari. In a statement issued by the NDDC Director, Public Affairs, Mr Chijioke AmuNnadi, on Monday, the minister said the president would inaugurate the cleanup exercise in Ogoni, on Thursday, as a demonstration of his commitment to the exercise. She said that it was fortuitous that President Buhari would return to Ogoniland where he had commissioned a flourishing fish pond in 1984. Noting that it was regrettable that he would now see a fish pond that had been destroyed by oil pollution,
the minister added, “To come back to see that the fish pond is gone is indeed a tragedy.” She said it was not just that the fish pond was destroyed, but the livelihood and wealth of a people were equally ruined. She said that the president was coming to restore hope, adding, “The Federal Government is coming back to restore the ecosystem to
what it used to be and bring back the source of livelihood for the people.” “We are not just committed to implementing the UNEP report. We are going beyond that to also look at the overall effort to revive the Niger Delta region. “We have to get all stakeholders to buy into this project so as to make it sustainable. It is not just a project for the Federal
Government. The states, local governments and communities have a stake,” she said. The minister said the commencement of the clean-up exercise was only the beginning, adding, “What is more important is what happens the days after the flag-off. President Buhari is concerned about the issues of security, good governance and the economy.”
We’ve injected N151bn to stabilise Rivers economy —Wike Dapo Falade - Port Harcourt GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has disclosed that his administration has stabilised the economy of the state by releasing the sum N151 billion to pay salaries and fund key projects. He made the disclosure while speaking during a town hall meeting, tagged: “Accounting for Governor Nyesom Wike’s Administration: One Year After”, held in Port Harcourt, on Monday. The governor said he started with the renewal of infrastructure in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor local government areas because both councils had the majority of the population of the state.
He also assured the people that the 23 local government areas in the state would execute key projects, adding that none of the councils would be denied the impact of good governance. “We have stabilised the economy of Rivers State since we took off the reins of leadership in the state. We achieved the stabilisation of the economy by injecting N151 billion as salaries and payment of contractors. “These funds have helped us to rebuild our economy which was badly damaged by the immediate past administration,” he said, adding that no project would be abandoned by his administration. The governor also restated that his administration
would only award projects that would be completed within its lifespan, adding that the renewal of Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor local government areas has enhanced the economy of the state, as more investors were confident to invest in the state. He said 46 roads have been reconstructed under the ‘Operation Zero Potholes’, 15 abandoned roads completed and 27 new roads initiated by his administration completed and commissioned. He said the state government was building an ICT-compliant security infrastructure to help fight crime and empower the security agencies to be more proactive.
in the community had been closed due to the shootout, even as the people were leaving the community in droves. Reacting to the incident, caretaker chairman of Emohua Local Government Area, Mr John Wokoma, described the situation as pathetic. Addressing the displaced people of Ibaa community at Rumuji Junction, Wokoma urged the sacked people to go back to the community. He said the council would provide adequate security for the people, even as he vowed that he would ensure protection of lives and property of the people. When contacted, spokesman of the Rivers State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Muhammad, confirmed the incidence, saying it was a cult clash for supremacy. “It was a supremacy clash between cult groups which left three fatal casualties. Normalcy has since been restored due to police intervention,” he said.
Boro expresses worries over Niger Delta Avengers Ebenezer Adurokiya - Warri COORDINATOR of the Federal Government Amnesty Programme, Brigadier General Paul Boro, has expressed deep worries over the state of activities of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) in the Niger Delta region. He expressed his fear at the weekend during his short visit to Oporoza, headquarters of the embattled Gbaramatu kingdom in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State. The amnesty boss, who visited the Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom, HRM Oboro Gbaraun 11, in his palace, said he was worried over reports of activities in the kingdom hence his visit to ascertain the various allegations against the military siege in the area. He bemoaned the effects of the spate of destructions of oil and gas pipelines in the region on the nation’s economy and development of the region, saying the military was deployed to stabilise the area and serve as a deterrent force. Responding, Pere of the kingdom, HRM Oboro Gbaraun 11, said he was in deep pains how the soldiers have ransacked the entire community and maltreated his subjects, many of whom he said are now taking shelter in the woods.
Nigerian Tribune
Dutse granite factory to export products to China by June Adamu Amadu - Dutse IN continuation of his one year in office and celebration of the 2016 Democracy Day, the Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar, has commissioned a multibillion Naira Granite company in Dutse. Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Governor Abubakar said the factory was established within the period of six months and would start exporting its products in less than eight months. Abubakar said the establishment of the company was a reflection of the determination of his government to use the available resource, where the state has comparative advantage, to diversify its economy for jobs and wealth creation. According to him, the granite company is one of the few in the country and will be exporting on monthly basis 30 containers of its products to China.
Only prayers can avert economic recession, don tells Nigerians Godwin Agwam - Lafia
THE Head of English Department at the Nasarawa State University Keffi, Professor Nseendi Lubasa, has called on Nigerians to pray fervently for the nation in order to avert economic recession and other problems. Lubasa, who is also the founder of Parole Vivante Ministry in Nasarawa, made the call on Monday, while addressing newsmen at the end of a three-day annual festival of the ministry in Keffi Local Government Area. According to him, prayer is the key to success, hence the need for Nigerians to pray and seek God’s intervention in order to overcome the numerous challenges facing the nation at present. “Peace is paramount and non-negotiable in any society. I want to use this medium to appeal to Nigerians to worship God, pray fervently to God and to seek His intervention in order to arrest or overcome the nation’s numerous challenges,” the university don said He added that, “there is hardship, prices of goods are going high, but what can we do? Who are we going to question? There is no argument on this, the solution is for us to worship, pray and seek for God’s intervention.”
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Ekiti workers’ strike: Trade unions appeal to labour to sheath their swords THE striking workforce in Ekiti State has been urged to sheath their sword and show understanding with Governor Ayodele Fayose as their colleagues in other states of the federation have done. A group, under the aegis of concerned trade unions in Ekiti, which comprises the state’s chapters of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW); Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN); Ajegboro Association; Cooperative Drivers Union; Okada Riders Association; NATA, and artisans among others, made the call on Monday, with a promise to stage a solidarity rally in support of the governor today. In a statement co-signed by the leaders of the unions, who included Clement Adekola, state chairman of NURTW; Mr Agbede Gbenga, RTEAN chairman; Mr. Tosin Atowoja, Ajegboro Association; Elder Johnson Abioye, Cooperative Drivers Union; Mr Niyi J.O., Okada Riders Chairman; Mr Alo Babatope, Chairman, NATA; Mr. J.O. Adu, chairman, Artisans, the unions said: “We appeal to the striking labour, Ekiti State, to immediately suspend the strike and we want them to see reasons with the government. “There is a difference between what is at hand and what you don’t have. The governor has been transparent with the labour by taking them along with details of the federal allocations coming into the state. “It is obvious that Ekiti, like other 28 states in Nigeria challenged by payment of salaries, does not have the money to meet the current demands of Ekiti labour.”
Democracy Day: Mimiko grants amnesty to 11 prisoners
From left, son of former governor of Ondo State, Mr Gboyega Adefarati; All Progressives Congress governorship aspirant in Ondo State, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu and a former Commissioner for Natural Resources in the state, Mr Solagbade Amodeni, at a consultative meeting of Aketi Platform, in Akure, Ondo State.
8-year-old girl killed by driver in Osun Oluwole Ige-Osogbo
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RAGEDY struck on democracy day in Osogbo, capital of Osun State, when a suspected drunk man, who drove a black Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), crushed a little girl to death around Capital Hotel area of the city. Nigerian Tribune reliably gathered that the victim, who was about eight years old, was a daughter of a a road side female trader at Capital Hotel in
Osogbo. Credible sources informed Nigerian Tribune that the girl, whose name could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report, died on the spot. An eyewitness hinted that the man, who had his two children and wife in the car, reportedly drove out of the Capital Hotel and turned to the opposing side of the road where he rammed into the girl. A Northern trader, who deals in all kinds of vegeta-
that some policemen later arrived the scene and took the man to the station, while the remains of the little girl were evacuated to the Ladoke Akintola Unversity Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH) mortuary in Osogbo. However, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Osun State Police command, Folasade Odoro, could not be reached for comment on the incident as several calls made to her cell phone failed to connect.
Return to agric, Olubadan tasks Yoruba sons THE Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji and a bankerturned farmer, Mr Babatunde Ogunyemi have called on Yoruba sons and daughters to return to agriculture to stave the lingering economic downturn. They gave the advice at the ``Lunch with Olubadan,’’ held at the Conference Hall of Kakanfo Inn, Ibadan, capital of Oyo State.
Oba Adetunji said that the Western region had in the past blossomed with agriculture as its major source of economy. It was also a great source of livelihood bequeathed unto them by their forefathers, the traditional ruler said. The monarch said that several past leaders of the region had also achieved tremendously by embracing agriculture with a desire to transform the re-
Ondo moribund industries being revived —Govt
ONDO State government has said it was irrevocably committed to total revival of all moribund industries in the state even as it announced the re-birth of two of such industries. The state Commissioner for Information, Mr Kayode Akinmade, made the disclosure at the weekend, while speaking with newsmen shortly after receiving Information Management Excellence Award from an Akure-based weekly newsmagazine, The Trace, during the fifth anniversary ceremony of the magazine
bles, identified as Mallam Nasir, said “I was standing close to the deceased while I wanted to purchase a voucher but shortly after I moved my feet, the reckless driver rammed in on the deceased. He said, “I am very sure he was drunk yesterday. After the girl was crushed, the driver came out inquiring if he had killed someone. There was a woman in his car and two children but nothing happened to them.” Nasir further explained
held in Akure, the Ondo State capital. Akinmade explained that the present administration, under the leadership of Dr Olusegun Mimiko, was making frantic efforts to resuscitate ailing industries in the state to further create jobs for unemployed youths in the state. According to him, the efforts of government in reviving moribund industries, including Ifon Ceramics and Okitipupa Oil Palms, were yielding positive results as the industries are now alive.
The state image maker added that apart from this, government was creating enabling environment for small scale businesses to thrive in the state, stressing that government would continue to do everything possible to further encourage large scale, medium size and small scale businesses. He noted that the present administration, led by Dr Olusegun Mimiko, would also continue to encourage and support public private partnership to improve the economy of the state.
gion. He stressed the need for the Yoruba people to collectively return to their farmlands, which he said was more profitable in the face of economic crisis. “We must collectively ensure that the region does not go backward. We are known for playing the pacesetting role in all good areas. We have a rich culture, tradition that is cherished across the globe. “We are known for being creative, knowledgeable, hardworking, honest, accommodating, enterprising and with the display of high level of morals and humility. “All these are virtues bequeathed to us by our forefathers as what the Yoruba culture and tradition teach and uphold,” he said. Ogunyemi, in his lecture titled: “The Dynamics of Channeling a New Course for Yoruba Entrepreneurship” also stressed the need for the teeming populace to embrace farming. He said that the region was blessed with arable land and favourable weath-
er condition to match, apart from other mineral resources. Ogunyemi, a former England-based banker now turned farmer, said that he returned from the UK to Nigeria to embrace farming and had never regretted the decision. “I have 150 acres of land used for farming and I have been supplying my produce to corporate bodies and multinationals,” he said. The farmer said that there was no community in the country that could boast of food sufficiency, adding that the people should embrace farming to guarantee food security and improved living standard. “The entrants of commercial motorcyclists, known as `okada’ business, have eroded the interests and commitment of the youths to agriculture because it is no more enterprising to them,” he said. Ogunyemi said that farmers could not meet the demand for the supply of vegetable species - `ewedu’ and `soko’ in the UK, saying they now have high foreign value.
IN marking the 2016 Democracy day celebration, 11 prisoners serving different jail terms in Ondo State have been discharged out of prison following pardon granted them by Governor Olusegun Mimiko. According to a statement issued by the state’s Commissioner for Information, Hon Kayode Akinmade, in Akure, on Monday, the governor’s gesture was in line with the power conferred on him by section 212 (1) of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended. The statement said reprieve came for the prisoners following considered requests and application for full and conditional pardon made to Governor Mimiko by Human Right and Civil Society Organisations to the effect. After a thorough deliberation, the statement said, the state Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy recommended some convicts for release and committal of sentences to the governor to mark the Democracy Day, following which eight prisoners have been granted outright pardon while three others got their death sentences commuted to life and 18 years imprisonment respectively.
Police rescue abducted Iyaloja in Osun Oluwole Ige-Osogbo
AUTHORITIES of the Osun State Police command have launched manhunt for the suspected abductors of a prominent business woman and Iyaloja (Head of Market Women) of Kajola-Ijesa market in Atakumosa East Local Government area of Osun State; Alhaja Adunni Adegbokun, who was kidnapped by unknown gunmen 10 days ago. The woman, said to have been abducted by the gunmen at her residence in Ilesa, has been rescued by men of Osun State Police Command. But, the manhunt paid off on Monday, when the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Mr Olufemi Olanipekun Oyeleye, confirmed that the business woman had been rescued along Ikire expressway by the police patrol team from Ikire Divisional Police Headquarters.
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ConsolidateallPDP’ssuits,groupurgesjudge Sunday Ejike-Abuja
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rights group, the Society for Global Justice and Equity Promotion, has appealed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta to consolidate all the cases filed by warring factions of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) for adjudication by a single judge, in order to avoid conflicting decisions. A statement by the national coordinator of the group, Elder Oluwole Adegboyega, said allowing one judge to hear all the cases would save the judiciary from a situation where two contradictory orders on same issues will
emanate from the courts. While making reference to the two contradictory rulings by a Federal High Court in Lagos and another one in Port Harcourt on the lingering crisis in the PDP, Adegboyega said, consolidating the suits would prevent the litigants from presenting conflicting facts that might lead the
courts into delivering contradictory decisions. While commending the recent efforts of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, to sanitise the judiciary, he warned that politicians should not be allowed to use the courts to resolve issues they could simply settle
From left, Senior Pastor, Daystar Christian Centre, Pastor Sam Adeyemi; wife of the Ogun State governor, Mrs Olufunsho Amosun; Mrs Godrey Ogbechie; the celebrant and Managing Director, Rainoil Limited, Mr Gabriel Ogbechie and the Chief Executive Officer, Sahara Group, Tonye Cole, during the 50th birthday thanksgiving service of Mr Ogbechie, held at Daystar Christian Centre, Oregun, Lagos. PHOTO:SYLVESTER OKORUWA.
Metuh worthy of full bail, Lagos PDP begs CJN Bola Badmus- Lagos
LAGOS State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has enjoined the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Aloma Mukhtar, to look into the continuous refusal of bail to the party’s national publicity secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, who has been appealing to his trial court to consider him for full bail, to enable him to travel abroad for medical treatment. The PDP said it w as making the appeal in the spirit of “Celebration of Democracy Day and being the first 365 days of the Buhari-led APC administration, and the need for the opposition to have its fair share in decent
democracy.” In a release issued on Monday, by the party’s publicity secretary, Mr Taofik Gani, a copy of which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune, the PDP recalled that Metuh was currently under trial for allegedly collecting the sum of N400 million, being part of the money said to be for the purchase of arms in the office of the former national security adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki.
The PDP pleaded with the CJN to give an opinion on the denial of the request by Metuh to have medical treatment of his choice, especially because the defendant had recently sought the trial judge to vacate from hearing his matter on grounds of historical relationship, a request which it said, was refused. The party said facts about the ill-health of the defendant was in the public
Lalong suspends sponsorship of pilgrimage to Jerusalem, S/Arabia Isaac Shobayo - Jos AS part of measures by the Plateau State government to arrest the continuous slide
in the state economy, the state governor, Mr Simon Lalong, has suspended the sponsorship of pilgrimage to Israel and Saudi Arabia, un-
Leaders charged to domesticate AU instruments By Wale Akinselure
THE State of the Union (SOTU), working in collaboration with the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), has reiterated the need for the nation’s leaders to domesticate and implement the 14 African Union (AU) instruments that aimed at promoting the rights and freedoms of Nigerians. Participants at the South West town hall meeting to ascertain Nigeria’s level of compliance with the AU in-
domain, adding that the defendant is a well-known citizen, a lawyer with many family ties in the country, and so was not likely to run away from the trial. The PDP cautioned the state not to take an ordinary prosecution to be persecution, saying the whole efforts would be defeated if, God forbid, the defendant become permanently incapacitated due to lack of medical care for his peculiar ailments.
among themselves without resorting to the courts. The group, through its national coordinator, pointed out that nonlawyers who did not understand the ways and manner the judiciary works were already casting aspersions on the courts because of the contradictory decisions. According to him,”By assigning the cases to one judge through consolidation, His Lordship would have prevented the possibility of politicians misleading the court because all issues would be put in perspective by the trial judge. “We note with great concern the two conflicting orders emanating from two federal high courts o n s i mi l ar i s s u e s and hold the view that such a development does not augur well for our judiciary. “We hereby appeal to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to order immediate consolidation of the cases in Lagos and Port Harcourt and assign to a Judge to determine the issues therein. “Let us make it clear here, we are not blaming any of the judges. They have only acted on the facts presented before them. Nevertheless, a situation where two conflicting orders on similar issues will emanate from the Federal High Court, which in law is only one court, does not help the image of the judiciary,” Adegboyega added. Last week a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State granted an interim injunction restraining Ali Modu Sheriff from parading himself as the National Chairman of the PDP.
struments, held in Ibadan, last Tuesday, decried that leaders at different levels of the country, had continued to pay lip service to the implementation of the instruments in their domain. Noting that Nigeria was a signatory to the AU statutes, they emphasised the need for the domestication of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Africa (1981); African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (2003); African
Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (1990); the NEPAD Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Plan (2003); and African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, among others. The director, Legal, CISLAC, Mr Adesina Oke, described the level of compliance to those rights as low evident in the inadequate budgetary allocation to agriculture, health, environment at state and national level.
til the economy of the state is stable. Governor Lalong, who said this in a broadcast to the people of the state in commemoration of Democracy Day and his one year in office, said the state government might re -consider the sponsorship if the economy of the nation improved later. “No doubt, it has not been business as usual since assumption of office, which is even worsened by the continuous slide in economic misfortune.” “To accomplish our set objective of the change mantra and rescue mission related to promises made to the people, we have commenced embracing and keying into some ideals of private-sector-driven-culture in governance
as demonstrated with my recent official business trip to the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America,” he said. According to him, the state government in the past one year, have had several security consultative meetings between warring Berom and Fulani communities, while peace and reconciliation committee, was constituted, adding that substantial implementation of the report had led to the sustainable peace and mutual co-existence in the state. He said that the positive impact of this intervention earned commendations for the state by the Humanitarian Dialogue, an international organisation that has been working to ensure peace in the state.
Diversify into agroallied economy, states, FG urged A renewed call has gone to both states and the Federal Government to diversify into agroallied economy, in order to arrest the challenges of insecurity and unemployment staring the country in the face, with a total condemnation on paedophilia in our society. The appeal was made by Sister Habeebat AbulHameed, Chairperson Shafaudeen Sister Daawah Circle, during the 23rd anniversary of SSDC which took place at the international headquarters of Shafaudeen -In -Islam Worldwide, Wakajaiye, Ibadan, Oyo state. She also urged the youth to develop their entrepreneurial skills for self-employment and probable job creation to help in the development of the nation. A b u l - H a m e e d commended Professor Sabit Ariyo Olagoke, Founder and Spiritual Head of the Islamic organisation, particularly for his investment in educational, economic and spiritual well-being of his members, adding “we have blockmaking industry, clinic and schools which she said, are catering for the interest of members and outsiders, regardless of their religious inclinations. In his address, Professor Olagoke who spoke on “Dangers and Implication of Paedophilia on the Girl Child in Nigerian Society” said “we must put a stop to this neuro-biological and psychological problem threatening the socio-design and corporate existence of mankind on earth. Say no to paedophilia” The spiritual leader said it was regrettable that there was an increase in paedophilia phenomena, due to institutional indiscipline and breakdown of our societal core values, as well as breakdown of law and order at the home front. “The effect of paedophilia on the victims is always too great to bear by them when one considers associated medical complications and the attendant stigma. Government needs to support parents and other stakeholders to stem down the menace of the paedophiles. Culprits should not be employed in any institution where they may pose a risk to unsuspecting persons,”he added. Olagoke recommended that free and compulsory medical examination and treatment must be given to the victims to check the aftermath effect for appropriate treatment.
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Workers’ screening: Why I removed committee chairman —Bello Yinka Oladoyinbo - Lokoja
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ogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has explained the reasons he bowed to pressures from the organised labour union in the state to remove the chairman, Civil Servant Screening Committee, Brigadier-General Paul Okuntimo (retd). The governor said he relieved General Okuntimo of the post because of his hardline posture. However, this is coming as a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), the Centre for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), charged the governor to pay the salaries of the state workers without further delay.
The centre, in a statement by its executive director, Idris Abdul, on Monday, said it was unfortunate that the screening exercise embarked upon by the government had been riddled with controversies. He said it would be impossible for the state government to implement the report of the screening committee without first subjecting it to a review committee or panel as it is the procedure in the civil service.
However, the governor, who said he was reforming the civil service with the aim of making business of government fast and results-oriented, said there was the need to clean up the state civil service. “We are reforming the state civil service at the same time with the aim to make the business of government fast and result-oriented. We had to clean up the civil service to determine genuine workers and re-
move corrupt elements. “We set up a screening committee led by General Okuntimo, who swung into action with his characteristic enthusiasm. Unfortunately, we had to relieve the general of his role in this assignment and replace him with Mr Jerry Agbaji, an acting permanent secretary in the state civil service. “The principal reason for this development was his hardline approach to the
assignment, which manifested in his persistent inability to build consensus with the rest of the 30-man screening committee and relevant stakeholders. “We cannot have such a sensitive process marred by a deficit of credibility due to allegations of high handedness or victimisation by the committee whether real or imagined”. The governor, however, said the exercise was still on track.
2016 budget: Best for Kwara in 16 yrs —Ahmed Biola Azeez - Ilorin Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State has said that the inclusion of a number of federal roads in the state in the 2016 federal budget is the best thing that has happened to the state in the last 16 years from the Federal Government. Speaking with journalists during a media chat to mark the first year of his second term in office and the 2016 Democracy Day, the governor listed the federal roads captured in the 2016 Federal Government budget for reconstruction as including Share-Patigi Kogi Road, Kaiama-Kishi Road and AjasseErinle Road. According to him, if the listed federal road projects were funded, it would bring relief to the state government’s resources as funds earlier earmarked for the roads would be used for other developmental projects in the state. ”This is the best thing that has happened to Kwara State in the last 16 years that I know. For the first time, we are getting federal projects in the state coming into federal budget; projects that we could have spent our money. Governor Ahmed, who identified lack of maintenance culture as the major hindrance to development of infrastructure in the country, attributed the slow pace of infrastructure development and poor maintenance culture to too much politicking affecting governance in the country. This, the governor said, had not allowed Nigerians to pay attention and resources to areas that could sustain the tempo of development.
Robbery suspects kill lecturer, 1 other in Gombe The Police Command in Gombe State has confirmed that a gang of armed robbery suspects killed a lecture and a Cameroonian, at Kashere junction on Gombe-Kumo Road. This was contained in a statement issued by DSP Ahmed Usman, the command spokesman, in Gombe, on Monday, a copy of which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The statement stated that the incident occurred at about 11:45 p.m., on Sunday night. It named the lecturer as Malam Sulaiman Umar of the Department of Arabic Studies, Federal University, Kashere and the Cameroonian, as Malam Zainab Mahmuda, without giving further details. The statement stated that the suspected robbers were about eight in number, adding that investigation into the incident had commenced.
GEI, GIONI to conduct free medical test in Ijebu Ode By Segun Adebayo
From left, representative of Lagos State governor, Prince Olanrewaju Elegushi; Head, Media Relations and Strategy, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Bisi Kazeem and the representative of the Corps Marshal, FRSC, Mr Charles Theophilus, during a stakeholders’ forum on the implementation of speed limit device in Lagos, at the weekend. PHOTO: ELLIOT OVADJE
IYC splits, suspends president, PRO Ebenezer Adurokiya - Warri At a time when the Ijaw nation needs them most, the vociferous Ijaw Youths Congress (IYC) may have split into two factions. This is because a group led by the national secretary, Bristol-Alagbariya Emmanuel, in a statement signed by himself and five
others, has claimed to have suspended the national president of the body, Udengs Eradiri and the publicity secretary, Eric Omare. But Omare would not take it lightly as he described the purported suspension as a sponsored work of those who are playing out a script to polarise IYC and
Ijaw nation. He called on the public to disregard the news, saying it is at variance with the laid down procedures of the body. According to him, the Bristol-Algbariya’s group are moles, who had been detailed to factionalise the rank and file of the group. In the statement, the
Lagos PDP tackles Ambode over local government election Bola Badmus - Lagos Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said there is no justification for celebrating Democracy Day in the state, describing Governor Akinwunmi Ambode as an antidemocrat, and a villain of democracy because he has refused to allow democracy fester at the third tier of government. Rather, the PDP said the governor has been hypocritical, enjoying and celebrating his own election and
government. The party said this on Monday, in a release made available by its publicity secretary, Mr Taofik Gani, insisting that the Ambode administration had no semblance of democracy, for failure to allow elections into the 57 council areas in the state. According to the PDP, the governor’s refusal to conduct elections into the councils “has eroded whatever achievement he may lay claim to in the last 365 days. “The APC is a very shameless party of
pseudo democrats and propagandists. They continue to deceive the people that they are progressives but they are anything but progressives. “Lagos State has always been the best model for the APC to flaunt as they claim good governance but we can now see that there is more of noise making in the state than actual governance. “We counsel Governor Ambode to be sincere, to have the fear of God in his style of governance,” the party added.
Bristol-Alagbariya group said it took the decision during an executive council meeting held on May 26, on the grounds of financial misappropriation, among two other allegations. “The suspension of the aforementioned executive members of council are borne out of the following: “Conducting themselves in a manner capable of causing disaffection among members of council during meeting of any organ of council or in any manner likely to cause breach of the peace or otherwise however capable of exposing members of council to public ridicule, contempt or odium. “Forming, encouraging and counselling the formation of factions and divisions within the council. Misappropriation, conversation and/or unauthorised dealings with the funds of council”, the statement said. The group, had last, week in Warri, thrown its weight behind the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), warning the Federal Government to dialogue with the group and meet its demands.
In its continued bid to ensure that grassroots people have access to free health care delivery, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Grassroots Elevation Initiative (GEI), in collaboration with the GIONI group, will storm Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, to give free health delivery to the people of the state. The two-day event, which will commence tomorrow (Wednesday), according to the chief coordinator of GEI, Adediran Obaniyi, will afford the people of Oke Aje in Ijebu Ode and its environs, the opportunity to have free medical care delivery service. According to him, “GEI is dedicated to taking free medical care service to the people due to their busy schedule.” “We are a Non-Governmental Organisation and we are committed to this course. This is why we reached out to GIONI, which has also been a partner in progress. Our market women and the aged, are our target because they are the ones that are directly affected by malaria and other old-age-related ailments. We hope to take this to other parts of the state after completing our work at Oke Aje,” he said.
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foreig naffairs with seyi gesinde
08116954632 foreignnewseditor@gmail.com
Chad’s ex-ruler jailed for life
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had’s ex-ruler, Hissene Habre, has been convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison at a landmark trial in Senegal. The judge convicted him of rape, sexual slavery and ordering killings during his rule from 1982 to 1990. Victims and families of those killed cheered and embraced each other in the courtroom after the verdict was given, BBC said. It was the first time an African Union-backed court had tried a former ruler for human rights abuses. Habre has been given 15 days to appeal. “Today will be carved into justice as the day that a band of unrelenting survivors brought their dictator to justice,” said Reed Brody from Human Rights Watch, who has worked on the case for 17 years and was in court for the judgement. Throughout the trial, Habre refused to recognise the court’s legitimacy, frequently disrupting proceedings. The ex-president denied accusations that he or-
Hissene Habre. PHOTO: AP
dered the killing of 40,000 people during his rule from 1982 to 1990. The verdict will be seen as a major step forward by those who are campaigning for African leaders to be tried on the continent for war crimes. They have been pushing for a permanent African court of justice to be set
Mohamed Badie among dozens sentenced for life in Egypt An Egyptian court has sentenced the Muslim Brotherhood’s leader and 35 other people to life in prison over violent clashes in 2013 af-
Japan alert for possible North Korea missile launch
Japan has put its anti-ballistic missile forces on alert at least twice this year after detecting signs of launches by North Korea. PHOTO: REUTERS
Japan has put its military on alert for a possible North Korean ballistic missile launch, national and international media said. Tokyo government ordered naval destroyers and anti-ballistic missile Patriot batteries to be ready to shoot down any projectile heading for Japan, state broadcaster NHK said. A government official confirmed that an order was issued, according to the Reuters news agency. The official declined to be identified as he is not authorised to speak to the media, the agency said. Japan has put its anti-ballistic missile forces on alert at least twice this year after
up, believing war crimes suspects should be prosecuted on the continent rather than at the Haguebased International Criminal Court (ICC). But some people were critical of the AU-backed court, set up specifically to try him. They argued that it was under Western influence as it had been partly
funded by the European Union and United States. However, survivors of Habre’s atrocities did not seem to care who funded the court. They were just relieved that justice had been done, 25 years after his rule ended. His critics dubbed him “Africa’s Pinochet” because of the atrocities committed during his rule. Survivors had recounted gruesome details of the torture carried out by Habre’s feared secret police. One of the most notorious detention centres in the capital N’Djamena was a converted swimming pool. Witnesses said victims endured electric shocks, near-asphyxia, cigarette burns and having gas squirted into their eyes.
detecting signs of launches by North Korea. North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and has followed that with test launches of various missiles. Japan has advanced Aegis vessels in the Sea of Japan that are able to track multiple targets and are armed with SM-3 missiles designed to destroy incoming warheads in space before they re-enter the atmosphere and fall to their targets. Patriot PAC-3 missile batteries, designed to hit warheads near the ground, are deployed around Tokyo and other sites as a second and final line of defence.
ter the army overthrew ex-president Mohamed Morsi, a judicial official has said. Mohamed Badie, the Brotherhood’s supreme guide, has already been sentenced to death and prison terms in other trials. Al Jazeera reported that the court also sentenced 48 defendants to jail terms ranging from three to 15 years, and acquitted 20 others. The authorities have arrested thousands of Brotherhood leaders and members, including Morsi, since his ouster by the army in 2013. Hundreds have been sentenced to death, although many have appealed and won retrials. The state-run MENA news agency said Badie and the other defen-
Mohamed Badie is led by police to talk during a trial hearing. PHOTO: REUTERS
dants were sentenced for inciting violence in the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya that led to the killing of three people in July 2013. The country was rocked by violence for weeks after Morsi’s supporters set up protest camps and demonstrated against his overthrow. The police killed hundreds of his supporters in clashes, including more than 600 on August 14, 2013 as they dispersed a Cairo protest camp. Morsi, a senior Brotherhood leader, had won the country’s first free election in 2012, more than a year after a popular uprising ousted longtime leader Hosni Mubarak.
otherNEWS India students electrocuted as livewire falls on bus Two Indian students have died after a live wire fell on their school bus in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. BBC revealed that the students were returning from a picnic on Sunday evening when the incident occurred, police said. At least 30 students were injured and are receiving treatment in hospital. Police have launched an investigation. It is not clear how the live wire fell on the bus, but
media reports said it happened after some students pulled at a tree that was touching the cables. Some reports said it was a coconut tree, while others said the wire snapped when the children tried to pluck fruit from a mango tree “We are probing. As of now we’ve filed a case of accidental death. We don’t know if there was any negligence,” television channel NDTV quoted a police official as saying.
Families flee as battle for Fallujah rages on
Iraq counter terrorism group battle ready to retake Falluja. PHOTO: CNN
Suad had feared for so long that she would die. A mother in Falluja, Iraq, her city has been at the centre of war for more than a dozen years and now it is the epicentre of a battle between ISIS and Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by the United States-led coalition. The coalition’s push to take Falluja from ISIS, which began late Sunday, prompted ISIS gunmen to go door to door in the city and yank men, their wives and children from their homes, CNN reported.
ISIS “kept moving us from one damaged, deserted house to another,” Suad said. She, her husband and her children ran as fast as they could to avoid being shot in the crossfire. “We tried going back to our house, but when we saw lots of other families fleeing we joined them,” she said. “I was carrying my two-year-old daughter, Hana, as I ran barefoot to reach the other families. My husband was behind us all the time trying to catch up with us as he can’t run.
Crocodile kills Australian woman during night swim A woman is feared dead after a crocodile attack in Australia’s Daintree National Park. The woman, named locally as Cindy Waldron, 46, from Lithgow in New South Wales, was reportedly swimming with a friend on Sunday evening at Thornton Beach near Cairns in north Queensland. She was in waist-deep water when she was attacked, media reports said. The last fatal attack in the area occurred in 2009, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “We would hold grave fears for the welfare of the
woman,” police spokesman Russell Parker said. “Her 47-year-old friend tried to grab her and drag her to safety and she just wasn’t able to do that. “[The friend] then ran to a nearby business and raised the alarm, and from that point police and other authorities were advised. “They had been walking along the beach and they’ve decided to go for a swim just in waist-deep water at Thornton Beach and probably a very nice, clear night, but obviously may not have been aware of the dangers.”
communitynews Mimiko inaugurates ‘haven’ for women in abusive relationship
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Hakeem Gbadamosi-Akure
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HE wife of Ondo State governor, Mrs Olukemi Mimiko, has commended the President of Funke FelixAdejumo Foundation, Mrs Funke Felix-Adejumo for the establishment of a special home for women who are being subjected to domestic abuse, battering and dehumanisation. Mrs Mimiko made the commendation in Akure, the state capital, during the inauguration of the home, “Another Chance Women’s Home.” While describing the home as the first of its kind in the country, the governor’s wife noted that it would help to stem the tide of domestic violence and encourage women to speak out on domestic violence and abuse. She said though marriage is not a bed of roses yet violence shouldn’t be an option. She urged women to speak out, saying, “it is when you speak out that you can be able to take care
Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
of your children and the home.” While lamenting the high rate of violence against women, she attributed
some to the downturn in the nation’s economy and its attendant effects on men. She observed that if the situation was not checked, the nation’s would further
aggravate economic fortunes because women play vital roles in nation’s building. The governor’s wife assured women in the state
that the Ministry for Women Affairs and Social Development would collaborate with the home for maximum goal delivery. In her remarks, the presi-
The traditional ruler of Share, Alhaji Abdullahi Garba, welcoming the Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase (right), to his palace during the police boss’s inspection of ongoing construction of the Police Intelligence School in Share. PHOTO: BIOLA AZEEZ
Share community hails IGP on police school Biola Azeez-Ilorin
THE people of Share community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State have commended the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, for siting the Police Intelligence School in the area. The people, who trooped out in large number, on Tuesday, to welcome the police on boss to the community during his inspection visit to the school which is under construction, said the IGP had made them proud. The scenario was carnival-like as okada riders, artisans, traders, achool children, commercial bus operators and others celebrated the siting of the school in their area. The IGP was entertained by Share cultural dance groups, masquerades, local musicians and the Nigeria Police band. Speaking at the event, the traditional ruler of the town and Olupako of Share, Alhaji Abdullahi Garba, thanked the IGP for the visit. He said his desire and that of his people was to see that the project is completed on time. Also speaking, the the police boss thanked the royal father, his chiefs and the people of the town for the reception, expressing his determination to ensure the project is com-
pleted as that planned. He, however, stated that he was not happy with the slow pace of work, promising to do some structural adjustments on buildings already on ground so that the school could take off. He reiterated the ben-
efits to be derived when the school becomes operational to include employment opportunities for the people of the community, business opportunities and many others. He said the school would serve as training centre for
senior police officers from the West Africa sub region. The Inspector General of Police was also full of appreciation to Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed for his financial support for the project. The IGP promised not to relent even as he promised
to appeal to well-meaning individuals in Kwara State to assist in the early completion of the school. He said, the school was his brain child, hence he would nurture it to completion.
Ogun community raises the alarm over land grabbers’ incursion INDIGENES of Imala community in Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State have raised the alarm over the influx of land grabbers in the community, appealing to the state government to come to their aid before the situation gets out of hand. The traditional ruler of the ancient town, Oba Moses Olabode, made the disclosure at a press conference in his palace. He alleged that the people in some neighbouring communities were attempting to claim Obada community which is a suburb of Imala. He urged the governor to ensure that Obada in Abeokuta North Local Government Area and Ogun Central Senatorial District is not ceded to Afon Local Council Development Area which is in Ogun West Senatorial District. He noted that Obada had never been a ward, as being claimed by Imeko-Afon people, buttressing his argument with the Independent National Electoral Commis-
sion (INEC’s) directory on polling booths which did not contain Obada as a polling ward. “The present-day adventurous tendencies of land grabbers, who may likely want to extend their areas
should be checked. “Merging people of distinct differences in origin, history, culture and dialect may be disastrous,” he noted. The royal father, therefore, called on the state
governor, Ibikunle Amosun, not to allow the recolonisation of the people The traditional ruler, however, called on his subjects to remain calm and peaceful in the face of provocations.
dent of the foundation, said she was moved by the plight of women who have been abused by their husbands but had kept quiet, saying that she had decided to be their voice to put an end to domestic violence against women. She disclosed that a World Health Organisation (WHO) survey revealed that “10 to 58 per cent of women have experienced physical abuse by an intimate partner in their lifetime; globally, as many as 38 per cent of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner.” According to her, “there is no specific law that protects women against violence in Nigeria, except the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, which suffered several setbacks before it became law seven years ago. “In spite of this, domestic violence remains a problem in Nigeria, encouraged by loopholes in the law and strengthened by the cultural family structure. Too many women live with violence and become more and more isolated from work, friends and family.” The founder further disclosed that the safe haven, established in April 2016, is aimed at giving women a voice and helping them to discover the route to a violence-free life while not driving them away from their husbands houses. “We plan to educate and empower victims financially. Findings show that money is often used as means of power and control hence, if they are financially chained to their partners, they may likely endure much hardship. The state Commissioner of Police, Mrs Hilda IbifuroHarrison, recounted her experience as the first point of contact in the crime. She assured the of the state police command’s support and urged women to speak out in such circumstance.
Kwara community health insurance scheme nominated for financial times award Biola Azeez-Ilorin
THE Kwara State Community Health Insurance Scheme (CHIS) has secured another international acclaim as it has been nominated by Pharm Access Foundation, Netherlands, for the 2016 Financial Times/IFC Transformational Business Award. The scheme was nominated under the “Achievement in Sustainable Development: Maternal and Infant Health” category. This was contained in a letter to the state government, which was signed by the Director of Advocacy and Programme Development of Pharm Access
Foundation, Dr. Kofi Boahene. According to him, the Kwara Health Insurance Programme was selected for the prestigeous business award after a rigorous review of different programmes that have had transformational impact on the people. Boahene noted that the award is a remarkable testimony of the impact of the health scheme on the people of Kwara State as well as a motivation for the efforts of the state government towards finding a long-term financing solution for the programme. The awards ceremony,
according to Dr. Boahene will hold on June 9, 2016 in London. In his reaction, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed expressed delight over the nomination of the health insurance programme for the award, and assured that his government would not relent in its efforts to make quality healthcare accessible to the people of the state, especially those in rural areas. The governor also commended Pharm Access Foundation for its commitment to ensure affordable quality healthcare delivery in Africa, by stimulating investments through partnership with the private sector and
government institutions. The Kwara State Community Health Insurance Scheme gives beneficiaries access to quality healthcare all year round, for a token of N500. The scheme, in 2014 in Paris, won a finalist prize at the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Assistance Committee Award for development initiative. Before the award in 2014, the scheme had received commendation from the United Nations and Bill Gates Foundation for its creative approach to pro-poor healthcare.
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Tuesday 31 May, 2016 Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060
‘Football, a unifying factor for democracy’
Mimiko donates trophy for maiden DAWN/ ANCOPPS football tourney
By Victor Ogunyinka The chairman of EwupeIjaliye-Isorosi community development council, Alhaji Akande Monsuru, has stated that sport and indeed, football is a unifying factor in sustaining democracy in Nigeria. Alhaji Monsuru made this statement during the grand finale of the Ewupe-IjaliyeIsorosi ‘Champions League’ final between Irewolede FC, Ewupe and Soccer Delighted, Ijako in Ogun State, to celebrate the 2016 Democracy Day. He stated that the tournament, which is expected to be an annual event, is aimed at creating a conducive platform to youths to showcase their sporting talents; to positively engage them and “foster the spirit of love and unity among youths in the community and indeed, Nigeria.” The chairman of the organising committee, Mr John Gbenu, emphasised that legendary footballers in the world today started from the grassroots, stressing that the tournament is expected to build and discover world talents that would make their community proud in the nearest future.
By Tunde Ogunesan
Nigeria names 6-man squad for Davis Cup, World championships
T
he Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), on Monday named a six-man team for the 2016 ITF World Junior Davis Cup and World Team Tennis Junior Championships scheduled to hold from June 3 to 10 in Tunisia.
The trio of Christopher Itodo, Christopher Bulus and South Africa-based Emmanuel Mordi will play in the Junior Davis Cup U-16, while Michael Osewa, Saminu Abubakar and Musa Sani will feature in the World Team Junior Tennis Championship U-14.
Chris Itodo
National junior tennis head coach, Mohammed Ubale disclosed that the players, who have been in close camping in Abuja for some weeks justified their selection by dominating the junior Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Tennis Championship concluded last weekend
NFF, Supersport agree to partner Rashidi Yekini Foundation Akinwunmi offers Yekini’s children scholarships By Ganiyu Salman The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has pledged to partner with the Rashidi Yekini Foundation (RYF) towards keeping the fond memories of the late Nigerian football legend, Rashidi Yekini alive. First vice president of the NFF, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi who is also the chairman, Lagos State Football Association, made this known in Lagos last weekend, while receiving alongside the Lagos State FA vice chairman, Alhaji Tade Azeez, the children of the first Nigeria’s goalscorer at the World Cup, Yemisi and Omoyemi Yekini, during a courtesy visit held at the Lagos FA office, Onikan. “NFF is a responsible organisation and I have already discussed with the president of the NFF, Mr Amaju Pinnick who is in France at the moment and that was why I stayed behind to receive you despite our tight schedule. “It is just coincidental that
a few days ago, we were discussing something similar on how to immortalise our heroes especially Rashidi Yekini, only for me to get a call that his children will pay a courtesy visit to us in Lagos. “Many always say that the NFF has neglected this person or that person forgetting that Nigeria has a huge collection of heroes living and dead, and if no one comes forward in an organised way just like the Rashidi Yekini Foundation did, we won’t be
able to know. “Even in England and some other countries, an organisation has to come forward with an idea and then the football federation will key into it. “Here, all we read on the pages of newspapers is that NFF hasn’t done this or that without any formal request to us,” Akinwunmi, told the Yekini sisters, who were brought by their guardian and personal lawyer to the late foremost striker, Barris-
From left, the eldest daughter of the late Rashidi Yekini, Miss Yemisi; the first vice president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Barister Seyi Akinwunmi and another daughter of Yekini, Miss Omoyemi, during the hosting of the Yekini sisters in Lagos.
ter Jubril Mohammed. Akinwunmi, who said he wants to be involved in the progress of RYF then personally awarded scholarship to Omoyemi Yekini, an undergraduate of English Language, University of Ilorin which covers her school fees and other expenses. He also extended the gesture to her elder sister, Yemisi who is a final year student of cinematography, Leicester City University, UK.
in Kaduna. Nigeria will be making its debut in the Junior Davis Cup qualifiers and last featured in the World Team Championships qualifiers in 2012. Ubale believes the chances of clinching tickets for the tournaments, scheduled to hold respectively in Hungary and the Czech Republic later in the year are bright. “We are fully prepared for the challenges in Tunisia based on what happened at the CBN Juniors in Kaduna where the finals of the 18&under was played by Itodo and Bulus and as well as the 16&under which featured Osewa and Abubakar in the final. We plan to arrive early so that we can settle down and acclimatise,” he said, adding that the players were stepped up at the CBN tourney to aid their development.
ONDO State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko has donated a giant trophy for the inaugural football competition christened Development Agenda for Western Nigeria Commission and the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (DAWN/ANCOPPS) football competition among the six South Western states. The tourney is scheduled to hold from September 22 to 24. The competition, according to the Director General, DAWN Commission, Dipo Famakinwa, is an initiative of the commission and ANCOPPS, adding that CocaCola, Owu sport wear manufacturer and Indomie foods are parts of sponsors of the maiden event which will be hosted by Ondo State. Famakinwa who made this known while hosting the representatives of ANCOPPS in the six South West states at the commission’s 10th floor office, Cocoa House, Ibadan, on Tuesday said the “competition is to rebuild lost capabilities of the region in Nigerian football.” Famakinwa while addressing the team said in the past, south western states has produced strikers for Nigerian club sides and the national team than any other region. “We have to re-enact school sport in Nigeria and we have to find mechanism on the way to do these things with minimal government interference. This is how to engage our youths positively because education is not the only thing. This is a competition that will bring students together again,” he said.
Glo hails Eagles’ victory over Mali Nigeria’s National team, Super Eagles have been commended for securing a convincing win over Les Aigles of Mali in an international friendly played at the Stade Robert Diochon in Rouen, France on Friday night. The Super Eagles defeated the AIgles (Eagles) of Mali by a lone goal scored in the 77th minute by Manchester City’s forward, Kelechi Iheanacho. The Eagles of Mali, ranked 63rd by FIFA, four places above the Super Eagles gave a good account of themselves in a keenly contested match. Globacom, in a press statement advised the Super Eagles to work on their current
form, improve on it and build a formidable team to regain Nigeria’s lost glory in football. The company commended players for the unity and team-spirit on the pitch, saying that such unity is needed for the team to become a force to be reckoned with in the world of football. “If the Super Eagles continue to play like they did on Friday, they could rise beyond the mediocrity of the past to build an exciting team that can face any team in the world with confidence,” Globacom stated. Globacom also commended the coach and other handlers of the team saying that they provided good technical direction and support for the team.
SIDELINES
no 16,512
Tuesday, 31 may, 2016
Where exactly has humanity gone? Why should outrage follow the shooting to death of a gorilla in whose cage a four-year-old boy fell in the United States? Is the life of an animal now more precious than that of a human being?
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Friendly: Omeruo set to start against Luxembourg C helsea defender, Kenneth Omeruo and Belgium-based Wilfred Ndidi are set to start for the Super Eagles in today’s friendly against Luxembourg. The three-time African champions, it will be recalled, last Friday defeated the Les Aigles of Mali 1-0 courtesy of Kelechi Iheanacho's 77th minute strike. Both players joined up the squad late Omeruo had to sort out a visa problem, while Ndidi was involved in Genk’s successful push for a Europa League ticket. Omeruo is expected to be considered ahead of Leon Balogun, who made several blunders in the heart of the Eagles defence, but went unpunished by Mali last Friday. Ndidi is now an accomplished defensive midfielder after playing most of his career as a central defender and he could start ahead of man of the match against Mali, Shehu Abdullahi. On Monday morning, he arrived at the
Omeruo
U-17 Women's World Cup: Flamingos
draw Brazil, England Nigeria will face Brazil and England in group C of the preliminary stage of the FIFA Women's World U-17 Cup in Jordan, which holds later this year. The Rasheedat Ajibadecaptained Flamingos, it will be recalled, whitewashed the Bantwana of South Africa 7-0 on aggregate to book the ticket to Jordan 2016. Nigeria had earlier in the second round qualifiers spanked Namibia’s Baby Gladiators 9-0 on aggregate, winning 4-0 in Abuja and 5-0 in Windhoek. At the draw which took place at the Al-Hussein Cultural Centre in downtown Amman, overseen by His Highness Prince Ali bin Hussein, the President of the Jordanian Football Association, the Bala Nikyu-piloted Nigerian team will also battle with Korea DPR for a qualification ticket to the knockout stage of the global soccer fiesta.
Tatjana Haenni, the deputy director of FIFA’s competitions division and head of women’s competitions, gave a brief explanation of the draw procedure and the way teams are assigned to pots based on four levels of performance record. Immediately, the draw then started, with the help of four Jordanian sportswomen, Maha Barghouthi, Dana Haider, Stephanie Al Naber and Yasmeen Khair, in addition to Samar Nassar, the CEO of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Local Organising Committee. Defending champions, Japan will slug it out against Ghana, Paraguay and the United States of America in group D, as debutants Cameroon is in a tough zone that has Germany, Canada and Venezuela in group B. Hosts Jordan will try Spain, Mexico and New Zealand for size in group
A. The Flamingos will face Brazil U-17 in the opening match of the competition on October 1, 2016 at the King Abdullah Stadium before meeting England on October 4 (King Abdullah Stadium), then
Korea DPR on October 8 (Amman International Stadium). The competition will hold across three venues – Amman, Irbid and Zarqa from September 30 to October 21, 2016.
Flamingos captain, Rasheedat Ajibade.
team’s Alvisse Parc Hotel camp in Luxembourg City, bringing the number of players in the camp to 21. Midfielder Babatunde Michael, who flew to Morocco after the clash with Mali to be on duty for his club Raja Casablanca, was being expected in Luxembourg City on Monday night. Coach Salisu Yusuf and assistants are also likely to start South Africa–based goalkeeper, Daniel Akpeyi in place of Carl Ikeme, as the coaches intend to take a look at all the players in the camp.
... Eagles won't underrate Red Lions —Yusuf Super Eagles interim coach, Salisu Yusuf, has promised that the team will not underrate the Red Lions of Luxembourg, when both teams clash for the first time tonight at the Stade Josy Barthel in Luxembourg City in a friendly. Nigeria is 67th in the FIFA ratings, while Luxembourg is a distant 146th, but Yusuf insisted there are no longer minnows in world football. “There are no longer small teams in international
football. You could get a sucker punch if you under–estimate any team. We will go out there and play to win,” maintained Yusuf, who was in charge when Nigeria recorded a 1-0 win over Mali last weekend in France in another friendly. The Super Eagles spent longer than the 40 minutes that was earmarked for Sunday’s first training in Luxembourg, shaking off travel fatigue and generally enjoying the atmosphere under a light rain shower.
Korea tourney will decide my Olympics squad —Siasia Nigeria's U-23 coach, Samson Siasia has disclosed that the Suwon tournament in Korea, will help him select players who will make the Rio Olympics’ squad. The Dream Team VI on Monday departed for the Asian nation where they will face hosts South Korea, Denmark and Honduras in a tourney scheduled to hold from June 2 to 6, and the ex-international noted that his boys cannot afford to be complacent if they dream of a place in his Olympic team. “We have been practising all this while to ensure the players know exactly the way we want them to play, the discipline level and getting to understand the team,” Siasia told Goal. “You know that these guys are from different clubs apart from the ones that have been playing with us for a very long time now; they know exactly how we want them to play. “But the new ones that are coming in have to understand the way we play and that is where the problem is for now. That is the essence of having these friendly games and tournament like the Suwon tourney to see how the new players can understand playing with the ones we have here before. “So we will see after those three games in Korea we will know exactly the players that will be with us and the ones that we will have to bring in if we need to bring in some other guys. “Thank God we still have a month to test players in our camping in England and in the United States of America after we might have come back from the Korea tournament,” Siasia stated.
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