Sun 21 July 2013

S U n D A y

E D I T I O n

COVER 27

NEWSFEATURE 35

SPECIAL REPORT 20

North’s Search For Missing Political Compass

Lagos Excreta Disposal: Pain In The neck

Who Concessioning: Owns Abuja? A ‘Sell-Out’ Original To Cronies

BUSINESS 42

Inhabitants Ask

TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Vol. 29, no. 12,624

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www.ngrguardiannews.com

‘Amnesty Beneficiaries Are not Oil Thieves’ • Presidency Charges IOCs On Transparency • Ijaws Accuse Multinationals Of Complicity From Abosede Musari (Abuja) and Willie Etim (Yenagoa) OnTrAry to claims in C some quarters, the Presidency, yesterday, said former agitators in the niger Delta, who benefit from the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), are not involved in crude oil theft in the region.

In the same vein, Ijaws in the six States of the niger Delta region, yesterday, accused multinationals of complicity in theft and misappropriation of oil revenue accruing to the Federal Government through false claims on alleged increase of theft.

Special Adviser to the President on niger Delta and Chairman of the PAP, People from Eersterust Care and Training Centre for ‘mentally-challenged’ sing a ‘Happy Birthday’ to former South African President, Nelson Mandela, outside the Medi Clinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria… on Friday. PHOTO: AFP

Egypt Seeks Nigeria’s Support For Interim Govt From Madu Onuorah (Abuja), Chijioke Iremeka and Ikechukwu Onyewuchi (Lagos) EEkS after the Egyptian W Military removed former President, Mohammed Morsi, in response to massive protests against his regime, and the African Union’s opposition to the action, officials of the newly installed interim government yesterday met with President Goodluck Jonathan in Lagos to canvass support and explain the “issues on ground.” restating the opposition of

• Tours AU Countries • Jonathan Restates Opposition To Morsi’s Removal • Calls For Urgent Return To Democratic Rule nigeria and the African Union (AU) to unconstitutional removal of any democratically elected government however, President Jonathan told Ambassador raouf Saad, the Special Envoy of the Interim President of Egypt, Mr. Adly Mansour, at the State House, Marina, that the nigerian government maintains its stance

that only the electorate in any country have the constitutional right to remove an elected leader.

President Morsi was removed by the Military following mass protests by millions of Egyptians. His government was replaced by Military-backed Interim Government.

Welcoming assurance by

Ambassador Saad that the Egyptian military were not currently involved in the dayto-day administration of the country, President Jonathan advised the interim government to do all within its powers to return Egypt to democratic rule as quickly as possible.

The President told the Special Envoy that Egypt was

very important to Africa and that nigeria and the African Union will, therefore, give the country all necessary support to ensure that it returns to the path of constitutionalism and political stability as quickly as possible.

He condemned recent terrorist activities on Mount Sinai and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s full commitment to working with the rest of the world to combat terrorism, saying that no person or group has the right to intimidate others CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

IBRUCENTRE 37

Clerics Task NYSC On Dress Code NEWS 4

Jonathan, Northern Govs Hold Closed-door Meeting With Obasanjo

NEWS 3

PDPFactions Trade Blames Over Governors’ Visit To Amaechi NEWS 4

Yobe Relaxes Curfew

TheGuardian

2 | Sunday, July 21, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Corruption: Multi-count Charges Stall Trial Of Ex-Governors, Others From Lemmy Ughegbe and Abosede Musari (Abuja) BUJA-based lawyers, at the A weekend, expressed the concern that corruption cases brought against former governors and other highprofile Nigerians by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are yet to be dispensed of many years after they were instituted.

Stressing that the cases suffered setbacks due to failure of the crime-fighting agency to drive them to successful conclusion, they insist that

• Lawyers Want Quick Dispensation Of Justice • Blame Anti-graft Agency, Poor Investigation resources deployed by the Federal Government into the processes are put to waste.

In separate interviews with The Guardian, two Abuja-based legal practitioners, Onyeka Nwokolo and Fidelis Okwy Dim, decried widespread official corruption and advocated a more focused and strategic anti-graft war if the nation is to return to the path of development and growth.

Their concern is hinged on

the fact that many corruption cases have remained in the courts for many years due to what has been described as antics of defendants and their lawyers to keep the cases dragging even as the EFCC continues to expend Federal Government’s allocation and funds to prosecute such cases.

With hundreds of cases suf fering setback nationwide, EFCC’s fight against corrup-

tion seem to be on reverse gear, especially in recent years when all the agency could get were convictions in cases of small-time theft, cyber crime and fraud involving meagre amounts.

A source at the agency said EFCC Act needs to be reviewed to enable it dispense with such cases in good time.

But legal practitioners say the delay in effectively prosecuting former governors that

Presidency Charges IOCs On Transparency CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Kingsley Kuku, in a statement signed by the Head of Media and Communications, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, said the former agitators, having been properly disarmed, demobilised and currently undergoing reintegration through various training programmes, “do not have the capacity to embark on the scale of oil theft in the region where the country currently loses about 400,000 barrels of crude per day.”

Commending the security agencies in the Niger Delta, particularly the Nigerian Navy, for almost wiping out cases of illegal refineries in the region, the PAO described incidence of oil theft as a setback to the amnesty programme, which had succeeded in stabilising security in the region.

Kuku stressed that he did not raise a false alarm nor was his call on the oil companies to look inward in their search for the culprits misplaced, as claimed by some of the oil workers’ union in their reaction to his comments.

The statement insisted that international oil companies (IOCs) operating in the region do not show enough transparency in award of pipeline surveillance contracts, a situation, which, he said, emasculates the communities and the Niger Delta people from the process of securing such critical infrastructure in the region.

“There is need for the communities and the Niger Delta people to be commensurably

involved in the process of securing the oil pipelines. The IOCs also have to show more transparency in the process of awarding such contracts.

“I’m not referring to the NNPC pipeline surveillance contracts, which have been suspended. We know those behind these contracts before they were suspended. But can we say the same for the contracts awarded by the oil firms to secure their pipelines? Who are the organisations and individuals handling such contracts,?” the statement queried.

The Presidential Adviser reasoned that Shell declared last year that it spent one billion dollars ($1bn) on securing its facilities globally; 40 per cent (about $400million) of which it claimed was spent in the Niger Delta.

“Where was such a huge amount spent when the company had greatly divested its investment onshore and offshore? When converted to Naira, $400million is more than the annual budget for the Amnesty Programme. So, who are the companies or individuals handling their security contracts? These are questions the oil workers should ask their employers rather than disingenuously pointing accusing fingers at the amnesty beneficiaries.

“What is happening is a conspiracy between international buyers of the crude and some highly-placed individuals, in tandem with those with the technical know-how in the oil firms to siphon crude through ruptured pipelines and large vessels.

When you consider that the theft is also carried out in the

deep sea oil locations, you will agree that the ordinary Niger Delta people do not have the sophistication and technical expertise to rupture those pipelines nor the high-grade vessels to cart away the stolen crude.”

Kuku said the Federal Government, working with some of the states in the region, has commenced security, legal and other steps to address this ugly trend. He expressed the hope that, very soon, the hole through which economic saboteurs are bleeding the Nigerian economy daily will be plugged.

He maintained that, with the steps taken so far, President Goodluck Jonathan has shown that he has the capacity and will address the issues affecting the Niger Delta.

“What I said in Washington about Mr. President remains a fact as he has shown, time and again, that he is the best person to address the Niger Delta situation being someone from the region. I have no apologies for this position because I’m convinced that he means well for the region and our nation. He only needs the support of wellmeaning Nigerians.

Under the aegis of the Ijaw Peoples Development Initiatives (IPDI), youths in the Niger Delta, led by Comrade Ozobo Austin,

claimed that oil multinationals are not sincere in submissions made on the actual degree of loss in volume of crude oil and revenue.

“The Oil multinational companies are over- blowing the whole situation to make more profits and pay lesser tax and returns to the Federal Government. The Federal Government should launch probe into the internallycomputed fraudulent reports of the oil multinational companies to ascertain the actual loss of oil revenue in the country,” Ozobo said.

“It is also true that the oil companies are running illegal wells and under-estimated numbers of barrel produced per-day, which the government did not know about. It is sad and barbaric.

The attitude of the oil companies are worse than that of the known oil thieves we are shouting about; only few of the oil wells and barrels produced per day are reported. I tell you that many oil wells and barrels produced are not known to the Federal Government,” he said.

The IPDI alleged that oil multinationals in the region have been discovered to drill illegal wells, only to turn around and accuse oil thieves of being responsible for poor crude oil production in the country.

were charged with corrupt enrichment and sundry financial crimes, for example, is traceable to several factors, including loophole in investigation, shoddy prosecution and slow pace of the Justice system. The lawyers frowned at what they referred to as the Prosecution’s penchant for duplicating offences, which result in former governors being made to stand trial on over 100-count charge, whereas it could have all been consolidated into about 10 counts.

In Dim’s view, “the trial of most of the former governors is usually stalled because the anti-graft agencies engage in belated investigations when these corrupt officials must have smartly covered their tracks.

“Lawyers only avail themselves of the loopholes in our current criminal Justice system to impede its smooth flow.

“One step required to end prolonging of cases, whether civil or criminal, is abolition of trials de novo (afresh) owing to the transfer of a case due to promotion or death of the judge handling the trial. The successor should continue from where his predecessor stopped, not start the trail afresh.

Also expressing his view, Nwokolo said, “any evaluation of why the prosecution of the cases of corruption against former governors must look at the matter holistically. What happened during investigation can, and do, greatly impact what happens in court.

“When the investigation is sloppy or flawed, most certainly, the prosecution will fail.”

Nwokolo frowned at multiplicity of charges brought against former governors.

“Another dimension that complicates prosecution of cases particularly that of the former public office holders, such as governors and other politicians, has been the number of chargers filed in one case.

What we have witnessed are cases where a governor is charged with over 100 offences; and when the proceedings commence, it will be discovered that the case, as constituted, cannot proceed.”

According to him, “arraign-

ment alone will take several court-sitting days even if that is the only business the court has to do. There are basically two broad sets of laws that apply to proceedings in court, particularly in criminal matters: The substantive law, the infraction of which the accused is alleged to have committed. There is also the procedural law, which guide how the court proceedings are conducted.”

Speaking further, he said, “the application of these laws conform with the prescriptions of the 1999 Constitution as amended, particularly as it relates to the fundamental human rights of the accused.

The 1999 Constitution as amended presumes every accused innocent until the guilt is proved.”

He noted, “since the constitution further guarantees the accused right to liberty and fair hearing, the court has an enormous responsibility to find the proper balance of justice within these complex legal framework. So where a governor is charged with over hundred counts of offences, the charge no doubt is very cumbersome. It creates room for errors and loopholes. No matter how grievous the offence and how glaring the antecedent facts, if the facts which form the body of evidence is not brought before the court in the prescribed manner as legal evidence, the court’s hands are tied.”

He lamented that in such circumstance, “a conviction cannot be secured. The accused can walk away free.

Where a conviction is imposed in such circumstance, the conviction can possibly be reversed on appeal. It must be recognized that laws and the justice sector administration system are human creations. They are therefore susceptible to the inadequacies of human nature.” He regretted that “while a judge, constrained by the rules, must discharge the responsibility to maintain this delicate balance, the accused’s team of lawyers explore and apply, to the benefit of the accused, all the legal maneuverings and gymnastics within the law.

Morsi’s Removal Supported By Egyptians, Says Consul CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 with acts of terror.

Ambassador Saad was in Lagos to brief President Jonathan on the current situation in Egypt against the background of the opposition of Nigeria and the African Union to the unconstitutional change of government in Egypt and the country’s suspension from the continental body.

The Egyptian envoy praised Nigeria’s leadership role in Africa and sought President Jonathan’s advice on how Egypt could best overcome its current difficulties.

Meanwhile, a source with the Egyptian Consulate told The Guardian that the North African country has embarked on official tour of AU countries with a view to

getting African leaders within the Union to reverse their hard stance on the issue.

Countries within the fold of the AU had recently recalled their citizens studying in Egypt to demonstrate their opposition to the change of government in Cairo.

But, the Egyptian Consul in Lagos, Mohamed Eleish, in an exclusive interview, on Friday, said the majority of the citizens support Morsi’s removal because of what he described as the high-handedness of his regime.

According to Eleish, Egyptians came out en masse to oust the dictatorial regime of Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and the elections that followed threw up the Muslim Brotherhood as the only organised party in a stead to win election at the time.

“The problem is when the

leadership of Mubarak was removed in 2011, the people did not have the political structure to help them win elections. So, the only group that was well organized was the Muslim Brotherhood.

Moreover, the Muslim Brotherhood had the connections to bring in money from outside the country, and they gave the poor people bribes, giving them money, oil and sugar.

Unfortunately, as an underground movement for years, they didn’t have the needed political experience. So, when they came to power, for one year, they could not muster enough experience to turn the economy around.

The whole economy went down and they could not continue bribing the poor.

So, it is the poor who rebelled, plus the middle

class, plus the upper class, everybody. We had almost 33 million people on the streets protesting against the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Shortly after the meeting with President Jonathan, Envoy Saad told The Guardian in Lagos that the visit was based on the fact that Nigeria and Egypt remain major powers in Africa. “We entered into bilateral agreement with Nigeria on how to strengthen the economy of both countries, especially that of Egypt that has been destroyed,” Saad said.

He added that Egypt needs to enter into Public Private Partnerships that will be executed by both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all levels of government, even as he admitted that crime rate has increased in Egypt since the removal of Morsi.

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THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

NEWS PDP Factions Trade Accusations Over Govs’ Visit To Amaechi From Kelvin Ebiri, Port Harcourt ACTIONS in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State have disagreed over the recent solidarity visit of some Southwest and Northern governors to Governor Chibuike Amaechi in Port Harcourt.

The pro-Nyesom Wike (Minister of State for Education) PDP secretary, Mr. Ibibia Walter, said the PDP has decided to bid Governor Amaechi farewell from t he party,

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following the recent visit to him on Thursday by the governors of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola; Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi; Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi; Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola; Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun.

The others, represented by their deputies, are Zamfara State; Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere, and Nasarawa State, Dameshi Barua Luka.

He said that the PDP and the entire people of Rivers State

RIVERS are aghast, and have watched with dismay as Amaechi sinks deeper and basks in the euphoria of his newfound role as leader of the opposition in the country.

“Governor Amaechi’s uncanny attitude and desperation and the Rehoboamic nature of his administration has made more Rivers people to wonder if the office of

governor is overwhelming for him,” he said.

But the pro-Amaechi faction of the PDP, through its publicity secretary, Mr. George Ukwuoma-Nwogba, said the unfortunate utterance of Walter is unbecoming of a true party man.

He said it is the likes of Walter that are destroying the PDP in Rivers State through unguarded utterances.

“For the interest of the general public and the faithful,

our Governor Chibuike Amaechi, who is Chairman, Nigerian Governors Forum remains, not only in PDP, but is also the leader in Rivers State. Let Walter lbibia accept the fact that Governor Amaechi remains key to the continued electoral victory of the PDP in Rivers State.

“The governor remains committed to his membership of the PDP, and as Chairman of Nigerian Governors’ Forum, can play host to

Gunmen Abduct Briton BRITISH man has been AThekidnapped by gunmen. incident happened at about 7.30pm on Wednesday, along the Murtala Mohammed Airport Road.

The unnamed Briton, who had just arrived in Nigeria, was whisked away to an unknown destination after his

abductors attacked the fourwheel he was in.

There are indications the kidnappers may have opened fire on the vehicle, injuring the driver in the process.

It has also been gathered that the kidnappers have made contact with relations of the abductee and are de-

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place a legal framework and enabling environment for the outsourcing industry in the country to enable it meet global standard.

A member of the association

and the President, Institute of Software Professionals of Nigeria (ISPON), Chris Uwaje, who stated this at the inauguration of NAITEOC Board of Trustees, yesterday, in

INTERNATIONAL manding a ransom, believed to run into millions of dollars.

In a statement, the British High Commission said it “is working closely with others to secure the release of the hostage and because of the

nature of this incident; the Commission is not going into further detail about it.”

Lagos State Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, told local media: “When the information filtered in, the state Commissioner of Police, detailed a crack team of investigators to unravel the in-

cident and rescue the victim from the clutches of his abductors.

“As I speak to you now, we are on the matter. And I believe that he would soon be rescued. But I don’t want to go into details for security reasons, so as not to jeopardise the case.”

ABUJA

sources and the population.

The major challenge is the lack of enabling environment for the outsourcing industry to thrive. Outsourcing can generate about 10 million jobs yearly, and job creation is the cornerstone of the Transformation Agenda of government. Nigeria can export knowledge more than India,”

he said.

Inaugurating the Board, the Acting Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Dr. Ashiru Sani Daura, lamented that a lot of jobs are inherent in the outsourcing industry, stressing that Nigeria, despite its huge population, is not getting the proportion of jobs required, because the industry is not well organised.

Abuja, noted that outsourcing is a core backbone to entrepreneurship in Nigeria. He added that that the industry, when put in proper shape, would ensure that about $100b is remitted back to Nigeria through outsourcin g .

“We have the skill, the re-

Former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (left); Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, and Alhaji Lai Mohammed, during their visit to Tinubu to console him on the death of his mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, in Lagos.

Why ASUU, FG Rift Lingers, By VC From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin City S the industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) enters its third week today, the Vice Chancellor, Wellspring University in Edo State, Professor Godson Igborgbor, has called on the Federal Government and ASUU to display high level of sincerity at the nego-

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tiation table.

This is coming on the heels of a call by the leadership of the Benin chapter of ASUU on its members not to take part in post-UTME tests being conducted by various universities in the zone, saying their participation negates the spirit of solidarity.

Addressing a press conference yesterday, at the University of Benin, Benin City, Coordinator of the zone and

Obi Donates N10m To Elderly Home Project ANAMBRA

Nigeria Loses $500b To Outsourcing Annually From Nkechi Onyedika, Abuja BOUT $500b is lost annually due to the inability of the country to harness potentials in the outsourcing mark e t .

To this end, the Nigeria Association of Information Technology Enabled Outsourcing Companies (NAITEOC) has called on the Federal Government to put in

members of that forum either in Minna, Okrika or Abuja.

“If Mr. Walter means well for the party, he should seek avenue to secure the confidence of the governor who is the leader of our party in Rivers State,” UkwuomaNwogba said.

BENIN member of the National Executive Council of ASUU, Dr. Sunny Ighalo, urged chancellors to comprehend the plight of members of the association.

Addressing journalists yesterday, Igborgbor said: “A major way out is for the people concerned, the stakeholders, government, even lecturers, to be sincere. The

reason these strikes recur is that when you go to the negotiation table, government say’s, “Okay. Go back to the classroom. We will do this and that.” And then you go back home, expecting that they will do these things. But you find out that these things are not eventually done.

“Government ought to be more sincere. I would rather say to you, “sorry, I can’t do this for whatever reason.”

Then you will know what to expect and what not to expect.

Education is a very expensive endeavour, especially when you have to meet a required standard.

“So, government should seize this opportunity, when they go back to the negotiation table, and be sincere and say, “this is what we can do; this is what we cannot do”.

They should be more sincere and more realistic.”

From Uzoma Nzeagwu, Awka OVERNOR Peter Obi yesG terday supported the ongoing Elderly Sisters Home Project at Nkpor, being handled by the Congregation of Immaculate Heart Sisters, with a cheque of another N10m.

In a similar development, Obi also presented a N20m cheque to the congregation for the ongoing hostel project for the School of Laboratory Technicians at Umuoji.

The governor said the gesture will fast track completion of the project, which is a critical component of the state’s health system.

Presenting the cheque to Mother General of the congregation, Mary Claude Oguh, Obi said his administration will continue to support projects that will help to protect the future of the aged and the needy in the society.

Obi, who expressed satisfaction at the pace of work done so far, said the project is in line with the policy of his administration to promote the welfare of the aged in the state, adding that the congregation has contributed immensely to the present efforts at rebuilding the state.

The Mother General expressed gratitude to the governor for the various support given to them including the recent handover to the Congregation of a hospital at Mmiata, Anambra West.

She noted that the governor’s commitment to health sector reform is a demonstration of his genuine desire to build a healthy society, adding that he has sustained tempo of work in all sectors, even when his tenure is gradually coming to an end.

In her response, the Principal of School of Laboratory Technicians at Umuoji, Rev. Sr. Maria Uzochukwu Ozor, extolled Obi’s strides in uplifting the health sector.

She observed that the governor has remained consistent in working for the collective interest of the people without discrimination and promoting human capital development.

Emore Old Students Hold Meeting Today

LD students of Emore O Grammar School, Oleh, Delta State, will hold their meeting 3pm today at Block 163, Flat 5, Jakande Estate, Oke-Afa Isolo. The event will be hosted by Ughovero Godspower.

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

4 NEWS

NEWS FRSC Scores Osun High On Road Safety, Security

OSUN HE Federal Road Safety T Corps (FRSC) has given kudos to Osun State governor,

Minister of Police Affairs, Retired Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (left); Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu; President Jonathan and Police IG, Mohammed Abubakar, during the commissioning of 200 units of housing apartments for officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force at Idimu, in Lagos… on Friday.

PHOTO: NAN

Jonathan, Northern Govs Hold Closed-door Meeting With Obasanjo From Charles Coffie Gyamfi, Abeokuta RESIDENT Jonathan and P former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday held a closed-door meeting in Abeokuta, Ogun capital.

The meeting, which was held at Obasanjo’s hiltop residence began at 11.52am and lasted for about two hours.

Jonathan left the residence at 1.28pm and immediately headed to the private residence of Dr. Rueben Abati, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, to pay a condolence visit over the death of the mother, Mrs.

Pays Condolence Visit To Abati Family Taiwo Abati.

Immediately the President and his entourage departed, four governors from the Northern part of the country arrived at the former President’s residence for another closed-door meeting with him.

They are: Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) and Sule Lamido (Jigawa).

The meeting lasted about an hour.

NATIONAL Nyako, who addressed journalists after the meeting, described Obasanjo as the most accomplished Nigerian, “and he will remain as such forever.” He added: “We have come to consult him on important matters.”

Speaking with journalists at Abati’s residence, the President said, “When the main burial took place yesterday (Friday), I sent a team to represent me because I was in

Lome (Togolese capital). I would have been in the church service yesterday. But, of course, as the Head of State, you have some international programmes, which you must attend to, and there was nothing we could do.”

He added: “Reuben, being my media adviser, is a part of my larger family. And just like you have siblings here in this community, Reuben has siblings amongst my aides—my ADC, my state chief of protocols and all others; we belong

JTF Restores Partial Mobile Services In Borno, As Yobe Relaxes Curfew minutes before the line evenmake calls as at noontime yesFrom Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri BORNO tually went off.” terday.

HE Military Special T Operation Forces (MISOP) and Joint Task Force (JTF) in the early hours of Friday restored the Global System of Mobile (GSM) Communications for the MTN network.

The signal was however partial, as some residents in Maiduguri, Bama and Biu could not

Meanwhile, services on the Globacom, Airtel and Etisalat networks remain closed by the security forces.

Alhaji Ibrahim Musa, a Maiduguri resident, said: “I was very much surprised when the signal icon on my handset showed three bars for MTN net-

work. I could not believe it! I reluctantly sent an SMS to a friend in Kaduna. Three minutes later, he acknowledged receipt of my text message. I then made a call to Lagos, and surprisingly, my business associate answered the call instantly. We talked for 15

Speaking on the issue, JTF spokesman, Lt. Col Sagir Musa, described the restoration as a “good development” that can help residents provide credible information to security agencies on the modus operandi of Boko Haram sect members in the state.

to the same family. So, if anything happens to any of us, it happens to all of us.

“And of course, we believe in our traditions; we are religious people. We love the way we live with our siblings and extended family. The death of Madam Maria Taiwo Abati touches all of us, and we must collectively play our role.

Since we were unable to be here for the church programme, we said that this morning we have to be here.

We must come and greet our brothers and sisters to express our condolence and to encourage the family.”

Meanwhile, rising from an emergency meeting at Government House, Damaturu, Yobe State, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam on Friday reviewed the curfew to 9pm-6am daily, until security improves.

State JTF spokesman, Lt. Eli Lazarus, said: “restriction to movement now starts from 9pm to 6am throughout the state.”

FG Inaugurates National Broadband Council From Nkechi Onyedika, Abuja HE Federal Government T has inaugurated the National Broadband Council, saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that Nigeria has a well-articulated and executed broadband plan.

The Council, chaired by the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, has both institutional and individual representation that would ensure that the requirements of the

industry are taken into consideration, as the plan is executed.

Key institutions and stakeholders in the council include the Association of Telecom Companies, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators in Nigeria (ALTON), Nigeria Computer Society, Nigeria Internet Group and Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria.

Performing the inauguration in Abuja, Mrs. Omobolaji Johnson explained that indi-

NATIONAL vidual representation in the council includes capable and knowledgeable individuals who are extremely credible in the ICT industry and have shown great passion to see the deployment of a robust broadband infrastructure in the country.

They include former Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Earnest Ndukwe; Founder of Zenith

Bank, Mr. Jim Ovia; Titi Omoettu; Mrs. Funke Opeke and Junaid Dikko, while international partners are Microsoft and Google.

The minister noted that the inauguration of the council represents an important milestones in the implementation of the National Broadband Plan, stressing that immediately after the report of the Presidential Committee was presented to President Jonathan, the president emphasised that broadband

is to digital age, what electricity is to the industrial age and reiterated that the report must be implemented.

Mrs. Johnson said that the National Broadband Plan has been widely circulated with good feedbacks received from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and other international and local bodies who all attested that the plan is robust in depth and breadth and looks like an implementable plan.

Rauf Aregbesola, for prioritising safety and security.

The Chairman of the FRSC Technical Committee in the state, Prof. Joseph Fawole, spoke in Osogbo, on Thursday during a courtesy visit on the governor by FRSC officials from Abuja.

The officials had come for the 2012 yearly rating of the state’s efforts at reducing carnage on roads.

Fawole said that the massive road infrastructure development by the state government has gone a long way in checking the high rate of road accidents.

Accompanied by the state’s FRSC Sector Commander, Imoh Etuk, and other members of the committee, Fawole said: “What we are seeing currently in Osun is that you have brought safety into the lives of all and sundry. It is no gainsaying that you have exemplarily demonstrated the serious role of being your brothers’ keeper.

“You made us proud some times ago when we heard in the news that you personally engaged in the rescue operation of accident victims.

“The number of ambulances, which you stationed at different locations of the state and the road network in all the six zones of the state, place you above other governors in prudent spending and love for your citizens.”

Ex-Gov Tasks Aregbesola On Regional Integration, Commends Leadership ORMER Governor of Old FGeneral Western Region of Nigeria, Adeyinka Adebayo (rtd) on Friday said the style of administration adopted by Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, is a source of hope for the Yoruba race and the country.

Adeyinka, who visited Aregbesola at Government House, Osogbo, told the governor that the current state of the country requires urgent attention for a restoration of past achievements and lost glory.

The elder statesman commended the governor for his participation in the regional integration of the Yoruba nation.

He charged Aregbesola to continue to lead the initiative on the regional integration agenda of the Yoruba race, which he described as one of the cardinal objectives of the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) headed by him.

He said: “My aim then and now is to have the best for Nigeria and Yoruba especially. Our problem now is where we are going in this country and what our position is as Yoruba. That is why we need to commend your positions on where the Yoruba people should be now and in the future.

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

NEWS

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NEWS APC Merger: ANpp Expresses Confidence In Ngige’s Leadership ANAMBRA

FG Loses Control Of Tourism, Hotel Regulation To States

By Uzoma Nzeagwu, Awka HE All Nigeria peoples party (ANpp), Anambra State Chapter, yesterday expressed confidence in the leadership of Dr Chris Ngige and Annie Okonkwo towards achieving hitch-free All progressive Congress (ApC) merger process.

The party, however, passed a vote of no confidence on the state’s chairman of ANpp, Chief patrick Orjiakor, accusing him of working against the interest its interest.

A statement signed by the former state secretary, Mr Emeka Obiekii and over fifteen party stalwarts, including members of the state executive council frowned at the development where the ANpp state chairman had in various reports declared himself the leader of ApC in Anambra.

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‘Account Of Societe Generale Customers On-going’

LAGOS

By Kamal Tayo Oropo pANEL of the Supreme A Court of Nigeria has unanimously declared that it is only a state house of assembly that can make laws on tourism or exercise control in the licensing or grading of hotels, restaurants and fast food outlets.

Dismissing a case filed by Attorney General of the Federation and upholding the contention of that of Lagos State, the Court on Friday held that the Constitution empowers only the National Assembly to regulate tourist traffic, a term which does not extend to hotel registration or licensing.

The Court also ruled in favour of Lagos State in another case filed on the same subject, which was consolidated with the first one for hearing. In the latter case, the Court declared valid both the Hotel Licensing Law of Lagos State and the Hotel Occupancy and Restaurant Consumption Law of Lagos State.

The offending sections of the Nigerian Tourism Develop-

By Chijioke Nelson

ment Corporation (NTDC) Act were, however, declared null and void.

Represented by the Attorney General, Mr. Ade Ipaye, Lagos State Government had argued during the hearing that the only power reserved to the National Assembly on the Exclusive Legislative List in Schedule 2 to the Constitution was the regulation of tourist traffic, which only pertained

NATIONAL to immigrations and the issuance of visas, but Mr. Tunde Busari, representing the Attorney General of the Federation, contended that the phrase was enough to cover all tourism subjects and that the NTDC Act had therefore covered the field. On those grounds, Mr. Busari called on the court to invalidate the

Hotel Licensing Law and Hotel Consumption Tax Law of Lagos State. This was rejected by Galadima JSC who read the lead judgment and all other justices in both cases.

It would be recalled that the Lagos Sate Government and the Federal Government had been embroiled in controversy over the question of proper authority to license and grade hospitality estab-

lishments. This had resulted in the NTDC and the State Government setting up parallel registration and regulation structures to the annoyance of businessmen in the industry. By dismissing the case of the Federal Government, the apex court has put paid to this controversy and paved way for State Governments to take full charge of tourism regulation and development within their respective jurisdictions.

Jonathan, Tukur Cautioned On S/West pDp’s Conflict

By Seye Olumide RESIDENT Goodluck p Jonathan and National Chairman of the peoples Democratic party (pDp), Bamanga Tukur, have been urged to exercise caution in the handling of issues affecting the South West Zonal chapter. + A statement issued by the Forum of the pDp Local Government Chairmen in Lagos State yesterday urged the national body to be discreet in attending to calls that the for-

NATIONAL mer Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George, be removed as Board Of Trustees’ (BOT) member The statement signed by Chairman of the forum, Mufutau Babalola, said the crisis was being engineered by the opposition.

“We are absolutely disgusted with the crude, destructive politics presently playing out in the South West. We are using this opportunity to

caution the national leadership on the deliberate attempt by the fifth columnists whose sole motivation and purpose is to cause disunity and disaffection among the rank and file of pDp in the South West.”

The forum further decried what it called evil machinations of some people to malign and taint the image of George.

“There is no doubt that this is part of the grand strategy of the opposition forces… towards 2015. Let there be no

doubt about it: the silly, petty and mischievous demand that George should be removed from the BOT is part of the orchestrated agenda of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to cripple the credible voice of George in the South West politics. This is geared at weakening and decimating the party.

Meanwhile, the Lagos Elders Council of the party has insisted that the state executive body led by Captain Tunji Shelle be dissolved with immediate effect and a care-

ERITAGE Bank Nigeria H Limited continues to carry out the account verification exercise of customers of the defunct Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria (SGBN), six months after the commencement of the exercise.

The bank, which commenced operations in March 2013, acquired the banking license of SGBN as well as its deposit liabilities, which it vowed to settle.

The exercise, which was initially designed for three months and to be completed before the bank commences operations, continued for six months.

Managing Director/Chief Executive, Heritage Bank, Ifie Sekibo said: “The exercise is on-going. The aim is to possibly pay all customers of SGBN who participate in the exercise through issuance of cheques to them at the validation centres immediately their accounts are successfully validated.

Govt Tasked On Sports Development

NATIONAL

Gov. Peter Obi (Middle); wife, Margaret (2nd left); Bishop of Awka, Paulinus Ezeokafor (left), with the Emeritus Bishop of the Diocese, Simon Okafor (2nd right), during the golden celebration of his priestly ordination and reception in honour of Bishop Peter Okpalaeke (1st right) of Ahiara Diocese at the St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Awka, yesterday.

By Ikechukwu Onyewuchi F Nigeria must attain its aspirations, the government may have to pay equal attention to all aspects of sports.

The call was made by Chairman, Sports Committee, LSDpC Medium Estate phase 4, Mr. Martins Okoruwa at the closing ceremony of a twoweek tennis tournament held in Lagos yesterday.

Okoruwa, who stressed that sports is a strong tool in international politics, insisted that a country cannot compete with its peers if it is known for a single sports.

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National Assembly Will End Rivers Crisis, Says Makarfi From Saxone Akhaine, Northern Bureau Chief ORMER governor of Kaduna State and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, has given assurance that the National Assembly has put in place sufficient measures to end the political crisis in Rivers State.

Makarfi, who spoke to The Guardian in Kaduna, said

F

NATIONAL both the Senate and the House of Representatives decided to issue separate resolutions on the crisis to prevent it from threatening the country’s democracy.

According to him, the National Assembly has decided to live to its responsibility to put an end to the problem in order to prevent escalation, a

situation capable of killing democratic culture.

Markafi said: “The Senate has taken a position on what is going on in Rivers. And that position was unanimous.

First, we all condemned what has been happening in the state. The Senate has also called for full restoration of security and restoration of the legitimacy of the legislature as provided in the Constitution.

“The senate has called for the restoration of status quo and to ensure that no party to the dispute takes any further action that will worsen the situation. We are investigating through committee, with a view to submitting to fully verified information, upon which if there is need for any further legislative action, the senate will consider based on the team that has been set up.”

OAU Holds Wande Abimbola’s Annual Lecture HE Institute of Cultural T Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife will on Tuesday, July 23 when guests to the second edition of Wande Abimbola Lecture on Culture.

The event, which will hold at Oduduwa Hall by 11:00 am is organised in honour of professor Wande Abimbola, a former Vice Chancellor of the University and a renowned scholar of African Culture.

TheGuardian

6 Sunday, July 21, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Cityfile

Edo Arms, ammunition and other items recovered by the police. (Inset: Edo State Police Commissioner, Folusho Adebanjo)

Okada Ban Aftermath...

Police Warn Residents Of ‘New Crime’ .Nab 3 For Defiling Underage Girls

From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin City OR residents of Edo State, this might not be FReason: the best time to sleep with the eyes shut. you could board a vehicle of no return.

And if you are fortunate to come back, you might do so without any of your precious possessions.

Four weeks ago, the state government imposed a ban on the use of private and commercial motorcycles in parts of the state. Now, it appears that some among the battalion of erstwhile ‘employed’ cyclists flushed into the labour drainage might have begun to fish for survival.

“I want everybody to realise that since the ban on motorcycles (Okada), there is an emerging crime called ‘One chance’,” warned the State Police Commissioner, Folusho Adebanjo.

The police boss explained the new evil: “They (criminals) will set up a vehicle. Once you board it, they will rob you of everything. This is an emerging one, and we are watching. We have to work with the Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC). Also, people must register their vehicles because some are bringing old vehicles that cannot be traced to the revenue board. We will work with them so that all vehicles on the road are properly registered.”

The One chance warning continued: “People should not feel comfortable because they see a woman among them; they are criminals! They should shine their eyes, look very well and be security conscious. That is why we need the assistance of everybody. The motor unions must register their vehicles. The taxicabs are coming in now. These are things we need to look at. All of us must be careful. One chance is here in Edo State and Benin City, to be precise. This emerging crime is as a result of the ban on Okada.”

It will be recalled that during his electioneering campaign, the Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, had promised he would not place a ban on use of Okada.

Oshiomhole had said: “As long as I remain the governor, Okada will never be banned in

“People should not feel comfortable because they see a woman among them; they are criminals! They should shine their eyes, look very well and be security conscious.”

Edo State. I agree that there are some people who have committed crimes using motorcycles. But that does not mean every motorcycle rider is a criminal. After all, some kidnappers have used taxis and even jeeps, and we have not banned taxis and jeeps. To me, crime fighting and crime prevention does not require banning Okada.”

But rising from a State Security Council meeting on June 11, 2013, the governor announced that beginning Monday, June 17, use of motorcycles would be prohibited in the Local Government Areas of Ikpoba Okha, Oredo and Egor, citing public health and insecurity as reasons.

Folusho made the disclosure last week when the police command paraded 32 suspected criminals.

He said: “I promised the people of Edo state that we would not allow criminals to operate as they like. In the past four weeks, we have paraded about 60 suspects. We have so many kidnappers and also those who are involved in defilement of underage girls; this is very depressing. I don’t know why this thing is towering its ugly head in Edo State. But we will not allow them to continue.

“They have all confessed their crime. We need the assistance of members of the public to give us useful information. We cannot do it alone.

The police, world over, no matter their sophistication in terms of technology, cannot do it alone without the support of the people.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21 2013

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CITYFILE

Lagos Deplorable even at ‘half tide’... A section of the notorious Iyana Ejigbo road, Lagos State. (Inset: Ongoing construction of a drainage)

Iyana Ejigbo Road:

An Endless Wait For Gov. Fashola

By Femi Alabi Onikeku HE commencement of government intervention, especially on much anticipated projects, is usually greeted with optimism, and in some cases, fanfare. For the notorious failed stretch of road, popularly known as Iyana Ejigbo, however, residents view ongoing work with low spirits.

Not even the presence of heavy machines, workmen and a project manager, last week Thursday, would convince them that at the end of the day, their much sought-after relief would materialise. “We have seen this before,” they said, in sheer despondency.

It will be recalled that last year, the expectation of road users was stirred when earth-moving equipment roared in and began what seemed like channelisation of the worrisome river that always forms at the intersection. Huge troughs were dug, culverts were destroyed and the lives of residents were disrupted. Then the machines went silent. Project abandoned!

The peculiar topography of the area is such that following rainfall, water from Ejigbo community finds its way to the everbusy intersection. And since there exists no drainage channel to run-off the flow into the canal, some 400 metres away, road users are faced, repeatedly, with the daunting challenge of crossing the flood, amid nerve-wracking traffic gridlock.

The fear of Iyana Ejigbo has become legendary. Drivers of commercial vehicles, wishing to avoid being held up in traffic for an hour plus, make detours through several bumpy roads within the Ejigbo hinterland. Sometimes, they merely alter their routes, leaving commuters cursing.

Mafinco Construction Nigeria Limited is reportedly handling

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..

Residents Pessimistic Over Ongoing Drainage Construction This Is For Real, Says Project Engineer

the ongoing drainage project. Its website: http://mafinconigltd.gnbo.com.ng, says it is, “a growing construction company that is a contractor to the Lagos State Government. We have worked with the World Bank and we have also done other private constructions. We have been active since 1995.”

The Guardian turned to a commercial driver, Mr. Ismail, for his take on the road and the ongoing drainage construction. But interestingly, two other drivers, more passionate, Mr. Afolabi and Mr. Olawale, joined the discussion, voicing their frustrations. They, more or less, spoke at once: “The road is bad. It is causing us a lot of problems. The traffic jam is unprecedented. If you had been here at about 6am…

This morning the traffic hold up stretched to Ile-Iwe bus stop…

It reached Ile-Iwe because of the jam.”

Asked if they were optimistic that the present construction work would be completed, they chorused: “There is no assurance… there is no certainty… even when the rain falls… with the way they have now dug up troughs, there is no assurance, unless they complete it… Unless they finish it… If rain falls now, they will abandon the work and move their machines away. The machines would sometimes develop faults and they would abandon them and go away. That is how they do, every year. They did the same thing last year. Every

year, they would commence work and then abandon it. That is how they operate, always.”

They went on: “This road is the worst in Alimosho. And unfortunately, there is no viable link road. The Jakande detour that seems like a helpful alternative has become impassable. It was graded but the rains came and many vehicles have sunk in the mire. Some vehicles were even abandoned, temporarily, by the owners.

“That is the way they operate. We have cried repeatedly on radio and other media outlets that they should show us mercy and repair this road, yet they did nothing… This morning the traffic jam stretched to Ile-Iwe bus stop… Imagine, from Iyana Ejigbo to Ile-Iwe (about a kilometre away)!

“It is only the state government that can really fix this road; it is beyond what the local government can tackle. The ongoing construction of the drainage is a wait and see situation… There is no assurance… some people even resort to walking from Cele bus stop, Mushin or Oshodi to Iyana Ejigbo because there are no vehicles; vehicles have become damaged. Some park their cars and opt to walk because this road has become terrible.”

Another motorist, Mr. Azeez, described his experience on the road as “very bad”. “It is causing much hold up and increase in fares charged by commercial drivers. None of us in this area is enjoying it at all. The main cause of this is rain; the area is a slope. There is always a hold up here,” he said, calling for an immediate overhaul of the road.

The project engineer, at the site, who refused to disclose his name, however, said: “The construction, this time around, will be good. Just give us some months and see what is going to happen here,” he said with an air of confidence.

He added: “We are working on the drainage alone.” Asked who would fix the failed road, he answered: “I don’t know. Lagos State can answer that. We have the contract to do the drainage and let the water flow freely.”

A source, however, told The Guardian that the construction is a laughable attempt at subverting nature, stressing that the path of the proposed drainage runs uphill. “The commonsense thing is to allow the water run through its natural course,” the source said.

Incidentally, a bustling market, said to belong to a traditional ruler, sits on the floods nature-ordained path.

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

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CITYFILE Policeman Pursues Robbers, Hands Over Stolen Money To Owner POLICEMAN, Corporal Abu Tanko, on Friday, proved A there is more to the image of the average Nigerian cop than that of a gun-totting extortionist forcing out

Abuja Corporal Tanko and owner of the money, flanked by admirers in Abuja... on Friday.

money from motorists.

At about 1.15pm, a customer walked out of one of the commercial banks at Area 3, Abuja, clutching a polythene bag, containing the sum of N150,000 he had just withdrawn.

But as he walked to the road, a man grabbed the bag from him, jumped on a waiting motorcycle and sped off.

The customer’s shout attracted Tanko, a police motorcycle rider attached to Force Headquarters, Abuja.

The Corporal gave the thieves a hot chase. At Area 8, it dawned on the hoodlums that the game was over. They flung the bag away and fled.

Tanko returned to the scene, about 15 minutes later, with the entire sum of money intact and handed over the same to the owner, who did not believe he would ever get back his money.

A crowd, of course, had gathered. And if the looks on their faces were anything to go by, they wished every Nigerian policeman was a Corporal Abu Tanko.

...No Comment

Betty Pride Street, Ajao Estate, Isolo.

Fatai Irawo Street, a major street in Ajao Estate, Isolo.

PHOTOS: CC Eagle Eyes

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

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CITYFILE

Traders, Buyers, Lament Price Increase At Ramadan

A Pinch Of N(u)ews A Laugh At Serious Issues

By Stanley Azuakola

Uniport Scientists Record Breakthrough SCIENTISTS at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers state, have successfully come up with a grand theory called the ‘Dame Pesh Predictive Theory’, which helps ordinary citizens predict with certainty the true state of things in Nigeria’s Aso Rock. It states that “the true state of things in Aso Rock can be determined by taking whatever Patience Jonathan says – good or bad – adding three months to it, converting it to the exact opposite and exaggerating it by infinity.” It is given by the mathematical expression: Truth = kWOE; (where W is the word of Patience, O is the opposite of the word of Patience; E is exaggeration and k is the ‘dame pesh’ constant.) To prove their theory, the UNIPORT scientists said, “For instance, last year, she claimed that she was not sick but travelled abroad to rest (Word of Patience). Few months later, she said she had indeed been sick (Opposite) and then she said she wasn’t just sick but had died and resurrected (Exaggeration). Remember when she also said she was a widow (Word), but later confessed that she indeed had a husband (Opposite) who happens to actually be the president of Nigeria (Exaggeration?). Finally, she recently said she was unaware of the Rivers crisis (Word), but only last week she confessed that she is actually aware of it (Opposite) and that she is involved and started having problems with the governor since 4 years ago (Exaggeration).”

Gov. Amaechi Parts Ways With Govs. Aliyu And Lamido

Lagos Traders at the Mile 12 market in Lagos State.

By Oluwakemi Ajani S Muslims observe the Ramadan fasting, traders at the Mile 12 market in Lagos say the season has been marked by low patronage and increase in prices of food items.

A visit by The Guardian to some markets in Lagos showed that the prices of commodities, such as rice, beans, gari (cassava flour) and yam flour have jumped, with buyers voicing concern at the development.

At the Mile 12 market, a bag of Mama Gold rice, which used to be sold at N8,500, now costs N15,000. There are different brands at the market and the lowest priced one sells for N12,500. A measure of rice costs between N200 and N250, depending on brand.

A bag of beans (Oloyin), which used to be sold for N9,000 now costs N15,000, while a cup (derica) costs N250. A tuber of yam costs between N500 and N700, depending on size.

A bag of onion, sold for N3,000 as at June, now costs N12,000.

Also, a basket of tomatoes, previously sold for N3,000 now costs N15,000.

A small bag of semolina, formerly sold for N200, now costs N350.

At Daleko market, 25 litres of vegetable oil, which used to be sold for N5,500 now costs N9,000. A bottle costs N250.

Some of the traders who spoke to The Guardian attributed the increase in the prices of food items and fruits to the ongoing fasting.

“I can assure you that as soon as the fasting is over, prices would go down,” said Mrs. Alarape Ajoke, a trader at Ketu market.

A

According to her, it has become a pattern that whenever Muslims commence Ramadan, the prices of commodities would rise. She noted that as a result, some customers who ordinarily would have bought a full bag of rice often resort to buying a quarter.

She explained that some of the merchants who bring in food items from the northern part of the country are unable to do so, because of the fasting.

A roadside food vendor at Ojota market, Mrs. Solape, said the quantity of food she cooks during Ramadan is reduced significantly.

“With the increase in price of pepper, rice and gari, I simply wonder how families with large numbers of children survive.

Many people cannot even afford to buy a quarter bag of rice.”

Mrs. Funke Adetona, a customer at the market, said the increase in prices has adversely affected her income.

“I am a salary earner and I have four children. The little salary I am earning cannot sustain my family as a result of the increase in the prices of foodstuff. With the rise, my children can no longer take fruits as before. We have had to ration the food we eat since the fasting started,” she said.

She lamented that some traders use the fasting period as excuse to fleece members of the public.

“Everybody is not a Muslim. We have Christians that buy things everyday. The price of some major fruits, such as: orange, pineapple, carrot, apple, pawpaw and watermelon, is frustrating. Presently, an orange costs N50 to N70,” she said.

A Muslim cleric, Abdullahi Akewuyo, who spoke to The Guardian, urged traders not to exploit buyers during the Ramadan fasting.

THE splendid relationship between the Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi and the governors of Jigawa and Niger states, Sule Lamido and Babangida Aliyu respectively, might have hit the rocks following subtle moves by forces opposed to the Rivers governor. Shortly after the visit last week by 4 Northern governors to Gov. Amaechi, news came that the Rivers commissioner of police might soon be transferred from Rivers state due to political demand… and deployed to Gov. Lamido’s Jigawa. Reports also came that Aso Rock’s chief political strategist, Dame Patience Jonathan, would embark on a 14-day visit to Gov. Aliyu’s Niger. Since the news broke, the two governors have begun distancing themselves from Gov. Amaechi.

Lamido said in Dutse that he never called for the redeployment of Mbu. In similar moves, Lamido and Aliyu have asked their state assemblies to change the assembly maces into ones made of plastic so as to avoid casualties in the coming onslaught. Gov. Aliyu on his part, mindful of what happened the last time Madam Strategist visited a state for long, has cried out to Aso Rock, begging them not to send their “dame gun to Niger state We only visited Amaechi because we needed small attention.”

CROWNED CLOWN (CeeCee) OF THE WEEK A Pinch… has just one advice for members of the senate – if you have little kids in your house, make sure Ahmed Yerima, your colleague, never visits you. If he shows up in your house unannounced, send the kids to bed immediately and do not for any reason permit any of the kids to jump up to give ‘Uncle’ Yerima a hug or - God forbid – sit on his laps. A word is enough for the wise. Last week, a law which would have clearly stated that a person comes of age when he/she turns 18 and not when in the case of the female folk they get married was defeated because Yerima led an unholy rebellion. The consequence is that even a 13 year old girl can be said to have come of age simply because an old man like Yerima marries her. Having married a teenager a few years ago (the girl is still not up to 18 years), Yerima led 34 of his colleagues to help defeat that amendment in other to protect his manhood. He couched his opposition in religious semantics to deceive the unwary. Several sound Muslims have been speaking since then and the agreement is that it wasn’t about religious protection for Yerima; it was all about penile protection. A Pinch… is particularly interested in Sen. Odion Ugbesia, coincidentally the only South-South senator to vote with Yerima. He was a former minister and has governorship ambitions. Edo people need to remember this when he comes knocking… a man who doesn’t care about the future of your girl child, doesn’t care about the future of your family.

Oh, and one more thing, David Mark’s senate must bring back that matter for a re-vote and do the right thing this time. The gang of 35 in the senate led by Ahmed Yerima, who voted for this grievous anomaly, are predatory clowns. They take the CeeCee this week.

Follow A Pinch… on Twitter: @stanleyazuakola

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

‘Edo Residents Must Be Security Conscious’ “As we speak, we still have some people in cells with investigation is still ongoing. There are a lot of kidnappers among them. We want to assure the people that the police in the state, under my leadership, will continue to protect and serve the people very well.”

Folusho was particularly concerned about rise in cases of sexual abuse of underage persons, describing the problem as “nauseating”.

The latest incident involved a pastor in Abudu, Orhiomwon Local Government Council, who confessed to having carnal knowledge of two girls, both aged 11-years. The pastor “has defiled two young girls. It is very saddening. I don’t understand what they are doing with little girls,” Folusho said.

Another suspect, who identified himself as Shegun Otaru, from Akpafa Local Government Council of Kogi State, said: “I reside at Afuze in Owan East Local Government Area. I am a mason and also a farmer. The woman employed me as security man. There was a little girl staying with the madam. Whenever the woman is not around, she comes to play with me. She is about 11 to 13 years. I fell into the temptation of having sex with her. Normally, she sits on my laps and we play together. But that day, we fell into temptation. We just saw the madam burst in on us.”

Another suspect, yet, Eugene Odozor, who claims he is from Imo State also confessed to defiling a 13-year-old girl. He said: “I used to play with her. This is not a case of rape. She is the one

that normally comes to me. But suddenly, the mother came, fighting me. Before I knew it, I saw police coming to pick me.”

According to the police commissioner, “There are other dangerous criminals; those who rob ladies and rape them.

These criminals are sick. Why will they rob and rape? It doesn’t make sense. There is also a car snatcher who has master keys that can unlock any vehicle.”

Folusho added that the command has launched an onslaught on the activities of suspected cultists, warning parents to caution their wards against criminal tendencies.

He said that the arrested suspects would soon be charged to court. Items recovered included: “one locally made double barrelled pistol; one Audi 80 car marked AP 891 USl, which had been snatched; a Volkswagen Golf car with registration number NF 415 KJA used for ‘one chance’; a cutlass; one knife; one carved wooden gun; a spike and a spear.”

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THE GUARDIAN, Sunday July 21, 2013

Backlash Abraham Ogbodo

08055328079 (Sms only) abogbodo@yahoo.com

The Devil In The Nigerian Tale DO not know when the initiative was lost to Ithat the devil in Nigeria. I just grew up to know things do not work well in Nigeria because of the presence of the devil. It does seem that the devil is permanently dwelling in Nigeria. Yet Revelation 12:9 does not say that the devil landed in Nigeria when he lost his place in heaven and was hauled down to earth by the Arch Angel Michael.

Perhaps Nigeria and Nigerians, ever kind to political fugitives saw the devil roaming homeless in the void and decided to offer him political asylum. It was the same way that Mohammed Siad Bare of Somali and Charles Taylor of Liberia were adopted for rehabilitation when both men lost their paradises and were searching for new dwelling places.

And so, the devil has been with us since time immemorial, even before Nigeria was manufactured in 1914. In fact, the position is that that fellow called Sir Frederick Luggard was pushed by the devil to forcefully weld the North and South of the River Niger areas into Nigeria in 1914. If the devil had been kept far from Nigeria when he was driven from heaven, perhaps the event of 1914, which some people cynically call a very costly error, would have taken a different course. Possibly, something close to 200 or more nations could have emerged in the stead of Nigeria and we would not be here today wasting time, treasure and talent doing this endless balancing act called federal character or fighting tooth and nail to invent a nation out of the disunited nations of Nigeria.

In 1960, the devil was on call again. He pushed us into a pre-mature independence when the British colonialists had not quite finished preparing us for a solid take off. We hurried them back to London without considering the deeper implications of their quick exit. If the British had stayed behind, say for another 50 years, they would have helped us to put in place a few more things which could have saved us from the current agony of failing elecHEN the National Assembly started this W business of constitution amendment, other concerned stakeholders had cautioned it not to arrogate to itself the powers to legislate a constitution for the country. The background to this argument is that the current Constitution, which has been in operation since 1999 does not approximate the exact mood of the polity. It was an imposition of the military; a carry over of previous impositions since 1966, when the First Republic failed and military intervention became a matter of routine, until now that democratic rule appears to be stable.

The attitude of the constitution is still militaristic, with a command structure that makes a mockery of federalism, vesting so much power at the centre, even when that centre by default was not designed to function optimally.

Apart from old, fundamental concerns, which drafters of the constitution skillfully avoided since the days of the Constituent Assembly of 1977, which then became the template for subsequent constitutional provisions, there is growing skepticism and lack of faith in the system. While politicians, who seem to be benefiting from a failing status quo are not pushing for fundamental changes, the populace is growing more restive. Issues of citizens’ wellbeing, safety of life and property are well proclaimed in the constitution, but they do not stop boko haram from inflicting maximum injury on the psyche of the State, just as they did not stop former militants of the Niger Delta from bringing the country down on her knees.

The argument therefore, by well-meaning elder statesmen, some of whom were members of the groundbreaking Constituent Assembly aforementioned, has been that the Nigerian State of today is threatened and may no longer survive on the kind of life support this fictitious federal system offers; and that the most reasonable thing to do is to convoke a stakeholders’ conference to revisit the state of affairs. The template left behind by the military was good enough for their kind of structure, where a boko haram insurgency was not in the agenda.

But our all-knowing legislators, swayed by the pecuniary advantages in the amendment exercise and their ploy to use it to perpetuate themselves in office, and also use it to create states for themselves went ahead with the amendment. They also wanted to get even with state governors, by reducing their powers, through freeing local governments from states’ stranglehold.

To give the exercise some semblance of public participation, they went to town to justify the

tricity, bad roads, lack of portable water, unreliable healthcare, poor educational system, etc, etc.

The devil did not even allow the Nigerian successors to manage the independence well.

From day one, he caused so many bad things to happen. One bad thing led to another and only seven years after independence, the devil pushed the country into a civil war. Like the independence, the civil war was also pre-mature.

It was the devil that caused it. The war failed woefully to achieve its purpose. Millions of people just died for nothing sake. That alleged task to keep Nigeria one for which the people died is still outstanding 43 years after the civil war.

Now, the man who insisted we should Go On With One Nigeria in spite of everything, to the contrary, has floated a prayer ministry called Nigeria Pray and he is trying frantically to achieve through other means what the guns and bombs could not settle.

The man is not the only one praying. Today, there are more churches in Nigeria than there are industries, and all their owners who are also called General Overseers, are praying and mounting vigil to ensure that the devil is kept at bay. The mosques and imams are also multiplying for the same purpose of containing the devil. To say the least, the results have been minimal. The devil has refused to be caged; he is still roaring, seeking to do more havoc even after causing us to rise and fall through four republics in less than 40 years of independence.

Painful still, the devil is all over the place in this Fourth Republic. There is absolutely nothing to show that he has gone to the Garden of Eden in the Middle East for a long vacation. And in discussing the Fourth Republic, let us, for the purpose of creating a more current perspective, leave out Obasanjo and even the late Musa Yar’Adua. Somehow, there is a consensus that God has a hand in the dramatic ascendance of President Goodluck Jonathan. This is another way of saying that, Jonathan, like King David, is

God’s anointed. If this is the understanding, the devil, who understands the rule of engagement will maintain his position and stay clear from Aso Rock Villa. This is however not the case and it is extremely disturbing. The devil is still pushing hard against the anointed Jonathan! Only two scenarios are plausible. It is either Jonathan, being God’s anointed is a fake claim or like King Saul, the spirit of God has been forced by accumulated misdeeds to take flight from Aso Rock. Either way, Nigerians are going to suffer because the devil is now fully in charge.

For instance, universities have remained closed for three weeks running because the devil caused the Federal Government to abandon the implementation of an agreement it signed with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in 2000. In fact, on the ASUU matter, the devil has been operating from both ends. He has also hardened the hearts of the striking teachers and caused them to rebuff public plea to resume work. It is most pathetic. Even when lecturers leave the campuses and become part of government, the devil will step in immediately and make them to turn their backs against their primary constituency – the university. It explains why the heavy population of former university lecturers in government, including President Jonathan himself, the minister of education, Prof. Ruquayattu Rufai and a former ASUU president, Prof Atahiru Jega is not helping to soften matters. The devil has turned their brains upside down and they are seeing money not the future of education in Nigeria.

Boko Haram sect is another operational area of the devil. It is a major field and the devil is ensuring that no weapon fashioned against Boko Haram ever prospers. It is the reason why the emergency rule is fast becoming an emerging rule of carnage. But the sect members claim they are the real people fighting the devil and not the other way round. They argue that the devil has made life difficult for the mass of the people in the Northern part of Nigeria. It complicates the matter as the devil at once becomes indeterminate in the crossfire between government and Bokom Haram.

And so, who, between government and Boko Haram is the real devil?

Let’s stick to the point. The purpose here is not to unveil the face of the devil but to simply explain his operations in Nigeria. Even in the Niger Delta, where peace was achieved through some mechanism called Amnesty programme, the devil has cast a big spanner into the works and things have begun to get

SUNDAY NARRATIVE Alabi Williams williams.alabi@ngrguardiannews.com 08116759790 (Sms only)

YERIMA/NASS: Stop This Child’s Play huge sums they had appropriated for the amendment project. Trust Nigerians, ever loyal, they went out and participated in the public debates; they sent memoranda and participated in the surveys carried out by the House of Representatives.

Last week, the Senate voted on the report by its committee on constitutional amendment, which listed items recommended for amendment. The outcome was exactly what Nigerians feared, that the issues requiring amendment in the entire constitution are too weighty for the NASS to impose on itself. Even as careful as David Mark, the Senate President has been since he was elected into that office, careful not to run into a cloudy storm, it was clear last week that it is better to spill the beans and build upon a solid foundation for Nigeria.

Apart from disappointing the people on the key subject of local government autonomy, the Senate failed to stand and be counted on the side of protecting the girl child from early marriage, when Sani Yerima from Zamfara State overruled the process in order to continue to expose the delicate female homosapien, at her most tender stage in life, to the prying eyes and hands of lustful, bearded men.

Back on local autonomy issue, based on its constituency reports, the senate committee headed by the deputy senate President Ike Ekweremadu had assured that states’ independent electoral commissions (SIECs), which governors abuse to rig local government elections would go, because that was the mood of the people when the public sessions took place. The Senate also promised to free local governments from the joint account slavery, which states subject councils to.

While one does not recommend scrapping of SIECs because returning council elections to INEC would be as bad, the point here is that the Senate utterly betrayed the people, whose preferences have been dumped, perhaps because senators have been reached out to by state governors. As 2015 draws closer, there will be a lot of denials

and realignments. All that will be clearer by the time the House does its own voting, perhaps this week, because the facts and figures regarding what the people want in the amendment process are in the public domain.

Now back to Sani Yerima, the man who rattled David Mark and put the Senate to shame on the girl child issue. For those who watched the proceedings, Mark is a very calm leader, in spite of being a former military man. He is hardly put off guard by mischief-makers, but he was slightly embarrassed when Yerima wanted to use religion to divide the upper chamber.

And that is the main kernel of this narrative. That, the Senate should not continue to pretend that all is well with Nigeria; all may be well within the upper chamber, but out there in the Plateau and Niger Delta, the fundamentals are wobbly and no amount of slogans will make some people change their minds about the country.

Yerima was a governor in Zamfara State between 1999 and 2007, and the first to introduce the expanded Sharia legal system in any part of the country, in spite of whatever the 1999 Constitution says in section 10 about Prohibition of State Religion.

After him, other northern state governors got emboldened to introduce various versions of the Islamic legal code. Good for them.

Yerima is the man who was alleged to have smuggled a female Egyptian minor (13 years) into the country and married her in spite of provisions of the Child Rights Act (2003), which seeks to protect the child from physical and mental injury, abuse or neglect, maltreatment, torture, inhuman or degrading punishment, attacks on his/her honour or reputation. The man did not deny the allegation and the State was unable to put a charge on him. The rights community made so much fuss, but could not take the man to court to explain why he did not marry the little girl in her country, Egypt, where the Islamic religion protects children from various abuses that are celebrated here on the altar of religion. The NASS, which is the hiding place for men who pretend to be distin-

bad again in the creeks. The kidnapping, oil theft, vandalisation of oil facilities and other forms of naked criminality have resumed. One estimate says the devil uses foreigners and Nigerians to steal about one third of the nation’s oil out-put.

We are totally helpless. When we conduct elections to recruit good men to fix these problems, the devil emerges somewhere in the details to subvert the collective will. The devil will throw up thieves as councillors, council chairmen, legislators, governors, etc. What then do we do? We have prayed and are still praying through General Gowon and all the General Overseers, but nothing is changing. The Jonathan transformation is stunted. This is traceable to the devil, who is preventing the President from using available men and resources to transform Nigeria to a first world, while at the same time pushing the President to some corners in the deep South and far East in an elusive search for wise men to fix the loose nuts in Nigeria.

To even create a workable federal constitution for ourselves is a problem because the devil will not allow robust debates on the subject to thrive.

For instance, in the ongoing efforts to amend the 1999 Constitution, the real issues of wealth creation and its allocation vis-a-vis the distribution of responsibilities at the different levels of government under a federal structure are left unattended. The devil is pushing the distinguished members to seek the inclusion in the constitution of some amorous liberties that would allow men to marry children as wives.

It is enough to say the devil is everywhere in Nigeria. He is in the public sector, much as he is present in the private sector, where he is teaching people how to collect petroleum subsidy money from government without importing fuel. He is in the homes, where he causes men to beat up their wives and children to disobey parents. It is also the devil that causes the indolent child to flunk his exams in school. The devil is responsible for everything wrong. He graciously came to absolve Nigerians of all responsibilities.

But for the devil, Nigeria would have elected the best leaders to transform the country. But for the devil, Nigeria would have been operating a prosperous federal system. The devil is to blame. If Baba God knew (please pardon the blasphemy) what the devil would cost Nigeria, He would have settled the matter in heaven after the failed Lucifer coup. I mean, Jehovah should have allowed Angel Michael to finish Satan instead of throwing him down to Nigeria.

Now, see what Nigeria is facing! guished and honourable, did not take appropriate steps to ensure that it is not brought to ridicule, when members flout the laws it purports to make for the good governance of society.

Yerima is therefore luxuriating in the Senate, feeling too big to be subjected to the laws of the land and he did not hide his disdain for Nigeria when he stood up last week to do advocacy for his pet project - infantilism. His visage is fearsome, in a bullying manner and his boldness has some credit. Yerima hardly laughs and when his colleagues are splitting hairs over another horrendous boko haram offensive, the man puts on a wry smile, very calm. Is this the man Zamfara women really need to represent them in the Senate or the man Nigeria needs to rattle the system so that ‘gentlemen’ like Mark would halt this child’s play. Nigeria is child’s play.

The drafters of the 1979 constitution knew how delicate the issues of religion could be if allowed to stray recklessly into a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society like Nigeria, and had in their wisdom decided to attempt a separation between religious issues and those of the State.

But the truth is that you can hardly separate the two, because religion is part and parcel of the state, especially now, when politicians are hands in glove with religious leaders and traditional rulers, who are also religious leaders in some constituencies.

If Nigerians must continue to manage to live together, people should learn to respect the constitution, so that nobody strays into areas where they will ignite an unquenchable fire.

Even in Afghanistan, women are asking for more space. A recent law by the Afghan parliament seeks to reduce the proportion of provincial council seats for women from 25 to 20. The women are kicking. The good thing is that those seats are guaranteed, whether 20 or 25, they are reserved for women.

Our women must continue to fight and not allow men to write all the rules. We thank God we have a female Chief Justice. If she were married off at such tender age as that Egyptian infant, she probably won’t be up there now, making all of us so proud.

One of the most active election observation groups in Nigeria today is the Federation of Muslim Women of Nigeria (FOMWAN). They are credible and must do more for Zamfara women.

They must be educated to vote a female senator come 2015. They have the numbers and there are no myths about it.

TheGuardian

Sunday, July 21, 2013 | 11

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Outlook Nigeria Confronts Global Economic Realities

By Ayo Teriba ABSTRACT Nigeria has long been trying to learn how best to manage boom-bust cycles in global commodity prices, adopting an oilprice benchmark for annual budgets while saving revenues above the benchmark in an excess crude account in the half decade before the 2008/2009 global crisis. The crisis and its aftermath now dictate that the country needs additional lessons on how best to manage surge-shortage cycles in global liquidity. Managing frequent external trade shocks is now only a part of the story, managing frequent external financial shocks, particularly with the intricate interactions between the two, is the other part.

HE Global economy has presented Nigeria T with four distinct and often contrasting regimes over the last decade. The four phases can be identified with reference to the 2008/2009 meltdown: pre-crisis, crisis, recovery, and post-crisis.

PRE-CRISIS (2004 TO MID-2008)

Prior to the 2008/2009 global economic and financial meltdown, Nigeria had enjoyed a significant boom from 2004 to mid-2008.

Unprecedented broadly-based sustained growth in global commodity prices coincided with an equally unprecedented surge in global liquidity. The paths of the real and financial shocks hitting Nigeria from the global environment became convergent as trade shocks from global commodity prices were positive and financial shocks were also positive. Nigeria earned exceptional income on its current account on account of the commodity price surge, just as surplus liquidity in the global climate conveyed positive capital account shocks in the form of increased inflow of investment funds and remittances from citizens who were resident abroad.

Nigeria therefore experienced economic growth acceleration, surge in domestic financial assets, and massive build-up in external reserves. Inflation moderated, interest rates fell steadily, and the Naira strengthened significantly against the US dollar. This phase became a tale of twin booms for Nigeria: (a). oil boom provided excess government revenue and foreign exchange reserves; (b). non-oil boom provided strong non-oil output growth, and private income boost. Unanticipated positive external shocks provided unexpected funds in government coffers, stimulated supply-side recovery, and private income boost in the non-oil sectors.

The pre-crisis boom presented the Nigerian government a major window of opportunity to: (a). use the oil windfall to transform the economy by investing the exceptional government oil income in capital projects that were capable

CONversation

of providing revenue and fuelling growth in the event of a global downturn; (b) tax windfalls in the non-oil sectors to fund recurrent spending.

The government chose rather to: (a). keep its exceptional income in external reserves, often referring to the gains from the favourable global cyclical situation as evidence that economic reform programmes had worked, and a sign of prudent management of the Nigerian economy; (b). leave non-oil income and private income boom untaxed, with the notable exception of Lagos state where successful non-oil tax reforms yielded a revolutionary surge in internally generated revenue.

• CRISIS (MID-2008 TO MID 2009) The mid-2008 to mid-2009 global economic and financial meltdown saw steep contractions in both global commodity prices and global stock markets, with dire consequences for the fiscal, macro-financial, and economic growth situation of Nigeria. Unexpected broadly-based crash in global commodity prices coincided with an

equally unexpected contraction in global liquidity. Trade shocks from global commodity prices were sharply negative, just as capital account shocks were sharply negative. Nigeria’s current account balance fell, just as global liquidity shortages meant increased outflow of funds, typified by excess demand pressures at the foreign exchange auctions. Nigeria experienced growth deceleration, financial assets contracted steeply, and external reserves were rapidly depleted. Inflation surged, interest rates rose, and the Naira weakened significantly against the US dollar.

The window of opportunity had closed, and there was nothing to show for the preceding boom. The savings amassed in nearly five years of unexpected global cyclical upturn were depleted within two years of an unexpected global cyclical downturn. Needless to say, they were spent on recurrent items such as salaries, overheads and debt service, not capital projects. Of course, it is difficult to invest during a recession.

But if the oil savings had been committed to capital projects as the boom occurred, government would have had the motivation to overhaul the non-oil tax system. In a country where VAT has remained at 5% across all categories since introduction in 1995, the presence of idle funds cannot but continue to kill incentives for needful tax reforms.

The vital policy lesson of that experience is that if not committed to investment, the proceeds of boom will be eventually consumed! Saving the excess funds is inferior to investing them. Savings are nothing more than deferred consumption. Investment is deferred income. Savings are funds that are allowed to build up without committing them to any particular purpose, leaving them open to discretionary uses. Investment on the other hand, means that the funds are irre-

versibly committed to some medium term capital spending programmes. The only ways to ensure that excess crude funds translate to future output and income growth is to commit them to investment as they accrue.

• RECOVERY (MID-2009 TO MID-2012) The global economic and financial meltdown turned out to be short-lived. Global commodity prices and global stock markets recovered at different paces since the second quarter of 2009. Commodity price recovery was however much stronger and steadier than equity market recovery.

The IMF’s all-commodity index has nearly returned to the June 2008 pre-crisis peak. The non-fuel index and its three components- food, agricultural inputs and metals- all surpassed their pre-crisis peaks to reach new record levels by the first half of 2011. Only the energy index remained slightly below its pre-crisis peak, but it dominates the all-commodity index. Nigerian economy certainly then faced a strongly positive global economic situation again, as the favourable global commodity price stimuli must have lifted domestic fuel, food and agricultural raw materials production, boosted the fiscal situation, and raised Nigeria’s current account balance, to bestow net inflows of foreign exchange from trading transactions.

On the contrary, until the third quarter of 2012, global equity markets, as revealed by MSCI World Equity Index, not only remained well below pre-crisis levels, but have been highly prone to contractions on the back of concerns about sovereign debt sustainability and support for adjustment efforts in Europe, and doubts about medium term fiscal stability in the United States and Japan. The paths of the real and financial shocks hitting Nigeria from the global environment thus became divergent in the recovery phase, with trade shocks from global commodity prices once again becoming positive, while financial shocks remained negative.

Commodity price improvements impacted Nigeria’s current account and foreign exchange supply positively just as contractions in global financial markets imposed adverse capital account shocks that drained liquidity from Nigeria and other emerging markets. Nigeria therefore found it hard to keep the gains from commodity price improvements, as excess demand pressures on the foreign exchange market drained the foreign exchange earnings.

External reserves trended steadily downwards, even as the price of Bonny Light trended steadily upwards from mid-2009 until mid2012 when global equity markets finally entered a stable growth path that are to push the market indices very close to the pre-crisis peak in the first half of 2013.

In the recovery phase, Nigeria faced a policy dilemma of striking a balance between policies that could strengthen real sector growth and policies that could stem haemorrhage on the capital account: the central bank resolved the conflict in favour of stemming the external financial haemorrhage by adopting a tight monetary policy stance from September 2010.

Nigeria experienced mild growth decelerations in 2011 and 2012, while financial assets and external reserves remained stagnant. Inflation remained sticky around ten percent, and interest rates rose in response to the tight monetary policy stance, but the Naira remained weak against the US dollar.

• POST-CRISIS (MID-2012 TO?) The paths of the real and financial shocks hit-

ting Nigeria from the global environment are just becoming convergent again; trade shocks from global commodity prices are positive and stable, just as sustained improvements in global liquidity mean that financial shocks are also becoming positive and more likely to be stable. For Nigeria, the next few years may see the repeat of the experiences of 2004-2008: growth acceleration, pronounced surge in domestic financial assets, massive build-up in external reserves, low inflation, low interest rates, and a strong Naira. The post-crisis reality of the global climate for Nigeria is the coincidence of positive trade shocks from high global commodity prices with positive financial shocks from improved global liquidity.

The twin booms are back for Nigeria. It however remains to be seen how long this phase will last given the inherent cyclicality of recent global economic evolution. It nonetheless presents Nigeria with another window of opportunity to: (a) institute a regime of investing most of the excess oil earnings in capital projects as they accrue to government coffers; and, (b) institute another regime of taxing the windfalls in the non-oil sector for the purpose of funding recurrent spending.

To gain the most from the current boom, Nigerians need to put more rigour and depth into economic growth discussions. Beyond overall growth figures, more understanding of the dynamics of growth; accelerations and decelerations, and sectoral and regional distribution, is required. Policies must be adapted to changes in the incidence of growth on an ongoing basis.

There is a need to pinpoint what changing growth incidence mean for revenue generation and monetary policies. The bulk of the GDP growth is happening in the non-oil sectors such as crops, trading and other commercial activities.

Unlike the oil sector where sales proceeds accrue into government coffers, sales proceeds in the non-oil sectors accrue into private hands, and are manifestly under-taxed. Governments at different tiers should generate revenue from the current boom in private income and spending to fund recurrent spending, and re-invest oil revenue.

Nigerians need to resolve the deadlock that holds the nation from investing excess funds in times of boom. The benchmark price of oil should be set high enough to ensure balanced budgets at the different tiers of government, while the savings accruing to the excess crude account (ECA) should be committed to capital projects as they accrue. Unlike recurrent spending, investment spending is unlikely to be inflationary because of significant time lags from budgetary commitment to actual disbursement. In any case, considerations about inflation should ideally apply to the tactical details of implementation and not to the strategic issue of whether to invest or not.

Nigerians also need to respond more strategically to cyclical swings in global liquidity that show up in the form perennial demand pressures on the foreign exchange market that trigger contractions in stock market capitalization and foreign reserves. One option is to hedge the risk of capital account haemorrhage by creating a fund to invest part of Nigeria’s excess crude savings in equities in the developed markets during booms, and hope that these can be used to cushion capital account shocks during global liquidity shortages, as the little funds available tend to head into the developed markets at times of global liquidity shortages.

Teriba is CEO, Economic Associates.

By Obe Ess

TheGuardian

12 | Sunday, July 21, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Editorial Again, Another ASUU Strike S the strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) progresses beyond the second week, the decadence in the nation’s tertiary education system is further revealed and the insensitivity of its management fully advertised.

The strike is to register the displeasure of university teachers over the Federal Government’s alleged refusal to pay their earned allowances for excess workload, postgraduate teaching and supervision, all of which had been owed them since 2009.

However, ASUU President, Nasir Fagge Isa, volunteered that the ongoing strike action is beyond “allowances” for university teachers. According to him, the fundamental cause of the strike is failure of the government to honour a Memorandum of Understanding it signed on January 24, 2012 to comprehensively implement the 2009 Agreement signed by both parties. The main thrust of that agreement is the following: funding of the universities to provide infrastructure and facilitate teaching and learning; university autonomy and academic freedom; improved staff welfare and condition of service to attract the best hands and discourage brain-drain, and other matters. Of the nine items further delineated by the MoU, the government is claiming to have fully implemented two: the review of the retirement age of professors in the professorial cadre from 65 year to 70 years and the re-instatement of governing councils. The remaining seven items bordering on funding of universities, university autonomy and academic freedom, staff welfare and condition of service have not been addressed.

Compared to ASUU’s comprehensive articulation of its grouse, the Federal Government’s response has been far from convincing. Apart from its expression of shock at the strike and the claims that discussions are ongoing with ASUU’s leaders, there has been an uncanny silence from government quarters that may spell ominous consequences. When Federal Government vacillates, as it usually does, or signs an agreement it knows, ab initio, it would not honour, it is definitely postponing the evil day.

Since the 2009 agreement, government has set up fact-finding missions to ascertain the state of Nigerian universities. Panels of inquiries for needs assessment for universities have been set up and reports have been submitted, yet the authorities in the education sector seem to have shunned implementation of the recommendations.

Meanwhile, the budgetary allocation for education is still nowhere near the 26 per cent benchmark recommended by the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). With overcrowded classrooms, dilapidated infrastructure, ill-motivated staff and students and, in some cases, unqualified staff, Nigerian universities have fallen to the level of routine producers of uncultured or uneducated school leavers. Nigeria cannot pretend that all is well; and if this is what ASUU seeks to address, then it needs the support of both government and the people.

To address the remote and proximate causes of this strike, the Federal Government must, without delay, honour the agreement it freely entered into with ASUU. It is demeaning, despicable, and an expression of lack of integrity on government’s part to renege on its promise. One of the hallmarks of good governance is integrity; and this is an all-important virtue required of those who claim to superintend such an important sector as education. The excuse that the government cannot afford to adequately fund university education is dishonest in the face of a situation in which government officials and politicians continue to engage in unconscionable pillaging of state funds.

Besides, it is a shameful representation of the leadership quality of those in the corridors of power in this administration, just as it is an indictment of academics and their inability to lead at the highest level of governance. For how can one explain the leadership quotient of a government saturated with academics, and, ipso facto, ASUU members, and yet so incapacitated to raise the bar in the education sector?

In consonance with a liberal tradition that stimulates growth and progress, unpopular but wise stance that University Autonomy holds the key to world class university education is unassailable. University autonomy should not be misconstrued as government handing off the funding of universities, or the monetization of university education, but rather it entails giving universities the freedom to govern themselves, appoint key officers, determine the conditions of service of their staff, control their students’ admissions and academic curricula, control their finances and generally regulate themselves as independent legal entities without undue interference from the government and its agencies.

Contrary to the position of autonomy phobics, a well-designed autonomy has invaluable benefits for the educational sector and the country in general. Whereas tokenist expansionism is carried out by the government (as if more universities are an indication of economic growth), autonomy will entrench the inexorable symbiosis between the quality of universities and the intellectual capital of a country.

For both faculty and students, a well-harnessed autonomy will dismantle the old order that views university education as a “social rite of passage” before getting a good job or “a dividend of democracy” for an ethnic group or locality, and re-introduce the value of scholarship, to the positive transformation of the immediate environment and contribution to global culture and civilization. Oxford University’s chancellor Chris Patten, succinctly argues that university autonomy: “Independent universities should be regarded as part of the infrastructure of an open and plural society, inculcating the values of tolerance, moderation and freedom that help to keep our country more or less civilised.”

Devoid of any elitist or classist agenda, university autonomy will push all universities to the limit, and separate the “wheat from the chaff”. And so rather than merely produce graduates, universities will compete to be the best in the supply of well-qualified and well-educated workforce and citizenry, out of which the country draws the capital for its well-being.

Any nation desirous of progress should not be afraid of this. Nigerian leaders cannot extol competition in other sectors of the economy and maintain a centrist controlling posture on university education.

This is the problem of tertiary education in Nigeria. And it must end.

A

LETTERS

Between Al-Mustapha and Barabbas IR: The recent acquittal of Maj. SCourt Hamza Al-Mustapha by the of Appeal in Lagos is very

flow like stream, and righteousness like a river (Amos 5:21).

Everyone that desires justice interesting and so, smarting up should question this judgment, from the initial jolt, I thought the whole scenario smacks of political hypocrisy, akin only to the Biblical Barabbas, who was set free in the “Kangaroo Amnesty”, IR: The greatest urge to granted him in a case of cutting change nationality was the nose to spite the face, just to nail the “King of the Jews”, Jesus utmost in my mind and minds of most Nigerians on April 19, Christ.

Honestly, while the entire detail 2013. Wonder why? Ask Boston of what the prosecution did or Police officers! The panache, did not do is still sketchy now, it professionalism, undying spirit, does appear that the entire judi- unity and zeal engaged in fishcial process has completely ing perpetrators of Boston turned logic on its head! Could it Marathon Bombings. be that he was incarcerated for 14 When zeal meets action, results years without committing the are inevitable. The result was offence? What new evidence(s) achieved. The culprit appredid the defense counsel file? hended within 72 hours! Could What is the new role of UPN spon- this be true? So why don’t we sors, Dr. Frederick Fasehun, the have bandits apprehended leader of the OPC, currently quickly. What we get are same rumoured as having some juicy lines of consolation each time a N2.4b contract to protect crime is committed spiced with pipeline in all of this, seeing curses! With a population size of Fasehun with the “free bird”, Al- over 160 million people and land size of 923,768 square km Mustapha?

Could it be part of a grand Nigeria definitely needs security design by the powers that be, to of top notch quality. Security cause disaffection in the newly issues need not be treated with promoted political party, APC kid’s glove. The Nigeria Police with the Southwest in their Force (NPF) was founded in 1930. “hand shake” with the North? Eighty-three years on and the These are questions begging for police are yet to gain the confidence of Nigerians. answers.

One thing that should not be According to the Human Rights toyed with is the need for the Watch report on the Police dead, Mrs. Kudirat Abiola and Force, citizens have a bad indeed all those felled by the bul- impression of their perceived lets of the then junta of Gen brutality and corruption. Yes Abacha, to get justice, and there- brutality the 1999 Odi Massacre fore bringing those perpetrators, in Bayelsa that cleared the whole who are still alive to book. The community, the killing of 200 International Criminal Court still people in Benue in 2001. What of tries and convicts those who per- the killing of 130 people in the petrated crimes against humani- 2008 sectarian violence in Jos. ty till date. Must we always What of corruption? Yes corrupridicule our country all the time? tion! A security apparatus The time to act is now, let justice allegedly corrupt cannot suc-

because no one knows who the next victim will be. *Makinde Agbede, Lagos.

The Police Of Our Dream cessfully secure a nation.

S Is this the police of our dream? A nation that loses confidence in its security has resigned to fate. The police of our dream is one devoid of the extortion of commercial vehicles. The police that give us confidence to sleep with both eyes closed. A police force that will answer emergency calls within a split second is our dream. A formidable system that will be able to outrun and outgun society miscreants.

What stops us from making friends with the police? After all the slogan is: the police is your friend. The friendship we crave for is one built on integrity, trust and sincerity. I could give a helping hand to investigations without being roped in as a prime suspect. I could walk freely on the streets without being harassed as a ‘roger’. These are not empty dreams.

Are police officers properly trained to combat crime, handle sophisticated weapons, and investigate crime reports? Not until January when Channels Television revealed the problems in training colleges, but must we wait for exposure on national television for a transformation? Must we subject prospective police officers to untold hardship for 13 months in training colleges? How do we expect them to behave when they get out? For a Nigerian to have confidence in the police conscious efforts must be made to positively transform this indispensable entity. *Amakoh Kelechi, Lagos.

ThE GUArDIAN, Sunday July 21, 2013

| 13

NEWSPEOPLE

Kekere-Ekun, Embodiment of Legal Excellence

By Gbenga Salau

hErE have been clamT our for more women to participate in governance.

The demand is growing steadily in Nigeria. This has led to a 35 per cent affirmation for women participation in governance.

And there have been efforts to ensure that women participate actively in the process, with increasing appointment of women. The present administration, led by President Jonathan seems to be more favourable disposed to the demand because it has not only appointed more women but it has also given key portfolios to women to manage.

A further boost to the authority women are stamping in high places was the recent elevation of a female Appeal Court Judge, Justice Kudirat Tokunbo Kekere-Ekun to the Supreme Court.

With the appointment, she became the fifth female to be appointed a Supreme Court Justice.

She, however, has other firsts; she is the first female graduate of the University of Lagos to be elevated to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court and the first among her classmates to be appointed a Judge of the high court.

She was born 50 years ago and got appointed to the Bench on July, 19, 1996 after some years in private practice, where she distinguished herself in the field of general civil matters and criminal adjudication.

Before her new appointment, she served at the Lagos high Court, Ikeja Judicial Division and later at the Court of Appeal, following confirmation of her recommendation by both the Lagos State house of Assembly and State Government.

A testimony that she is a tested hand is reflected in the eulogies that accompanied her elevation to the Supreme Court when senior lawyers not only commended her appointment but also pointed out her sterling qualities revealing she is an advocate of substantial justice. her love for the learned profession may have been ignited by her father, Alhaji h. A. Fashiro, who was a senior member of the Bar, and retired as the Town Clerk of the then Lagos City Council.

Leading the great minds who paid glowing tributes to her is one of her teachers, Professor Itse Sagay SAN. In his view, she is sound in law because she would not substitute the substance of the law for technicalities. he arrived at this judgment because he had read a few of her

judgments, which is a reflection of the quality she is made. “She has that equitable spirit of trying to do justice”, Sagay said.

One of her classmates, Prof Taiwo Osipitan, described her as a bold, fearless, fair, firm and incorruptible, a God-fearing dispenser of Justice.

“Some of the decisions of Justice Kekere-Ekun as a Justice of the Court of Appeal corroborate these qualities. These decisions show that Justice KekereEkun and technical justice are parallel lines! They can-

not meet. These decisions confirm that my lady is a social engineer who utilises Law as an instrument of social engineering and attainment of justice,” Osipitan stated.

Osipitan further said that Justice Kekere-Ekun is endowed with extraordinary intelligence and ability to distinguish a decision of a higher court in order to achieve justice without running foul of the rule on stare decisis.

Kekere-Ekun, who graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos in

1980, was called to the bar in July, 1981. She had her secondary education at the Queens College, Lagos and is married to Mr. Akin Kekere-Ekun, the immediate past Pro-chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, Lagos State University and the marriage is blessed with children.

The Nigeria Judicial Council under the leadership of Justice Aloma Mariam Mukthar, has also been commended as the decision would further promote her desire to bring quantum positive change

kekere-Ekun

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THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

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THE GUARDIAN, Sunday July 21, 2013

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NEWSPEOPLE

By Chuks Nwanne ITH his wife seated by his left hand side, W Dr. Obiora Anthony Chukwuka, the CEO of Greenlife Pharmaceuticals Ltd., looked very calm, as he sat alongside other guests on the high table. If not for his neatly crafted pair of suit and his sitting position, a casual viewer would have erroneously tagged him an ordinary staff of Greenlife; he is such a humble man. While his men rallied round to set the event in motion, Chukwuka uttered no word, except few occasions when his wife whispered something into his ears. It was obvious the couple is very close.

The event was a media briefing held recently in Lagos to unveil programmes for his Golden Jubilee celebration, which he resolved to use as a platform to reach out to the poor and less privileged Nigerians.

After few remarks by the chairman of the organising committee, Derrick Osondu, it was time for the celebrant to address the gathering. Though soft spoken, Chukwuka held the gathering spellbound, as he narrated his life story and tough route to success. All through the period he spoke, the room was silent; nobody uttered a word. In fact, if a pin had dropped that morning, a listening ear would have picked its sound.

Based on his achievements as an entrepreneur, you would have thought that Chukwuka was born with a silver spoon or probably inherited the business from his parents. But by the time he went down memory lane, narrating how he built Greenlife Pharmaceuticals Limited from the scratch, with just his secondary school certificate, everyone marveled.

“I have looked forward to my Golden Jubilee as a time for me to take a retrospective look at my life journey so far. It is for me a period for deep personal reflections with the consciousness that I became what I am today through providence. My life story is replete with many divine interventions; being lifted from grass to grace and coming from nothingness into great abundance,” the philanthropist started.

Born on July 18, 1963 into the family of Mr. and Mrs. Chukwuka of Ubili Village, Nnokwa, Idemmili South Local Council, Anambra State, young Obiora was brought up as the last and only male child, alongside six sisters. His arrival several years after his immediate elder sister, when hope of having a male child in the family seemed lost, was like a miracle in the family.

Of course, in a typical Igbo setting, an only male child is usually protected and showered with so much love; Obiora’s case was not different. Truly, he brought joy into the family “The circumstance of my birth bore clear manifestation of God’s enduring love to all that put their trust and believe in him. He showed compassion on my parents, who for several years, lived with certain stigma, on account of their inability to bear a male child,” he narrated.

Being a teacher’s son, Obiora grew up in a humble and fairly large family. His late father, who was then a catechist in the local church, had quite modest income, which was barely enough to take care of everyone. Notwithstanding, he did his best to instill discipline in his children.

Just as it appeared the family was having a smooth sail, at least, with a male child to continue in the lineage, the devil reared its head on different occasions. First, Obiora was miraculously saved from harm in an attack by a very poisonous snake, and again, during the Civil War, he was saved from certain premature death by the intervention of the Red Cross.

“The circumstances of my close brushes with death early in life were quite scary to both my parents and other siblings. It was to dawn on me later that God preserved my life on those occasions in order to fulfill his purpose for me,” he noted.

After his early education at the Central School, Nnokwa, young Obiora was enrolled at the Oraukwu Grammar School, where he obtained the West Africa School Certificate (WASC). But aware that his family’s lean financial resources would not be able to take him through higher institution, he took a decision to join business in a bid to support the family.

“I remained focused on this vision and did not succumb to series of peer pressure that would have distracted me and possibly made me add to the financial woes of my family. By 1980, at the age of 17, I traveled to Lagos to join my maternal cousin as his apprentice.”

Obiora’s cousin, Chief Uzoezie, was then a trader in Idumota Market, dealing on ladies shoes; that was where he cut his teeth in business. Lending credence to his hardwork and

Dr Chukwuka … A Golden Journey To Greenlife dedication, Obiora spent only three years with his master, before he was set-up in the same line of business. However, that little progress and joy was cut short by the Buhari/Idiagbon military regime in 1984.

“They demolished all illegal shops at Idumota and my fledging business came to an abrupt end, as all my wares went with the demolition,” he recalled emotionally.

Though a big blow and terrible setback for Obiora and his family, the disaster was actually a leeway for the young man to determine his future business; it was an opportunity to strategise on how to be his own man.

“I must confess, I never really liked the ladies shoe business, but was stuck to it due to the influence that my master in the trade had over me. So, after the demolition, I had a sort of retreat and came up with new plan.”

With little fresh capital at his disposal, Obiora settled for pharmaceutical business, banking on his love for dispensary services and previous experience as an active member of the Red Cross Society during his secondary school days. After a brief training in drug business, he started trade in 1985 at Idumota, with the name Letos Medical Store, which later metamorphosed to Caleb Pharmaceuticals.

“From the day I thought of this business, I had plans to do it the proper way; I got everything registered with the government. I was

doing well in Idumota, but a lot of things were happening in the market; the issue of fake and expired drugs, people changing labels… a lot of shady deals. Within me, I knew I wasn’t going to stay long in such scenario,” he said.

Fed up with the fraudulent activities in Idumota Market, Obiora resolved to leave for an entirely new location and Ilupeju turned out to be his best bet.

“It was a difficult decision, but in my mind I said, ‘those, who want to buy from me, will always find me.’ All I did was to announce my new location to my customers; a lot of them actually started coming to Ilupeju. By then, the business had been incorporated as Greenlife Pharmaceuticals Ltd.” Over the years, Greenlife has grown to become one of Nigeria’s top corporate and respected indigenous pharmaceutical brands.

With over 120 NAFDAC approved brands currently on its stable, the company today employs several hundreds of Nigerian professionals across various disciplines, especially pharmacy. Yet, the founder, Obiora Chukwuka only had a secondary school certificate and his street credibility. You need to see how he relates with his staff; he knows each and everyone of them by name.

Much later in life, as a successful businessman, Chukwuka got admission into the University of Lagos, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration,

The circumstances of my close brushes with death early in life were quite scary to both my parents and other siblings. It was to dawn on me later that God preserved my life on those occasions in order to fulfill his purpose for me

in 2008.

“I went further to study at the Leeds Metropolitan University, England, where I got a Masters Degree in Corporate Governance. I also have a diploma certificate in Management Consultancy from the same school.”

Today, he is a recipient of an honorary doctorate conferred on him by Commonwealth University Belize, Central America, in collaboration with the London Graduate School, England.

“My later day academic accomplishments served as a testament to my quest for excellence through knowledge. It also assuaged me for the early educational deprivation that I suffered on account of financial incapacitation.”

As the Executive Chairman of Greenlife, Chukwuka’s vision is to grow the company to become the largest and most respected indigenous pharmaceutical organisation in the country.

“This position has afforded me opportunity to appreciate the complexities and workings of today’s modern corporate organisation. I thank God for the privilege of a higher education, through it, I gained invaluable experience that helped me to effectively deal with emerging corporate challenges.”

Through Greenlife, “I have also become well versed in the workings of international business and finance. I have developed and sustained several international business relationships across continental borders,” he enthused.

Aside Greenlife, Chukwuka sits atop board of various successful companies being subsidiaries and affiliates of Greenlife Pharmaceuticals, with interest across sectors of the economy including real estate, hospitality, oil and gas, retail chain and general services.

Meanwhile, in a bid to give back to the society, Chukwuka instituted Eziafakaego Foundation in 2003, through which he seeks to improve the quality of life, especially in the rural communities. He is involved in several humanitarian and philanthropic activities like the provision of vital infrastructure and amenities to make life in the rural communities better.

The foundation is also engaged in various programmes for youths and women empowerment; free healthcare services; provision of shelters and basic needs for the less privileged in the society; educational scholarship to tertiary education; provision of job opportunities and support to various humanitarian institutions.

“After much reflection on my life journey these past 50 years, I and members of my family deemed it necessary to celebrate in some remarkable manner. The events of my 50th birthday revolve primarily around appreciating God for blessing my family beyond our wildest imagination. It will also afford me further opportunity to give back to the society by showing love and affection to less privileged members of the society just as God did to me.”

Just yesterday, Chukwuka hosted guests to a grand dinner at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. The event, which created an atmosphere for the celebrant, his family, friends and workers to unwind and socialize, also witnessed the formal presentation of the celebrant’s biography, The Man: Obiorah Anthony Chukwuka. The celebration will be rounded off today with a thanksgiving mass at the Catholic Church of the Resurrection, Magodo, starting from 10am, with another reception scheduled after mass.

The celebrations actually commenced on Tuesday, July 16, with a visit to the So-Said Orphanage, Okota, Isolo, Heart of Gold Children’s Hospice, Surulere and Regina Mundi Home for the Elderly, Mushin, where Chukwuka made donations and celebrated with the children. Similar visits were made on July 18, to the Heritage Home Orphanage, Anthony Village and Modupe Cole Memorial Child Care And Treatment School, Akoka.

Happily married to Obiageli, the union is blessed with six children (three boys and three girls).

“If you ask me, I will say that I’m a fulfilled man. At 50, I’m not thinking of amassing more wealth for myself; I’m okay with what I have now. Topmost in my plan is to use my wealth to help humanity,” he concluded.

From grass to grace, that’s the story of the Greenlife boss.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

SPOTLIGHT

COVER P/27

Adebola ‌ Turning Passion To Gold

2015: North In Search Of Lost Political Paradise

NEWSFEATURE

Challenges Of Human Waste Disposal In Lagos BUSINESS

P/18

P/35 SPECIAL REPORTS

P/20

P/42

When Concessioning Runs Foul Of The Law

Original Inhabitants Of Abuja Demand Ownership Of Their Land

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday July 21, 2013

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SPOTLIGHT

‘With Self-Confidence And Skills, Women Can Achieve Much’ Adebimpe Adebola loves to use her hands. She is blessed naturally with creative and decorative skills that have become a source of joy and living to her. The quiet, easy–going homemaker and entrepreneur has found cake creation and decoration truly fulfilling, as she combines passion and calling in a most beautiful way.

By Bisi Alabi Williams ORN over three decades ago to Barrister and B Mrs. Banjo Adesanmi, Bimpe, the second of four children, is from Ile Ife, Osun State. Her grow-

Adebola

ing up years was mainly in Ile-Ife and she describes it as great fun. “We grew up in my parent’s farm. They raised us in the fear of God and taught us such virtues as integrity and hard work. They also gave us quality education for which I shall forever be grateful. Education is the window to exploring the world. It liberates the mind. I dare say that it is the only antidote to ignorance”.

Her dad did not only give her quality education, he also contributed immensely to her academic success, as he always advised his children to study hard so as to become great and successful in life.

There are a number of people who have left footprints in the sands of Bimpe’s life. These people, she believes, have aided her in one way or another to achieve her present status. “My number one business mentor is my brother, Mr. Banji Adesanmi of PTV Phones. In him I have a good back to ride on and I am grateful for this,” she says.

As a young girl, Bimpe dreamt of becoming great. She wanted to be wealthy, have a good family and be able to give the less privileged children quality education. Today, she has a beautiful family and is working her way towards achieving that greatness.

While growing up her family usually marked the children’s birthdays with cake, rice and chicken.

In the process, she learnt how to bake from her mum. She also had a cookery book with different recipes and was always trying her hands on them.

“I guess the ability has always been there; just that I never gave it my full attention.”

During her Youth Service, she was posted to Gateway Hotel, Ota. This kindled her love for cooking and baking although she never thought she would one day turn it into a business venture until about five years ago.

She graduated from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife where she studied Food Science and Technology and specialises in different kinds of beautifully decorated, mouth watering, customised cakes for all occasions. Working with her mentor, the late Mrs. Olayinka Olaiya, helped to further perfect her skills.

During this grooming period, her eyes were opened not only to the skills of cake making but also to the technicalities of running a day-to-day business. Initially, it wasn’t all so easy, but by the time she settled down into it, she quickly got on top of the game. And it was only a matter of time before the establishment of Exquisite Bakehouse, which deals in rich, delicious and artfully decorated cakes and other pastries.

For Bimpe, cake creation and decoration is one of the most satisfying and fulfilling endeavours she has ever embarked upon. “As a wife and mother, combining this work with other responsibilities at home has been very challenging but I have been able to cope with the help of the Lord. It has been fun, really.”

To her, cake making is not just a calling but also a passion that is also fetching good money. Her ability in this regard together with gathered experiences have helped her to run the business as smoothly as possible although she is quick to say that without the support of people, especially her husband, it might not have been that easy. “Without my husband’s understanding, I don’t think I would have been able to do it successfully. The feedback I get is the strength of my business and a great source of inspiration to me.

“Customers’ satisfaction is paramount to me and I always get referrals from people I work for. I believe that providing employment for people is my own way of contributing to national develop-

ment. We equally have plans to start organising training programmes for unemployed youths and school dropouts in future. This will help empower them as well as enable them become gainfully occupied, which will prevent them from getting involved in crimes and other social vices.”

Bimpe prides herself in not baking cakes that are commonplace. Hers are cakes that cannot be easily gotten from the average cake store or supermarket. The uniqueness of her business, she says, lies in going the extra mile where quality and presentation are concerned. “My selling point is the extra touch I give to my cakes. Making a special cake for the customer is my watchword.

“My dream is to grow the business to become one of the five leading cake companies in Nigeria and I am working very hard at it. I go out of my way to satisfy customers thereby creating a unique brand. And I wish to start a training school for young people, who desire to earn a decent income by improving on their baking skills through learning something new and unique.”

Although Bimpe is of the view that skill, hard work, determination and perseverance are needed to succeed in her line of business, she would still want government to help enhance the industry through providing an enabling business environment so that players can thrive. “Providing easy access to the tools and equipment is one way to help. Ensure that the country’s teeming youths are educated and empowered to become small business owners and entrepreneurs will bring about a sense of responsibility and goodwill. The leaders should live by example and project the nation in very good light so that citizens can key into this vision and run with it”.

A strong believer in things that have to do with the Lord, Bimpe’s life revolves round all that appertains to Him. She has always embarked on any project with the consciousness that she can be her best with God-given talents and resources. She dreads living a purposeless life. She would love to be known for integrity and compassion. “Money is good but a purpose-driven life is worth much more than gold. The number of lives I shall be impacting positively before I die matters to me. Though I am still young and full of life, my one desire is that when God takes me to be with Him, a great number of people will stand before him and thank Him for my live and for making their lives better”.

According to her, no nation can develop without women because they are the mothers of the nation and also its pride. “They are the keepers of families and this is why young Nigerian girls must be equipped with quality education, vocational or entrepreneurial skills. They must have the fear of God for them to be able to withstand the wiles of the devil. Self-confidence, knowing who they are and believing in their abilities will make them very strong.

“They should not sell their bodies or cheapen themselves to get what they want. They must learn to be patient and believe in the Lord, who is able to settle them in their places at the right time. This will earn them respect from men.

“Women must believe in themselves. There is absolutely nothing in today’s world that they cannot do, especially with the presence of global resources and information technology.

They should be given quality education as a way of empowering them. And in order to take their rightful place, women must make use of all the resources available around them to become a force to be reckoned with.”

Mentoring, she says, is an essential key to the growth and development of any nation because learning from other people’s experiences has the potential to make a long journey shorter, easier and more enjoyable. As such, grooming others in her field has been a major source of fulfilment to her.

In spite of all odds, Bimpe believes firmly that Nigeria is going to turn out beautifully and take its rightful place among the comity of nation. “I see a Nigeria where our children can have access to quality and affordable education; where human life is valued and appreciated. I see a land where cost of living is affordable; a land where there is good health care system, wellregulated policies and a clean, functioning environment,” she smiles.

THE GUARDIAn, Sunday, July 21, 2013

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HEALTH LG Innovates On How Refrigerators Can Enhance Healthy Eating their employees and this has led Google, according to the release to install healthy cafetarias, coffee bars and other food locations.

ORE and more, technology continues to where people could access fresh, healthy food. shape how we live; and its impact on our eating and nutrition in a world that is putting Electronic Arts (EA), Canada’s early trend-setter increasing demand on everyday living. It is not could not be left out; the Vancouver offices have coffee and snack bars among other fitness just enough to eat but the right kind of nutritious food and nowadays; there is an enhance- facilities for employees to burn off calories.

The release said, “While others saw the housement that comes refrigeration, to help boost hold refrigerator as merely a way to keep food body immunity. cool, LG saw it as an opportunity, that a refrigAimed at tackling poor nutritional choices erator, if designed properly, could help users that are having direct effect on our bodies, remake improvements to their everyday lives. sulting sometimes in obesity, technology has Due to incessant power outages in nigeria, driven a boom in research on nutrition and food choices of which, Mr. Eyen Amos of Silver- food storage and preservation is of major conBullet Limited said, in a release, LG represents. cern to many households. It is extremely difficulty to keep food fresh as they easily go bad.

He revealed the electronic giant, like some leading global companies are investing heavily For households, who are unable to afford in the quest to realise a healthy global popula- high-capacity generating sets, which are capation, offering clever solutions to ensuring that ble of powering their refrigerators, perishable foods spoil within days. On a regular basis, eating fresh, healthy nutritious food is easier most of them have had to throw out food due and more convenient than ever before. Evito spoilage, which is not just only wasteful but dently, hectic schedules don’t leave people a lot of time for exercise, and accessing fresh, nu- also expensive. Which brings to the fore the tritious food therefore, the inclination to a fast cooling retention, energy efficiency as well as the multiple health benefits of the company’s food culture of convenience.

“For many, keeping fresh fruits and vegetables Door-in-Door (DID) refrigerator. The new fridge technology provides for sufficient room to in the home has been challenging. First, there store fruits, vegetables and other grocery. is the space problem. Items such as waterAccording to the release, old type fridges get melon and lettuce are bulky and take up a lot of room in the refrigerator. Second, there is the opened as they get opened so many times a day, they lose cooling but the DID ensures the spoilage factor.

“When one forgotten vegetable in the back of temperature of the inner compartments holding perishable foods are not in anyway disthe fridge goes bad, the odour spreads and turbed. Certain types of food have been known contaminates the other food items.” to go bad due to constant opening of the The report reveals, “There is also an organisational issue. Conventional fridges have poor fil- fridge.

Consumers are no longer afraid to limit the tration and airflow systems, so organic food quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables because items can only be placed in small, specialised they’re afraid these items will expire before they compartments.”

Even corporate organisations are getting con- can all be eaten.

This new refrigerator takes advantage of some cerned about the quality of meals eaten by

By Fabian Odum

M

Consequences Of Marital Violence (2)

By Dr. Passy Amaraegbu ARITAL violence negatively affects the lives M of those connected to the victim. These include colleagues, friends and children. These

PRACTICAL PSYCHOLOGY pieces of property during the course of the quarrel or war. The violence may involve throwing or breaking of objects (property) or that the victim resorts to the revengeful act of destroying home appliances. All these are huge but avoidable consequences of marital violence.

Then, there is the huge cost of social stigmatisation of such couples and homes. Before long, the news begins to spread in the neighbourhood. People begin to add salt and pepper to the stories they heard or imagined. The result is often discouraging and depressing.

This festering sore may negatively affect the progress and opportunities of the couple and children. Other areas that could be affected include; progress in career, business and for the children of such homes, in the choice of future life partners. This is a major reason why marital or spousal violence is either under or never reported publicly in our society. The price of social stigmatisation is immense.

One peculiar aspect of our lives that marital violence adversely affects our progress is the spiritual. In the first place, marital violence is an obvious sign of the existence of spiritual problems. normally children engage in quarrelling, fighting and rivalry than adults. We mean that sane society will show greater understanding and tolerance towards children who engage in fighting than adults.

are the secondary or indirect sufferers of marital violence. In such homes, children live under fear, uncertainty and terror. Since they are tender and young, these children undergo both psychological and physiological trauma. They may grow up hating to raise a home of their own or even become social rebels or criminals.

This is instructive as we consider the huge number of juvenile delinquency in our society today.

All these miscreants, criminals and drug addicts, come from homes. Many of them come from dysfunctional homes where parents abandoned, abnegated or aborted their responsibilities.

The issue of increasing violence against women and the weak can also be traced to marital violence as the young boys vicariously learnt from their violent fathers how to oppress the weak. The issue is so complex that the significant figures of the victim also experience the trauma she is undergoing. Parents, parents’ inlaws and friends all go through the pain.

Then, there is the price of wastage of time, energy and resources. Much time and energy are invested into settling marital problems. On one occasion, I spent over eight precious hours (a whole working day) trying to settle the case of one couple. yet a few weeks after, I was called back to begin another session of counseling Dr. Passy Amaraegbu, a clinical psychologist, and reconciliation.

At other times, the couple loses some precious lives in Lagos. E-mail: drpassy@yahoo.com

impressive innovations to combat this problem. First, digital sensors are positioned in the fridge at key locations. These sensors closely monitor not only the temperature inside the fridge, but also, crucially, the humidity levels.

When changes are detected, the fridge’s Dual Evaporator system reacts instantly to keep conditions at their optimal levels.

“There is fresh air filter system with the highly effective Multi Airflow design. Vents are strategically placed around the interior of the fridge,

so food stays fresh wherever it’s located, and odors are whisked away even when food is dumped in the back corners.

All of this means that food stays fresh longer, and busy consumers can spend less time at the supermarket buying fresh food.

By improving opportunities to eat good food and creating more free time, the release says these refrigerators give consumers a leg up on overcoming the pitfalls of our modern food environment.

We Are What We Think - Implications For Health

By Moji Solanke Any have discussed and M written about this idea, although a more popular slogan, especially with nutritionists, dieters and weight watchers is, ‘you are what you eat’. In essence this suggests that eating good food results in being, and looking, healthy and fit. Anthelme Brillat-Savarin is credited with originating this idea in 1826. In 1863, Ludwig Feuerbach, in his book ‘Spiritualism and materialism’, related this saying specifically to the state of mind and state of health of an individual when he wrote, ‘Man is what he eats’. The phrase really caught on in the twentieth century, with the book titled, ‘you are what you eat: How to win and keep health with diet’, by nutritionist, Victor Lindlahr, in 1942.

The limitation of this concept is that the same food or diet does not necessarily have the same resultant effect on different individuals, or even on the same individual at different times of their life. Various reasons have been adduced to this, such as genetics, metabolic rate, age and gender. It is therefore becoming more apparent, that it is what we think

about food, that has an impact, on health, for example, and not the actual food itself. Research shows that thinking about a certain food as disagreeable, results in experiencing disagreeable symptoms when the food is consumed, while an opposite thought brings the opposite result. Many deep thinkers also came to this realisation. The Scriptural book of Proverbs refers to it thus: ‘As a man thinks in his heart so is he.’ In Science and Health with key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy echoes this thought with the comment, ‘If mortals think that food disturbs the harmonious functions of mind and body, either the food or this thought must be dispensed with..’ In Hamlet, Shakespeare mentions the importance of thought. He writes, ‘There is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so’.

Apart from what we think about food, how we think of ourselves often determines how our day goes; and how we think of others usually tends to determine our experience with them. Studies show that what we think of a particular drug, or what a doctor thinks about a medical case, very often determines to a significant degree, the seeming efficacy of the

drug, or even the outcome of the case. The thoughts we think are expressed, not only in our state of mind, but in our state of health as well. Mental discipline enables man to think right thoughts, and spiritual discipline empowers man to think good thoughts, or God-like thoughts. These then positively influence every facet of human life, including health.

It is important to make the point that the discernment, apprehension or ithought, which heals, is not the same as positive thinking, or blind belief in a man-made God. On the contrary it is a spiritual, rather than a human, activity, based on God, and the God-made man. This is why it has the power to heal. Eddy’s book opens with the words, ‘The time for thinkers has come’.

More and more, this thought, first expressed so succinctly in the book of Proverbs, is beginning to be accepted today, even by the medical faculty. It is in the interest of every man, woman and child therefore, to learn how to watch and guard what they think about themselves, about others, about their circumstances and situations; and especially about their health.

HEALTH & YOUR MIND

Mind And The Kingdom Of Heaven (9)

By Babatunde Ayo-Vaughan HE understanding of faith must be divested T from all religious connotation and parochialism. Faith is a universal thing. It is the key of God in the hands of creation to unlock his way into the kingdom of heaven or the throne of God. So when Jesus said, man should seek first the kingdom of heaven and His righteousness and everything and more that he needs will be added unto him just as God is giving it to the other creatures

because they are not like man who has little faith, then man in all seriousness should know that if indeed he wants to overcome his problems, he should learn to get into the frame of mind that should give him the conviction that both concepts are indeed real and concrete.

If Jesus could allude to the fact that the well being of the lower creatures that we can see in this world is predicated on what connects faith and the kingdom of heaven, then we must agree that certainly all of us as members of the human

race must move beyond the abstract understanding of the concepts of faith and the kingdom of heaven the way our different religious have been presenting them to us.

We must try to establish their concrete nature as they affect and bind all of us. This way you might come to appreciate deeply the significance of that statement in the bible that it is in God that we live, move and have our being (Acts 17:28). The statement applies to every creature, which means that right from

day one in our lives, we remain connected to heaven.

The lower creatures have never lost that benefit. Their instinctive understanding of faith makes it possible for them. When Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is within man it is to let us know that perpetually we are connected to heaven but we need something to make us know this and that is faith.

• Babatunde Ayo-vaughan, a Psychologist lives in Lagos

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

20

SPECIAL REPORT

‘Abuja Land Swap Policy: Towing

Members of Original Inhabitants Development Association protest government’s insincerity... will they have justice?

tres, had advantage over other suggested areas because it Is not densely populated, and also, not within the control of any of the major ethnic groups in the country.

Murtala said part of the reason for the Supreme Military Council acceptance of the Justice Akinola Aguda-led eight-man panel recommendation was that the area satisfied the panel’s criteria of centrality, good and tolerable climate, land availability, and use, inadequate water supply, low population density, physical planning convenience, security and multi-access possibility.

Murtala said, “the new capital created on such virgin lands as suggested would be for all Nigerians a symbol of their oneness and unity. The Federal Territory would belong to all Nigerians. The few local inhabitants in the area who need to be moved out of the territory for planning purposes will be resettled outside the area in places of their choice at government expense.”

He added, “in order to avoid land speculation in the area, a decree is being promulgated immediately to vest all land in the Federal Territory in the Federal Government.”

Consequently, three days later, precisely on February 6, 1976, Decree No 6 was promulgated into law by government, which gave all the necessary legal backings to the establishment of the new FCT, thus kick-starting all activities leading to the physical relocation of the seat of government from Lagos to Abuja.

And 10 days after this celebrated broadcast, the proponent of the exodus to Abuja Murtala Mohammed was assassinated in a coup

ideas in the Abuja Master Plan was implemented.

Over the years, the issue of compensation for HREE As — Abuja, Army and Ajaokuta — are land owned by the original inhabitants has said to have gulped the largest chunk of been a recurring decimal. Successive governNigeria’s revenue during military era. Abuja, ments have continued to gloss over the resethowever, would not have joined the fray, if tlement issue, and in the past 37 years, nothing Nigeria had followed the examples of Austangible and concrete have been done on the tralia, when it was building Canberra as its people’s agitation. capital; Brazil with Brasilia; and Tanzania with The initial population of 500,000 original inDodoma. habitants — Amwamwa, Bassa, Egbura, Gade, The Federal Government, on February 3, 1976, Ganagana, Gbagyi, Gbari, Gwandara and Koro in order to decongest Lagos, the then capital of — has risen up to about 1.6 million of entire the country, and also, in an attempt to have a Nigeria’s population. more centralised capital that will be accessible The President Jonathan administration, to generality of the people, approved the crethrough Minister of the FCT, Bala Mohammed, ation of Abuja as the new Federal Capital Terrihowever, has come up with a land swap policy tory while Lagos remained the commercial as a solution to the problems of centre. inhabitants. The Federal Government, in fact, Abuja was not the only place considered by signed a memorandum of understanding the Aguda Panel; in the long list of memo(MoU) with some foreign investors earlier this randa submitted by the public, individuals year. and organisations, several areas such as They are, according to the agreement, meant Okene, Kafanchan, Makurdi, Ile, Auchi and HE city was to be built in four phases, the to build infrastructure in the land predomiAgege. first scheduled to commence in 1979 and nately owned by the natives.

From the numerous memoranda gathered to provide space for 230,000 inhabitants The deal has it that the Federal Government by the panel, 33 sites were earmarked. And exacross 4,000 hectares of land. would secede 60 per cent of the land of the amining the various sites for suitability, a The capital was scaled to have over a popu- original inhabitants to the foreign investors weighing system consisting of 13 criteria were lation of 1, 600, 000 and expandable at its while the Federal Government takes the reintroduced, namely centrality, health, climate, sides to 3, 200, 000 with a ‘Central Area’ as maining 40 per cent. land availability and use, water supply, multithe city centre.

This decision of the government has been access possibilities, security, existence of reThe latter was structured in terms of recgreeted with protests from the inhabitants, sources, drainage, soil, physical planning tili-near super blocks that would have two who claim they were not in the know. convenience and ethnic accord. wings at its sides that can enclose a total of They maintain that the word ‘SWAP’ itself is The choice of Abuja was, however, not a walk eight essentially self-contained ‘developan English word, which denote exchange, and over, as there were reservations from certain ment sector’, as the Master Plan calls them, that, if government is taking up their land, quarters. It took courage for the late General with between 120, 000 and 190, 000 inhabi- they want to know what the administration inMohammed, the then Head of State, who tants each, however, none of these lofty tends giving them in return. stormed an early morning meeting of the The question they are asking is where does Supreme Military Council (SMC), the highest The new capital created on such virgin lands as suggested would be for all Nigerians a the government want them to go after taking decision making body in the land, at Dodan symbol of their oneness and unity. The Federal Territory would belong to all up their land.

Barracks in Obalande, Lagos on February 3 Nigerians. The few local inhabitants in the area who need to be moved out of the territory Observers of events are of the opinion that 1976, to inform the meeting that the decision to establish a new capital city for Nigeria outfor planning purposes will be resettled outside the area in places of their choice at gov- the Bala Mohammed-led administration is trying to legalise illegality by coming up side Lagos remained irrevocable. ernment expense... In order to avoid land speculation in the area, a decree is being prom- only with a policy that will shield friends and In a nationwide broadcast, the then Head of ulgated immediately to vest all land in the Federal Territory in the Federal Government. cronies of the government, in their bid to State, General Murtala Mohammed, said the share the existing land in the FCT among area, with a land mass of 8,000 square kilomethemselves.

From Itunu Ajayi, Abuja

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d’etat, his successor General Olusegun Obasanjo, who shared the same vision, followed up the movement plans.

The conception of the Federal Capital, and subsequently, the Master Plan was based on the promise that all the approximately 500, 000 inhabitants within the entire 8, 000 square kilometres would be resettled outside the territory.

This policy of total evacuation, however, changed in 1978, based on the argument that the funds required as compensation — N1.8 billion — was unaffordable.

Therefore, as at today, resettlement in the FCT has been in two categories namely: those who have opted to be moved out of the FCT and those that have remained, but would be resettled within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), but outside the Federal Capital City (FCC) whenever their places of abode are affected by development projects.

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HE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

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SPECIAL REPORT

the path of Niger Delta’ While the FCT administration, most times, claim inhabitants have been adequately compensated for their land; the latter are challenging the government to come up with evidences to such claims.

The new deal leaves the issue of compensation to the foreign investors, who are coming to develop the area, while the FCT administration will only serve as a supervisory agent to ensure that inhabitants are adequately compensated and not cheated out by these foreign investors.

They are in doubt as to what will become of them in the hands of foreigners if their own countrymen had cheated them over the years.

In the new policy, government has transferred its initial responsibility of compensating the people to foreign investors, but the indigenes are not comfortable with the arrangement.

They say that government wants to shy away from its responsibility and leave them at the mercy of foreigners who may not give them anything at the end of the day. They are demanding for everything concerning their compensation to be settled before any investor can move into their land.

According to these people, they want to know what percentage of the land the government is willing to give them before anyone can talk of enumerating them. To this end, each time the minster’s enumerators came around to carry out their duties, they have always been by the inhabitants who have refused to be counted.

The FCT administrator has made moves through its agents to enumerate the inhabitants in order to know how to compensate them. But this move has been greeted with resistance from the inhabitants.

UNDOUBTEDLY, the creation of the FCT brought about rapid economic growth with a sudden influx of Nigerians from all parts: first were the construction companies competed for clearing and roads construction, soon after, the workmen followed, and then came the hoteliers, food sellers, entertainers among others; thus Abuja came alive.

Dantani Agbenu, an original inhabitant from Koro, said there had been scenario where allocation papers were issued to people only for them to discover that the land allocated to them was a cemetery.

He warned that if investors coming to take up the land are not careful, they would have themselves to blame noting that no foreigner can enjoy peace of mind if the host country failed to put its own house in order.

He said the investors should not operate under the illusion that everything is okay, as the FCT administration has been painting the picture to them.

“No foreigner can know our land more than we do. If the government and its agents are telling them not to worry, they should not believe them. What the government is doing in the FCT now is breeding of militants. Our youths are becoming restive because they are now more informed than before. Niger Delta youths were kidnapping foreigners back then and no one should be surprised if the same thing played itself out in the FCT by the time their foreign investors comes,” Agbenu said.

According to him, they are determined to continue talking in order to bring about their desired change of good governance as a result of their strong belief that their voices are meant to achieve the desirable.

War, he said, has never been in their dictionary, so, taking to arms struggle would not be an option for them as they are aware that no meaningful development can take place in the atmosphere of war.

He warned the government of taking its luck too far as continuous neglect, degradation of their environment without any form of compensation, may lead to what the government did not expect.

Danladi Jeji, president of the Original Inhabitants Development Association dropped the blame of the predicament of the natives at the doorstep of the elite.

He said the problem the original inhabitants are having is that the elite are hypocritical. He said that if the elite would stop being hypocrites, and face fact, the entire nation would be developed.

“They all know that the original inhabitants actually exist, this place was not occupied by grasshoppers before it was made the FCT, so, why is it that the elite always want the downtrodden to rise up in agitation first before wrongs are corrected. And yet government knows that since the pronouncement in 1976, there has been neither compensation nor resettlement of the people and the situation now is that the people on whose behalf this gap was created by the government tend to be quiet over the matter. Every nation desires its people to grow but not in Nigeria. When our people are in position of authority, they become oppressive.”

He said they had made moves without success to engage the administration of Bala Mohammed and call for the correction of past mistakes by successive administrations as a way of charting the roadmap to the development of the area and compensation for those whose lands had been used in road construction, building infrastructure and others, in and around the FCT. He said his people had been unequivocal that the land from time immemorial have been theirs, and so, the declaration credited to the government that FCT land is a no-man’s land is not only false, but scandalous.

He said those at the helm of affairs in the FCT should know that the area was not occupied by grasshoppers before it became the capital territory.

In a reaction to this, the Special Assistant to the Minister on Media, Nosike Ogbuenyi, told The Guardian that if the natives continued in their effort to resist the move of the Federal Government, it would have no choice than to use its military might on them.

He wondered where the original inhabitants had been these past years, and why it is now that they are raising objection to government policy.

While accusing some individuals and a section of the media for instigating the original inhabitants, he advised the media to avoid being used for championing the cause of the inhabitants.

The natives, on their part, claim their voices were muffled by the initial administrative structure of the country, where every complaints had to be channelled to Lagos coupled with

incessant military interventions, which did not allow democracy to take its proper place in the country.

They say now that Nigeria is running a constitutional government; they have the right to demand for what belong to them.

OR now, the 30-man committee that was constituted by Fwasthe FCTA after the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Federal Government and the foreign investors is still working, but the original inhabitants said they do not know what the terms of reference of the committee are.

They wonder if the committee can undo what the government had done in the signing of the MoU. Thus they believe setting up the committee of which they said they are sparingly represented is another charade of the government in making the outside world believe what is not on ground.

‘FG Will Use Military Might On Inhabitants’ have the capital city in their area because a lot of towns including Auchi, Lokoja, Onitsha and many others actually lobHE Guardian was at the office of the bied the Justice Akinola Aguda panel in a minister to get the position of government, especially now that the origi- bid to have the capital.

Ogbuenyi reeled out the benefits of nal inhabitants have expressed fears of having a Federal Capital Territory in an marginalisation and neglect in the area. He said the inhabitants now have process. good network of roads and monumental The first port of call was the Directorate of Resettlement and Compensa- structures. Other benefits include the tion, where the Public Relations Officer airport and streetlights that adorn major roads in the FCT. directed The Guardian to the office of When The Guardian pointed out that the Special Assistant on Media to the these monuments do not translate to Minister, Mr Nosike Ogbuenyi.

The SA, however, refused to be put on good life to the indigenes, as in most of tape, and informed the reporter that he their villages, they still drink from the same pond with their cattle, the SA said would first paint a picture of what the the scenario is just an indication that land swap policy entails. For about 25 minutes, he did so, but each time an at- there is high rate of poverty in the countempt was made to put him on tape, he try and the original inhabitants of the FCT are not immune to such hardships. rebuffed the idea.

After all, as he said, money realised from He said the position of the Federal the sale of crude oil in the Niger Delta Government is that the original inhabitants should count themselves lucky to was used to build Abuja, and nothing happened to that effect.

From Itunu Ajayi, Abuja

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According to Ogbuenyi, the indigenes should just be grateful and accept whatever deal is being put forward; as government would not hesitate to use its military might on the people.

He is of the view that by the time 10 of the inhabitants were fallen by bullets of the army, the rest will behave, because according to him, no one can fight the government and survive it.

The SA lamented the situation where all efforts by the FCTA to enumerate them in order to know the actual number of people to be compensated by the foreign investors have been rebuffed by the natives.

He, however, apportioned blame to some group of people including the media, whom he said, are instigating the natives.

For him, by the time the suffering of the original inhabitants would commence, those instigating them would not be there for them and would have left them in the cold.

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

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SPECIAL REPORT

‘Land Swap Policy Is About Land Grabbing’ Emma Ezeazu is executive director of the Alliance for Credible Election (ACE) and one of those in the vanguard of the struggle for the rights of the original inhabitants of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). He speaks with ITUNU AJAYI on the non-payment of compensation and the insincerity of government in its dealing with the land owners.

Can you paint a general picture of what the issues in Land Swap policy are?

THINK the whole issue of Land Swap has presented the indigenes, and also, Nigerians opportunity to really look at the policy, as it affects the original inhabitants of FCT; more importantly, to look at the administrative practices of the Federal Capital Development Authority. So, I think it is a great opportunity for the original inhabitants, government and other stakeholders to really look at the land policy as it affects the original inhabitants. This policy provides opportunity for them to question the issue of ownership of land in FCT and to question the compensation arrangement and how the government is planning to do it.

In that context, we clearly found out that government, without consulting the original inhabitants who are the owners of the land, which have not been compensated for, made agreement with investors to give them portions of this land with the so-called claim that government owns the land. They now said investors would bring in their money, develop the place and then take 60 per cent while the government takes 40 percent, leaving the original inhabitants out.

Even how they would be compensated is not clearly spelt out in the agreement, and remember, this land has not been compensated for. FCTA has been running this place as if the land has been compensated, that is really the core of the issue. We are running a constitutional government, it was only the colonial masters that conquered every parts of Nigeria, they are the only one who takes by compulsion without any form of compensation, but since we have had constitutional government, you cannot go and take somebody’s land without compensation. And the constitution also stipulates the way by which this compensation should be done and you have not done any of these things and you continue to portion out this land to people.

Another question that needs to be raised is what is the plan of government for their own 40 per cent, what are they doing with it? The whole issue is about land grabbing, the people at the FCDA, I mean the administrative staff and the politicians at the FCDA have now officially carved out a portion in that district to share under the cover of a policy so that a law will cover them.

What they were doing before was to claim they had given a particular resettlement area to the original inhabitants and then go through the back door and share the same land, and now that the original inhabitants are getting more enlightened, they are questioning the rationale behind government giving them an area and going behind and allocate the strategic portion of the same land to people.

Even if government is to build institutions on the 40 per cent as they are claiming now, what sort of institutions would they build there, that amount is too big, and they don’t need more than 10 per cent. So, why would they not give owners of the land at least 30 per cent? The reason they are defending this policy is just to grab the land. The people in FCDA had already apportioned to themselves the area they want out of the whole land so their eyes are very red now. They are ready to concede other things, but that 60/40 percent to them is a no go area. They all know what they will benefit. You know the staff that are connected to the process especially those that are in the kitchen cabinet of the minister.

And again, remember that we have not even questioned those behind these foreign companies, who own them? They said they are foreign investors, but as usual they will have local supports. We really need to inves-

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Emma Ezeazu tigate the Nigerian connection behind these companies. At the end of the day, you will find out that foreign companies are coming, but it is still Nigeria’s money that would go into the project through the backdoor.

But there is usually claim by FCTA that the original inhabitants had been adequately compensated especially whenever demolitions take place?

All the claims that they have compensated the original inhabitants are lies, instead of doing the right thing, government is now saying the investors will compensate the

ment has been cheating these people, and now, they are getting more educated, they are going into the Internet, they are reading about how these things are done in India, Brazil and all over the place, and you are saying it is somebody that is behind them. What is even wrong if we are playing a role in making the people realise their rights?

What is the position of things now?

We are waiting for the recommendation of the committee that government set up and how it augurs well with the sentiment expressed by the original inhabitants. The committee was even constituted after the agreement was signed between the FCTA and the investors. The government is not now coming to the communities because they have the interest of the people at heart, but because of the campaign raised by the communities. The people are not opposed to developmental projects in the FCT, but they are demanding for a clear agreement on what their own benefit would be, because government would only make promises without fulfilling them and the moment the investors move in, that would be the end of the whole episode.

They are only interested in dividing the communities, they hire a consultant that is bent on pushing government’s position, and yet, he is an indigene. The politics that is being played on the people now is that of division, let the communities not have consensus. And even in the committee that was set up, the same politics of division — was a ploy; and that is why it is taking them a long time and they have not come up with an agreement. They are using the politics of divide and rule, they would prefer to isolate the local chiefs because they are paying the salaries of the chiefs, and they are the ones appointing the chiefs, so they prefer to avoid the chiefs and a more robust interaction with the youths in the communities. The fact that you made a deoriginal inhabitants, if you see in the policy, cree that this is a federal capital territory they have given the power of compensation does not stop you from doing the right to the investors and the role of the govern- thing, the constitution is there and its sayment will be to sit over the process and see ing that you cannot take this land without that the people are not cheated, nonsense, proper compensation. The government when the government itself is cheating its needs to have an honest conversation with the communities and listen to what they own people? They don’t compensate, all are saying. The people are ready to talk what they do is to bring trailer loads of while government on their part just want army and police people to bundle people to muscle their will on the people and out of their land and take over. force this policy of land swap down their They are even saying it is the alliance for credible election that is instigating the peo- throat and that is what is causing these entire impasse. ple to demand for their right. The govern-

‘We Cannot Trust The Government’ From Itunu Ajayi, Abuja OU know this place is on the highway; “Y it is a good location for business. So, if they pursue us from here now, they will be able to use it for what they want.”

The above words were that of Emmanuel Wilson, a businessman in Dei-dei, published in The Guardian of September 9, 2012.

It was his reaction to the announcement by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) authorities that 17 villages would be demolished. This announcement came after Mpape, another suburb, came down under the demolition jaws.

The incident in Mpape led to a legal tussle between the landlords’ association, led by Mr. John Olasogba, with Femi Falana (SAN) as their lead counsel.

The association had taken the authority of the FCT to court for the demolition of their property on August 16, 13 days after a court order advising the FCTA and its agencies to stay action on its planned demolition of the area pending the determination of the appeal of the association.

This informed Justice Abubakar Kutugi’s decision on August 3, 2012, to give two months respite to the aggrieved residents of the area.

Following the transfer of Justice Kutugi from the Federal High Court, Bwari, to the High Court in Jabi, the case was transferred

alongside the justice. The legal tussle is still on.

Though Wilson spoke like a prophet back then, what he did not know was that plans were in the pipeline by the Federal Government to force people out of the area in what the original inhabitants of the FCT said is a secret plot of the FCTA to hand over same to their friends and cronies.

Just as the legal battle still lingers on as a result of the demolished area, the FCTA, early this year, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with foreign investors for infrastructure development of the FCT. These infrastructures are to occupy the land of the indigenes of the FCT. The areas under contention are Ketti, Waru, Rubymi, Takusara, Kabusa, Shiretti, Kuloochi, Wasa and Soka.

These villages cover a land space of over 230,000 Sq km, which the Federal Government has concluded plans to hand over to 70 foreign investors in a new policy tagged, ‘Land Swap’.

Recently, 50 of the intended foreign investors arrived the country, and the minister of the FCT, Bala Mohammed hosted them to a dinner, where the Nigeria ambassador to Brazil spoke extensively on what the investors stand to gain in the deal.

The Original Inhabitants Development Association, an umbrella body of the nine in-

digenous languages comprising over 300 affected communities, is, however, crying foul.

The association is saying that the basic meaning of the word ‘Swap’, even to a layman, is exchange. The association is asking the Federal Government, which land will it be given in exchange for the one the government wanted to take from them.

The indigenes are also saying that the six villages of Utako, Maje, Jabi-Yakubu, JabiSamuel, Zhelu and Kpaadna where they are from were supposed to be resettled by the end of this month to another location is not yielding any result.

They say the government took them to Shere-Galuiyi, a refugee camp, which is not habitable for human beings with no road, light, water and other basic amenities.

All these inabilities of government to honour its own part of the bargain, the indigenes say has made them to lose confidence in the administration of the FCT. To this end, they are asking how their interest will be protected in the arrangement because all plans have been concluded without considering them as if they do not exist.

Right now, Engineer Busa, whose company is involved with physical mobilisation and a consultant serving on the committee set up to look into the challenges of the original inhabitant, is attempting to mediate between the aggrieved and the authorities of the FCT.

HE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

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SPECIAL REPORT Abuja Land Swap Policy: Original Inhabitants Allege Corruption And Deceit Danladi Jeji is president of the Original Inhabitants Development Association, umbrella body of the nine major languages and 334 communities that make up the aborigines of Federal Capital Territory (FCT). He spoke with ITUNU AJAYI on the insincerity of the government on the land swap policy, politics of the FCT administration, his fear for the FCT in future if government refuses to do the right thing and other sundry matters.

There have been agitations on the part of your association regarding the mode of operation of the Federal Government in the Federal Capital Territory administration, what are the issues involved?

OVERNMENT has not been sincere about the FCT, and it all began in 1976. The broadcast of the late General Murtala Ramat Muhammed was very clear and unambiguous about government’s intention. It painted a clear picture, and if government had followed the intent of what was proposed in the broadcast, we would not have been in the mess we are now in the FCT. It was clearly stated that Lagos could no longer play the dual role of commercial and administrative capital of the country. Kaduna and Port Harcourt were also to be given responsibility to serve as cardinal developmental centres so that every part of the country is developed at the same pace, or so, at least, everything will not be concentrated in a particular place. The inhabitants were to be moved out completely and resettled elsewhere so that the constitution that would be fully developed the following year would have the FCT governed as a state.

Unfortunately, 10 days after the broadcast, Murtala was assassinated and the country started this confusion. Obasanjo, who was his deputy, took over power, then on July 4, 1978, said that a vast land of 250sq km land would be reserved as the Federal Capital City, and the original inhabitants in that area would be relocated to the place of their choice — either to go to the larger part of the 3000sq km or they can completely leave at the government expense. As at today, the 3000sq km is accommodating above 49 villages inside the city, and there is no single community government has humanly and dignifiedly relocated.

If it had been done the way that befitted everyone concerned, I’m telling you, everybody would want to get his village out. But if there is any relocation they claimed to have done in the FCT, then it is nothing to write home about and nobody would want to participate in that. Nigerians, and indeed, the original inhabitants, are watching and seeing how government is developing plots of land and making it look habitable more than the ones they are claiming to have resettled the original inhabitants. Now in the process of that struggle or this agitation against poor implementation of compensation process, the government keeps on breeding other problems, making policies that are not people oriented, the government is creating a situation where the people are watching it building a structure of mistrust, where people cannot trust them, that is the situation we are in now. I wish government could do something on this; it needs to get the confidence of the people it governs. And of course, the original inhabitants development association’s paramount interest is finding a way to work as a people to contribute to policies that would better our lives and to come up as a people together to make the government of the day to respect the rule of law and to give us what belongs to us.

That’s just the aim.

Why has your association not taken government up on these issues before now?

I want you to know that original inhabitants have never been quiet from the first day of pronouncement by Murtala. Because he was assassinated 10 days after the broadcast, the agitation of the original inhabitants could not have been successfully handled, more so, that the following year, the review of Nigerian constitution began. And of course, as at that time, the communication system was not like it is now.

The problem the original inhabitants are having with the Nigerian elite is that they are hypocrites. They all know that the original inhabitants actually exist, so, why is it that the elite always want the downtrodden to rise up

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in agitation first before wrongs are corrected?

Let’s talk about the land swap policy. The government said it is for infrastructure development and it seems your association is not on the same page with the government, so much that you have protested its implementation.

The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, suddenly brought up a policy called land swap, it has brought a very big challenge to the original inhabitants. The word land swap is new to us, and our people are not carried along. Government is operating the federal capital as if nobody is here.

Recently the federal government constituted a 30-man committee on the issue and we understand your association is part of it so that you can be carried along, what is the situation with the committee?

Anytime government wants to deceive people, it sets up committees; we are yet to see a system where committees’ recommendations are actually implemented. This committee on land swap, according to them, is expected to report back to the minister after three weeks, one week has passed since it was inaugurated and they have not sat for a minute to deliberate on anything. A committee that is to talk on mis-governance of past decades is given three weeks to report back and they are yet to meet once. If they say we are being carried along, how do one explain the one slot given the original inhabitants and it was on the ground of the inauguration that we got to know other members, and yet the committee is to deliberate on issues that concern us, who is fooling who?

The MoU on the land swap was signed between government and the investors and when the original inhabitants heard about it, and protested, government came up with committee. So, do they expect the committee to reverse what has been signed? What we don’t understand is whether this committee would change the agreement that had already been signed without our knowledge. The committee is a calculated attempt to make us not to be relevant.

Anytime there is demolition, and we follow it up, the development control always give us the impression that compensations had already been paid, and that local chiefs in the communities continue to sell land to unsuspecting Nigerians. What is your take on this?

Let me give you a scenario on that. Now, what being a chief implies is that the area is his domain and he is responsible for everything in the place, in fact, he owns the place.

If we want to go by the claim of the government on compensation, when you compensate someone by law, the person loses ownership of that thing to the person who compensated him. But you ask, has the government ever shown any document to prove that they had taken over ownership of these places under contention? At least, there should be a document to the effect that I have given you the right to a property I originally owned. What the government did was to set up a system of using developers, those would come to the communities with papers from the FCDA that they are now the owner of the land, they might meet a man in his farm and then show him papers, we have seen cases where graveyards were allocated to people. Where do the papers originate from, they sit in their offices and issue out papers of land. These developers connive with the department of development control to intimidate our people. What does a local farmer know? They are easily scared off their land. These developers are the ones that normally give these farmers stipends and then the government would say they have been compensated. The next thing, development control would come with fully armed military personnel to demolish the

Danladi Jeji

area, who protects our people? You meet a people of Lagos told to fizzle into the thin poor farmer in his farm, shove some paair, but now that it has been moved to Abuja, pers in his face and give him maybe the original inhabitants have to disappear.

N2000 for the crops on his land and claim The original inhabitants are asking that if you have compensated him. Let them the constitution says that the land is virgin, bring out the documents that transferred does it mean we are not recognised here? the land to them after the compensations And the government expects us to respect they claimed they had made. The develop- that same law. The government has created ers on their part come with what the gov- the Human Right Commission, federal, state ernment told them that the people had and everywhere at the local government and been compensated and that the land is there is an office in the FCT. The human free. rights of all Nigerians that has left their vilAccording to the phase 4 of the federal lages to come here is what they are after, not capital city, they want to open it up so that that of the ones that are original inhabitants other people would come and have their of this place. share while the original inhabitants have The international law of the charter on hunowhere to stay. The FCT is supposed to be man right preservation and environment the political capital of Nigeria where the that is supposed to be protecting the origistructures of government properties are, nal inhabitants’ land and their culture is benot that some people would come and ing condemned, destroyed with impunity grab land. So, what are the government’s and today a typical original inhabitant has structure or institutions that would be on lost where he belongs and the government the land they are about to swap? does not bother and yet they are developHave you had any formal meeting with the ing a model federal capital territory. federal government in the past to discuss Now from this month, they are saying high your agitations and grievances? capacity buses would be the ones to enter The original inhabitant development as- the city while the low capacity ones stay sociation has written to the minister on somewhere else. Who are going to be at the more than five occasions to even give us receiving end, the original inhabitants? They audience so that we can present our case. want to eliminate us at all cost. The monoIn fact, we even did a road show early this rail on paper, is it for the original inhabiyear, went to the office of the minister but tants. All their plans and policies do not put nobody came to receive us. By the body the owners of this place in mind. See a situalanguage of the government, they are say- tion where the only access road that passes ing that we are not in existence so why through the FCT is the one to Kaduna from should they attend to us; do you attend to Abaji via Lagos, then the one that comes a ghost? But we would let the whole world from Jos and passes through Yanyan and know that we are here. joins Zuba and then to Kaduna. No roads to Let those who want to buy into the invest- where the original inhabitants are, no water, ment of the land swap to acquire their no light, nothing. They are the food producshare quietly and go to sleep, we would ers and no access road to bring their farm not disturb any of them, but if they preproduce to the city. They don’t have clinics, tend that we are not here, they would soon their women deliver at home and if she is leave us here and run away. Those who are unfortunate to deliver with complications at causing trouble were not born with it, sit- night, she is transported on a bicycle or uation compelled them, and society gave wheel barrow and yet we are in the federal them the opportunity. After all, Nigeria’s capital territory, 37 years of existence, yet no capital started in Calabar, did they tell the one is here, was this place occupied by people of Calabar to relocate then? When grasshoppers before it was made the seat of the capital was moved to Lagos, were the power? All the people from other states have Anytime government wants to deceive people, it sets up committees; we are yet to see their backgrounds and origins, but the gova system where committees’ recommendations are actually implemented. This com- ernment wants to erase the origin of the they met here. mittee on land swap, according to them, is expected to report back to the minister af- people Way forward? ter three weeks, one week has passed since it was inaugurated and they have not sat Government of the day should right the for a minute to deliberate on anything. A committee that is to talk on mis-governance wrong of past governments; they cannot of past decades is given three weeks to report back and they are yet to meet once. If sleep in the high- brow areas in the FCT and they say we are being carried along, how do one explain the one slot given the original pretend all is well. They should give us all what is needful to make our lives comfortinhabitants and it was on the ground of the inauguration that we got to know other able too. The original inhabitants have flesh members, and yet the committee is to deliberate on issues that concern us, who is and blood, no one can wish that away.

fooling who?

TheGuardian

24 THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Junior Guardian Short Story

Daughter’s Love NCE upon a time, there was a chief who had three daughO ters but no son. The chief was very old and he knew he would die soon. He was worried because he could not decide whom to leave all his wealth. So, he called everyone together for a meeting. All his family and counselors came in their finest costumes. The three daughters looked very beautiful in colourful dresses and head-ties. The chief sat in a golden chair and looked lovingly at his daughters. Then he asked his eldest daughter: “Tell me how much you love me.”

The eldest daughter came to him and gazed into his eyes as she said: “Father, I love you as much as all the gold in this world. If you put all the gold in this room, it wouldn’t be as valuable as my love for you.”

The next daughter gave him a big hug and said, “Father, I love you so much. I love you more than all the diamond in the world.”

The chief was very pleased with her answer and glowed with happiness. Then he looked at the youngest daughter; she was his favourite and he knew she would say something special.

“Now, how much do you love me?” he asked. The daughter knelt before him and said, “Father, you are more important to me than salt.”

The chief was so surprised that he stood up and waved his hand. He was furious and stamped his feet and turned his back on her. He said to her, “I am astonished that you passed such an insult. Go away and think about how sad and disappointed you have made me.”

The other sisters who had always been jealous of their father’s love for her was happy at this development. Three months after the girls had gone away, the chief was unable to eat. What the other daughters cooked did not taste delicious to him.

So, he went to look for the youngest daughter and apologised because he realised she was the wisest among all his daughters. He made her a ruler over his kingdom and told her, “When I die, you should take care of my people.”

By Jaja Janet Ideal Secondary School

Issues

Holiday Ideas

POEMS

Nature Nature so much to be discovered When you die, it is the end You never let us down when we need you

Armed Robbery

You determine day and night

OR many years, people have slaved to turn their dreams Fproperties! into reality, only for a group of bandits to cart away their

We are sorry for destroying you

On my Aunt’s birthday, one night in July, we were attacked on our way back home. Fortunately, we were in the company of other people. A robber walked up with a gun pointed at my one and only dad. It was very terrifying to see the cold looking black gun. While, I was deciding whether it was a dream or a figment of my imagination, an off-duty officer held the attacker at gunpoint, and called for back up.

That’s why I can share this story; we made it alive! I hope most of these incidences will end up on a lighter side if only the government would protect the lives of its citizens.

By Obiorah Ejiofor 7 Green Corona School, Gbagada

Jog Your Brain Compare the year with the event • Nigeria’s amalgamation by Lord Lugard.

1973 • The beginning of the Biafran war 2010 • Yar’Adua died.

1978 • New Nigerian national anthem was released.

1914

Use the long holiday well by doing any of the following activities instead of spending all day glued to the television set.

• Join a summer camp and learn a new language or skills e.g. drawing, carpentry or trade.

• Get a vacation job and it doesn’t have to be an office job. Here are some job ideas: • You can work as sales assistant in your parents’ or relative’s shop.

You can also babysit for close neighbours or exercise a neighbour’s dog every evening.

• Run errands or go shopping in the markets. Weaving smaller children’s hair in the neighbourhood is another good way to keep busy.

• Join a sports club or participate in any of the sports clinics going on at the National stadium.

The idea is to keep busy and earn some money for you.

Wise Words

Every day, you evolve gradually

Great Manners

A friend that we see everywhere

Some people say your manner is the way you behave. Others say it the way you compose yourself. Some still say it is having respect for all. They are all right but having manners is a lot more than these. One can differentiate people through their manners. Some people have good manners while others have bad manners. Let us take for instance our table manners.

People with good manners wouldn’t talk while eating. They would also sit upright. But people with bad manners would lie down to eat and even spit out their food. Now let us look at another example. Children with good manners would always obey and respect their parents and elders. You all know what bad people would do in the regard.

If you have good manners, people would say good things about you but if you are bad mannered, nice things won’t be said about you. Do you know that good mannered people make friends easily? Bad mannered people are always lonely, gloomy and sad.

So, if you are good mannered, keep it up but if you’re not, try to change your manners and you’d see that you’d see that you’d be happier.

By Maureen Onyeziri

How adventurous you are!

You solve mysteries You give us abundance rainfall Nature! Nature! You make me laugh We are a part of you For we cannot live without you You help us with food

By Korede Obafaiye Yr 4 Ocean Crest School, Lekki

Poise

How Is Your Conversation?

COMPILED BY KIKELOLA OYEBOLA

Joke

Green, Pink And Yellow

There is no day we do not One day, a German and a speak with people. Everyday, Yoruba man went for an inwe meet people— our family, terview where they were friends, teachers, etc. asked to make a sentence The way we talk and the with the words: Green, pink words we say still linger even and yellow. long after we have left them.

The German said: “I am putSo, speak politely. ting on a yellow shirt, a green Never shout on anyone, not trousers and a pink tie”. even younger ones or speak When it was the Yoruba abusive words. man’s turn, he said: “I heard Learn to apologise when the phone ringing green, wrong. green. I pink it up and I said Say ‘thank you’ when someYellow.” one does you a favour.

Learn to respectfully greet eld- By Chibuikem Agwamba 14, Chief Okonkwo Street, ers, your parents, teachers, Lagos. etc.

(You can contact us on events for this page through: e-mail: jideoojo@yahoo.com

Sunshine Sammy’s World Of Words Bimpe Daodu of Ibadan, Oyo State has some words to share with Sunshine Sammy.

Coddle Ceiling Celestial Censorious Certitude Cessation Charlie Charity Charitable Charwoman Do you have some words to share with Sunshine Sammy? Please send your contributions to: Junior Guardian Desk Rutam House P.M.B. 1217, Oshodi or email: kikelola_oyebola@yahoo.ca Remember to write your name, address and include a passport photograph beside your entries.

Do You Know • Jasper de Cruz, a Catholic missionary priest was the first European to taste tea, when he went to Asia in the 16th century.

• The Suez Canal in Egypt connects the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea. Without it, ships travelling from Europe to Asia would have to take a long journey through Cape Town in South Africa to get to Asia.

• The Hindi name for India is Bharat Ganarajya!

Proverb Making a mistake in the first instance is not as bad as not taking steps to correct it.

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

25

RHETORICAL RHYME Do I have a silent mind?

Must my mind be silent while my body speaks?

Can the burning hell ever cease?

Or can anyone stop the everlasting praise of heaven?

Can the everlasting ever end?

Why must I think of the latter’s unending eyes?

Why must I be I? Must my mind always wonder yet again?

Why can’t I just remain?

Can the mind be dead while the body lives?

Why are great things expected of little leaves?

Shall the sky ever stop its endless cry?

Would someone sing to the sky a lullaby?

Shall the sky kill the ground before the rain shall cease?

Why can’t I speak and everyone, their peace?

Why can’t the world let me be?

How can I know what eternity holds for me?

Why can’t I stop thinking?

If I stop meditating, shall tomorrow be entertaining?

Can my adventurous mind ever reach its final destination?

My mind wonders, can another comprehend?

Will I ever live up to my expectations?

My dreams are mighty, can they ever be attained?

Are my dreams out of bounds?

Do I have a silent mind?

By Ebenezer Walve

WHAT IS IT?

Thesaurus Gangling a) lanky b) large c) group d) long Cruise a) ship b) sail c) run d) smooth Aggregate a) total b) collect c) uphold d) remain Reprieve a) abuse b) official pardon c) send d) catch Brainstorm a) think b) calculate c) gather d) say Piety a) pray b) goodness c) adore d) white Gnaw a) mouth b) break c) cut d) chew Gregarious a) accept b) outgoing c) lay d) wise Anchor a) great b) fasten c) cover d) can Awkward a) shame b) ill at ease c) cool d) silly

Friends Friends are those who either help or destroy you.

There are three types of friends: The good friends The bad friends The half good and half bad friends The good friends are those who help to build and upgrade you in good ways. But the bad friends destroy you and wouldn’t help you in times of need. The half good and half bad friends are sometimes good and sometimes bad.

Sometimes they help and sometimes they destroy.

So, my advice for you is to watch, study and know which category your friends belong.

By Tasie Anyaibe Olivet Height Secondary School.

SOLUTION TO BRAIN TEASER (13) DELUGE EXPLAIN NEGLIGENT REVERSAL CAUTION GRUDGE PROFICIENT CORPORATE

SOLUTION TO BRAIN TEASER (14) LIABLE PREVENT TRIBULATION DAMAGE FUMIGATE HABITABLE REPLACE MISERABLE

I saw myself falling I didn’t know what to do.

Tried to stand but just couldn’t do it.

I was gone My sun was no more.

I was lost I stood still and it drizzled on me Then it came— the rainstorm, to pound on my soul I was alone From the dark I saw a shimmering light My limbs are becoming strong Yes! My time has come It is a new dawn Now! I have valour Although still a gazelle Yes! I am exquisite But what gives me this?

What is it?

It is hope Hope! Hope!

Yes! It is hope.

By Fole Oghenetega Mother of the Redeemer Catholic Secondary School

Events

Pupils Of J. NISSI Graduate

Pupils of J. Nissi

It was celebration galore and a memorable day for pupils and management of J. NISSI Children School Odo Eran, Ogba, Lagos, as the school rolled out its drums to celebrate the 2013 graduation and prize giving ceremony, held at Clam Event Centre Ikeja.

The pupils thrilled parents and guests to the fullest, as they displayed various talents in drama, choreography and news presentation among others.

Proprietress of the school, Pastor Mrs. Bukola Oladiyun said the school presented six pupils for NECO exams for 2012/2013 session and their results rank among the best in the state.

She advised parents to always allow their children get to primary six before sitting for the entrance examination.

On the theme: “ Providing the Child with Sound Education Based on Christian Principles,” Oladiyun said the

school’s vision is to build a world class Christian educational institution where children with sound moral, impeccable character and integrity are raised for transformational leadership.

She advised the graduating students not to forget the vision and mission statement of the school and be good ambassadors of Christ at all times as they move to the next level of their academic pursuit.

Deputy director of education, Lagos State, Mrs. Oziyi also advised parents to always pray and create time for the their children.

The school’s PTA chairman, Mr. Femi Micah, thanked the staff of the school for their cooperation and the pupils’ academic excellence at the end of the session.

Outstanding pupils were rewarded for excellent performances while deserving staff got awards for long service.

—Oluwakemi Ajani

26

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

CAMPUS

Final year students at the Niger Delta University have created the “Floating Complex”, a prototype designed by students as solution to the severe flooding situation in the Niger Delta. It is a housing complex erected on materials that can withstand floods and stay afloat. The complex is solar powered to deal with power outages that occur during floods and has facilities that can store food and manage waste. The Floating Complex won first place during a session on Innovation & Creativity at Guest speaker, Mr. Femi Falana (middle) in a group photograph with participants at the 11th Coca-Cola/NBC the recently completed Internship Centre Clinic for graduates at the university, supported by Afrigrants Resources Ltd. The Nation Campus Life Correspondents’ Workshop held in Lekki, Lagos... recently.

New Governing Council Meets, Strategises On UI’s Future

By Tope Templer Olaiya

achievement of the immediate past Governing Council, under the leadership of Chief Wole Olanipekun,” he said.

Former council member and registrar of the university, Chief (Mrs.) Moji Ladipo, who was one of the facilitators at the retreat, said: “UI

Council has always consisted of loyal and selfless men and women who saw their membership as a call to service and were committed

HE University of Ibadan (UI) recently held a two-day retreat at the La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort Lekki, Lagos, for the newly appointed governing council of the institution “to appraise the past in order to properly project and leap the university to brighter future.”

Speaking on the theme of the retreat Sustaining the Change and Renewal for Growth, the Pro Chancellor and chairman of council, former military governor of Western Nigeria, Gen. Robert Adeyinka Adebayo (rtd.), said the event seeks to enable the new Council the opportunity to brainstorm and fashion out its own visions and priorities, while putting in place measurable benchmarks for evaluating achievements.

“I consider the brainstorming session as a process of enforcing the dynamic change required to significantly improve all aspects of the Chief Wole Olanipekun (left); Pro-Chancellor and chairman of Governing Council, University of Ibadan, Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo (Rtd.); university life, and most especially Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Adewole; Prof. Ayo Oduola; and former Registrar of the institution, Chief (Mrs.) Moji Ladipo, at the retreat consolidate on the outstanding held recently in Lagos with the theme Sustaining the Change and Renewal for Growth.

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to the ideals of excellence, probity and accountability.”

Other members of the 16th Governing Council are Vice Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Folorunso Adewole; Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Arinola Sanya; Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Idowu Olayinka; Lawrence Ekpebu, Sam Nwatu, Dr. Anthony Uche Mbah, Senator Masud Doguwa El Jubril, Dr. Nathaniel Merenu, Prof. Bankole Oke, Prof. Ezekiel Ayoola, Prof Adebayo Okunade, Prof. Labode Popoola, Prof. Mathew Oluwole Abatan, Dr. Gani Adetunji Adeniran and Registrar/Secretary to Council, Mr. Olujimi Olukoya.

The VC noted that at present, UI has about 8,000 postgraduate students, 13,000 undergraduate and 16,000 Distance Learning students. He added that the total student population is divided in the ratio of 60:40 postgraduate and undergraduate students respectively with an admission quota of 6,000, though this year’s admission has been pegged at 3,000.

Outstanding Students Get N50,000 Reward Indian Technological Varsity, FIIRO universities: Alabi Shakirudeen Bojesomo and Calvin Ossai who jointly were the best in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (OAU) with CGPA of 4.92 out of 5; Bisola Awojobi from the University of Ibadan (UI), who finished with 6.8 CGPA out of 7; Gazali Tanimu, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU) student finishing with 4.78 out of 5; Roseline Oluchukwu, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) with a CGPA of 4.77 from 5 and Favour Ibok, University of Lagos (UNILAG) with university record of 4.8 out of 5. Tolulope Falokun was the best WAEC student with nine A1s from St Louis Grammar School in Ondo, Ondo State. They were all awarded a cheque of N50,000 each.

Convener of the awards, Mr. Adekunle Akintayo, said the idea of the project is to recognize outstanding and inspiring feats by Nigeria students. ‘‘We want to push them out as role models for our youths and not the showbiz idols they usually watch on television,” he said.

Accenture Nigeria’s Country Director, Niyi Yusuf, urged the awardees to be humble and Principal, Lumen Christi Int. High School, Rev. Fr. Theophilus Itaman, flanked by stufocused. He urged government to dents; Oseme Peter and Atigan Weyimi while receiving an award from former chairman, provide scholarships to outstandPharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Mr. Tony Oyawole, for Best Performing School ing students as was done in the nationwide during the 2013 Reward Nigeria Award held in Lagos. olden days.

By Tunde Akinola HE 2013 Reward Nigeria awards ceremony held in Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, provided another opportunity to celebrate the exceptional exploits of some of the best brains in the country.

Organised by Culbeat New Concept (CNC) limited, Lumen Christi International High School, Uromi, Edo State, emerged recipient of this

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year’s award, which is in its fourth edition, for being the best secondary school in Nigeria, producing outstanding results at the 2011 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), three years in a row. The school principal, Rev. Fr. Theophilus Itaman, received the award.

Other awardees were the best graduating students from five foremost

Partner On Waste Conversion,

By Gbenga Akinfenwa HE Delhi Technological University, (formerly Delhi College of Engineering), India and the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) have entered into partnership to maximize the potentials of the research institute in the bid to make Nigeria an industrialised nation.

Some areas of collaboration include conversion of waste to energy, exchange of information, training programmes, capacity building and collaborative research, among others.

Delivering a paper titled Conversion of Wastes of Today to Energy of Tomorrow, Dr. Naveen Kumar, professor and head, Mechanical Engineering Dept. and Head, Biodiesel Research Group, DTU, said energy is a major input for the socio-economic development of any country and per capital energy consumption considered an index of development.

He disclosed that in the next 41 years, Nigeria’s crude oil would dry up, hence the need for the country to find new options of producing energy because Nigeria cannot continue to depend on petroleum forever.

Earlier, the Director-General of the institute, Dr. (Mrs.) Gloria Elemo, said India had the same problem with Nigeria few years ago and has moved to another level leaving Nigeria behind. She added that

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there is an urgent need for the country to be industrialised to meet up with other countries of the world.

WISECRACKS People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds. It is something one creates.

Thomas Szasz Gauge your success by what you gave up to achieve it.

Eden Hampson It is impossible to win the great prizes in life without running risks.

Theodore Roosevelt

LET US kNOW Every week, LIFE CAMPUS reports on events in students’ communities across the country. You can contribute by sending stories, gossips, reports on events and your pictures for Campus Faces to us at: templer2k2@yahoo.com or guardianlife2005@yahoo.com

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

27

COVER

2015: North In Search Of Political Lost Compass Jonathan

By Leo Sobechi WO happenstances more than anything else, could be said to have shaped the political dynamics of the greater northern Nigeria: former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s failed third ambition and the mid-term demise of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. Consequently, as major political actors from the North haemorrhage frustration over their lot, it has become obvious that the North seems to be engaged currently in serious search for political compass. So far, events leading to the build up to the 2015 electoral meet seem to exemplify that.

On two occasions, leaders of the northern geopolitical zones visited Aso Rock Villa to confront President Goodluck Jonathan with their perceived reasons why he should not seek a second term in office. But aside from the two staggered visits, the Congress for Equity and Change (CEC) led by Chief Edwin Clark alongside some Middle Belt leaders, including a former Military Governor of Katsina State, Major General Lawrence Onoja, Senator Ameh Ebute and Senator John Wash Pam, paid a similar visit on President Jonathan. However, unlike the visit of Arewa Consultative Forum and Northern Elders Forum, the CEC and middle belt team assured the President of their support whenever he decides to run for a second term.

The verbal darts that followed the presence of middle belters, especially Onoja, on the visit epitomizes what the once closely knit North would not like to hear: the aphorism, ‘one north one people’ was fast becoming a mirage!

The All Progressives Congress (APC), an amalgamation of progressive political parties including the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) is still unfolding. The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Democratic People’s Party (DPP) are also tagging along. From the mere configuration and strengths of the merging political parties, it is evident that the initiative could not be said to be laced with northern inspiration.

The point analysts have found hard to vocalize is that, instead of being on the driving seat, it was the ACN with its Southwestern ideology that stretches out its helping hand to northern based political parties for politi-

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cal redemption. For the singular reason that no human person with healthy limbs seeks a pair of crutches, it could be quickly added that by engaging in the merger, albeit as a weaker link, the North has become a sort of political invalid. After all, it is not a complement that the once buoyant and vibrant ANPP that had nine states in its kitty by 1999 is now rushing down to the Southwest with bowls in hand in dire search political agglomeration with ACN, an offshoot of the former AD (Alliance for Democracy) with which it forged a dubious fusion to produce an Olu Falae/Umaru Shinkafi presidential ticket in 1999. But it pains to recall how the alter ego of CPC, retired General Mohammadu Buhari (GMB) was pushed out from ANPP by some of the party’s governors from the North. It seems a poignant irony that the same GMB would be at the centre of an alliance involving some of the selfsame persons that eased him out of the once glorious ANPP! Is the North groping in political darkness?

Shortly before the 2011 elections, three or four aspirants from the North aspired to the office of President under the platform of People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Questions as to why the North stoked the consensus option are akin to asking a pregnant woman what is in her mid-section. The defeat which the North feared not only came, the consensus enterprise sowed seeds of discord in the midst of the major political players from the geopolitical zone. Nobody, not even Dr. Adamu Ciroma, cared to tell Nigerians whether the North accepted Senator Bukola Saraki as one of its own during the consensus search. Yet, having beaten the duo of General Ibrahim Babangida and Ahmed Gusau to it as the consensus candidate for the north, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar cannot deny that any of those he dusted in the consensus race did not work against his emergence as the PDP flag bearer. Even at that, having emerged as consensus candidate for the North, would it not have made more political sense for Turaki to step down for GMB in the spirit of northern unity? When the late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo spoke of political sagacity that borders on political arithmetic, he did not broach the idea of political magnanimity.

May be, as a political scientist, the colourful former President of Senate knew there cannot be anything like magnanimity in politics. The north seems to be living the veiled truth in

On two occasions, leaders of the northern geopolitical zones visited Aso Rock Villa to confront President Goodluck Jonathan with their perceived reasons why he should not seek a second term in office. But aside from the two staggered visits, the Congress for Equity and Change (CEC) led by Chief Edwin Clark alongside some Middle Belt leaders, including a former Military Governor of Katsina State, Major General Lawrence Onoja, Senator Ameh Ebute and Senator John Wash Pam, paid a similar visit on President Jonathan. However, unlike the visit of Arewa Consultative Forum and Northern Elders Forum, the CEC and middle belt team assured the President of their support whenever he decides to run for a second term. that postulation. But the journey down the hill did not start overnight.

When he subtly handed the running of the administration in the hands of his second in command, Abubakar, President Obasanjo seemed to realise that any attempt at political magnanimity always tend to backfire. As such, it dawned on the former military head of state that presidential system was poles apart from the command and control structure inherent in military administrations. He was to realise that fact belatedly in 2003. If Obasanjo had to dobalee to Alhaji Atiku, to clinch a second term ticket, what he did thereafter did not bear any such pretensions.

Like a clinical surgeon, Obasanjo went on a covert mission of deconstructing geopolitical foci of power. Under that mission, Jim Nwobodo and Mohammed Abubakar Rimi, were cleared off the political track. At the end of the day, only Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had a power centre that could not be bulldozed by Obasanjo, who wanted to be the only godfather in the federation.

The central purpose of the mission was to materialise when at the threshold of his tenure, the former President started neighing for a possible tenure elongation otherwise known as Third term. It was a stroke of legislative craftiness coupled with some back channel diplomatic manoeuvres that cost the President a third term. But the North, more than any other geopolitical bloc bore a great brunt of Obasanjo’s vengeance for that denial. While the outgoing President wrestled against the Vice President, little did it dawn

on Atiku that the overall scheme was Obasanjo’s determination to ensure that his former vice does not step on the Promised Land. Instead of feigning indifference and adopting a decoy to serve out the term with Obasanjo quietly, Atiku quit PDP and joined AC to contest the 2007 presidential election. It seems plausible to suggest that by quitting PDP, Atiku played into the hands of Obasanjo and thereby succeeded in leaving the North free for him (Obasanjo) to finish what he started.

When Obasanjo succeeded in foisting the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on the PDP as its presidential flag bearer, the mission of political deconstruction of the North could be said to have run full circle. Obasanjo seemed to be enjoying his subdued laughter because, being a quiet performer and reformer, Yar’Adua was not what could be styled as an ambitious politician.

His business was just what he could do for the masses. Did Obasanjo intend that the Presidential candidate should die amidst the electoral campaigns or being privy to the candidate’s medical history, did he know that the rigours of work at the Presidency would cut his tenure short? Those are but conjectures. Yet, there is nothing to support the speculation that Obasanjo expected that upon completing his first term, he would have had another opportunity to select a pliable northern candidate to run the remaining term. Was Abubakar Rimi removed out of the way so that the Owu chief could play on the field for long as the real godfather of Nigeria’s democracy? Does Obasanjo’s interest in Governor Sule Lamido, Rimi’s politi-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

28

COVER

2015: North Working Hard To Build Consensus From John Akubo, Dutse S the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) conA tinues to wobble towards retaining power in 2015, the game plan by some of the gladia-

interview Lamido had with some select media, even though he did not deny having an ambition, he said his ambition was not the issue but how to save the country.

He said the country has many problems ranging from tribalism, sectionalism to religious bigotry, adding that until it is healed of those idiosyncrasies and peculiarities it will be difficult for development to be achieved.

“Today, if you go to somebody in the SouthSouth, he would say ‘my son is there, he must be!’ It does not matter whether that man is killing him. So, first and foremost, the Nigerian chemistry, is it thoroughly healed? The elites, are they honest enough? The people, are they courageous enough to do the right thing?

He said as a Muslim, he believes in destiny adding that what must be must be when the time is ripe. “Now who has that guarantee that he is going to live till 2015. Why are we wasting our energy and our steam over it?”

Reports linking the initial speculation of Lamido/Amaechi ticket to former president, chief Olusegun Obasanjo had set the ball rolling even after the former President denied endorsing the joint presidential ticket of the two.

However, the former President’s comments on May 29, when he delivered a keynote address at the Jigawa Investment and Economic Summit only further confirmed speculation that he has endorsed the duo for the plum jobs.

tors in the North keeps changing.

Though the North has not anointed any individual, recent events indicate that they are working hard not to allow differences in political affiliation to deny them the Presidency this time around.

There have been nocturnal meetings, including open statements, to let whoever cared to know that it is now time for the North to rule.

Some of the presidential hopefuls like Governor Sule Lamido have been tactful not to declare their ambition officially, maybe in order not to fan embers of discord with the incumbent.

After a long period of inactivity and clandestine moves on his ambition, supporters Lamido recently used the occasion of his return from a two-week leave to drum their support for him to take the bull by the horn and declare his ambition.

Activities in the ancient commercial city of Kano were practically brought to a halt when supporters of Lamido for President for 2015 stormed the Aminu Kano International Airport to welcome him back from his leave.

In a renewed drive to ensure the Presidency does not elude the North in 2015, these supporters converged to give their hero a rousing welcome and showcase him to other Nigerians as their choice.

It was like testing the 2015 political waters as they practically used the opportunity to reiterate the fact that the Governor has not given up despite the cold war between the President and Governor Amaechi, Lamido’s supposed running mate.

Relations between Lamido and Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso had been frosty, but they are now reconciled by the faceoff in Nigerian Governors Forum, where they both played a role in the emergence of Amaechi as winner of the NGF election. Being in one camp has brought them closer.

The expression of support by Northern Governors for the embattled Amaechi is viewed as another powerful statement.

The permutation for 2015, for the North to get power back is being done from all fronts to ensure that different interests will zero in on one candidate no matter the political platform.

Another pointer to the disenchantment of the Northern Governors with the new wave of crisis in the ruling PDP was visible in a recent Lamido

For some time now Obasanjo’s comments at any given opportunity are loaded with insinuations and innuendoes that seem to cast aspersions on Jonathan and the perception of his dismal performance.

The import of the former President’s absence at this year’s celebration of Democracy Day in Abuja and his preference to attend the ceremony in Jigawa, where he presented a keynote address is not lost on keen observers.

Even without the Keynote address, his presence in Jigawa was enough body language that all is not well with him and Jonathan.

For the elder statesman he was obsessed with the Success of Lamido as Governor because he (Obasanjo) was privy to his becoming the Governor.

Apparently referring to current high-wire politics and horse-trading ahead of 2015, Obasanjo declared that Lamido has exhibited good governance abilities, and has the capacity and competence to rule Nigeria.

While Lamido seems to be enjoying public support, the Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA) has said it has searched throughout the region for a credible Presidential candidate, but is yet to get one.

They said they couldn’t be impressed by the array of presidential hopefuls from the region, because most of them contributed to the quashing of the zoning formula in the past when they

supported the incumbent President to achieve his ambition.

The President of the Arewa Youth Assembly Comrade Ibrahim Waiya who addressed newsmen in Dutse recently condemned in strong terms the current position of some northern governors, who are now seeking the support of other northerners to solidify their ambition.

He disclosed that they had met with 18 governors in the north, including Sule Lamido when they all agreed that it was the time for the region to get back its mandate.

Comrade Waiya who was in Jigawa for a sensitization tour with his members said all those angling to contest 2015 are the same people who betrayed the North in 2011.

“I am surprised that the same group of politicians who campaigned against zoning the presidency to the North in 2011 are now positioning themselves to contest the 2015 election if it is zoned to the North. As far we are concerned, zoning is dead. In 2011 we staged demonstrations and campaigns to ensure that our political leaders fought and stood by the zoning principle, but they refused and now they want to contest the 2015 election. We are waiting for them because they must explain their roles in trading away the northern chances in 2011.”

He said they are searching for a credible, young northern candidate that can deliver before they throw their support behind him.

Kwankwaso

North’s Search For Political Compass CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 cal ally attest to the possibility that Lamido’s second term would have been truncated for a presidential stint as happened in Atiku’s instance? Having not tried Jonathan, could it be that Obasanjo wanted to have him succeed Yar’Adua in case of any eventuality so that as President, Jonathan would eternally remain grateful and therefore politically subservient to OBJ? NGF election RECENTLY, the NEF restated its determination to ensure that the presidency returns to the northern region in 2015. NEF Secretary and former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, (ABU) Zaria, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, who addressed a press conference after the visit on President Jonathan, declared that northerners would insist on power shift to the region “this time around”. He disclosed that the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and other northern groups were already working assiduously to protect the northern (political?) interest. The former ABU VC contended that even if the North could not get the presidency based on the plea of rotation, its massive population would deliver the ambition. He boasted that the North “can decide to keep power indefinitely in the present Nigerian State if the election would be on the basis of one man, one vote”.

His words: “The North is determined and is insisting that the leadership of the country will rotate to it in 2015 and I am making that very clear to you. If it is on the basis of one man, one

vote, the demography shows that the North can keep power as long as it wants because it will always win elections.”

But despite Prof. Abdullahi’s boast, what transpired within the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) up to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, (NGF) chairmanship election showed the weakness of his premise.

From accounts of what transpired behind the scene leading to the election, especially the testimony of Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, that some of them conspired to present Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang, as consensus candidate to face disgrace, showed that the North cannot ever vote again as a bloc. Not anymore, remembering Saraki’s experience during a similar consensus arrangement in 2011. Those who read Kwankwaso’s confessions concluded that the North has killed its political golden geese of perceived numerical superiority. Or could the Middle Belt minorities forging close alliance with other minorities ever overlook the arrogance and subtle subjugation of their political rights anymore? It was perhaps in realization of the fact that things have changed drastically, politically speaking, in the northern region that prompted General T. Y. Danjuma to warn northern political leaders to watch their tongues and rather plan to mend the creeping rift in the region.

Zalunci Haram Some students of strategic studies claim that part of the effects of Boko Haram insurgency on the socio-economic lot of the North, could

be a reassessment of the leaders’ contribution to the region’s development or otherwise.

Those who moot the idea of a possible Zalunci Haram, suggest that enlightened northern youths could seek to challenge the northern privilegentsia after the insurgency. And given such turn of events, northern leaders may witness a rebellion by a segment of the region’s population in their voting consideration during elections. The talakawas may also resort to the concept of bijirewa. Analysts believe that if the economic conditions in the North continue to plummet, the talakawas may be pushed to the wall and then would have no other option than to bijere (refuse to abide by the dictates of the leaders).

Post-merger politics THERE are subtle arguments going on in the polity that the post-merger politics in the inchoate APC would further open the dire political situation of the North. Some northern politicians within the APC, who insist on a possible GMB presidential ticket on the APC contend that unless such a strong political actor like Buhari contests the presidency in 2015, the North would remain sprawling on the ground floor of national politics. Those who hold that view seem to suspect that ACN leader, Tinubu engineered the merger to give the Southwest a toga of mainstream politics, ostensibly to keep PDP in check in 2015. The expected backlash of GMB’s failure to clinch the APC presidential ticket, may likely result in a protest vote against whoever may emerge the party’s flag bearer in 2015. “It is possible that Tinubu and his ACN

henchmen from the Southwest want to reap from GMB’s ethical profile without advancing his political standing in the power equation,” said a source from Kano. The source asked rhetorically, “how far did Atiku and Ribadu fare during their romance with Southwest?”

Emergent South-South/South-East understanding ATTEMPTS to rekindle South-South and South East political cooperation have been on the upward swing under the Jonathan presidency. But how far the political understanding between the two neighbouring geopolitical zones could go after Jonathan’s presidency depends on the amount of goodwill created by the South-East across the country. When the chairman of NSGF, Aliu Babangida hinted that the North would negotiate power in 2013, it sounded more than a veiled suggestion of weakened political clout, but a practical strategy to ensure that the region supplants the South-East in 2019. Being adept political players, northern political leaders know that the South-East could hardly play as a team and would rather it trades off 2015 than wait interminably for power to return to the zone after Jonathan.

The recent acquittal of Col. Hamza Al Mustapha sufficiently feeds the speculation that the North may choose to support Jonathan on the basis of a more elaborate agreement that he would hand over power to a northern candidate in 2019.

However, for now it is evident that the North is in serious search for a political compass!

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

29

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Doukpola: I Will Liken Jonathan’s Quest For Second Term To That Of Obama Chief Francis Doukpola is a frontline politician and elder statesman in Bayelsa State. He told WILLIE ETIM in Yenagoa that nothing is going to stop Jonathan’s second term. He said those making noise are only trying to act an agenda of intimidation.

T appears those angling for Jonathan’s job Icampaigns? in the North are slowing down on their I DON’T think the people are slowing down, I suspect it is a ploy by the gladiators to take the President off guard. I will also suggest that those loyal to the President should take advantage of the prevailing scenario and up the game as it concerns preparation for the next general election, especially the presidential election.

However, those arguing Jonathan is not eligible or not qualified to contest the 2015 presidential election are perhaps the only people who can define the criteria of eligibility. Is it that the constitution debars him or what is that particular issue that makes him not to be eligible? He is a Nigerian just like any other Persons from this country. Dr Jonathan is just serving one term and he has not even gone half way. It is his entitlement to contest, it is his right and nothing can stop him and nobody should try to stop him.

I believe all that is playing out now is only part of an intimidation agenda. And in any case, I know very well that majority of Nigerians want Jonathan to contest for a second tenure.

By my own experience, there are two categories of citizens in this country, the first set are the political class, who for their own selfish obsession are against the return of the President; and the second category, the masses, who actually want the President to continue in office because they appreciate the changes that are taking place. The masses know that for once they have seen somebody who is attending to their needs and therefore, they will want him back come 2015. I’m convinced that this time around whether their leaders want him or not, the masses with their strength of vote will definitely return him and as you can see we are moving closer to free and fair elections in the country. Therefore, I have no fear that the President will return in the next general election.

The argument they make is that Jonathan’s tenure should terminate with that of Yar’Adua, so that power will return to the North First and foremost, Jonathan is not a northerner, he is from South-South, so he cannot serve the Northern tenure. It is posterity that made him to serve out the first tenure of what remained of the late president’s tenure, but most people have erroneously ascribed that as part of his tenure. That shouldn’t preclude him of his own right to contest the 2015 presidential election and besides, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria does not have North or South. There is nowhere in the constitution that says since Jonathan did a borrowed tenure, he is not eligible to seek reelection. It is very clear that Jonathan only served out the tenure of the late President and reserves the right to run his own authentic tenure. So, if he wants to contest he is free to do so. However, the President has not declared that he wants to seek reelection and people should not heat up the system.

It seems the President’s major challenge is from his own party and among the governors The Northern governors, if they are to vote will have nineteen votes, whereas, the masses will have more votes and they will vote for Jonathan. What the opposition is doing is an unnecessary gang-up against the President, which in my thinking will fail.

Let us look at it this way; which region or geographical zone has benefited from the Jonathan administration; who has removed

Doukpola the Almajiris from the streets and put them into school and provided welfare for them; who has reopened the rail lines for the trains; who has benefited from reactivated train services; who has benefited from the good roads? Is it not the North; and all the institutions and dams that are being built, are they not in the North?

Jonathan knows that the North is large and that they have the highest population and therefore if he is dealing with the distribution of amenities, the North needs more; that is why he has concentrated some of these things in the North.

Jonathan is not a tribal president; he is a man who knows that everything must be judiciously and fairly distributed. Are they telling us that the Northerners who are lifting oil have stopped? Let us not play individual politics, we should play politics of national development and Jonathan is sticking out his neck and doing things that others before him did not have the courage to do.

I liken President Jonathan’s case to that of Obama of the United States. Obama came and Americans suddenly woke up from their slumber and realised that they had voted a black man as a president and feel they will not allow him the second term, believing the first term was a mistake.

Obama proved himself and Americans wanted him back for the second term. He came back and now he is the best and the economy of the country has improved tremendously . Jonathan is touching those things that others were afraid to touch; there had been a lot of decadence and decaying of the system. It takes a while to bring these things to turn around and Jonathan is a young man with courage, he has taken the risk to fix the system. He quiet performance has endeared him to Nigerians. The good thing here is that he still has enough time between now and 2015 and I’m sure when the time comes, even the doubting Thomases will see reason to vote him for a second tenure.

Don’t you worry that the PDP is in sham-

bles?

Let me tell you something, before then all these things will be taken care of. PDP is a very large party with all sorts of interests.

Nigeria seems to be the place where people are not too satisfied with what they already have and are always thinking of what the other person is holding. Why should governors who have not even completed their tenure begin now to think that they want to take over leadership position elsewhere? Let me say here that democratic practice in this country is like that of America but there, nobody contests against a sitting president within the ruling party, especially if the president has done well like President Jonathan has done. So, the question of fresh primaries does not even arise. The party should see to it that President Jonathan gets an automatic ticket; that is the right and proper thing to do.

How do you convince citizens that Jonathan has done well and deserves another term?

I want to tell Nigerians that we should begin to appreciate ourselves, let us begin to identify virtues in the persons that are doing well for the nation, and President Jonathan has done well for this country. Let us encour-

I liken President Jonathan’s case to that of Obama of the United States. Obama came and Americans suddenly woke up from their slumber and realised that they had voted a black man as president and feel they will not allow him the second term, believing the first term was a mistake. Obama proved himself and Americans wanted him back for the second term. He came back and now he is the best and the economy of the country has improved tremendously

age ourselves to do the right thing, let it not be all about criticism always, insisting that it must be me or nobody else. It is possible Jonathan who has a large heart will even continue to benefit the North more.

So the question here is not about Jonathan coming from the North or South, but a person who can deliver the goods.

President Jonathan is doing great things and he should be given the opportunity to transform the country to the height that he wants it to be.

The indiscipline with the ruling party must stop. I can’t appreciate the point where inside the PDP there is observed indiscipline and some members could even go to extent of challenging the President at will. There must be some measure of discipline and respect, especially for Mr. President. It is very wrong for party members to go out openly to challenge Mr. President, who is the leader of the party.

Is the situation in Rivers part of the indiscipline you are talking about?

What is happening in Rivers state is so unfortunate. More so, we in Bayelsa have always regarded the state sometimes as our big brother or twin brother. So it is not something any Bayelsan will be happy about. We wish that the crisis did not even occur in the first instance and we hope that it should be resolved amicably and as quickly as possible. I still want to take it as some storm in a teacup within the family, which must be taken care off.

How do you see endorsements for the President ahead of 2015?

That is the strength that Mr. President needs. The Southern Nigeria People’s Forum has already endorsed Mr. President for a second term; as you know this is the forum of opinion leaders from SouthWest, South-East and South-South. Prominent elites cutting across the length and breath of the country have also endorsed him. Prominent groups from the Northern region have serially endorsed him and this is just the thing to do since Mr. President has proven himself in the act of governance.

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

30

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ABDULLAHI: The North Will Take 2015, By All Means Professor Ango Abdullahi, chairman

On behalf of all of us, ACF and all other northern groups we are going to have this common agenda. Not that the North is hungry and power-blind, no, it must be argued on the basis of rational argument that is on ground today; that the North, on the basis of one-man one-vote can keep power indefinitely in the present Nigerian state. If it is the question on the basis of one-man one-vote, people should understand that the North could keep power as long as it wants because it will always win elections

Northern Elders Forum (NEF) said last week that the North is set to wrest power from President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. He told The Guardian Northern Bureau Chief SAXONE AKHAINE, that Jonathan would be violating the Constitution if he seeks another term.

ow serious are the elders of the North on H the issue of 2015 presidency coming back to the region?

LET me start from the impression that ACF is not so assertive on the issue of Northern presidency in 2015. This is not correct. You know, here in the North we have certain traditions, sometimes, that are described as weakness. The fact that we don’t come out and start shouting in abusive language and so on, sometimes gives wrong impression that we do not have deep- rooted concern for ourselves. All of us in the various northern groups are larger than ACF. If you look at the North, most of the states are quite bigger than some of the states in the South combined. But, I want to make it absolutely clear to you that the ACF and all these other groups are committed to the interest that underlined northern interest. If you haven’t heard it sufficiently loud enough, that the North is determined, and we have been insistent that the leadership of the country would rotate back to it in 2015, I am making that very, very clear to you. On behalf of all of us, ACF and all other northern groups we are going to have this common agenda. Not that the North is hungry and power-blind, no, it must be argued on the basis of rational argument that is on ground today; that the North, on the basis of one-man one-vote can keep power indefinitely in the present Nigerian state. If it is the question on the basis of oneman one-vote, people should understand that the North could keep power as long as it wants because it will always win elections.

But, on the basis of the usual sacrifices that northerners do make, and because of the life history of this country, some of us who participated in constitutional conferences from 1987 up to the last one, the political reform conference, accepted, that every part of this country should feel part of the leadership.

And this is the basis of the acceptance of the rotation of power, that between the North and the South. There is what happened during the constitutional conferences I attended and many of us attended. There was no question of geo-political zone. The geo-political zones were later introduced.

Of course, the argument made is that it was supposed to be in the constitution, but the government in power at time said this is too much to be put in the constitution, but should be something the parties can use to attract support and votes in all parts of the country. Some of us in the PDP, the ruling party accepted it quickly.

And I was part of the constitution drafting for the party. I would recall vividly that there was to be rotation between the North and the South, particularly in terms of the top echelon of the leadership of the country. The argument that followed immediately was, where would the rotation start? And then again it was argued, we northerners as usual thought we should continue, but, we said let it start from the South because over the years we have been there. And then because of the crisis that followed the annulment of the June 12 election, for example, these were the cumulated issues and we decided that the South should start. That was how Obasanjo came to be our President under that arrangement, and when you now asked or rather begged for the arrangement to be extended towards what the constitution allowed us, that a president could go for two terms. This was extended for Obasanjo to finish his constitutional period in office.

This particular President we have now, was then the executive governor of Bayelsa State at that time. So, we agreed that the South would have its eight

Ango years. But Obasanjo wanted to create some lacuna somewhere, even trying to abandon the zoning and seek for the third term, and of course, eventually he failed.

An again, with due respect, he felt we allowed him to hand-pick his successor, my younger brother, Umaru Yar’adua, but he was ill and he died two and a half years into his first term in office. So, it created a lot of upset.

But, there was what the constitution says, and this was what Jonathan could not follow when he got there. And we say no. It must have been the fault of northerners, because they allowed this. I thought he should have been the first, purely on moral ground to know that there is rotation arrangement in place and that the South had had its shot. But, surprisingly, he came out in public to say that there was nothing like rotation.

Obasanjo started it. The issue here is whether we will allow another four years for Jonathan.

But, recently, we are now getting to know from one of the governors that there was a secret arrangement to allow Jonathan do only four years after completing Umaru Yar’Adua’s tenure and he agreed.

The Governor of Niger state said this but they haven’t expatiated on this further. But, it makes you think, how could this guy be trusted if he cannot honour simple agreement, whether written or unwritten? There is also the issue of morality and we are now saying that since there is no consideration for morality, the presidency would come whether on the basis of rotation or on the basis of voting power.

And we have the voting power to make sure it will come back to the north.

If you could remember that the former defunct NPN Chieftain, chief Richard Akinjide had spoken on manipulation of votes, based on population census. And this he said was on the erroneous belief that the North is more than the South in terms of population; on this basis are elections manipulated in favour of the North on this erroneous belief?

My take is that Akinjide must have been an ignorant person; ignorant and selfish. Of course we have known his political attributes for a very long time. You remember the famous 12 and two-third? And he did all that

favour the population of some sections of the country against the other. But, let me make the point that it is not true that forest areas are more densely populated than savannah areas.

The most densely populated areas of the world have been savannah areas, not the forest.

Under the present administration, the North has been accommodated with many positions, including office of the Vice President. Are you saying that whatever you want you cannot get unless you have the presidency?

That is what we are trying to do now. We are going to get what we think is our right by way of zoning. And with regards to Obasanjo, he had always been a betrayer, not only of himself, but others.

There seemed to be a division in the North regarding Jonathan’s coming back in 2015. There are people from the Middle Belt who want him to continue.

How will you bring all Northerners together for a northern candidate?

The issue of the unity of the North is our concern. All the northern groups, including the one you have alluded to, are all under the enlarged northern interest. I think there is concerted effort to try and let the wall that has been largely broken from outside be mended. affairs today in the North, with due If you look at the North, most of the The respect, is rather based on ethnicity or relistates are quite bigger than some of gious sentiments. This has been made largely because of the divide and rule elethe states in the South combined. successful ments. And there is this façade, as soon as we But, I want to make it absolutely can sort it out we are hoping that all our brothers from all the northern states will see themclear to you that the ACF and all selves as one; all these problems would come these other groups are committed to to pass. And as for our political interest, we be thinking as to whom and where to the interest that underlined north- would rally round to put our votes when the time ern interest. If you haven’t heard it comes.

There is agitation by the Middle Belt to prosufficiently loud enough, that the duce the presidential North is determined, and we have candidate should the North insist on 2015; is okay by you? been insistent that the leadership of that Our definition of the North is just one north. the country would rotate back to it Our candidate could be from any part of the in 2015, I am making that very, very North. There is no demarcation, as to this is core North or Middle Belt. We have just one clear to you.

North. And the candidate we may have would come from any part of the North. You should to get ministerial appointment. For those take this from me as an assurance. We would who are conversant with simple arithmetic, be committed to the candidate from the the North’s landmass today constitutes 75 North, irrespective of faith or tribe. The person percent of the entire landmass of the will receive the support of the entire North for Nigerian State. I can tell you today that 2015 presidency; that we have agreed. So, that Kaduna State’s landmass is equivalent to the one is settled. entire Southeastern states. So, 10meter Again, the current crisis in Rivers State, and square, and put one person there, and say other political hiccups are signs of power tusthis is one-man per square meter. And then sle for 2015 presidency; where do you place the make 30 square meters and put half a man incumbency factor in all of that? there. What is the population density of two As regards to the poor governor in Rivers, how squares, assuming you want to add half a could Jonathan have his way if we are reading man to another half a man to make one our laws and the constitutions correctly? man?

Amaechi is a governor, and if you look at the For those who come from as many sections constitution, he is the governor of Rivers State of Nigeria as you can, there is no finality in and the rules of his election are the same rules square meter or square kilometer. What is that brought about Jonathan as president. The important is, what is the area multiplied by rules at the disposal of Amaechi should be the population density. That will give you your same rules that would be applied to the presifinal figure. There is no doubt today, I don’t dent. We are not children. Nigerians are not want to behave like the new chairman of the children that Jonathan would have his way.

Population Commission, when we get to that You know that if he has an interest, he will point we would argue it. have his ways, he will use all means available But, I want to take you back to this maniputo him. But, let us hope that he would use lation, which must have started in 1903. You means that are lawful and allow Amaechi to must have been accusing the British who did also resist by means legal and lawful. So, everythe population count for all these times, and thing should be settled on the basis of legality. we were all under colonial administration But, where there is sheer brute force, it usually and I couldn’t see why the British should offends the rule of law.

TheGuardian

Sunday, July 21 , 2013 31

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Lafete Moments With Mo Unveils Dolapo Oni,

Bolanle Olukanni As Co-Hosts

BY GREGORY AUSTIN NWAKUNOR T last, the world has awoken to the PanAfrican dream of the continent’s new cuisine, Ebony Life TV. After the elaborate launch of Africa’s first Global Black Entertainment network at the luxurious Eko Hotel & Suites, Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, Marcy Dolapo Oni and Bolanle Olukanni have now been unveiled as the much-anticipated co-hosts on the long running programme, Moments with Mo, Africa’s first syndicated daily TV talk show.

Both emerged from one of the widest and most keenly contested searches on the continent. Spread over an intensive seven-day period of stringent, but fun auditions designed to throw up the ideal talents, the elaborate search saw co-Host hopefuls from many parts of Africa, including Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, the UK, the US and many parts of the world, swarm into the Eko Hotel & Suites venue of the Auditions in April 2013.

The announcement means that Oni and Olukanni are now favourites to share the hot seat with the celebrated Africa’s Queen of Talk and CEO of the outfit, Mo Abudu.

The threesome will continue to make the popular show a platform to discuss interesting, engaging and topical issues and human-interest stories. They will also be interviewing top black figures of the world, entrepreneurs and achievers in their own rights. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things that affect the lives of people around them positively will also be interviewed.

Set to start tomorrow, the new season of Moments with Mo is one of the many exciting, homegrown, glossy polished and sophisticated programmes that can be seen exclusively on the Mo Abudu, flanked by newly unveiled co-Hosts: Bolanle Olukanni (L) and Marcy Dolapo Oni (R). newly launched EbonyLife TV, Channel 165 on DStv. always been a mentor to me and I am very Night’s Dream, Walking Waterfall by Nii Dolapo and Bolanle both come on board with Ayikwei Parkes, In Time by Bola Agbaje, God excited to start this new chapter.” impressive resumes that are bound to elevate is a DJ by Oladipo Agboluaje and Iya-Ile (The the brand equity and personality of the proOLANLE Olukanni, on the other hand, is a First wife), a play produced by Soho gramme, commanding and reinforcing pan double degree graduate of The Loyola Theatre/the Tiata Fahodzi Company, to African followership and global reviews.

University, Chicago, with Bachelors of Arts in mention a few. both Communications and International She has received rave reviews from seaOLAPO Oni, who started her African Studies. Raised in Nigeria, Israel, Kenya and soned theatre critics for her lead roles.

Television career as the anchor on the MNET Recently, she became a new addition to the the USA, Olukanni has seen a fair bit of the show, 53 Extra, and who soon became a force to cast of the South African TV Series, Jacob’s world but finds there is no place like home. reckon with, brings her alluring countenance She’s been involved in Creating Culturally Cross, where she played Moremi Omotoso — and bubbly, effervescent personality to the Competent Measures for Integrated Arts, a woman who is passionate, liberated, and show.

Literacy and Cultural Identity Curricula Project – strong and fights for what she believes in.

The Nigerian-born actress and television perChanging Worlds (CURL), a research project.

“Working in front of the camera is a very sonality had her primary education at the She says, “I was first attracted to CURL different experience. I especially enjoyed Lebanese Community School in Lagos. While for shooting an episode for the miniseries because I realised that if I wanted to work in her secondary education, she was at the the non-profit sector, I needed to know how ‘Vexed’ that aired on the BBC in England Headington Girls Independent School, Oxford, to do research. I was also interested in CURL during the summer of 2010. However, I UK, where she became the first black head girl. because it gave me the opportunity to develhave always been drawn to African producShe went on to bag a degree in Chemistry from tions,” she reveals. “That was definitely my op and study how to use research practicalthe University of Bristol. ly.” motivation for working with the theatre Following her passion for the arts, however, Bolanle stresses, “since working at CURL, I company Tiata Fahodzi.”

Oni finally pursued and received a postgraduate have learnt so much. I have had the opportuShe reveals, “that is why coming to degree (MA in Drama) from the Academy of Live Nigeria seemed like a natural progression. I nity to get behind the scenes and see what and Recorded Arts in London (2005), proceedmakes organizations function, learn how to landed a job as the head anchor on Studio ing from that point to become a seasoned preuse research effectively, and most important53 Extra on arrival.” senter, actress and style icon known across ly understand what residents in the Chicago In 2011, Ntozake Shange cast her as the Africa. area need or what can be improved on. From ‘Lady in Blue’ in the Nigerian adaptation of “The course was everything I hoped it would the famous Broadway stage play, For Colored here on, I hope to gain more critical thinking be. We worked with both classical and contem- Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The skills and learn more about research methporary materials across all mediums — stage, ods.”

Rainbow is Enuf. Her character’s visceral film and radio. It really was a solid foundation A national qualifier for Competitive account is the tale of a woman who chooses for a career in entertainment,” she says.

Monologue Acting in America, a study in the to have an abortion.

She continues, “life after graduation has been power of the human voice through social Oni shared the stage with notable actressboth challenging and exhilarating. It takes some es like Joke Silva, Matilda Obaseki and Ireti action inspired monologues, Bolanle worked time to adapt to the rhythms of the acting and Doyle, and was well received for her lead briefly in the US before returning home to entertainment world with its irregular hours Nigeria for her NYSC, a period during which role from seasoned theatre critics. and working pattern. But it is worth it to get she co-founded Girls For The Future, a training According to her, “it is exciting for me to paid for doing what you love.” be home at a time when we are seeing a real workshop, which empowers Nigerian girls Oni adds, “one of my most memorable roles through education. Her favourite maxim explosion in creative industries. I want to was in the play Iya-Ile (The First wife). The incred- play a part in making our creative indusbeing: “No one is powerless; each person has ibly talented writer, Oladipo Agboluaje, who tries even more vibrant and put Nigeria and their own voice.” also wrote the short film, Area Boys, which was Bolanle is a strong believer in the imporAfrica firmly on the global stage as well as filmed in Nigeria, wrote it. I played multiple tance of one’s voice. Being a co-host on maintaining my contacts abroad.” roles and the play was nominated for a prestiMoments with Mo is, therefore, a wonderful The ever so cheerful Oni says, “I’m so excitgious Lawrence Olivier Award.” platform where her voice could be heard ed to be part of history in the making with Oni has played key roles in numerous plays, through inspiring TV. Bolanle loves writing EbonyLife TV. It’s an amazing team and the including William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer perfect new venture for me. Mo Abudu has poetry, reading and making Black Tea with

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Lemon.

“I look forward to being part of this new and exciting season in Television,” says Bolanle. “It’s a privilege to have emerged as a finalist in the keenly contested Search. It’s even a greater privilege to be part of Moments with Mo and the EbonyLife TV movement.”

For Yvonne Adefajo, producer of the programme, “Moments with Mo re-emerges with three times the fun, the action, and all the glam it has been known for over the years.

It’s been great working on the show, and we are excited about creating content that is relevant and celebrates the greatness in Africa.

It has been an honor to work alongside some of the most talented and creative people in the industry.”

A pleased and satisfied Mo could not hide her sense of fulfilment. “The search for my coHost was an intensive and exhilarating process that involved series of demanding auditions and tasks. Our objective for the search process, therefore, was to come away with two hot, fresh, brilliant and young people who would be sitting in the spotlight with me in the new season of the show, discussing topical issues from the younger person’s perspective. We are happy to have achieved this aim with Dolapo and Bolanle.

Africa can now sit back, relax and expect a more revved up new season.”

In over seven years of its existence, the programme has transformed the face and flavour of African TV. The show has been able to achieve this feat by constantly seeking to build and project a new, stronger, more independent and confident Africa.

Over the years, it has hosted an impressive list of guests — From politicians to celebrities, Presidents to Governors and Nobel Laureates.

The immediate past US Secretary of State, Mrs. Hilary Rodham-Clinton, was on the show when she visited Nigeria. Of recent, Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was in the programme.

32

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

DESTINATION

A Voyage Around The Gateway State

BY GREGORY AUSTIN NWAKUNOR WO hundred and fifty nine thousand, that was the number of seconds it took this reporter and other journalists to voyage around Ogun, the Gateway State, recently.

For 72 hours, they went round in floods of cheerful sunshine to see the tourism potentials of the state.

From Remo to Egba, Yewa to Ijebu, Ogun State is a captivating beauty with outstanding traditional cultures, which over time have been refined without distortions to make them more alluring.

The state is blessed with Olumo Rock in Abeokuta, regarded as the most popular travel spot. Legends have it that the rock protected the people of Egba against attacks during the frequent wars that characterised the ancient city for centuries.

You can also take time to visit any of the historical monuments and landmarks such as Birikisu Sugbo Shrine at Oke-Eri; Yemoji Natural Pool at Ijebu-Ode; Oyan Dam in Abeokuta North; Iwopin Boat Regatta and Ebute-Oni in Ogun Waterside.

Similarly, Madam Tinubu Shrine in Abeokuta; Oronna Shrine, Ilaro; Area J4 Forest Reserve; Tongeji Island, Ipokia; Old Manse at Ogbe, Abeokuta and Ijamido River Shrine both in Ota and you’ll possibly have aglimpse of how culture, tradition have shaped the state.

Festivals in Ogun, all of which enthrall and attract huge participation likewise audiences are Ojude Oba, Egungun, Osun, Igunuko, Ogun, Olumo, Gelede, Oro, Orisa Oko, Obinrin Ojowu, Agemo and Obalufon.

The leisure industry can generate a lot of revenue, which suggests why Senator Ibikunle Amosun, the state governor, is opening it up to investors fully exploit as a way of creating employment opportunities, alleviating poverty and empowering people at the grassroots.

The voyage actually started on a Tuesday morn- The new June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta... renovated as part of government’s effort to boost tourism ing. The Arcade in the Governor’s Ofice at Oke lose lands, houses, shops, places of worship, and ongoing, while new ones are being built.

Imosan, Abeokuta was filled with enthusiastic even homesteads. These are sacrifices we have to “We have shown more concentration in the supporters. Vehicles were everywhere. There make not only for our generation and ourselves area of preventive medi-care. Towards this were also bands of drummers and troubadour but to create a solid foundation for generations end, we ensured that all our health facilities ready to traverse. It seemed a carnival, but it was yet unborn. We, as government, and I, as a per- are provided with necessary equipment and just a working visit. son, will not take these sacrifices for granted. We drugs, while the personnel continue to In 2011, precisely on June 11, the governor had will continue to work hard to ensure we deliver undergo training and re-training. We have hosted stakeholders on ways to exploit the all the projects on time, even as we will take concentrated on re-building and equipping potentials of the state. measures to ameliorate the attendant and asso- our primary health-care centres because Held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, profession- ciated inconveniences,” he reveals. they are the closest to majority of our peoals from all walks of life discussed how the state He adds, “we’ve been particularly thrilled by ple. 100 of them have so far been renovated. could be transformed. the enthusiasm of our people in embracing the We are building new medium level hospiConsidering the state’s tourism potentials, on-going development process. What is particu- tals. We have just completed the first one, everybody agreed there was need to create more larly amazing is the fact that some of our people which will serve as model in Abeokuta and access to the state and those monuments and have also come forward to put up their proper- this will be replicated in all the nine Federal heritages that would attract private sector. ties as sacrifice for the on-going development. constituencies,” he says.

Governor Amosun observed at the forum that We are also excited by the support shown by our The fulcrum of the state’s Mission to the core stands of tourism require infrastructur- people to those whose properties are affected by Rebuild is Agriculture. It offers opportunities al development. the demolition exercise, heralding the construc- for wealth creation, mass employment, stem And this he has concentrated his efforts these tion of new roads. Some have had to provide rural-urban migration, enhance the quality two years. shelter for displaced families while some have of life in our rural areas and industrialisaLast year, the state hosted the Yoruba Movie had to provide space for displaced traders. We tion of the state through the value chains.

Awards, which attracted the crème of Nigerian have all shown our customary support to each There has been noticeable difference in the actors. The same way, it has continued to spon- other as the development process progresses. level of cleanliness of in major cities and sor the Teju Kareem-led Z-Mirage’s Open Door On our part, we appreciate the fact that no towns of the state. It has matched its desire Series Platform for International Cultural amount of monetary compensation can comfor a sustainable environment with the Exchange. pare to the sacrifices made.” required investments in equipment for Many had wondered that he would be hardAccording to him, “what we have continued to waste collection and disposal, manpower, pressed to live up the rhetoric at the cultural cen- do is to demonstrate commitment and persist- and enforcement mechanism. Mobile courts tre in Kuto. In fact, he almost convinced his skep- ence in our approaches. In all the broad areas of tics when houses were demolished to make way our 5-Cardinal Programme, we continue to for expanded and dual carriage roads. work on the structure, the system, organisation, In January, Ogun State seemed a broken prom- people and, most important, to allocate fund ise, but four months after, a new song had begun within available resources.” to be sung.

Apart from the cultural heritage that is been “Our people have taken all in good faith, the revamped, the government’s dream is also to challenges associated with the rebuilding boost medical tourism in the state. To this end, process going on in the state. Some have had to renovation of existing health institutions is

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Construction work going on in Abeokuta

Olumo Rock..The Gateway state’s tourism pride

have been introduced to try environmental law offenders and educational enlightenment campaigns, to create the necessary awareness on the need to preserve our environment.

Over 400km of rural roads have been opened up in the 20 Local Councils. This is in addition to our major road projects. The sixlane Ita-Eko-Sokori-Totoro road and Grade Separation (Flyover) Bridge at Ibara Roundabout, Abeokuta have already been completed.

The following are on-going projects: Sagamu / Benin Express Junction-Oba Erinwole Junction; Ilishan / Ago-Iwoye road; Moshood Abiola Way; OGTV–Brewery road; Ilara/Ijoun/Egua/Oja Odan/Ilase road; Ilo /Awela; Mobalufon – Ejinrin Road; Ojere-Asero; Abiola Way-Muda Lawal Stadium; Magboro road; Moriamo – Olorombo; Lafenwa-Ayetoro; Ofada/Mowe/Ibafo Road; and Construction of flyover at Lagos Garage along Folagbade Street and Mobalufon junction along the Sagamu – Benin Expressway.

All these are in addition to the various other roads and bridges being constructed / rehabilitated through direct labour. The numerous construction works have generated thousands of jobs for professionals, artisans, sup-

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

SUNDAYMAGAZINE 33

MOVIEDOM

BY SHAIBU HUSSEINI

shaibu70@yahoo.com

Around and about Nollywood...

Governor Akpabio’s Nollywood donation: ANCOP seeks clarification HE leadership of the Association of T Nollywood Core Producers (ANCOP) has sought clarification over the N50 million grant of Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom to reward excellence in the movie industry. ANCOP, through its President, Alex Enyegho, noted in a letter addressed to the leadership of the guilds and associations in Nollywood, more especially, the Nollywood delegation that was handed the symbolic N50 million cheque, that the issue of how the money was going to be deployed has become the “hottest news in the industry, albeit informally.”

ANCOP congratulated the delegation “for collecting this money on behalf of the industry” but observed that the said cheque was issued in favour of ‘The Guild of Nollywood Stars’. ANCOP was of the opinion that since the Motion Picture Council of Nigeria (MOPICON) was not in place, the right way to go concerning the donation was for the team “to convene a meeting of all association and guild presidents in Nollywood” as the first step towards halting “the very dangerous discussions currently going on concerning the money.”

According to Enyegho, “such meeting must carry along everybody, particularly the associations and guilds listed in the current public document of the Nigeria Film Corporation (NFC) and the even more comprehensive list used by the ‘Project Act Nollywood’ team of the Federal Ministry of Finance during a recent Town Hall Meeting Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had with Nollywood.” The ANCOP President has threatened to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) if the team that collected the cheque fails to convene an all practitioners meeting. But the President of Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN), Andy Amenechi, has dismissed the threats by ANCOP, saying it is ‘needless and uncalled for’. Amenechi said there were plans to hold a meeting to discuss the donation. However, he reiterated the governor statement on what the money be used for: Endow prizes of excellence for film production in the name of President Goodluck Jonathan. “And that is exactly what the money will be used to do,” he said.

Wale Adenuga Productions unveils record label ALE Adenuga Productions has conW tributed immensely to the Nigerian entertainment industry through

Magazines: Ikebe Super, Superstory and Binta; TV Programmes: Superstory, This Life, Papa Ajasco & Co. and Nnenna & Friends TV Show; Movies: Papa Ajasco, Binta My Daughter & The Perfect Church; Live Shows: Laughter Explosion and Nnenna & Friends Live Show; and most recently, wapTV a family entertainment channel airing on StarTimes and other platforms in Nigeria and across Africa.

This time, the company, which has over 35 years entertainment experience, is ready to take on a new challenge by unveiling its record label aptly named WAP Music. According to Wale Adenuga Jnr., managing director of WAP Ltd., “after making impact in other fields, we are convinced that this is indeed the time to make our mark on the music scene. We are starting with the WAP Music Artiste Search, which is a hunt for gifted males and females of all ages who only need a chance to showcase their singing or rapping talents in any genre of music and the winners will get signed to the label with a juicy contract.” The search comes up on Saturday, August 10, Hope Opara, Dolci of IMAX, Council Manager Segun Ajayi, Barrister Biola Ladipo and Michael Chima during IMAX’s at D’Pencils, on Joy Avenue, off Osolo visit to Amuwo Odofin to establish a cinema Way, Ajao Estate, off International No Opening film for Airport Road, Lagos by 10 am and partic- celebrated and honoured. According to Ugbomah: “The reason I set up the Hall of ipation is free.

Durban Filmfest Fame, with the more than 134 portraits costing over N10 million to paint, mount, rent and F Good Report, the South African feaChikwendu, Duker, Zik Zulu accommodate, is because I believe that ture by Jahmil XT Qubeka, which was inducted into Hall of Fame Nigerians must be told the story of movies programmed as the opening film for the before today’s Nollywood. In Nigeria, we hate 34th Durban International Film Festival, OR their accomplishment and merito- history and that is why we keep on repeating will show in Toronto, Rotterdam and the same mistake since 1960 to date.” The late rious services to the entertainment Dubai Film Festivals later in the year, but Nollywood actors, Ashley Nwosu, Pet Eneh, industry, 15 motion picture practitionit won’t on home soil. The Federal ers were last weekend inducted into the Justus Esiri, Enebeli Enebuwa, Sam Loco and Publication Bureau (FPB) of South Africa James Iroha (Gringory), and the entertainprestigious Moviemakers Hall of Fame. has banned the film, which tells the somThe Hall of Fame — the first of its kind in ment lawyer, Efere Ozako, were among those bre tale of a small town high school that were inducted posthumously at the cereAfrica — is an initiative of the veteran teacher with a penchant for young girls mony, which held with support of the filmmaker and one of the founding from showing in South Africa. The FPB National Theatre and the National Film and fathers of indigenous filmmaking in want all the copies of the film destroyed.

Video Censors Board (NFVCB). The living Nigeria, Chief Eddie Ugbomah.

In fact, there was no opening film for heroes and heroines that were inducted Established in 2002, it has as its Grand Durban filmfest on Thursday night as the Patrons, Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi and include the dependable actor Olu Jacobs, FPB stopped the festival from showing Livinus Nnochiri, Mahmood Ali-Balogun, Chief Raymond Dokpesi. An Officer of the film. It was an atmosphere of shock Tunde Kelani, Bukky Wright, Zainab Bukky the Order of the Niger (OON), who is and disbelief for festivalgoers that Ajayi, Bimbo Akintola, Zik Zulu Okafor, reputed to have produced 13 celluloid filled the Suncoast Cinecentre in Durban Ibinabo Fiberisima, Madu C. Chikwendu, films including the box office hit, The when it was announced that the film Kanayo .O. Kanayo and Kenneth Okonkwo.

Rise and Fall of Oyenusi, Ugbomah told wouldn’t be shown because the film was One of the inductees, Chikwendu, thanked guests at the induction ceremony held refused classification by the FPB. The Ugbomah for the recognition. He said: “I am at the National Theatre in Lagos, and board insists that the film contained which was witnessed by Gbadamosi and pleased to accept this nomination, which I scenes with explicit sex scenes that proveteran actors, Chief Dejumo Lewis and consider a birthday gift coming a week or two mote child pornography. The FPB after my 45 birthday and almost two and half Mr. Femi Robbinson, that he set up the warned that it would constitute a crimidecades after a 20-year-old graduate of Hall of Fame that has cost him “all his nal offence to show or distribute the film life savings”, so that those who have dis- Literature from University of Port Harcourt in South Africa. Not a few filmmakers came to Lagos to find fame and fortune. I tinguished themselves in the area of condemned the decision of the FPB to thank God, my understanding and very supmotion picture practice and the enter‘censor’ a work of art. The festival ends portive wife, Daisy, and my family.” tainment industry in general could be on July 28.

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Rebirth Of Ekun Iyawo… On Video NEW life has been breathed into Ekun A Iyawo, an old poetry that Yoruba brides used to chant on the eve of their weddings.

Feyikemi Olayinka, who plays the role of the bride’s mother; Opeyemi Ajenifuja and Bimpe Popoola (bride’s friends); Akeem The piece that used to be one of the peoLasisi (writer, producer and the bride’s ple’s cultural prides has for long being father); Tolu Coker (husband); Awoko, A abandoned, no thanks to westernisation.

Shyne (husband’s friends), Edaoto, Allwell, Even in Oyo, Osun and Igbomina areas Eebudola and Kofiivii. where Ekun Iyawo used to be popular, it is On the genesis of the project, Lasisi, who no more performed by brides. But an inter- is the author of award-winning collections vention by poet and journalist, Akeem of poetry such as IREMOJE: Ritual Poetry for Lasisi, alongside a Lagos-based teacher and Ken Saro-Wiwa and Night of my Flight, says writer, Mudasir Alabi, has culminated into the need to move away from mere lamena musical album and video of Ekun Iyawo, tation about the fate of our cultural values which now makes it possible for both the informed it. The performance poet, who old and young to reconnect with the oral also recently produced a poetry album and form. video titled Eleleture, adds that there is the The adventure brought together writers, need to recreate the literary and other culscholars, actresses, musicians and dancers, tural spectacles that have almost or totally as well as film crew that include cinegone extinct. matographer and director, Sunday He explains, “I believe that there should Ogunyemi. be a way out of the dilemma that faces Leading the cast of the video that is filled Africans in terms of the serious threat that with songs, poetry, drama, dance and emo- our language, culture and other related tional scenes are star actress, Kabira ideals are facing. But if all you and I do is to Kafidipe, who plays the role of the bride. lament that our culture is dying, our lanKafidipe, better known as guage is threatened, then we can as well Araparegangan, has acted in many films, concede that all is gone for life. some of which are Saworo Ide, Campus “But if you make a little effort, and I make Queen, Iwalewa, Oga and Malaika. mine, maybe in terms of documenting Other artistes in the film are actress and such cultural heritage, sharing it with presenter of Owuro Lawa on Lagos TV, other people, teaching them in schools

Kabira (bride), husband and her freinds etc., the, we are taking concrete steps to arrest the situation. One thing we also try to do in the video is to take Ekun Iyawo out of the village. We deliberately make educated and city girls chant and perform it so that everyone will see that it is still possible and fashionable to do so.”

Also in an interview, Kafidipe expresses excitement at being the star of Ekun Iyawo.

She describes her experience as awesome and adds that the cultural context made her feel at home because she loves originality and things that promote Yoruba culture.

“I was also moved by the fact that Ekun

Iyawo gives the chanter an opportunity to make case for women. It affords the bride the opportunity to appreciate her mother and father. She uses the opportunity of the performance to recall the good things the parents have done for her. But she also exploits the chanting and songs to criticise male chauvinists who carry all kinds of propagandas against young girls and women alike.

Honestly, acting as the bride in Ekun Iyawo has broadened my perspective on Yoruba oral heritage. It is all about acting, but in terms of cultural education, the experience has been very rewarding for me,” she says.

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THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

ART

BY BENSON IDONIJE benidoni@yahoo.com

All That Jazz

Pharoah Sanders… The Legend, His Legacy UT for the powerful presence on the scene of B such elder jazz men as Sonny Rollins, Randy Weston, Archie Shepp, Quincy Jones, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Pharaoh Sanders and more, the art in the music should have disappeared completely by now. Often times, the young generation has taken the music in directions that are completely out of context; and the reactions of these men along with those of critics like this writer have provided the catalyst for redemption and cultural rectitude. These giants of jazz are not only demonstrating their own individual capabilities, through their relentless efforts, they are also helping to put jazz on a creatively artistic path.

The name of the game is consistency. And one of the most consistent has been Pharaoh Sanders whose reissues of Elevation and Anthology on Impulse Records have added value to the dynamics of the art form. The new You Gotta Have Freedom compilation has sufficiently demonstrated that the Sanders’ Impulse period was arguably his most creatively fruitful. And while albums such as Karma, Thembi Tauhid and of course the epic Journey To The One are rightly eulogised, the minor classic that is Elevation should not really be neglected. It is a work of oceanic emotional depths, of apoplectic, apocalyptic energy playing and moments of uproarious abandon by a brilliant line-up of musicians.

The title track is a storming live performance that has a fine combination of jangling, whirring percussion, taut modal grooving and fiery improvising by a band that goes off like a nuclear reactor at one point. The beauty of Sanders’ aesthetic lies not just in sonic power.

The combination of strength and serenity is key.

Hence the tender, folk- like melodies that define pieces such as Greetings To Saud remind us that the leader’s fully loaded tone has not in any way hindered his development as a lyricist. It is pertinent to note however that this tune is in no way similar to the 80s composition of Greetings To Idris, a salute to the drummer, Idris Mohammad in Journey To The One where pianist John Hicks, bassist Ray Drummond and guitar player Carl Lockett provide a formidably rhythmic platform for saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders to swing, wail and cry.

Along with Archie Shepp, Sanders is one of the most significant Coltrane disciples active on the contemporary jazz scene and, from his recent works, it would appear that he still has a lot of energy to burn. This 2- CD cross section of some of the key moments of his discography (predominantly Impulse with a spread of Theresa selections) is a timely reminder of the richness of the saxophonist’s aesthetic. His high register scream, that unforgettably withering, liberating cry remains one of the most distinctive in jazz while his bass work is oceanic in sonic depth.

Like his mentor, Sanders favours long, interminable solos, but he also demonstrates a swaggering melodic trajectory that almost makes him a missing link between Sonny Rollins and David S. Ware.

An ebullient blues man lurks underneath Sanders’ horn. Yet the way he plays is decisively complemented by the way he writes. This anthology reminds us of a few models. There is the modal approach, the trance opus, which is essentially an outgrowth of John Coltrane’s classic A Love Supreme. Yet it is emboldened by more explicitly African textures: bells, congas, balaphone, chants; and a very palpable sense of communal, village-type gathering suffuse the music.

Almost all of the tracks on the first disc – Morning Prayers, Thembi, The Creator Has A Master Plan, Upper Egypt, Lower Egypt, Hum Allah, a transcendent sub- Saharan 3/4 rhapsody – are based on this template. The execution is glorious. The other Sanders’ model finds him swinging powerfully even as he demonstrates his post- bop fluency to good effect.

Somewhere in between the two models you have Heart Is A Melody, which is essentially The Creator Has A Master Plan with a more robust swing. It resoundingly makes the point that Sanders, for all the surging power and primeval beauty of his sound, is an irrepressibly communicative musician, a player capable of imbuing a simple 4 or 5- note theme with affecting humanity. The fact that Sanders hasn’t yet been able to satisfactorily cast his avant garde, African and post-bop sensibilities in a setting defined by hiphop age producers does nothing to diminish his musicianship as a whole. This anthology makes that point and convincingly holds up Pharaoh

Sanders as an artist of towering stature in the recent history of jazz.

However, Pharaoh Sanders has never been understood as a saxophone- playing, contemporary jazz musician. His field, by critical consensus, is however jazz. His experience, vast though it is, has been universally condensed and contrasted into the brief period when he worked with John Coltrane – the supreme voice of the tumultuous, mid-60s jazz era. Sanders, as it happens, is an instrumental artist — a creator of original musical sounds – whose potential contribution to jazz is only recently being assessed.

The chance to work with the reigning monarch in one’s chosen field of endeavor must always involve the risk of being forever associated with (and perhaps overshadowed by) that crowned head. This truism continues to play itself out in the career of Sanders who is continually subjugated under Coltrane.

Pharaoh Sanders had no choice really when, in 1967, Coltrane left a musical scene that he had only recently created and dominated.

Sanders was left, rather ironically, as the inheritor of a musical estate that had been, after all, only a small part of his career.

The listening public, especially those (and there were many) whose whole exposure to ‘jazz’ had been via the Miles Davis – to - John Coltrane main line, assumed that Sanders, as the heir apparent, would continue Coltrane’s work.

But Pharaoh’s jazz career at that point was going through another phase, another step of development. Granted, it was the most important, the most significant, and the most influential epoch in his career – but, still, it was shortlived. Today, Sanders is his own man, a new voice and a towering jazz giant!

Sanders

Crystal Slipper on Muson Stage Today

BY GREGORY AUSTIN NWAKUNOR HE Agip Recital Hall of Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, will today host The Thespian Family Theatre, as its presents The Crystal Slipper, a new play put together by the group.

Described as ‘tales from yesteryears’ by the group, it is a popular story projected in a contemporary Nigerian setting with intriguing twists.

In the play, which an art critic described as ‘star studded and must-watch’, love and compassion resonate.

Though the central character, Adesewa, has lost her mother, the only world she knows is one of beauty, love and the joy of being the centre of her father’s attention.

Her father decides to re-marry and for Sewa, that should be the crown of her joy: Her world would be once again complete… A loving father, a happy home, and now, a mother that she had always longed for…

However, Sewa gets much more than she bargained for!

The play runs for 90 minutes and is greatly enriched with drama, choreography and song that usually characterised plays by the group. It promises to be extremely entertaining and capable of transporting the audiences’ feelings through a personal experience of suspense, humour and delight.

The audience will also have the opportunity to participate in the play and therefore every moment of the performance is looks to be electrifying.

Directed by Abiola Segun-Williams, it features talented actors such as Van Vicker, Gideon Okeke, Iyke Okechukwu, Florence Okechukwu, Shafi Akinrimisi, ‘Nedu of Wazobia fame, Lala Akindoju and Adesua Etomi.

The producers of The Five Maids of Fadaka and Mad King of Ijudiya, which were performed last year with unprecedented turnout of theatre enthusiasts, have added more than a notch to their credentials.

The group’s theme for the year, Theatre Unusual, could not have been more apt, given its early bird celebration of World Theatre Day in March and organisation of

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The Nigeria of my Dreams, which was staged to commemorate this year’s Children Day celebration at Terrakulture.

Other programmes lined up for the year include an exciting edu-taining TV reality show tagged, Stage It and The Best of Thespian, which will feature a repeat of Mad King of Ijudiya, Five Maids of Fadaka and The Crystal Slipper.

Ayo Jaiyesimi, a human resources practitioner and chartered accountant together with other professional colleagues who are passionate about Nigeria, community and the Arts, created the Thespian Family Theatre and Productions.

It is an organ of SPIIN (Societal Positive Impact Initiative), and has the aim of: Promoting the rich cultural diversity within the country, Creating a feeling of oneness amongst Nigerians in spite of the diversity of tribe, culture and language, Discovering talents and ultimately exposing them to recognition, Providing opportunities for greater family bonding by providing more recreational opportunities for family units, Recapturing the glitz of the

A scene from Mad King of Ijudiya

stage and Promoting values in young people and indeed the whole family.

Through stage productions, movies, radio programmes and talk shows the group assists imparting an appreciation of the rich cultural heritage of the country, good behavioural values and also foster thoughts of oneness, in spite of the diversity in the Nigerian culture.

“We see theatre as a great tool for reformation and community work. As Nigeria moves towards closing the chapter on the first 100 years of its existence as a country, we believe that it is time for the Theatre Arts to take its place in providing wholesome entertainment and also support a cause,” the group notes in a statement to announce the play, which was also stage yesterday. “This year even as we provide opportunities for greater family bonding and relaxation, it is important to note that we are supporting the creation of awareness of Asthma among children in Africa by partnering with OMF (a foundation established to create awareness of this ailment in children and how to manage it).

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday July 21, 2013

35

NEWSFEATURE

At Expense Of Public Health: Canals and water bodies... destination for excreta

Lagos Water Channels Bear Brunt Of Poorly Processed Human Waste

By Daniel Anazia is true that the number of public toilets in IisTparts of Lagos metropolis in increasing but that just minimal given the huge population of Lagosians on the move daily. It is also evident that the number of mobile toilets has gone up especially in the last 10 years; however, the disposal of the human waste remains a huge challenge.

The matter is not made any easier with the lack of central sewage system in a city that is largely unplanned, where each building has its own septic pit (soak aways) and has to be evacuated separately each time. However, efficient management of this waste can facilitate social, economic and biological development.

The increasing rate of urbanisation in Nigeria, and the subsequent soaring amount of wastes being generated as a result of population explosion, presents greater challenge for waste disposal and management, especially in a major city like Lagos — the nation’s commercial capital and economic hub — with its accommodation of the large percentage of the nation’s population. The implication of this high population growth rate, which Lagos daily experiences and its position, experts say, include generation of some kind of highly unavoidable waste such as excreta or faeces in large volumes, and provision of proper disposal and management facilities.

Though from the days of the sanitary health inspectors popularly called Wole Wole, there have been conscious efforts towards combating waste disposal challenges of Lagos, and this, the state Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, sometime ago, said is a problem since no city in Nigeria has a sewage system worth its name.

The Guardian in its investigation visited some of the sites where raw faecal effluents are discharged into reservoir and released into the lagoon from the Iddo Jetty in Apapa, Maza-Maza Jetty in Mile 2 and another somewhere around the National Theatre.

Prince Habeeb Dosunmu, an operator and son of Prince Taofeek Adekunle Dosunmu, famous Owo igbe ki run, said “dumping of human wastes into the lagoon is an old system, though we are still on it but Lagos state government has provided some pits at Alausa, Abesan, and Mile 2, where we pay N2,200 before discharging. These pits are designed with processing facilities that help extract fertilisers from the wastes. Later, government ordered us to stop discharging at Alausa and referred us to under the bridge somewhere at Ojota.”

Commenting on the Mile 2 dump, Prince Dosunmu said, “The Low Cost Houses at Mile 2 had a central sewage with refining facility but

it is no more functioning and the wastes from the estate are now channeled into the lagoon.

We started using the sewage reservoir with the approval of Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Council and we usually pay N1,000 as ticket to the council before making any discharge.”

He add, “At a time the council came and impounded our trucks (tankers) but after appealing to them, they released the tankers back to us. Also, we have used our presence in the vicinity to help both Amuwo-Odofin and Oriade Local Councils as they do not have tankers for evacuating wastes in the area. Before we evacuate and discharge the faeces from the soak away and into the gullies, we usually apply a chemical given to us by the state government to help reduce the odour and germs that spreads out into the environment.”

He appealed to the government to provide better space and location for discharging, as the existing gullies in the metropolis are dangerous to the environment. “Discharging where people are living is not proper. If a place outside residential areas can be provided, it will be better,” he said.

Excreta as a waste material, contains enteric organisms such as Klebsiella spp. Enterobacter spp. and E. coli that are detrimental to the health. Everyday, Lagos residents dispose their

Disease Experience From Unhealthy Waste Deposit Environment

By Bisi Alabi Williams HE story was told of a young T man, one Mr. Sunday Oloja, a businessman who hails from Kogi State. He lived in a rented two-bedroom flat with his family at Coconut bus stop area of Lagos State, a densely populated area on the Oshodi-Apapa expressway, Lagos. He occupies the flat with his wife and three children aged eight, six and four respectively. The house where the Olojas lived is located very close to the Coconut Bridge connecting residents of that area to Apapa’s Tincan Island wharf. The house is a one-storey building of six flats.

Since good, potable water is a

scarce commodity in the area, they buy water from vendors popularly called mallams living or hawking in the area. Daily, the family consumes about N200 worth of water for drinking, cleaning, cooking and washing. The peculiar thing about the area is the issue of indiscriminate dumping of waste, compounded by the mixed smell of the polluted water and waste from the nearby canal to the extent that anytime it rains, the stench makes residents wish they had alternative accommodation.

Two of their children suffered from a rash that defied treatment.

The rash is usually around the neck, chest and back areas of their

bodies. The children’s suffering is worst during the hot season. They would spend several hours itching their bodies.

Mrs. Oloja went from one doctor to the other but the reports were the same. She even sought the help of a dermatologist when the rash proved difficult.

The doctors said the persistent rash was as a result of the environment they live in. The family spent thousands of naira on the rash that looked ordinary. Despite the costly treatment, the rash refused to go.

The situation was really critical until the family had no choice than to wish the rash away. The consolation was that the rash is well hid-

den and covered by the clothing, away from the prying eyes of people.

Relief soon came to the family, when Oloja’s cousin offered them a self-contained one-bedroom apartment at Ikeja. The family soon relocated. Their joy knew no bounds at this ‘freedom’.

Two months on, and the family were recounting the gains of the relocation; they suddenly realised that the rash on the children’s body was almost faded in several places.

Two months later, the rash had entirely disappeared and the children were bubbling with joy. This experience is a clear case of how environment can affect health.

faeces, which are stored for years in the soakaways through excreta waste handlers popular called Agbe po, which dutifully evacuate faecal effluents from the septic pits with the use of itinerant tankers and discharged them into the lagoon without treatment, which deteriorates the quality of water and the ecosystem. The lagoon contains brackish water (slightly salty) and it is regarded as one of the most productive aquatic ecosystem in the world, with great socio-economic importance.

According to research reports, untreated excreta wastes contain myriads of diseasecausing agents (pathogens), which include bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and parasitic worms that eventually get to biological system of fish and other aquatic animals consumed by human. Through this process, faecal-oral diseases are transferred to man unfettered. Raw faecal effluents, when discharged into the lagoon are oxygen demanding aerobic (oxygen-requiring), and can only decomposed by bacteria. The presence of these bacteria in large number detoxifies the excreta and degenerate the water quality by reducing the quantity of oxygen, which leads to massive demise of aquatic animals.

Research has shown that out of three hundred and thirty-two fish species belonging to the three categories of fish fauna found in West Africa lagoons — the littoral euryhaline marine species, which come seasonally or accidentally into the lagoon; estuarine species, which live usually in Mixohaline inland waters, and continental or inland water species that are only scarcely recorded in the lagoon and enters only when the water is fresh — seventy-nine species have been identified in the Lagos lagoon.

The polluted Lagos lagoon provides substantial quantity of seafoods and account for more than 70 per cent of fish and other aquatic foods consumed daily by Lagosians.

However, mutilating the physico-chemical and biological structure of the lagoon, experts say, portends significant socio-economic and health implications.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) report say, four million infants and adults die every year from diarrhea diseases, largely as a result of contaminated food or water. Therefore, eating fish caught from the polluted lagoon increases the risk of contracting faeco-oral diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid that account for significant mortality.

According to the Head of Department, BioChemistry, University of Lagos, Prof Osaretin Ebuehi, unsanitary disposal of untreated faecal matter into the lagoon has negative impacts on the lagoon ecosystem; therefore, proper management of excreta should be put in place to obliterate environmental impacts associated with contamination.

He said, “Dumping of human and animal wastes into the lagoon causes water borne diseases including dysentery, typhoid and several air diseases and infections that are associated with enteric organisms such as Klebsiella spp. Enterobacter spp. and E. coli, which are dangerous to human health. Apart from the dump that goes directly into the lagoon, a good number of human and aquatic populations directly or indirectly become victim of water pollution.”

Adding, “The aquatic population is made up of fish, crabs, and some reptiles. These animals take bits and pieces of human and animal wastes, which contains microbes, and when human as the final consumer take some of these fishes and crabs, the micro organisms that are inherent them are passed unto us, which becomes a plaque within our system causing all kind of diseases.”

He stated that Lagos by its over-crowded nature and over population, a good number of people live in houses with little or no good toilets. He suggested that existing policy guidelines at all tiers of government should be given teeth to facilitate coercion and compliance among people.

“If you go to areas that are densely populated in Lagos, you will see about 10 people living in one small room that is 10x14 in size.

Some people still use the pit latrine and even those that use the water closet (WC) system, they do it in such a way that the sewage pit (soak away) are not well designed and managed, and by the time faeces sweats out of the normal reach into the underground water, a good number of microbes from the faecal wastes gets into the underground water, CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

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THE GUARDIAN, Sunday July 21, 2013

NEWSFEATURE

It Is Illegal To Discharge Untreated Excreta water pollution?

Now we have been sensitizing industries on the way to manage their wastes. And wastes high. So, we have to treat both biologically and come in different forms like liquid and solid.

When it comes to liquid waste, it contains a chemically. That means, purifier, flush and lot of chemicals and metabolites; that is the equalisation tanks would be made used of bereason we said that it must be treated before fore releasing the waste. getting to the environment. We have said What type of chemicals do you use for the that every industry must have water waste treatment?

It depends on the type of wastewater one gen- treatment plant; we gave them moratorium erates. Some textile industries will be different period of 10 years for them to put in place the treatment plant. from the pharmaceutical industries. In textile industries, you have a lot of colourant and wax. State government is now trying to put in place what we called communal treatment Therefore, we use more of chemicals than in plants, to control industrial waste processes, the pharmaceutical industry.

How do you react to the adverse effects of these because there are some industries that cannot afford to put in place treatment plant. chemicals used?

Some industries have waste tank; they will Before the water is release to the environgenerate their wastes and water put together ment, all the chemicals would have been in the tank, by the time it is filled up they distreated. The last stage of that will be chlorinalodge it on the water body and it causes a lot tion. After adding chlorine to it, it neutralises of pollution on the water. We have been every chemicals and toxins in it. telling people that they must know what the Everything use in the treatment has its own person who removes their wastes does with effects but after using them we try to make it it. less toxic. For instance, before the waste goes Now we want to give them polluter’s payinto the dislodge tank, it would have been ment, which means when you pollute the entreated. This will allow for easy evacuation.

So, when you test it in the laboratory, it would vironment you pay, in order to ginger them up to have water waste treatment plant. have been treated of all toxins. That is why in In domestic waste now we have communal the laboratory, when we get the water we test them for toxicity and acidity. We look at LD 60. treatment plant where you dislodge domestic waste from household, you can put them The lower the LD 60, the higher the toxicity. there.

The higher the LD 60 the lower the toxicity.

What are the processes of constructing water In my agency, we have about seven laboratories. So, immediately anything is been treated, waste treatment plant?

We have two forms of treatment plants; one we take the sample and analyse it. We have seven laboratories and our standard conforms is biological treatment plant, which is used with that of World Health Organisation (WHO). for domestic waste treatment. But for chemical waste you have to do both chemical and We have wastewater laboratory in LASEPA, biological treatment from primary to tertiary portable water laboratory, land soil and toxilevels. All can be done with tanks and must be cology laboratories among others. carried out by civil and chemical engineers.

Who does this work for you?

The Agency must review your design to give I have over 300 scientific officers, employed you approval. The approval will start the conby the state government, who do the job. I’m struction and you must carry the Agency also a chemical engineer and environmentalalong at every stage of your construction to ist. So, we have full squad for the task.

What are the plans to ensure every industry ensure that you meet up with required stanhas the Water waste treatment plants to avoid dard.

• Enforcement Of Our Laws Is A Challenge

Engr. Shabi Rasheed Adebola is the General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), which regulates all industrial and commercial activities in the State in the management of pollution arising from their activities.

In this interview, he spoke to CHIJIOKE IREMEKA and PAUL ADUNWOKE on the efforts of the agency to control environmental pollution on water bodies and other related issues. Excerpts.

HAT are the efforts of the Agency to ensure W protection of water pollution especially where human wastes are being dumped?

There are a lot of things about water pollution. It is like littering environment and there are rules and regulations to protect the environment.

Every house must have storage and when it is full they call the attention of those who are in charge of dislodgement to handle. Those who will dislodge the waste will drop it on water waste treatment plant, after the treatment what will come out will be very small and will not be dangerous to the environment.

Apart from domestic waste, there are also other sources of water pollution from industrial processes. Some industries in the state do not have what we called wastewater treatment plant.

By the time they generate wastewater, a lot of chemicals are in the waste, which can contaminate the environment when it is discharged to the water body.

Fish is contaminated through the food they eat in the polluted water and may be ingested by man, so pollution is real pollution.

Government provided all these dislodgement sites and operators still go to discharge faecal waste in the body of waters, why?

That is why the state government is improving on enforcement. We have discovered that and they can’t be discharging those things because it induces the growth of water hyacinths in the waters due to the nutrients they contain.

Also, it reduces the oxygen in the water and that will affect the aquatic lives in the water, which we refer to, in sciences, as nitrification. The government doesn’t approve of such practice. So, it’s done in error and that’s a crime.

A typical example is at the Mile 2, where a reservoir was constructed towards Mazamaza; operators discharge faecal waste into the reservoir and is later release to Kirikiri canal, where most fishermen go fishing. What is your agency saying?

Did they do that? Have you discovered that?

What I’m going to do is to send my people over there on Monday (15 July) to arrest the situation.

But it appears as if government is aware of the situation because the operators said they pay N1000 to the local government agents before discharging the waste?

I’m the regulator, we don’t know about it. As I said, on Monday I will send my people there to take a sample for me to see what is happening there. We are not aware of it. Normally, they are supposed to treat the waste before discharging.

So, if they do any other thing outside that, then we

Adebola have to stop them.

How long is concrete reservoir meant to retain the fecal waste before releasing into the lagoon?

No, no, no, we are not discharging. It has to be treated first and we ensure that the water that comes out maintains between PH level 6.3 to 8.3. So, with your report now, I will take a sample of that water to determine what they do there.

When the waste is treated, before the water comes out, all the things that would pollute the environment would have been treated to the standard we have in the state. So, on Monday we will send our people there.

I supposed that when a faecal material is being treated, there will be a scientist or a biologist to ensure that things are done accordingly for the desired result. How many of them do you have at these dislodging sites and what type of treatment do they do, if any?

You see, this is a biological treatment because what we take in is biological and when it is going out, it has to be treated biologically. When we do this, the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) would have been withheld as well as the oxygen maters in it.

The COD represents the chemical level needed to destroy the micronutrients in the waste. While doing this, both organic and inorganic materials in them are affected. So, at the end of the day, the BOD would have been treated and COD would have been treated too.

So, by the time waste gets to the environment, the water we are talking about would have become colourless. It’s all biological treatment. We only use chemical treatment, when there is need for them, especially when you have wastewater from the textile and pharmaceutical industries, where organic matters or chemical substances are

A Peep At The Mile 2-Badagry Axis Of Shit Dump

By Chijioke Iremeka HE Guardian’s visit to Mile 2 Twards fecal waste reservoir, toMazamaza, along OrileBadagry Expressway, Lagos, revealed that operators still dislodge their fecal waste in a concrete reservoir, which is eventually released into the Mile two canal against the ethics of the Lagos State Waste Management.

This is worrisome because this is one of the water bodies in the state, where fishermen engage in fishing catch their fishes for domestic uses, while some farmers raise

their vegetables. Experts have said that this practice has increased the incidence of outbreak of diseases like; cholera and typhoid fever among the populace.

The Guardian also gathered that the operators usually conduct this clandestine activity at night or early in the morning, when they would not be suspected. They initially released them into the reservoir and later emptied into the lagoon through a covered narrow drain.

Also, to make this system a perfect one, the reservoir was built by the government, where

operators pay a thousand Naira to discharge. According to one of the operators, there are a number of local government ticketing officers, who collect this money from them.

As a result, this axis, which is a few metres away from Mile 2 residential estate, has been messed up, with unattended complaints coming from the residents of the estate. However, the agency in charge, when contacted, claimed ignorance of the situation, but promised to send some officials there by tomorrow to ascertain the state of affair in the area.

Lagos Water Channels Bear Brunt Of Poor Waste Management CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 which is consumed by people in that environment,” he said.

On impacts to the environment, Ebuehi said, “these wastes, poses lot public health dangers to human in the sense that the more they are deposited into the water surface, they diminish the quality and quantity of oxygen in the water.

There is concept called the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD). And for organisms to live and thrive inside the water they need air (oxygen) and when faecal matters are dumped into the water, it reduces the quality of oxygen in the water and indirectly suffocates the animals that live in it.”

For the Unilag don, there are better ways of managing these wastes. “Water is solvent and it moves very fast, so there is always a meet between the soak away and the underground water. In most cases, our soak away are not

properly done as they are often sited near the borehole or well, and when there is a burst the faecal matter permeates into the ground and meet with the underground water. So, we need to separate where we site the soak away and its pipes from the borehole.”

He added that in combating the dangers of the micro organisms and their associated health challenges, public awareness campaign on the evil of unsanitary collection and disposal of faecal matter should be heightened to curb incessant dumping of excreta waste into the lagoon. Also, government should strengthen the health professionals in charge of preventing disease, especially environmental health officers to facilitate proper monitoring of the environment and curb the indiscriminate dumping of wastes into the lagoon. Also, they should empower these health officers to prosecute erring individuals.

In Lagos today, it is not uncommon to see

people defecating along primary drainage channels, railway lines, hidden enclosures in markets and commercial centers, and open spaces in neighbourhoods.

Lagos State government in its effort to curb the menace and create a preventive measures, established the Kick Against Indiscipline Brigade (KAI), the law enforcement unit of the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment on November 3 2003, under the administration of former governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to enforce the environmental sanitation laws, and part of its mandate is to kick against open defecation and urination in public place, effect a change of attitude and promote clean and hygienic culture among Lagosians. It also invited the electronic and prints media to film and photograph culprits as a measure to discourage from the act. But most culprits have perfected ways of avoiding the press men and their cameras.

“Lagos state government did well when it came up with the idea of ensuring discipline in the society by setting up the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) Corps. However, the agency is confronted by many challenges in the area of enforcement, proper understanding of what the job entails and shortage of manpower. A good number of those KAI officials are reformed street urchins (area boys), who are not have technical know-how of the job. So, it is difficult for them to know what their job entails,” Ebuehi said.

Despite the proliferation of DMT Mobile toilets and modern public toilets built across the state, especially in the market and commercial centers, recreation grounds, along high ways and other public places, most people including street urchins popularly called ‘area boys’ and those who do not have toilets in their houses still use the drainages and canals as defecating points.

TheGuardian

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

37

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

IbruCentre

Clerics Task NYSC On Dress Code

Established by Decree 24 of 1973 promulgated by General Yabuku Gowon, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) aims to foster peace, cultural exchange and unity in the country. And to realise this laudable objectives, universities and polytechnics graduates are meant to participate in mandatory one-year national service in parts of the country other than their states of origin. For reasons, which border mostly on security of life, parents are calling for the outright cancellation of the NYSC programme. Recently, a female Christian Corps member in Ogun State NYSC camp was ordered to leave the camp for refusing to wear the Corps’ trousers. The lady claimed that her faith does not allow ladies to wear trousers. Speaking on this issue, some clerics told CHRIS IREKAMBA, OMIKO AWA, ISAAC TAIWO and GBENGA AKINFENWA that NYSC authorities should channel their energies on how Corps members sent to the North should be properly protected and accommodated instead of laying emphasises on costumes.

‘The Corps Member’s Religious Belief Should Have Been Respected’ (Pastor Johnson Odesola, Special Assistant to General Overseer, The Redeemed Christian Church of God on Administration and Personnel/ Pastor incharge of LP 1, Headquarters of RCCG) T is true that God directed in the Bible that we should obey the government. However, we have discovered that some of the laws made by government are against Christian principles. If there were options for that lady not to enroll for the national service, I think she would have chosen that since she felt she would not be able to comply with the directive of the body. Be that as it may, the Bible says man should not put on any dress meant for woman vice versa. Some people try to explain this by saying in the contemporary world, some trousers are meant for men while some are designed for women. I have not been able to marry this idea.

However, in accordance with Nigerian constitution that permits freedom of religion, that Corps member’s religious view ought to be respected. I also believe that in every rule, there is always room that allows people’s beliefs to be respected. We should not forget in a hurry that we are in a democracy and as such we should respect individual’s religious beliefs. I want to believe that in the Police Force, some women wear trousers while those against it are allowed to wear skirt; if that is permitted in the Police Force, while should there be hard and fast rule for students doing the national service. I, therefore, consider it as an infringement on the lady’s fundamental human right.

If some people are allowed to wear trousers and cover their heads by virtue of their religious beliefs, I wonder why the poor student should be persecuted for her own conviction. With my little knowledge, if the student should even take the matter up, I believe she would be vindicated because under the Nigerian constitution, people are permitted to express their religious beliefs.

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‘Nigerian Constitution Never Prescribes Forced Submission To NYSC Camp Rules Or Code Of Dressing’ (Pastor Lazarus Muoka, General Overseer of The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries)

Johnson

Muoka

Ofuya

Nwaobia

Ifeacho

Chukwuma

Adenuga

Waive

T is very unfair to deny a Corps member the privilege of serving her country and by extension making it impossible for her to rightfully gain employment into any of the government institutions or agencies. It is unfortunate that, hitherto, some people in this country are haunted and subjected to ridicule because they adhere strictly to the tenet of their faith. The biblical position on the issue of mode of dressing is unambiguous. Deut. 22:5 states clearly, “the woman shall not wear that, which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.” Women wearing men’s wears vice and versa is forbidden. As Christians, we should avoid any practice that tends to make the heart impure or make others to fall in the faith. That the lady subscribed to the rules of the camp before coming does not hold water because the Nigerian constitution, which is above any law in the country, never prescribes, forced submission to NYSC camp rules or code of dressing. The Scripture says, “all unrighteousness is sin…” (1Jn 5: 17). This means that all deviation from perfect holiness is sin including putting on trousers by women. If we are to prove ourselves to be God’s people, we must have respect for His will, no matter how little we consider it; and not compromise in anyway because of worldly pressure.

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‘If A Person Decides Not To Wear Trousers She Should Be Allowed To Wear What She Chooses’ (Rev. Dom Ofuya, Senior Pastor/Zonal Superintendent, Foursquare Gospel Church, Zonal Headquarters, Ajao Estate, Lagos) N life, you don’t give people only one option, you should be able to provide other acceptable options. There is nothing sacrosanct about wearing of trousers. I recall when we did our national service, there were shorts and a woman can wear a skirt over it. I’m saying it is not an issue of the Christian faith prescribing you must wear trousers or not, but rather, if a person out of her personal choice decides not to wear trousers, she should be allowed to wear what she chooses. If a Christian says wearing of trousers infringes on her conscience, I think that person’s fundamental human right should be respected. In the Police Force, everybody knows that they wear a skirt on an inner wear like that of the tennis players, and with that they move about freely. So, what is wrong in styling the NYSC uniform like that of the Nigeria Police Force? That is the point, but beyond whether it’s trouser or no trouser, skirt or no skirt, we must allow people their right to make choices, especially when it does not involve serious breach of the law. After all, the law that established NYSC did not say the youths must wear trousers,

I

which means you cannot enforce trousers on them. There is no decree that says the ladies have to wear trousers; so, it’s individuals that are making the rules. The leadership of NYSC are imposing their will on people, I have told you there is nowhere in the law that says Corps members must wear trousers.

The problem is not in having a dress code, but in the dress code a pair of trousers. The lady in question is only saying I have a choice of what I can wear and I think our lawyers and the civil society groups should pick up the challenge and right the wrong. Besides, how does the issue of dress code serve the purpose of NYSC or is that a test of power? What you always find in this kind of situation is who is stronger; the authorities want to crush the lady. My candid counsel is that they should not deny the lady the chance to serve her fatherland. Today, about 90 per cent of the ladies in the campuses wear trousers, but there are still about 10 per cent that have never worn trousers, no matter how appealing it may be, so, in dealing with human beings, you take this variation into play. I would, however, want NYSC to be more concerned on how to make its objective more relevant, now, that people are calling for its proscription and not lay emphasises on trousers or skirts. There are bigger issues like the killing of corps members in the northern parts of the country and accommodation that should take the front burner rather than the issue of dress code or trousers.

‘The Uniform Is The Culture Of NYSC’ (Bishop Isaac Nwaobia, Bishop of Isiala-Ngwa South (Anglican Communion) On this issue, believers should distinguish between their self-will act and biblical standard. During the period of compilation of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was not in existence. In my own opinion, I think students of NYSC should abide by the existing rule because the uniform of NYSC is tailored towards its rules and regulations, and except anyone decides not to participate in the programme, then he or she does not need to even appear at all. One can even regard uniform as the culture of NYSC and where there is a conflict of cultural belief, I am of the opinion that the best thing is to stay away. The rule was made by constituted authorities, which I think, the lady should respect.

‘Institutions Such As The NYSC And Police Have Skirts For Women’ (Brother Godwin Ifeacho, Chairman, Executive Board, God’s Kingdom Society (GKS), Warri, Delta State) ROUSERS, have since 1820 been the basic style of dress for men, not women. The law in Deuteronomy 22:5 states that a woman should not wear men’s cloth vice versa. Jesus Christ

T

also strengthened the moral laws in Matthew 5:17, 20,21-24; 27,28,38-40, etc. It is a sin to entice or deliberately elicit immoral thoughts in the opposite sex. But trousers expose a woman’s features such that she entices men, knowingly or unknowingly.

Since lusting after a woman in one’s heart is sinful; the person who gives cause for it will not escape punishment — Matthew 5:28. Those who admire their wives when they are dressed in trousers, miniskirts, tights, etc. are making a big mistake. While in public, the husband is not the only one looking at her. We know that institutions such as the NYSC and the Police have skirts for women, who ask for them, why then should women be compelled to wear trousers contrary to their faith in a supposed democratic dispensation, which has respect for human rights? We believe the insistence on wearing of trousers by women is unconstitutional and tantamount to a breach or the likelihood of a breach of their right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion as enshrined in the 1999 constitution as well as the African charter on human and peoples’ rights.

The women should be allowed to wear skirts for their NYSC programme. As stated in their website, the objectvies of the NYSC include “To raise the moral tone of Nigerian youths”, “To remove prejudices, eliminate ignorance” and “To encourage Nigerian youths to eschew religious intolerance by accommodating religious differences.”

Evidently, the current insistence by the NYSC Directorate in Ogun State that female Corps members must wear trousers irrespective of their religious beliefs detracts from these noble aims.

‘This Is Intimidation And Dehumanisation’ (Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, Bishop of Enugu Diocese (Anglican Communion; Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), (Southeast), Chairman, Enugu State Pilgrims Board and Pro-chancellor, Renaissance University) IRST and foremost, the punishment meted out to the lady was against her fundamental human right and I absolutely condemn it. We, therefore, appeal that the issue of her not obtaining her discharge certificate and other entitlements should be reconsidered. It should be known that women are vulnerable and by the teaching she has received in accordance with her faith, she may feel that if she wears something she is not used

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 41

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

38

IBRUCENTRE

Sunday School Missions (2)

... With Pastor Enoch Adeboye

Memory Verse: “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” Matthew 28:19.

53:1, 64:4, Lk. 10:21-24. You must be ready to pay the price, face the consequences and remain immoveable and undaunted in your quest for salvation of souls Ps. 34:14, Is. 51:7, Lk. 13:31-32. Your appreciation of the destructive influence Bible Passage: Romans 15:16-21. of Satan and his demons will stir up your inner man to Introduction righteousness Heb. 1:9. The essence of missions is sacrificial “Missions” is part of everyday church lingua. Like prayer love, unwavering commitment to pay the price and fasting, people verbalise rather than actualise them.

Jesus said “Go Ye!” He expects a diligent, definite and active Stepping in You need a burden to fuel your passion, Mk. 6:34, Rm. 10:1, response. We seem to prefer “mention” and “discuss” mis9:1-2. Prayer is the key. It is the major thing that will sussions. tain, direct and equip your participation in missions: God’s mission plan Unless you are really determined to be part of God’s recon- Is.62:1-2, 6-7, Lk. 18:7-8. Not an occasional once a week, once a ciliation plan, missions will be no more than a good idea Isa. month prayer session but a daily and continuous groan-

By Gabriel Osu HERE is this story of a, young kind-hearted, man who T had suffered several disappointments in the hands of friends and acquaintances. They often took his generos-

ing in your spirit. You must have a deep empathy for the unsaved majority; Mt 6:9-16, 33; Col. 1:9, Rev. 8:3-4. The extent to which we pray will determine how far we succeed, Jn. 3:27, Ps. 2:8. God will thereafter direct your steps on when or where to go, visit, assist, support or co-ordinate. In all these activities, burdened prayer constitute will fuel the work.

Conclusion The Lord Jesus said you are either with Him or against Him. To go forward in missions, one has to make a definite decision to be involved and be committed. He will empower, equip and furnish you for your role.

Who Is My Neighbour?

ness. What if the victim dies before they reached the hospital? He mused the more. But seeing the pitiful look on the crowd, he felt a pang of guilt and decided to stop and give a helping hand. The victim, who was obviously in pain, was an elderly woman, but he couldn’t see her face as they carried her unto the back of his car and two Samaritans volunteered to follow him to a hospital and later to a police station to report the matter. It was while they were carrying the victim into the hospital ward that he felt a cold shiver down his spine. No, it couldn’t be.

The helpless woman was no other person than his mother. She was on her way to visit her son; it was on her way that she fell victim to a hit-and-run driver.

Many of us are like the young man above. Often, we have been let down by those we trust. In the process of extending a hand to the weak and vulnerable, we have been taken for granted and even scolded in the process. But does that mean that we should stop doing good? No! In the story above, the young man had vowed never to help anyone any longer. He must have some germane reasons for taking such a tough decision. Perhaps, he had been wrongly accused of what he never did. But imagine if he had refused to stop, only to learn later that her mother had died because there was no one to help her to the hospital? Surely he would never forgive himself.

In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus shows to us that everyone is our neighbour, irrespective of race, gender, tribe or religion.

We must not segregate in helping people. We must not say because I do not know you, I will not help you. There have been stories of generous people, who, long after their death, their children and grand children are still benefitting from the goodwill of their parents. I know a silent philanthropist, who once trained an orphan all the way to the university. After his demise, that orphan, after becoming a medical doctor, later became the main breadwinner of his benefactor’s family.

However, we must remember that we are in a period of grace. We are no more guided by the restrictive laws of the Old Testament. We are to be the salt of the world; to be generous and accommodating to all. We must also be wise and cautious, so, as not to become victims of circumstances. In the course of trying to show love, some may mistake you as stupid. That should not bother you.

Former Head of State and Patron of the Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN), General (Dr.) Yakubu Gowon (left), presents the Prestigious Bible Award of the So- Remember that your master, Jesus, faced much bigger ciety to the Primate of African Church, Nigeria, Most Rev. Emmanuel Udofia (second left), National President of BSN, Dr. Aaron Nuhu and General Secre- persecution. tary/CEO, Rev. (Dr.) Fred Odutola, during the ninth yearly Luncheon and Bible Award ceremony organised by Special Members Forum of the Bible Society Msgr. Osu, Director, Social Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos of Nigeria in Lagos.

ity for granted, causing him so much anguish in the process. As a result of this, he grew rigid over time and vowed never to extend a helping hand to anyone in need of help.

One day, while driving home from office, he observed a group of people by the roadside. They looked anxious and alarmed. It was apparent that someone had been hit by a vehicle and was in dire need of medical attention.

The men flagged down several vehicles, urging the drivers to assist convey the accident victim to a nearby hospital. None of them obliged. Soon, it got to the turn of this young man. As they waved him to a stop, he had the strong urge to press the turtle and keep on driving. Why bother myself with a thing I know nothing about? He thought. Knowing how things work in this part of the world, good Samaritans often fall victim of their kind-

Divine Authority And Power (I) have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the HAT is authority? The earth and all the fruit trees for New Strong Exyour food … and so it was,” panded Exhaustive ConGenesis 1:26-31. cordance of the Bible As you can see in the above describes it as, ‘the lawful text, in the beginning of the right to enforce obediworld both authority and ence.’ power were given to Adam The right to this authorand Eve. But in a most ity was pronounced on tragic manner, the authormankind when Adam and ity and power were lost Eve were created. “Then when they fell for the tricks God said, “Let us make peo- of Satan. “So, she ate some of ple in our image, to be like the fruit. She also gave some ourselves. They will be mas- to her husband … Have you ters over all life… over the eaten the fruit I commanded fish and birds and all the an- you not to eat?” Genesis 3:6-11. imals.” And God said, “I

By S.K. Abiara

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Sin is very costly. People who engage in sin after having known what the

word of God says will loose their privileges in God. That was exactly what happened to our first parents in the Garden of Eden. “So the Lord God banished Adam and his wife from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. After banishing them from the garden, the Lord God stationed mighty angelic beings to the east of Eden. And a flaming sword flashed back and forth, guarding the way to the tree of life,” Genesis 3:23-24. That is the summary of how our first parents lost the authority

God gave them and human race inherited sin and it’s consequences from them.

Nonetheless, the good news is, a way out for mankind predicament and hopelessness is made possible through the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Through His death and resurrection, the bondages of sin have been broken and captives of sinful lifestyles or habits can be freed. Satan has been defeated eternally by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. People were

reconciled to God and access to the Father was made possible by him. Also through his victory, he recovered what the devil had stolen from us from. “...Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing,” Revelation 5:12.

Now you can exercise your authority and power only in Jesus Christ by faith in him.

Prophet Abiara, General Evangelist, Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) skabiaraofciem@yahoo.co.uk

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THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

IBRUCENTRE

No Man Kills For Almighty Allah, Says Aderenle With the ongoing fast, the Amir (Head) of the Almadiyya Jumaat of Nigeria, Aderenle Fashola, has enjoined Muslim faithful to reflect on the lessons of the period, which borders on peace, piety, kindness, honesty, perseverance and the fear of God. Speaking to Bisi Alabi Williams, Fashola said these ethical values are what every Nigerian, including those at the corridors of power, needs to promote peace, love and national development.

The uniqueness of the month HE month of Ramadan is an opportunity for Muslim organisations to vigorously teach the people the importance of peace and religious harmony in the overall interest of the nation. This is why Muslims leaders in Nigeria and, indeed, across the globe have been enjoined to remain in the vanguard of tolerance and peace, which is the true message if Islam. As we commence this holy fast, we must seek peace and promote peace with all and sundry. We should not allow religious crisis to tarnish the good ideals of our religion. We should not allow satanic tendencies and religious crisis to deny our nation of the bountiful blessings Almighty Allah has promised us during this holy month. Ramadan avails us the chance to acquire the appropriate knowledge and wisdom to go about true development.

Why did God create man?

God did not create the universe to get some benefits for Himself, but to give some benefits to the inhabitants. He did not create man to get some benefits from him; he created man to show them his generosity. There is a famous divine saying about the goal of creation in Islam, which can probably be found in Hadith Qudsi. According to this Hadith, God said: ‘I was a hidden treasure, I love to be known. Hence, I created the world, so that, I would be known.’

Misconceptions about Islam One of the most seriously misunderstood aspects of Islam is the position on fighting. This stems from both general ignorance of Islam and the tendency to view the violent behaviours of some groups of people or individuals, which have nominal ties to Islam as representative of Islam. It is people with ulterior motives, include those who want to kill the innocent or loot other people’s properties, as we have seen in some parts of northern Nigeria, where many innocent lives have been wasted and properties worth millions of Naira lost, that would want to portray Islam as a religion that likes war or fights. No man kills for the Almighty Allah; you can’t kill for him or in his name. One of the most misused verses to perpetuate this dastard act is 2:216, which says, “Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing, which is good for you, and that ye love a thing, which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not.”

For Muslims, the Qur’an contains God’s own words and not the words of inspired men. It is, therefore, the ultimate authority, which defines beliefs and practices of Islam. Contrary to the belief by fundamentalists, Ramadan is the month of self-discipline, peace and tolerance. Ramadan is the month of self-discipline because it exposes us to higher Islamic principles.

Discipline and Self-control in Islam For example, self-discipline takes the form of controlling some of our ravenous human desires. The pleasure of eating delicious food will voluntarily tone down. Ramadan teaches us to control our appetite during the day by eating moderately, while at the same

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time, think of the plight of the needy in the society. We are suppose to control our anger and always seek to reconcile with others where there are some differences, instead of being hostile. In fact, a rational Muslim who truly understands the peaceful nature of this holy month will never abuse anybody verbally or even think of it. Ramadan is the month of peace and anybody who draws from the values it teaches develops him or herself, and this transcends to the society at large Tolerance and respect for others A fasting Muslim should be tolerant of people from other race, tribe, culture and religion. Muslims are to show concern to others, especially the needy as well as to non-Muslims. This is a period of spiritual renewal with God apart from showing respect for human dignity and upholding the sacredness of life.

Loving ones neighbours A rational Muslim is required to uphold the law of the land, show respect for others and be a change agent in his community. It is actually during Ramadan that Muslims are supposed to reveal more of the true nature of Islam; embrace love, peace and tolerance. Of course, Muslims should not wait until it is Ramadan to do all these.

The Holy Quran, our sacred book, teaches us to always show these virtues in our daily dealings with people, including fellow Muslims.

What does Nigeria need most at this time of Ramadan?

Our nation needs the dividend of Ramadan to tame the various social menaces bedeviling it and also to promote harmonious atmosphere for good neighbourliness and national cohesion. For this reason, let us all accord Ramadan fast its much deserved respect as a divine task for mankind in general and Nigerian Muslims in particular. The caring and sharing aspect of Ramadan as exemplified in the way the rich interact with the poor should be a culture to be imbibed by government in dealing with her people to make the dividend of democracy to get to all. Muslims must join hands with government to make the country attain true greatness politically, economically and socially, even as we reflect on the lessons of the holy month.

Fashola

Beyond The Elevation, God Has Begun A New Thing In Our Midst, By Samson

By Chris Irekamba HIS month marks a season T of new things for members of The Redeemed Evangelical

… As TREM Dedicates Place Of Worship

a very long time, said, “You don’t wait for the crowd to Mission (TREM), Victoria Iscome before you begin to make land, Lagos, as they dedicate room for it, but you have to pretheir permanent place of wor- pare for where you are going. ship, Victory and Integrity Cen- We would have started a second tre, in a few days to come. service because of our size, but Located at Remi Olowude since we are moving to a bigger nd Street, 2 Roundabout, Lekki, place that plan may wait beLagos, the newly erected cathe- cause the new place will surely dral is a-750 capacity auditoaccommodate everyone. rium with a theatre-shaped structure that has three-side view. The structure also houses the children section of the church, a multi-purpose hall, offices and other sections.

According to the resident pastor, Rev. Tony Samson, “the church started where the new structure is presently erected before the then Resident Pastor arranged for members to worship at its temporary place while the cathedral was under construction at the permanent site.”

Samson, who stressed the importance of erecting a permanent place of worship for God and the dream of members for Samson

“The Lord is taking us from a particular level to another level and my advise to the entire congregation is to look beyond the euphoria of the celebration and position themselves to experience the goodness of God in a new dimension,” he said.

As the church moves from its temporary site to its permanent place, Samson looks forward to seeing God fill the auditorium.

“We expect growth in attendance; we also see it as a new level and a new season and believe that whatever happens in the physical is a follow up to what God has already done in the spiritual. So, we believe that beyond the elevation and the joy of moving into a new and bigger auditorium, God has begun to do a new thing in our midst and we expect to see it manifest in every area of our lives. We expect to see growth in the number of worshippers, we expect people to become better spiritually and for God to affect every aspect of our lives —

marriages, families, and career,” he said.

The church building project, Samson recalled was started by his predecessor in 2010 and had since gulped a lot of funds and energy. Billed to be dedicated on Saturday, July 27, the pastor said activities for the event will kick off on Thursday, July 25 and runs till Sunday, July 28. Expected to grace the event is the Presiding Bishop of TREM, Dr. Mike Okonkwo and his wife, Bishop Peace as well as other Bishops and Zonal Pastors of TREM. Speaking on the theme of the dedication, which is ‘Rehoboth,’ Samson said it simply means ‘God has made room for us and then, we are going to prosper and increase.’

“We look at the fact that we are moving from a small place to a bigger place, which we see as a reward, in the sense that God has made room for us to excel. So, we are all believing God for a ‘Rehoboth’ experience in all aspects of our lives,” he said.

Springs Of Wisdom

By PASTOR W.F KUMUYI

Deliverance From Dark Powers ONE of the greatest tricks of the Devil is the way he packages his activities, making them very attractive to the hapless and gullible. Even in this age of the explosion of knowledge, he remains as effective as ever.

He knows how to shroud the activities of dark powers in such a nice and harmless manner to appeal to the spiritually immature, even the intellectual.

The story was told about a man that took home as a pet, a little snake that looked helpless and harmless.

But he woke up one day to discover that the snake was missing. Naturally, he looked for it everywhere, but could not find it. With time, he forgot all about it, until many days later, he wanted to pick up something that fell from the top of his wardrobe. As he stretched his hands almost absentmindedly, he felt a sharp stab at the back of his finger. The seemingly harmless little snake had surfaced to act true to his nature! His life was saved from the poisonous venom of the snake, by the quick intervention of paramedics, who came to his rescue.

Similarly, people who ignorantly dabble into dark powers, either through campus initiation, reading of occult literatures or through some seemingly innocuous occult practices, expose themselves to incalculable harm, spiritually, financially, physically and mentally. The scourge may begin when the family, which had hitherto prospered, materially and spiritually, begins to experience mysterious setbacks financially, spiritually and, even, moral weaknesses that might snowball into big scandals if not nipped in the bud through prayers. The question that gnaws at the back of the minds of victims of such evil circumstance is: Can the captive of the mighty be delivered? Can the prey be taken away from the strong oppressor?

It does not matter what aspect of your life is under the Devil’s attacks, there is power in the name and blood of Jesus to upturn the situation. Jesus said: “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” As serpents crawl in secretly to hurt and kill, so do witches, wizards and all other dark powers. They attack men at the time and place they are most vulnerable, and leave in their wake, dire pangs and pains in lives.

To be free from the activities of such dark powers, you must turn away from all known sins, big or small, and ask for and ensure that you receive pardon from the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the only key to permanent deliverance, as sin opens the gateway for the Devil and all dark powers to afflict a person.

Secondly, you need to destroy or do away with every occult item in your possession. This could be in the form of literature or regalia used for occult practices.

You must also sever all relationships with any acquaintance known to be dabbling in occult activities.

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

Thirdly, you will need to always plead, by faith, the blood of Jesus upon your life and family. The blood provides the believer with absolute protection from the activities of dark powers.

Fourthly, you will need to pray with the authority that is in the name of Jesus. There is awesome power and authority in that name.

Finally, you must put on the whole armour of God. You will need the shield of faith to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one, “for thus saidth the Lord of hosts; after the glory hath he sent me unto the nations, which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.”

No matter what you might have suffered in past, deliverance is possible. Only let your resolve and prayers be like that of the psalmist: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” Make the Lord the ultimate source of your help.

References: Colossians 2:15; 1 John 3:8; Luke 10:19; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Zechariah 2:8 and Psalm 121:1-4. (All scriptures are from Kings James Version).

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

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IBRUCENTRE

A Worthwhile Sacrifice (4)

By Seyi Ogunorunyinka

was loyal to his master to the core and not allowing anybody to speak evil of him.

UR leaders are supposed to serve us, but in Nigeria, we When it was time for God to take Elijah higher, all the other serve them. They are meant to sacrifice, but we sacrifice for sons of the prophet started laughing and making mockery of them. Every time somebody denies you of something that is Elisha. In 2 Kings 2:1-5, the Bible says “when the Lord was about yours and you keep quiet, you are sacrificing for the sake of to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha peace. were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; You are sacrificing your rights and your pride for the sake of the Lord has sent me to Bethel. But Elisha said, as surely as the peace because you could have said, ‘I demand my rights at all Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you… do you know cost.’ The reason we cannot perform the worthwhile sacrifice is that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” because of our flesh. Our flesh desires everything, but not “Yes, I know,” he replied, “but do not speak of it.” ready to give anything.

Elisha knew that for him to go higher to the position of EliI came across a revelation about Elijah and Elisha recently. The jah, he had to see his boss go higher. So, everything that his world system suggests that if you want to get up, you should boss needed to go higher, he provided. So when it was the pull those ahead of you down and go and occupy their positime for Elijah to go higher, Elisha was there to take up the tions. So in offices, people are busy praying for their bosses to mantle of leadership. All the other sons of the prophet that ‘fall and die;’ praying for something terrible to happen to were mocking Elisha now had to bow down to him because them. The assistant manager is praying for the manager to he had received the double portion of the anointing. What Elmake a mistake so that he will be sacked and he can be proisha did right from the time the Lord called him is what is remoted to the post of a manager. This is not so in the spiritual ferred to as a worthwhile sacrifice, 1 Kings 19:19-21. realm. According to the law of God, for you to go up, you must It is not enough for you to stay with a person when things are assist the person up to go higher. 2 Kings 3:11, says “but Jegood; can you stay with him when things are bad? Every time hoshaphat asked, ‘is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we you deny your flesh to do what God asks you to do, you are may inquire of the Lord through him?” An officer of the King of making a worthwhile sacrifice.

Israel answered, ‘Elisha, son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour Pastor Ogunorunyinka, General Overseer, water on the hands of Elijah.’ Elisha was one of the sons of the The Promisedland Restoration Ministries, Surulere, Lagos. prophet, who attended to the needs of his master, Elijah. He pastorseyiogunorunyinka@gmail.com

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Living Waters

By Pastor Lazarus Muoka

God’s Wrath Is At Hand (1) Jer.7:7-8 says, “The morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of the mountains. 8 Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations”.

RETHREN, anybody who is into sin and assumes B that God is complacent about it has not heard or read what God did in the days of Lot, Noah, Pharaoh

and his armies, the five heathen nations, and how 3,000 men that refused to be on the Lord’s side fell in one day?

If you are into sin and think that God is not worried about you, then you have not heard that even His own people that transgressed against Him in Baalpeor were slain. We should know that God drove Adam and Eve away from the Garden of Eden because of sin. Yet, God has not changed. The iniquities of present generation have superseded the iniquities of generations before it. And if there is no repentance, God will pour His wrath on humanity again.

Zeph. 1:14 says, “The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.”

Beloved, this warning of approaching destruction is enough to make sinners tremble. The great day of the Lord is coming, the day in which He will manifest Himself by taking vengeance on sinners. That day will be a day of trouble and distress to sinners.

They shall justly be left to walk as blind men, in the dark, without a guide and falling at length into the consuming wrath of the Lord because they refused to repent. On that day of the Lord’s wrath, there shall be no escaping, neither will their silver nor their gold, which they have hoarded up, be able to deliver them.

Archbishop George Amu (left), Rev. Chris Kwakpovwe (middle) and other Bishops, during the consecration of Rev. Chris Kwakpovwe as Bishop at Whether the world believes me or not, the truth is Manna Prayer Mountain Church in Lagos...recently that God is angry with the people of this generation and is determined to destroy it if we do not repent from our sin. Our feeling about the caution is immaterial and will not change God’s position. The only thing that will pacify the righteous God is absolute reearth. And they subtly and systematically do this by pretending pentance. It is time to do something to ensure that

By Gabriel Agbo to love, care, protect and provide for man. These you can see you and your family are saved.

THIS year’s Osun Osogbo festival is about to commence. The from the people, who get their wealth, protection, influence, There is no more time; you have to make up your yearly ritual, which started in 1370 is the celebration of the river business empires, promotions, positions, etc, from these mind, now, for the day of trouble is at hand. The apgoddess, Osun; whom the Osogbo citizens claim has faithfully sources. I have personally met such people; some seeking for a proaching ruins of the people of this world have been been keeping her covenant with their forefathers. The celebra- way of escape. Or haven’t you also heard of musicians or Sation is a two-week programme that involves rituals, masforetold, so that they might be awakened by repentanists declaring that they got their inspirations from the querading and other social and traditional activities. The water spirits or from Satan? Yes, you can get some of these tance and thus prevent the wrath to come. And where worshipers believe this goddess gives them peace, children, things from there. Have you forgotten that Devil promised they failed to repent, they will repent in hell fire and protection, healing and others. The festival has since turned to Jesus the world and all the glory if He would just bow and wor- then, it will be too late for the grace of God to abide. a mega event, attracting visitors from different parts of the ship him? Truly, so many have bowed to these evil spirits. And I My prayer is that you will not be among the obstinate world. The United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Or- hope you already know that there is no free gift from Satan. I ones, who take God’s word for granted. ganisation (UNESCO) has also enlisted the Osun grove as a

Osun Osogbo And Generational Curses (1)

world heritage site. The festival holds in the last week of August and begins with the clearing of the traditional paths and ends with a young virgin from the royal family leading an often rowdy procession to the shrine at the Osun grove, carrying the sacred Osun calabash that contains the articles to worship the river goddess.

Now, a river goddess is a mermaid; a female spirit that lives and operates from the water, river, sea, etc. The male counterpart is called merman. In deliverance parlance, we refer to these as marine spirits or ‘mammy water.

These spirits, who are part of the principalities, powers and rulers of the kingdom of darkness are on different levels of authorities and have two basic objectives. One is to directly cause havoc to man and they do this through possession, affliction, inflicting sicknesses, disappointments, madness, infertility, backwardness, curses, untimely deaths, depression, suicide, failure, unexplainable marital problems through the operation of the ‘spirit husbands and wives’, Ogbanje, Abiku, etc, on people. We always minister to victims of these demons in deliverance sessions. They sometimes cause accidents on our roads, waters and air, and also initiate terrible, bloody and dangerous sacrifices to sustain covenants with them. Most of the mysterious disappearances of people and ritual killings can always be traced to the activities of these demons and their worshipers.

They periodically demand for human and blood sacrifices.

True!

Then, their other objective (which is the ultimate) is to divert man’s attention from God Almighty; the creator of heavens and

have elucidated in my books - Power of Midnight Prayer and Breaking Generational Curses: Claiming Your Freedom.

Now, what will make an individual, community or a state to still worship these goddesses or any other idol in this modern age and with the rapid spread of the gospel? And must idolatry always be linked with the promotion of culture and tourism in this part of the world? Why are our governments and corporate bodies promoting idolatry (and nudity in the case of some beauty pageants), and other satanic activities instead of channeling those resources to developmental and godly projects? Is it every tradition and culture that we must preserve? Why would you still find this kind of large cult following for a demon in a country that is reputed to be having the largest church, the largest single Christian gathering and some of the most powerful men of God in the world today? Is Osun State actually named after this female demon principality?

Where were the believers, when the choice of this name was made or are they part of her worshipers? Can it still be changed? What influence is this spirit having over the citizens and the affairs of the State? What effect will these powerful rituals and sacrifices have on the lives of those innocent young virgins that are forced to carry the dreaded Osun calabash and lead the procession to the mermaid’s shrine at every grand finale of this ritual? Do the worshipers of this mermaid at Osogbo know that they are into idol worshiping that will not fail to attract God’s punishment and heavy generational curses upon their land, children and children children?

Rev. Agbo is of the Assemblies of God Nigeria. gabrielagbo@yahoo.com

Pastor Chris Kwakpovwe Ordained Bishop HE General Overseer of Manna Prayer Mountain, Dr. T Chris Kwakpovwe was ordained as Bishop on Sunday, July, 7, 2013. The ceremony, which took place in the church auditorium was performed by members of the Christian Association of Nigeria and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria. They include Archbishop Irivbeme Amu, CAN Secretary, Lagos State Chapter and other prominent Bishops such as Bishop Isaac Nworji, Bishop Peter Okoduwa, Bishop Charles Okpodu and Bishop Charles Taiwo Ajose amidst pomp and pageantry that graced the occasion. Taking his sermon from 1 Timothy 3:3, Bishop Amu, said, “I have done a research about the newly elected Bishop, Dr. Chris and therefore, we’re birds of the same feather that can flock together. However, I thank God for the assignment. Adding that, “I know it will be a new beginning for the new Bishop,” he said. Meanwhile, in his acceptance speech, the newly elected Bishop, Dr. Kwakpovwe, a pharmacist, thanked the Bishops.

“This is the time I need your prayers.

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

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IBRUCENTRE

By Ernest Onuoha ‘You and Aaron must take the staff from the place where it was kept before the Lord… So, the entire community and their livestock drank their fill,’ Num. 20v8-11.

HE Lord had told Moses to speak to the rock; however Moses struck it not once, but twice. He was frustrated. He was angry.

He was tired of being blamed for everything that went wrong. Year after year, he had taken them through different disaster. He was continually interceding on their behalf; but all he got for his efforts were grief. And in exasperation, he said: ‘Listen you rebels!

He shouted. Must we bring you water from this rock?’

For this he was forbidden to enter the Promised Land. Was God’s punishment of Moses too harsh? After all, the people had nagged him, slandered him and rebelled against both him and God. But Moses was the leader and model for the entire nation. Because of this great responsibility, he could not be let off lightly. By striking the rock, Moses disobeyed God’s direct command; he dishonoured Him in the presence of His people. He did not follow carefully the instructions of God and this angered the Lord. How come that Moses called God’s people ‘rebels?’ Look at his

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Church Inaugurates New District

By Tolulope Okunlola HE General Overseer of Foursquare Gospel Church of Nigeria, Rev. Felix Meduoye, has inaugurated a new district known as Oregun District. The new district, which is the fourth to be carved out of Ikeja District, is presently under the headship of District Overseer, Dayo Adewumi. According to Pastor Adewumi, Akute District was the first to be carved out in 2007, followed by Ifako District in 2010, Magodo-Ibafo in July 2012 and, now, Oregun in 2013.

The event also served as avenue to install Rev. Rotimi Andu as Oregun District Overseer.

Speaking after the installation, Andu said, “the significance of the ceremony is basically for evangelism and expansion of God’s work here on earth. It is to win more souls to God. I am expecting us to plant at least a minimum of 10 new churches within the next 11 months.

“I believe that the coming of the General Overseer himself to inaugurate the new church district, and personally carry out the installation is important because, Elisha depended on the anointing from Elijah. His coming has added more than double of his grace upon our lives,” he said.

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From The Rector Ibru International Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor

Following God’s Instruction With Care claims also, which did not honour God: ‘Must we bring you water from this rock?’

It is true; 40 years earlier, the previous generation had the same complaint, no water.

God told Moses to strike a rock with his staff, Exod. 17v6. When he obeyed, water gushed out. When the grumbling started again, so many years later, Moses did the thing that worked before, but this time, it was the wrong thing to do. Moses told the Israelites to listen, but he, himself, did not do that to God. God had told him to speak to the rock, not strike it. Sometimes in exhaustion or exasperation, we don’t pay close attention to God. We assume He will always work the same way. But He doesn’t.

CHOPIN Launches First Organ, Music Magazine

By Gbenga Akinfenwa DETERMINED to elevate the status of organists and Church musicians across the country, the Church Organ Projects in Nigeria (CHOPIN) has launched a magazine, Organ and Music Magazine (O&MM).

Being the first of its kind in the country, the magazine aims to provide literature on organ and choral for the public. The launch, which was held at the Tinubu Methodist Church, Lagos, featured concert and classical music.

The 52-page quarterly publication is fashioned after the famous Church Music Quarterly (CMQ) and produced in England by the Royal School of Church of Music (RSCM).

The Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Lanre Delano, told The Guardian that the birth of the magazine was as a result of the need for organists and Church musicians to have literature on organ and choral. Delano disclosed that his goal is to set up an institution to certify organists, adding that most organists in the country are not certified. He advised organists, choristers and church musicians to subscribe to the magazine to develop their musical acts.

Sometimes He tells us to act; sometimes, He tells us to speak; and sometimes He tells us to wait. That is why we must always be careful when listening to God for instructions.

God is jealous and cannot share His glory with anyone. I think this is where believers, today, need to be very careful in dealing with this all-knowing God. He told us in His holy writ:‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says Jehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts,’Isaiah 55v8-9.

Therefore, any group or person that decides to go contrary to the instructions of God is simply courting the wrath of the most high.

to, she may be abused. Trousers definitely show the delicate part of a lady, which gives room for the undisciplined men to feel somehow and may want to take advantage of her. It is very clear in the Bible that women should not put on dresses that are for men or in our own language, dresses that would make them to look like men or would show the delicate parts of their body and the same rule goes for men. What was done to the lady in Ogun State NYSC camp was quite unfair and I believe President Goodluck Jonathan, who is passionate about ladies preserving their sanctity would not be happy at those, who persecuted her for her belief and conviction. As a Christian leader, I am saying she was right as far as the constitution that permits freedom of religion is concerned. What was done to her amounted to intimidation and dehumanisation. Similar treatment can lead to a religious war!

If You Force Ladies To Wear Trousers, They Could Be Forced To Kill’ (Apostle Paul Taiwo Adenuga, Founder, Faith Revival Apostolic Church (FRAC), Idimu, Lagos) F not that the devil has blindfolded us; I don’t see reason anybody should be forced to do something against his or her wish. The youths of today are the leaders of tomorrow and if you can force the ladies to wear trousers during national service it then means they could be forced to kill.

There should be an alternative to trousers to ensure that the ladies do not expose themselves during exercise, as they claim. There has been lots of excuses that trousers is compulsory because of sports and other paramilitary exercises, why are we using human wisdom to pollute people’s lives? Why can’t we introduce separate sections for men and women?

Why are you forcing them, saying you don’t want their laps exposed? May the Lord deliver this nation; what we are experiencing now indicates that we need prayer. You cannot say by force or fire one must abide by such rules, it’s wrong. The NYSC authorities should obey the Bible, respect the rule of law and not infringe on another person’s right. What they

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Ven. Ernest Onuoha Rector, Ibru International Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State. www.ibrucentre.org

Bishop Emphasises Quality Of Service

By Isaac Taiwo HE Bishop of Ife Diocese (Anglican Communion), Rt. Rev. Oluranti Odubogun, has stated that absolute faithfulness in the vineyard is the bedrock of service for those God has called. Admonishing four clerics elevated to the status of deacons and priests in the Diocese, Odubogun said since the work of God will continue until Jesus comes, there would always be need to send labourers into the field to harvest souls, who will be part of the great commission.

He disclosed that it was not enough for anyone to think he was fit for God’s service or have the intention to work in the Lord’s vineyard without first hearing the call and

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NYSC Should Tackle Killing Of Corps Members In The North

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37

Yes, Moses had not followed carefully the instructions of God and his punishment was that he will not enter the Promised Land. We also remember that Saul disobeyed God and its attendant effect was that he lost his kingship. People of God, we need to be careful with God’s instructions.

Do it as He says, whether convenient or not, He knows better.

did to the lady was an infringement of her right because the Bible emphasised that no woman should put on anything that belongs to a man. It is obvious that NYSC needs prayer.

Government And Its Agencies Have No Business With Religious Beliefs (Rev. Francis Ejiroghene Waive, General Overseer Fresh Anointing Missionary Ministries Inc, Senior Pastor, Church of the Anointing, Warri Delta State) T might offend the sensibility of someone from outside the Niger Delta to see men tying wrappers. For most parts of Nigeria, the wrapper is a woman thing. From where this lady came from it must be that trousers are the exclusive preserve of the men and women are forbidden from wearing men’s clothing. This is a classic example of how people interpret the Bible in the context of their own culture and environment.

Though, she gave religious reasons for her action, from the analysis made above, it is clear it has cultural connotations. If this lady were from a culture that has women wearing trousers, she would not have interpreted the Bible the way she had done. The fact really is that a lady (Corps member or not) has not committed a sin simply by wearing trousers. Decency, however, would say that those tight fitting leggings should be reserved for the bedroom or else a covering top be worn over it. This, however, is not the case with the NYSC trousers. It is not leggings.

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However, the action of the NYSC authorities leaves much to be desired. I believe firmly that, it is an infringement on her right. She should go to court and secure judgment that would be the reference point in matters like these, and possibly get damages. Government and its agencies have no business with religious beliefs and should never attempt to regulate it. Any attempt to do so always results in disaster. History is replete with examples of the results of such government interference. Whether we like it or not, religion remains the opium of the people. To say that the Bible teaches that women wearing trousers is sinful, is to say the least, deceitful. Those who argue this base their position on Deuteronomy 22:5. First, you do not make a doctrine out of just one passage of the scripture, otherwise there will be so many horrible teachings. You have to compare scripture with scripture remembering that you interpret scripture with scripture. Second, the definition of what is a man’s garment differs from culture to culture. So, we can’t be dogmatic and say that wrapper is for women and trouser is for

men.

Third, most Bible scholars are of the opinion that a man’s gar-

counting the cost, which include total surrender to the Lord, distancing oneself from the world and being prepared to go anywhere the Lord wants him to go.

“It should be noted that the work of God these days demand some preparation, which also include basic education because of the diverse audience in the field most of whom understand the scriptures. Remember also that you are going out as agent of change, which demands honesty, obedience to constituted authority, refusal to yield to the inordinate desire of the flesh as well as separation from the works of the flesh and walking in the Spirit.

“There will be challenges, which may not be different

from the kind of challenges that confronted those before you, but the Lord will see you through,” he said.

The cleric lamented the unfaithfulness in governance, which has led to the nation being at a crossroad. “Majority of those in government, today, take the electorates for a ride, believing that they have suppressed them and could, therefore, grab as much as they want for their selfish end without knowing that they are ignorant and have continued to dance and jump at the edge of a deep pit. God is still God of mercy and is demanding for a genuine repentance, so that they would not slip into the bottomless pit, leaving their ill-gotten wealth behind,” he said.

Imoke Supports Church, Donates Salary From Anietie Akpan, Calabar OVERNOR Liyel Imoke of Cross River State has promised to donate his monthly salary beginning from July till he leaves office in 2015 to Grace Consulate (Grace Network Ministries Incorporated), as his contribution to the church’s youth development programme.

Imoke, who was the Chairman and Special Guest of Honour of the church programme, made this promise at the unveiling and launch of an album by the church tagged, Earth Shakers and Frank Edward, Na’ar Youth Swagger, at Transcorp Metropolitan Hotel Calabar. He said the beauty of what the church is doing goes beyond the normal Sunday, as it impacts on youth development. The Governor disclosed that the donation was borne out of his commitment and passion for youth development, which also prompted him to float the Bridge Leadership Foundation, a project dedicated to helping youths develop their talents as future leaders.

Imoke said, “today’s youths are faced with global challenges and it is important that they have access to information, adding that money generated from the launch should be used to acquire equipment and build a studio to enable youths realise their potentials.

Commending Pastor Lawrence Okpata, the brain behind the launch, Imoke advised the youths to get education first because one cannot be successful without it.

The wife of the governor, Mrs. Obioma Liyel Imoke, described the launch as a great event because it is aimed at catching the children young, explaining that the first thing a parent should do, is to teach the child how to sing.

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Gov. Imoke

TheGuardian

42 Sunday, July 21, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Business Concessioning: A ‘Sell-out’ To Cronies?

By Marcel Mbamalu and Geoff Iyatse ODAY, questions are being asked as to why the collective patrimony of the world’s most populous black nation would be ceded to a few individuals in the name of privatisation, or better still, concessioning. In most cases, these lucky Nigerians are empowered to hold the national heritage for between 25 to 50 years. Worse still, there are little or near-invisible safety nets to suck in any form of abuse in the long run.

For this reason, the courts are busied with litigations as contentions trail some of these decisions that were, hitherto, unquestionable.

The list is endless. From the Aviation and maritime sectors to road infrastructure, the dotted lines of concessioning show clearly. In some sectors, aviation, roads and maritime for example, the ensuing rift just refuses to go away.

Only recently, the Federal Government was forced to rescind the 2009 concessioning of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to Bi-Courtney and reawarded the contract to Julius Berger and the RCC Nigeria.

The 105-kilometre road, which was first constructed in 1974 — and now remains an object of heated public debate — was approved for concessioning by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on April 15, 2009. The original plan was that the beneficiary, having been mandated to pay N89.53 billion, would hold the forte for a period of 25 years under a Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) scheme. That was not to be, as the government of the day saw the public outcry over “poor performance” as an alibi to correct the “mistakes of the past.”

That is just a snippet of today’s issues with road sector concessioning or privatisation, if you like.

Even though the Lekki Concessioning Company’s Lekki-Epe Expressway remains one clear success story of this experiment, the troubles arising from what many Lagosians see as a rip-off, the resultant tolling stare every one in the face.

In what appeared a “self-reversal,” former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in whose regime the privatisation project flourished, directed the demolition of several toll gates on major highways after they were handed over to certain Nigerians of great economic worth.

In the aviation sector, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Bi-Courtney and the AIC Nigeria Limited feuds speak volumes of the trouble with the nation’s kind of privatisation/concessioning.

The AIC and FAAN, it was said, executed a deed of lease on February 17, 1998, which gave a parcel of land covering 11.654 hectares at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja. The concessionaire was to build a hotel, which it is expected to run profitably for a minimum of 50 years. The leasehold gave similar rights to AIC in Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano Airports, even though the structures would be developed in phases. That agreement has now come under serious public scrutiny, with reports ‘alleging’ that the FAAN has been mandated to take back the land.

Again, the Ministry of Aviation is currently carrying out major repair and reconstruction works at the tollgate leading to the local and international wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. That arm of aviation business (it should be said) was concessioned to a private sector operator, now having a field day raking in millions of Naira on daily basis. That process of handing the toll gate to concessionaire was less than transparent.

The petroleum sector, the downstream in particular, also witnessed what promised to be a successful privatisation of the “perennially challenged refineries,” again conducted by the Obasanjo regime; but that was to be short-lived, as late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua did not waste time in returning them to the waiting weak hands of public-sector managers.

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AMED Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, the N Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), embodied the essence of Nigerian sovereignty. Late Tafawa Balewa did mount a rostrum at the main bowl of the square to announce the country’s independence to a gathering of hopeful Nigerians whose memories were directly tied to the trappings of the square itself.

The memories of the historic birth of a new

Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

country lingered for many decades; but they were to be cut short by a concession saga that might as well continue to haunt, those old enough to have appreciated the significance of TBS. The concession bid process was greeted with criticisms that were more rooted in emotions than in the substance of the decision; and this contention was understandable.

People find it difficult to take a stand on things that touch their hearts, and TBS was one of such things. Many Nigerians preferred a collapsed TBS owned by government to a modernised one handed over to ‘unknown investors.’

Amid condemnation, government, in its usual character, went ahead to sign a 30year concession deal with BHS International Limited. Of course, the memorial arcade built on the spot the Nigeria’s green-white-green flag was hoisted (following the lowering of the Union Jack) was not spared in the N9.5 billion-concession deal.

The understanding was that BHS, a company promoted by late Chief Fred Archibong, would transform the national monument into a world-class shopping centre, operate it for 30 years and hand it over to the Federal Government. But the promised El Dorado remains a mirage, while litigations threaten the very foundation of the deal.

First, the concessionaire had to convince ‘stubborn’ tenants that the agreement it signed with the government gave it sufficient grounds to manage the former public asset profitably. The occupants were not ready to pay “market rate” for the spaces allocated to them. They were bitter that BHS wanted more money when it did not invest any kobo to improve the property. That triggered series of litigation.

The Lagos State Government also dragged the Federal Government to court over its ownership – a situation BHS said was responsible for its inability to turn around the square. With development stalled, the leaseholder simply settles for rent collecting while the national heritages rots away.

nected to those at the top, they emerge winners.

It is like the common story where oil blocks are given to those who don’t even know what drilling is.”

The concessioning of Lagos wharfs has, indeed, translated into improved service delivery at TinCan Island and Apapa. Oshoma attested to the improvement but noted that the recorded gain in terms of faster clearing is nothing to compare with what obtains in other parts of the world, which Nigeria should use to benchmark the performance of the concessionaires.

“When you compare the quality of service to what was in place before the ports were concessioned, you will, sure, notice an improvement.

But does the improvement match best global practices? No, it doesn’t. I think what others have achieved is a more reasonable benchmark for measuring the success of the concessionNDEED, not many Nigerians believe the programme has achieved significant suc- aires,” the lawyer noted.

Oshoma also traced the origin of the decay in cess. Liborous Oshoma, a lawyer, said the public assets to a sort of conspiracy theory. His programme has not achieved its goals because it has been twisted to favour selected allusion is that those who managed the assets before the concessioning ran them down to reindividuals. He attributed most problems militating against the efficiency of conces- inforce the general belief that government is, sioned facilities to lack of merit at the onset. “not a good business manager.” The tactics, he Oshoma said: “Concessioning is originally said, was to convince relevant stakeholders that meant to increase efficiency in public serv- concessioning, which they would stage-manage to benefit themselves, was the way to go. ice. And that is not a bad idea on its face “And you ask whether it was not the same set value. The problem lies in the kind of poliof people that managed the institutions that tics we play with it. are still in charge now. The only thing that has “At the seaports, services are more effichanged is the nomenclature. The man is no cient. When you imported car those days, longer running it as public but private enteryou would be scared it would be vandalised; many of their components would prise,” he noted.

The legal expert said concessioning runs have gone before it was delivered to you.

But now, the challenge has been addressed against section two of the Constitution, which spells out the fundamental objectives of governbecause the concessionaires are held rement, supposing the responsibilities are justisponsible for such damages. There is imciable, as long demanded by the civil society. provement in security at the ports also.”

He continued: “You cannot sue government Oshoma observed that the government also makes more money at little or no cost when it fails to provide basic amenities such as water as in the case of fundamental human as a result of concessioning. He, however, noted that the manner the leased assets are rights. They are not justifiable; and they are managed and the process of filing returns supposed to be basic rights. When government fails to provide those things, you cannot take it to the government are riddled by underto court.” hand dealings.

“Those involved have a way of structuring He observed that the government, over the years, has used the loophole created by the Conthe processes to benefit themselves and their cronies. Some of the concessionaires stitution to abdicate its basic responsibilities (through the Public Private Partnership (PPP), may not even have the know-how to manage the assets. But because they are conCONTINUED ON PAGE 44

The TBS case exemplifies the sorrowful story of the country’s concessioning programme. Where a concessioned national heritage is not bogged down by legal contentions, the renter simply turns it (in its raw form) into a cash cow in contravention of the terms.

In few cases where there are visible efforts to develop the asset, users are meant to pay cut-throat charges for services, which, in most cases, throw up debate on multiple taxation.

These have been the tales of concessioning, a programme conceived in 2005 as an inescapable route to the country’s blissful future when the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission Act was passed.

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THe GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

BUSINeSS which is driven by concessioning) to individuals who in turn use the services that are supposed to be free to exploit the masses.

Those who object to the Nigeria’s version of concessioning on the ground that it is a paddy-paddy arrangement may not be wrong after all. Just last week, Director General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Muda Yusuf, raised the alarm that government’s decision to replace Cotecna Destination Inspection Limited (CDIL) as service provider at the Lagos Ports Complex (LPC), Apapa, is already taken its toll on the efficiency of cargo clearing process. LPC is the biggest and busiest port handling company in the country and, hence the calls to engage the best hands for its management.

The Federal Government recently rejected industry stakeholders’ position, including that of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), in a decision that led to Cotecna losing its destination inspection job at LPC to an indigenous Global Scan Systems Limited.

The Federal Ministry of Finance, by the decision, extended the contract, which expired June 2013, by another six months but swapped the lots given to the three concessionaires across the country. Cotecna, a Switzerland family-owned firm, by the new arrangement, lost the prime and sensitive Apapa Ports to Global Scan.

Global Scan was incorporated in 2001 “with the main objective of facilitating Federal Government’s reforms on importation and operations at the nation’s seaports, airports and border posts,” according to information on its corporate website.

The company, with an initial paid up share capital of N20 million, is promoted by a consortium of four Nigerian limited liability companies. It was, in September 2005, awarded the contract together with Cotecna and SGS Scanning Nigeria Limited to provide destination inspection services for Nigeria.

Global Scan was awarded lot III, which covers the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Seme Border, Warri and Calabar seaports. The service was hinged on Build-Own-Operate-and-Transfer (BOOT) basis.

Cotecna, on the other hand, boasts of a robust experience in commercial inspection dating back to 1974 when it was founded by elie Georges Massey. By 1980s, it initiated relationship with the United Nations and has, over the years, worked with UN agencies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), to inspect purchases of medical equipment.

Its first contact with Nigeria was made in 1984 when it was selected by the Nigerian government amongst a number of other service providers to carry out a “comprehensive import supervision scheme.” Cotecna, subsequently, adapted the programme specifically for NCS, triggering what would be known as pre-shipment inspection (PSI), a

When Concessioning Serves Personal Interest new practice it spread to many other countries.

Cotecna consolidated its PSI position throughout the 1990s, signing many PSI contracts and establishing its status as one of the world’s premier trade facilitation and inspection organisations, making a major contribution in helping to curb foreign exchange control evasion.

In 1994, SGS bought a controlling interest in Cotecna, though the Masseys bought back the company four years later. A year after the buyback, the company developed its PSI programme into DI that incorporated risk management and the use of new technology such as container scanners. And it is the same DI for which decided who between Cotecna and its Nigeria competitor (Global Scan) takes the lead contract.

Less than two months before Apapa DI was handed over to Global Scan, forwarders, importers and dockworkers lamented over what they described as insufficient scanning machines at Seme Border, saying the development could lead to loss of revenue to the government.

Mr. Ignatius ezeukwu said government would continue to lose revenue as a result of the dismal performance constantly experienced by clearing agents and importers caused by constant break down of equipment.

N the run-up to the end of the seven-year conIincession in 2012, NCS and Global Scan engaged war of words, obviously to outwit each other.

Global Scan has always claimed that Customs Officers, which the companies handling DI were to groom, are untrainable and, as such, cannot handle scanners. Towards the end of the first sixmonth extension, the company alarmed that the country risked cancer outbreak if the operations were handed over to Customs. Observers saw the statement as tactical step to blackmail the government into another extension. And the companies involved in the contract got the extension.

Customs, indeed, described the accusation as a desperate attempt by the “incapable concessionaire” who could not deliver on its mandate to get undeserved extension.

In a particular press statement, Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Wale Adeniyi, said Global Scan did not start construction of fixed scanner at a Seme Border site until about two years ago. The project, he lamented, was yet to be completed, even as nearly all the mobile scanners supplied at other sites had serious operations and maintenance issues.

The management of NCS further opened up on the scorecard of the concessionaire, saying the service provider failed to meet the contract obligations months after expiration of the original tenure.

NCS said several audit and assessment reports by Accenture, the World Bank and oversight committees of the National Assembly indicted Global scan of handling the responsibility shoddily.

Till date, nobody knows the full extent of NCS and Global Scan collaboration.

Whereas the terms of contract say the concessionaires in DI should train Customs sufficiently within seven years such that the service could take over the operation that is relatively novel, it is not clear whether the companies, including Global Scan, failed in that aspect or if the Customs officers were truly “untrainable”. The only thing that is unambiguous is that the government has not only extended the contract as “indirectly canvassed” by Global Scan but has also given the company at the centre of the intrigues the most juicy portion of the contract – LPC. Just about a month when that was done, Yusuf says the decision has created serious capacity gaps in the cargo clearing process at the Lagos Ports.

“Reports reaching LCCI indicate the worsening of congestion at the LPC resulting from delays in the scanning of containers and other related activities.

This development has profound implications for the private sector and the economy in the following ways: high demurrage charges, high cost of borrowed funds, disruption of production schedules of manufacturers as raw materials are stuck at the port and inability of suppliers to meet contractual timelines.

Other implications listed are aggravation of corruption at the port as importers struggle to clear their cargo through the bottlenecks and exacerbation of inflation as clearing experience delay.” eCeNTLY, the National Council on R Privatisation (NCP) raised a committee to investigate the allegations on

that some of the concessionaires’ operations were not at par with the national expectation.

Similar intrigues, poor satisfactions or cutthroat charges trail virtually all the major concessionings at the airports. Recently, AIC Limited lost close to 12 hectares of land at the Murtala Mohammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, it secured through a concessioning deal in 1998 to build a hotel to service the port of entry. Barely two years after the deal was signed, a letter from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) stopped the construction. Arbitration and litigation lingered for several years before the matter was recently decided in favour of FAAN. On another scale, the running battle between Bi-Courtney Aviation Services and FAAN tips to yet extreme example of how PPP are not expected to be managed. If a press release by the airport landlord is not reversing charges imposed by the service provider, it is instructing the company to recoil operations to reflect what it signed as terms of agreement.

Bi-Courtney has even been accused of conniving with corrupt ministry officials or top politicians to extend both space and period covered by the original agreement. The Ministry of Aviation had to wade through litany of litigations to remodel the General Aviation Terminal (GAT).

Travelers had long lamented the decay of the terminal describing it as a terrible reputation for the country. When ‘help’ eventually came, the concessionaire fought hard to stop work on the ground that the agreement bans the government from tampering with the facility for the period it occupied it.

In 2011, it took the direct intervention of the Minister of Aviation for Bi-Courtney to halt the collection of the new N2, 500 it imposed on each ticket under the guise of Passenger Service Charge (PSC). It jacked the charge from N1,000 to N2,500 at the MMA2, arguing that it got approval from relevant authorities since 2006 to increase the levy to N3000.

Is government’s partnership with private sector in the massive infrastructure development needed to meet Nigeria’s goal of being one of the best 20 economies in the world by 2020 are fast becoming a pipe dream. With the failure of the PPP option so far undertaken by the government, investors may be wary of making commitment in over 20 projects lined up for private entities to help finance. The projects include a light rail system and the Kuje water works both in Abuja, Sagamu-Benin-Asaba Highway, AbujaKaduna-Kano Road, Lagos- Kaduna-Kaura Namoda-Nguru Rail Line, Port Harcourt-Kafancha-Maiduguri Rail Line and the Kiri-Kiri Lighter Terminals 1 and 2. There are also projects in the health and housing sectors marked down for private sector funding.

sharp practices levelled against private port terminal operators.

Minister of National Planning Commission, Shamsudden Usman, who doubles as chairman of Policy and Monitoring Committee of NCP, said during a tour on the Lagos ports that the eT, Steve Ozili, who was among the team that team are already going round the coundid the valuation of non-core areas of the try to verify the allegations.

Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in preparation Shamsuddeen particularly pointed out for concessioning, said the programme could not be described as a failure. He said any fair assessment must string together what it cost government to maintain the assets, the quality of services the public utilities were giving, the present status of the assets, the legal issues and goodwill passed to the concessionaries.

Ozili, a valuer, said: “We cannot just jump into what the expectations were without looking into what the Federal Government was spending yearly on those companies. One also needs to have complete knowledge about the state of the assets before the concessioning. Where they fully ultilised? What was the state of their indebtedness? Then one can cross-match the information with where they are now.”

He observed that concessioning was genuinely conceived as option for developing the country’s infrastructure “except that the implementers might have compromised national interest. The concessionaires might have veer off the path charted by the initiator of the scheme. The challenge we have is that threw is no proper monitoring. That leaves a big room for the concessionaires to go beyond what is contained in the Memoranda of Understanding (MoU).”

He noted that concessioning, a concept rooted in landlord-tenant relationship, has little to do with valuation figures since the assets would eventually return to the government.

He said what is most important is whether the leaseholder keeps to the terms of agreement.

But decrying the manner government has handled the programme, Ozili said the process ought to have been closely monitored by relevant agencies.

General Atawodi Samuel Usman (rtd), a public facility manager, said the programme is defeated by poor commitment to national interest, a malady, he said, has permeated every aspect of the national life. He noticed that even where foreign companies are involved, the challenge is in getting the Nigerians who work with them to Sales Director, Nokia (India, Middle East and Africa), Patrick Dravet with Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, Larry Annetts, during a partnership agreement meeting between the understand the focus of the country and key companies on the new Nokia Asha 501 in Lagos… last week. into it.

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THE GUaRDIaN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

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BUSINESS

TBS: OneConcession Too Many

By Ikechukwu Onyewuchi HE national monument was consessioned to private managers, BHS International Limited, in 2008 for managerial and technical efficiency. Government cited high cost of maintenance as reason it had to let go for private hands. But has the concessioning served its purpose?

Mr. Okoh Isaac, a regular caller at the square, said he has been coming to the place for eight years and the only change, after the concessioning, is that of security.

Until recently, Isaac said, thugs and miscreants had made the pavilions their second home, taking refuge and shelter there at night and destroying the structures at will.

He noted: “There is not much difference since the concession took place. In fact, I believe the facility was better when it was managed by the government. The concessionaire has only been able to beef up security and chase the thugs out of this place.” according to him, the facility is particularly busy on Saturdays, when weddings and other ceremonies took place. Stating that the venue is also a beehive of activities on arm Forces remembrance days, he said the facility commands respect; hence people prefer to hold events in it.

Inside, removed from the square proper, is a sprawling aisle. The two rectangular structures now come into full focus. They are old, in dire need of painting, and are the tallest structures in the square, only outdone by the NITEL structure lying far opposite, outside the square. On each of them rests lighting and sound gadgets. Some of the lights are broken; the speakers are not looking good either. The House of assembly Laison Office stands in the middle; so also does a police station. Private security men patrol the area, sometimes questioning pedestrians who take the route as a detour.

Inside the square, a toilet lay close to the east pavilion in a cabin-like structure. The reporter walked in. The water closets are clean, the water flowing. There are two toilets each for male and female. The attendant requested for N50 payment for usage.

It is evident that development has been slow at TBS. The tenants complain of neglect as no major development has taken place since the concessionaire took over. The only services that are stable, tenants say, are water and security and sometimes power. The cricket field is a lush green though. The monuments and national symbols by the court are ancient,

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needing care. a leader of the tenants association, Mr Gbenga Ojekunle, is of the opinion that the TBS is underdeveloped. He said the concessionaires are having problem with tenants because they took over from government on a wrong foot. according to him, “The people did not follow the developmental plan they said they have for TBS. infrastructure is poor and that causes problems for the landlords and the concessionaire. and another reason is their attempts to always review the rent. The concessionaires did not carry the tenants along in the process and as such when they came they were not given full cooperation.” However, he said the major problem

is with Lagos state government who has delayed the approval of BHS’s development plan.

Without this, he said, no major change take place.

Mrs. Josephine abraham, Head, Corporate affairs and Human Resource, BHS International Limited, said development at the facility is forth coming, alluding to the delay in approval

by Lagos state government. She said other than the delayed approval the BHS has been in court with the state government. The case, she said, is on the claim by Lagos state government that the company are illegal occupants of the facility and hence, should pack out.

She maintained that even with the handicap, the company has been able to attract event

managers, the Lagos state government and Nigerians to hold their events at the square. according to her, the federal government’s issue of indemnity to investors has seen investors express interest to locate their businesses at the facility.

The facility, she said, was given to BHS to manage for 30 years and since 2008, when it was concessioned, the company has been faithful with its monthly remittance of N100 million.

For the case with the tenants, although in the law court, she said the case would end amicably. She hopes both cases with the tenants and the state government ends in an out-of-court settlement.

Entrepreneurs Charged On Power Sector Investment

By Bisi Alabi Williams EMaLE entrepreneurs in Nigeria have been charged to take full advantage of the unbundling of the power sector and other key areas of the economy. at a CEO/Policy Maker interactive breakfast series, Executive Vice-Chairman of Techno Oil Ltd, Nkechi Obi, said there is an urgent need for women to grab opportunities arising from the unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and other institutions.

The industrialist said getting women into senior positions in public or private sector has remained a global problem.

Her words: “However, women in Nigeria should rise up to be counted now that the power sector is being opened up for investment opportunities because our women are as qualified and skilled as the men,’’ She advised government to fashion out policies to empower female entrepreneurs and position them for the cutthroat competition in big business.

Citing activities in the downstream sector as they concerned women, she said that only five per cent of the 47 depot owners in the country were women.

She advised female investors to always identify their best competencies and focus on them, rather than dabbling into many jobs at the same time.

“We cannot get anywhere if we have more than one task added to the natural obligation of taking care of children and family,’’ she added.

Uju Ifejika, Chief Executive Officer, Brittania-U Nigeria Ltd urged women to keep looking out for opportunities to improve themselves.

“When I move around, I find opportunities even on billboards. While you are there thinking of how bad your life is, another woman like you is building on an idea,’’ she said. also speaking at the interactive series, adeola azeez, President of WIMBIZ, said that the event was organized to bring established women in the oil and gas industry to discuss how women participation in the sector could be increased.

“Many people have termed the oil and gas industry as the boys club, so what we want to do is to find a way for more women to break in and make impact there too.

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“We, therefore urge the government to formulate policies to support this mission as it has been jointly agreed that when women are empowered, the nation is empowered,” azeez said.

Similarly, Tonye Cole charged the participants to look through the Nigerian Content Law; there are over 200 specific opportunities there. Start there, start with the basics.

NSE Partners Renaissance Capital On Market Devt ENaISSaNCe Capital, a leading R emerging market investment bank, has partnered the Nigerian

and investors together to examine technical and factual details of exploration and production (E&P).

The NSE has been working on several Stock Exchange (NSE) on a one-day institutional investors’ clinic, held at the initiatives aimed at providing growth Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. The opportunities to transform Nigeria into one of the most vibrant capital markets clinic brought regulators, operators

in the world. The Investors’ Clinic series is one of the initiatives designed to address low investor confidence and provide valuable information.

The clinic took overview of oil and gas and valuation of E&P companies with reference to specific case studies.

Tolmann Gets Global Quality award

companies (IOCs), the best they can get anywhere in the world. Our services are driven by global best practice. “also, our instructors are dedicated professionals who are adequately qualified in their courses. Majority of the training we deliver has high practical content, emphasising more on drill and

He attributed success of the company to the level of professionalism in the delivery of its services.

“We ensure that we give our clients, maaward at the Business Initiative Directions (BID) International Quality Summit jority of which are the international oil Convention held in New York, the United States. The company received the Gold Category of Total Quality

By Clarkson Eberu Management Quality Control 100 (TQMQC100) award.

Tolmann was recognised for its commit- N line with its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) culture, Chellarams Plc ment to quality, leadership, technology has donated N500,000 to four members and innovation, said a press statement. of the Special Persons association of Its training centre, which is located in the heart of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, is Nigeria (SPaN) to cater for their educational pursuit. equipped with modern seminar classSPaN is an umbrella body for the physirooms, world class simulation dunker, cally challenged – visually impaired, deaf fire fighting chamber, totally enclosed motor propelled craft, davit launch boat and dumb and autistic children.

Making the donation, the third of such among others. in a five-year scholarship support, in LaChief Executive, Emmanuel Onyekgos, Group Chief Information Officer, Dr. wena, who received the award, said the award is a victory for Nigerian oil and gas. Harbhajan Batth, said: “In fulfilling its LLIED Services Company Ltd, a Nigera ian oil and gas offshore training company, was recently given an quality

Chellarams Empowers Less Privileged

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mission statement as a responsible, responsive, competitive and quality-driven company, Chellarams would always engage in CSR activities that would impact on the society positively.” He added that the donation was made possible by the Murli .T. Chellaram Foundation, which was set up in 2008 to undertake charitable activities within its area of operations.

SPaN coordinator, Chidi Nwankwo, while receiving the cheque, thanked the organisation for being a reliable partner through its continued support in the past 10 years.

He GuaRDIaN, sunday, July 21, 2013

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BusINess How PIB Will Nigerianise The Oil, Gas sector, By Petroleum Minister The Senate Joint Committee On the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) held Public Hearing on the document at Conference Room 022, New Senate Wing, National Assembly Complex, where the Minister Of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, addressed the committee on July 18, 2013. Excerpts: Origin of the PIB T gives me great pleasure to be invited to the Public hearing on the Petroleum Industry Bill. While I recognise the monumental impact of this forum on our oil and gas industry and the nation at large, let me use this opportunity to again thank the senate Joint Committee on their effort to expedite the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill.

The PIB is based on the Report of the Oil and Gas Reform Implementation Committee (OGIC) set up by the Federal Government in year 2000 to carry out a comprehensive reform of the oil industry. This historic amalgamation of 26 existing laws in Oil and Gas sector has taken over 12 years to re-define and realign.

The PIB in essence is a reform legislation, which aims to put in place a robust legislation that establishes clear rules, procedures and institutions for the administration of the petroleum industry in Nigeria.

It is not humanly possible to create a perfect bill. accordingly, it is important to build in flexibility through regulations Objectives of the PIB The PIB seeks to establish a Legal, Fiscal and regulatory Framework that will revolutionalise the Petroleum Industry in Nigeria. It tends to create a standard business practice, protect health, safety and environment in the course of Petroleum exploration and enhance exploration and exploitation of petroleum in Nigeria. The objectives of the Bill include but not limited to the following: •To bring about transparency and accountability •To establish flexible and competitive fiscal framework •To promote exploration and exploitation of Petroleum Resources •To increase gas supply for domestic utilization and industrialization •To create efficient and effective regulatory institutions •To promote ‘Nigerianisation’ in the Oil and Gas industry.

One of the immediate benefits will be a clear, transparent and accountable framework on which to base the development and revenue derivation for our deep and ultra-deep offshore blocks from where our long-term additional reserves and national revenues must come.

Core recommendations of the PIB The PIB makes strong case for: • Institutional Reorganization • Creation of National Oil Company that would encourage indigenous operational development •establishment of Gas Market and Gas Infrastructure Development Company •Creation of asset Management Company •establishment of upstream Petroleum Inspectorate •establishment of Downstream Petroleum Regulatory agency •establishment of the National Frontier exploration services (NFes) •establishment of petroleum Host Community Fund

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Alison-Madueke •establishment of Petroleum Technical Bureau in the office of the Minister of Petroleum Resources •Flexible Fiscal measures: the PIB establishes a Fiscal policy framework that will attract investment and allow for production-based taxation.

•Robust Regulatory Framework that bothers on operations, health, safety and environment in the oil and gas industry. areas of concern I have been following various public discussion on the Petroleum Industry Bill and the concerns expressed regarding some provisions viz; •Powers of the Honorable Minister of Petroleum Resources, •establishment of the Petroleum Host Communities Funds; •establishment of several new institutions, including, the Frontier exploration services •Fiscal Regime.

There has been local and international concern that the bill confers enormous powers on the President and the Minister of Petroleum Resources, which will apparently affect transparency, accountability and could compromise the due process, which the reform bill seeks to enthrone.

Whilst we take best practices from other developed regions we shall also work within the understanding of our own socioeconomic and social-cultural norms, and create entities and policies that will work and are not destined to fail from the get-go. uT contrary to the impression that the Petroleum Industry B Bill (PIB) granted enormous powers to the Minister of Petroleum Resources, it should, however, be noted that the powers vested on the Minister by the Bill are no different from those vested on the Minister’s counterparts by the petroleum

laws of the united Kingdom, Malaysia and Norway.

In fact, the powers granted the Nigerian Minister by the PIB is less than those of his/her counterparts in the laws of advanced petroleum producing countries.

To check excesses and abuse of powers, the PIB also empowers the Minister to delegate some of her powers, which is a vital ingredient of democracy. section 6(2) of the PIB empowers the Minister of Petroleum to delegate in writing to any person or institution any power or function conferred on him by or under this act except the power to make orders and regulations.

In respect of the multi-faceted Regulatory bodies provided for in the PIB, this is basically as a result of the complex nature of the industry. an unwieldy, mammoth entity that hosts two complete separately run organizations is not a mode of efficiency or efficacy. Therefore, the need for a disaggregated regulatory system that is robust and can speedily respond to the variety of issues that may arise from time to time.

On the issue of the Host communities, it should be noted that it was established to mitigate the human and environmental conditions in the region and to assuaging the feelings of the host communities towards oil and gas operating companies.

The provision may be seen as creating additional institution for allocating fund to the region but will engender direct impact on the communities concerned. The outcome of course is to bring the current spate of pipeline vandalisation and crude theft to the barest minimum.

Fiscal regime The PIB establishes a flexible fiscal regime that will increase government take and yet encourage investment in the sector, it allows for production based incentive system, which in the long run will accommodate every player in the industry. The PIB proposes the volume-based royalty – sliding scale between five percent and 22 percent depending on production volumes and location e.g. frontier acreages, onshore and deep water. The price based royalty – sliding scale between zero percent and 21 percent starting at $50/bbl.

The PIB provides for a two-tier taxation system. These taxes are company income Tax (CIT) and Nigerian Hydrocarbon Tax (NHT).

By the time the PIB is fully articulated and implemented, the current President and Minister of Petroleum Resources will no longer be in office. This is a bill that will take the five years and beyond to be fully up and operational. (Recall, the proposed transition period after the passage of the bill is at least three years.) Note that there are over 80 regulations to be made for this bill to be operational.

For example, the process of full implementation of the Power sector Reform act of 2005 is still in progress. Therefore, the responsibility for the exercise of the powers contained in the Bill will ultimately rest on the administration in place at such time as it comes into full operation (five to seven years). It is, therefore, critically important that this Bill sufficiently empowers any administration to act in the best interest of the Nigerian people.

Finally, let me conclude by reiterating that this Bill, if passed, is a win-win situation for all stakeholders and will revolutionise the oil and gas industry which would further enhance the sector contribution to the country’s GDP. as sponsors of the Bill we consider it’s passing to be beyond politics.

We are, therefore, open to working with the National assembly and all stakeholders to arrive at a legislative conclusion that is beneficial to all.

LawmakersBerate Contractors Over abandoned Federal Road

By Tosin Fodeke Ouse of Representatives Committee on Works has tasked contractors handling the Ikorodu-shagamu and Lagos-Ota road

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project to activate all contractual agreements or face the wrath of the law.

Chairman of the Committee, Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi, who said this during an inspection of the

project at the southwest, said: “The era of abandoned contracts has come to an end as we can no longer condole it in Nigeria.”

He told Managing Director of Impresit

Bakolori Plc, of one of the contracting firms, Mr. emilio Magoni that “speaker of the House of Representatives, aminu Tambuwal, specifically asked us to inspect this important road because the community dwellers petitioned him.”

Ozombgachi who led a 16-member team of lawmakers who are engineers, tasked construction companies in the country to execute Federal Government Contracts with a sense of obligation to the Nigerian people.

Meanwhile the Ministry of Works also told members of the House of Representatives Committee on Work that the Lagos- Ota road project awarded since 2001 was abandoned by Construction giant, Julius Berger due to inadequate funding by the Federal Government.

Renaissance Credit Opens New Branch In Lagos eNaIssaNCe Credit, an international conR sumer finance company, which commenced operations in Nigeria last year, has

Chief Executive Officer, the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC), Mr Jim Obazee with Assistant Director, FRC, Mr Umar Sanusi, at the Council’s interaction with business correspondents in Lagos… on Thursday.

opened a new branch in Lagos with a pledge to play a vital role in the country’s economy by offering cheap, affordable and accessible consumer loans.

Declaring the branch, which is located in surulere, open, CeO, Renaissance Credit Nigeria, segun akintemi, said with the company’s approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), it is poised to offer its range of financial services, which includes consumer loans between N50,000 and N500,000 in 24 hours, high yield deposits and savings plans and point of sale finance to purchase household electronics and appliances at retail outlets. akintemi promised that the firm is fully positioned to fund small and medium enterprises (sMes) and others.

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

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BUSINESSINTERVIEW How would you Assess the reforms in the sector; can it really address all of the challenges in the sector?

All the reforms are ongoing and haven’t yet been fully crystallized. The reforms would have taken form in the second quarter of this year but the Central Bank of Nigeria veered it to the last quarter of this year (2013). During this period, the debilitated mortgage banks will be identified and the forcible ones will become visible.

How To Address Housing Deficit,

By RSL’s Chairman Following reports of Nigeria’s housing deficit said to be in excess of 16 million units, chairman of Resort Savings &Loans (RSL) Plc, Chief Francis Adefarati, in this interview with KAYLA GRAGE, assesses the reforms in the mortgage sector, saying his bank is poised to go all the way to provide affordable homes to Nigerians.

Excerpts: As a player in the Mortgage sub-sector, what are your thoughts on the National Housing Fund, which has become an object of debate in recent times?

HERE are lots of bottlenecks in every system.

For example, the government says it wants to encourage small-scale industries but the processes involved are burdensome, the reason for which many back out. The authorities in Nigeria should really make things easier so that people can participate effortlessly.

The other problem is that we don’t trust ourselves and we don’t have information on our people. Even if we do, things do not always tend to work out very well.

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What really are the main issues with Housing in the country?

Resort Savings and Loans (RSL) has planned to work together with CBN and the Federal Government in order to create another window where funds can be available for housing.

That is why the bank is raising a capital of about N6 billion so that different mortgage banks can now have access to the N6 billion and be able to create mortgage for people in Nigeria.

The N6billion is rather small but we have to start from somewhere. There’s going to be contributions from everywhere even from commercial banks.

We are also aware that people are not too conversant with mortgage banks, which makes things a little difficult. Part of the things that we want to do in RSL is to create that awareness for the general public. We have, however set up the committee to create that awareness so they can realise the importance of mortgages in Nigeria.

Research has proven that a lot of people, who want to build houses, toil to achieve completion. So, if we encourage mortgage savings, those who want to build houses can now have access to mortgage fund. For example, RSL has different programmes whereby loans can be given to people who

Francis want to pay house rents.

The extant Land Use Act is seen as an impediment to an effective mortgage system; how really serious is this concern I’m aware that the Senate is reviewing the Land Use Act and has taken a more detailed look at its effects on Nigeria as a whole. If it is simplified enough and made accessible to people, it will be easier for Nigerians to build houses. When you want to get a loan, part of the requirement is the Certificate of Occupancy, which is difficult to get because of the system.

Yet, if you don’t have it, you cannot get access to the form. It has to be made simple enough and easier to get.

What role do you see your company, RSL, playing in the reform process?

We are very optimistic and want to be among one of the top three mortgage banks in the country. Part of the reasons why we are currently doing IPO and Rights Issue is to have more working capital.

You just held your Completion Board Meeting and Stakeholders Forum; of what significance is al of these to the company’s overall strategy?

The Board Meeting is of great significance to the members of Resort Savings and Loans Plc, because it allows us to inform the public on what we plan to do regarding the new CBN regulation, which says that the regional mortgage banks in Nigeria must have a minimum capital of N2.5vbillion and national mortgage banks, N5 billion.

On that note, we want to use that policy to augment our capital base to be even more than the N5 billion the CBN is asking for.

With this, we can expand our operations into creating better opportunities for the mortgage sector in Nigeria.

Apart from that, we want to broaden our horizon by being one of the cutting-edge mortgage banks in Nigeria Are you looking at the middle class?

Resort Savings and Loans are made affordable for every class of persons. We plan to provide affordable homes to the middle class. This is a target that we sincerely hope to achieve.

SMEs Need Free Online Business Education, Says Regenesys Boss leadership development courses.

We are going to have our office in Lagos. We will, however, have a partnership with the Port Harcourt School of Management and Economics. They are going to be our local partner, we will soon commence running courses at the institution, but our headquarters will be in Lagos.

Requirements for Admission The standard requirement is basically one degree below. We will admit candidates with a minimum entry equivalent. For example, if you want to do an MBA, you need to have an honours degree or postgraduate diploma, and if you want a postgraduate diploma you must have a first degree.

On free online business education Curriculum HE business model on which this The major value we are adding is initiative is based is similar to the that we give people the opportunity model on which Google, Facebook of free education, by allowing them and LinkedIn operate; it is called to study and get knowledge for free, freemium business model. encouraging them to experience our We give all our learning material learning material and processes, for free and we have a lot of stuincluding e-books which are providdents on our portal from over 100 countries from all over the world.

Higher education was traditionally accessible to a few privileged with a lot of money. Free Online Education Initiative provides now access to higher education and knowledge to every human being in the world.

Courses on offer We offer four programmes – MBA Degree, Bachelors’ Degree in Business Administration, Certificate programmes and First Graduate Diploma. In addition to that we have about fifty short skills programmes for entrepreneurs such as project management, entrepreneurship, financial management, HR management, policy development, monitoring and evaluation, professional business writing skills, mentoring and coaching, and many other specialised management and Regenessys

Marko Saravanja is the executive chairman of Regenesys Business School, a Sandton, Johannesburg-based higher education institute that offers online, and contact learning programmes as well as executive education. Saravanja, who is visiting Nigeria explains to IKECHUKWU ONYEWUCHI, that the institution plans to site its headquarters in Lagos.

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ed by Pearson. Regenesys delivers this free education initiative in partnership with Pearson, which is the biggest educational company in the world.

The way the module works is that people get materials for free, but if they decide to do examination and receive certification, then they have to pay for it. Examination on higher education level cannot be automated and provided for free as human resources are required to mark examinations.

Knowledge helps people to develop their skills, increase their self-confidence and to basically change their life, but qualification allows people to get promotions and earn more money. So, students who decide to obtain qualification change from non-paying to paying students.

When students register and pay course fees to Regenesys, at that point we pay Pearson for their textbooks. In South Africa we partnered with Government, Pearson, Sunday Times, Internet Solutions, and Institute of People Management, to deliver free online business education to all people of South Africa.

We launched our free education initiative in November last year in South Africa and now we have thousands of students from 110 countries across the world. This initiative is spreading very fast and rapidly.

Any small business owner can now get knowledge on how to run their business better, how to manage finances, develop strategic plans, manage people, utilise technology, and improve marketing and sales.

Any person in Nigeria who wants to study a Bachelors Degree can enrol for free and study even if they leave in rural area and don’t have any money. They can pay later on when they are ready for examination and certification. It is ‘study-as-you-go’ model where students can study and still be able do have a part time job.

Business professionals can enrol on MBA and either study all modules or pick up some modules which are relevant to their development needs.

Friendship network Yes, a network does exist, so when you are studying online you study with people from America, Australia, China, Africa, Europe and India. Students can participate in chat groups, forums, seminars. They have access to high quality textbooks, learning videos, webinars, seminars, academic articles, electronic library, study guides, examples of assignments and examinations and much more.

We started the free education initiative about seven months ago. For 15 years, we have delivered contact learning at Regenesys. Seven years ago, we decided to invest in development of online education. We realised that technology was going to revolutionise and dramatically change education systems.

Online education is improving quality of education and reducing costs. Basically, I can watch Warren Buffet or Bill Gates or Tom Peters or any business guru on Youtube for free. However, if we were to get Tom Peters here physically, it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for few hours of his time. That is the amazing thing about technology.

Twenty years ago, we could not do this. Thanks to the Internet and Regenesys’ donation of intellectual property and learning material, which enable us to give this knowledge to everyone in the world.

There is also a spiritual principle that says “when you give freely and unconditionally, you receive abundantly”, which is very relevant in the business world.

We took a big risk last year by opening up all our intellectual property that we have built and developed for fifteen years, and offered four

online learning programmes for free.

There was a risk of people not enrolling on Regenesy’s paid-for online and contact learning programmes, but the very opposite happened as more people enrolled on our paid-for programmes.

We realised that if we have a hundred million students studying for free that we will become the next Facebook or LinkedIn. Our vision is to expand free education from business education to primary education and other disciplines like engineering, law and psychology. It is a big vision.

We realised that we cannot do this alone and needed to partner with other companies, like Pearson, government departments, media and technology and telecommunication companies.

We are in the process of forming local partnerships in Nigeria with some of the largest telecommunications, financial services, petroleum and media companies. Access to knowledge, funding, and telecommunication is a very powerful combination that can help any business to improve or person to develop.

We have invited government to endorse this initiative. The purpose of this initiative is to offer free business education to all Nigerians. Everyone will benefit from this, including the Government. Only through education we can resolve the problems of unemployment, poverty, wars, diseases, discrimination, suffering and injustice.

Regenesys’ free online business education technology puts the University in person’s palm. People can download Regenessy free app and study via their smartphones, tablets, PCs, online or offline.

Regenesys will make a difference in the lives of millions of people in Nigeria, by providing them business education and development opportunities to develop themselves, their businesses, families and the country.

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

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BUSINESSAGRO

Managing Director 151 Product Limited, Ugo Nwabuisi, Corporate Affairs Manager, Kafene Zelia, Coordinator Agric Business, Community of Agricultural Stakeholders of Nigeria (CASON), Sotonye Anga (left); Project Manager, AgrikExpo 2013, Isaac Bamidele; and representative of international agriculture investors Asia kent, all agric drivers of the economy using the Agric Expo 2013 platform in Lagos…recently.

FARA: How Africa Can Feed Africa

By Fabian Odum ESPITE the fall in productivity of Africa’s agriculture over the D years occasioned by seasons of under-investment and an illadvised structural adjustment, there is yet a lot to be done to feed the continent’s huge and fast-growing population.

Global figures in agriculture and research agree, as they met in Accra, Ghana that ‘funding to agriculture, to universities and to research centres fell steadily and steeply,’ leading to a reversal of the many gains of the past.

Dr. Kanayo Nwanze, International Fund for Agricultural

Development (IFAD) President articulated as much when he addressed the Sixth Forum of Agriculture Research in Africa (FARA) summit in the Ghanaian capital during the week.

He said, “Our universities lost good people. The quality of education declined,” amid a great decline in “average global spending on agricultural research.” But he said there are growing signs that African nations are once more focused on investing in agriculture for growth.

Nwanze revealed, “The continent has the fastest growing population and the highest rate of urbanisation in the world, along with a growing middle class driving demand for better

Lagos Marks International Cooperative Week, Embraces Agric Insurance

By Gbenga Akinfenwa HE Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, recently marked 2013 International

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Day of Cooperatives. The theme for the celebration is “Cooperative Enterprise Remains Strong In Time Of Crisis.”

At a Press Conference, the

Commissioner of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Prince Gbolahan Lawal said the celebration has always been used to showcase the achievements of Cooperative

Societies in the state with a view to motivating others to greater heights as well as promote the development of more Cooperative Societies.

He stated that the number of registered Cooperative groups, which was 108 since 1967 when Lagos State was created, has grown to over 13,000 according to the mid year report of the Cooperative Department for year 2013.

The Commissioner revealed that the state Cooperative College commissioned by the state Governor, Babatunde Fashola has trained a total of 704 Cooperators within a period of one year, adding that plan is in progress to upgrade the college into a Diploma awarding institution.

“Early this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives increased the number of Cooperative Area offices in the state to 20 from 15. The aim of this exercise is for easy identification, planning, preparation of comprehensive directory for Cooperative Societies existing in the state.

“Again on May 22, 2013 at Itoikin and Itoga the government flagged off the Agricultural Insurance Scheme with the Rice-for-Job Programme.

quality produce.” So, the primary market for our produce, while being assured also has place in world trade.

There is trust that the place of exploiting the frontiers of science, innovation, knowledge and experimentation as well as thinking outside the box. However, Nwanze argued, “We must also be careful not to get carried away by a desire to always be at the cutting edge of modern technology.”

Certainly, “new breakthroughs have their place in agricultural development but that technology is only a tool. It is not an end in itself.”

He pointed out that what is called ‘Subsistence agriculture’ is basically an under-performing agricultural system. Therefore, research and technology must be seen as a development tool to feed the continent and reduce poverty and create jobs.

Also at the summit, Director General, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Nteranya Sanginga, in a release by the Institute, said efforts by Africans to feed themselves and escape the food importation trap and put the continent on the path to economic growth must give attention to soil fertility.

Addressing participants at the Africa Agriculture Science Week, Sanginga highlighted the impact of agricultural research over the years and concluded that Africa must adopt scientific innovations and pay attention to natural resource management to drive the agricultural development agenda.

The IITA chief expressed optimism for Africa’s agricultural transformation, highlighting the increasing attention being paid to agriculture by governments on the continent.

However, he reiterated that efforts need to focus on restoring soil fertility, creating an enabling environment for market policies, and developing more resilient and productive farm systems.

He warned against policies that limit African researchers from taking advantage of modern technologies, stressing that such a move would deprive Africa from making progress and put the continent farther from the African Green Revolution.

According to Institute’s release, the 6th Africa Agricultural Science Week provided an opportunity for Africans and partners to rethink the commitment by African governments 10 years ago, which also led to the establishment of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

CAADP focuses on improving food security, nutrition, and increasing incomes in Africa’s largely farming based economies. It aims to do this by raising agricultural productivity by at least six per cent per year and increasing public investment in agriculture to 10 per cent of national budgets per year.

So far, only a few countries have met the CAADP targets.

Nwanze said there is still a lot to be done in the context of the ever-changing and increasing challenges choking agricultural development in Africa.

He noted that the world is producing enough but that the food is not reaching those that need it most.

The IFAD President called for a paradigm shift in addressing food insecurity in Africa.

According to him, research and development need to be “repositioned” into research for development to bring the benefits of research to the farm.

He advised scientists to ensure that their research is in consonance with the reality on ground and that it addresses the challenges of development in an empirical manner.

Agriculture Is Nigeria’s Hope, Says Amosun viding the right environment

From Charles Coffie Gyamfi, Abeokuta Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has urged Nigerians to give priority attention to agriculture, because the “redemption” of the country lies in the agricultural sector.

The Governor made the appeal in Abeokuta when he received the Yewa Descendants Union, United Kingdom/ Ireland chapter, led by its President, Mr. Segun Ebo. Amosun recalled that the golden era of the nation was when agriculture was its mainstay, regretting that the neglect of the sector had led to poverty, unemployment and backwardness.

“This is why our administration is taking the issue of agriculture seriously. We are not just encouraging our people to return to farming by pro-

such as purchase of land clearing and preparing equipment on a massive scale for mechanised agriculture, revival of Farm Settlement Scheme, opening up the rural areas through road construction, among others,” the governor said.

He stated that the 107km IlaraIjoun-Oja Odan-Ilase road, under Construction, which cuts across four local councils in Ogun West senatorial district, when completed would boost agricultural activities in the area and reduce the cost of living in the state.

The Union President, Ebo, lauded the development strides of the administration, noting “We have come home and have seen all what the governor told us while in UK.” The Olu of Imasai, Oba Gbadebo Oni, attended the event with other monarchs from Yewa.

Maize...recurring input challenge in poultry

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday July 21, 2013

48

KALEIDOSCOPE BIRTHDAYS governor of Lagos State in 1979 and was re-elected in 1984 but the military coup that took place that year truncated the administration. He was appointed Minister of Works and Housing in 1993 to 1995 and chairman, Finance and Economic Committee of the Federal Government from 1993 to 1995.

He holds traditional title of Gbobaniyi of Ibeshe, Baba Adinni of Epe and Baba Adinni of Badagry.

General Manager, Home Entertainment Division, LG Electronics, West Africa operations, Mr. Steve Ryu left (l); Product Marketing Manager, Mr. Paul Mba; Managing Director, Fouani Nigeria Limited, Mr. Mohammed Fouani; and Managing Director, LG Electronics West Africa operations, Mr. Deog Jun Kim during the official launch of the new LG Cinema 3D Smart TV in Lagos…recently.

Elder Churchill Peters-Ayerume, National President, Council of Foursquare Men (CFM), (right); and the Chairman, 2013 Convention Planning Committee, Deacon Akin Omolere, during a ministration at the just concluded CFM convention held at the Foursquare Camp, Ajebo Ogun State.

Jakande

Ogbeh

AKANDE, Alhaji Lateef JKekere), Kayode (a.k.a. Baba former Minister

une, 1954-56. From there, he moved to Amalgamated Press of Nigeria Limited as Joint General Manager, 1956-69. He also worked with other newspaper houses at the managerial positions and belonged to many professional bodies. Politically, he is a member of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s school of thought, which believes in welfare of the people. He was a member of the defunct Action Group (AG) and served as General Secretary from 1950-66, Chairman Youth Wing of the AG, Lagos Division and later National Treasurer, Federal Council Executive; member of the then Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). He became the

for Works and Housing and first civilian governor of Lagos State will be 84 on Tuesday, July 23, 2013.

Born on July 23, 1929 in Lagos, he had his primary education in Lagos Public School, 1936-39; Banharn Memorial Methodist School, Port Harcourt, 1939-43; King’s College, Lagos, 1944; Ilesha Grammar School, Ilesha, 194549. He started his career in journalism, as a reporter with Daily Service, 194550, became SubEditor/Proof Reader, 1950, acting Editor, 1951-53, Associate Editor, 1953, all with Daily Service. He moved to Nigerian Trib-

GBEH, Chief Audu InO nocent, former university teacher, farmer, educationist, seasoned politician and former chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will be 66 on Sunday, July 28, 2013. Born in Otukpo, Benue State, he was educated at St. Francis Primary School, Otukpo, 1956-60; St. Michael’s Secondary School, Aliade, 1962-66; King’s College, Lagos, 1967-68; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, 1969-72; University of Toulouse, France, 1973-74; lecturer, Institute of Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, 1972-76; head, Department of Humanities, Murtala College of Arts, Science and Technology (now Benue Polytechnic), 1977-79; deputy speaker, Benue House of Assembly, 1979-82; chairman/managing director, Efugo Farms, Makurdi. In early 2000, he was the National chairman of Peoples Democratic Party. A former minister of communication in the Second Republic (1979-1983), he is a holder of the national award of Commander of Federal Republic (CFR). He holds the chieftaincy title of “Ochagwu Idoma” of Idoma Kingdom.

Compiled by Gbenga Akinfenwa gbengaherkin@yahoo.com

REMEMBRANCE T was exactly five years on ItheFriday, July 19, 2013 that remains of Elder (Pa) Mrs. Margaret Faroye flanked by her daughters, Omowunmi Faroye and Olanike Folashade Faroye, while cutting her 50th birthday cake.

Executive Director (Lagos and South-west), First City Monument Bank (stet) Plc, Femi Bakre; (left); Divisional Head of Human Resources & Change Management, Felicia Obozuwa; Governor Babatunde Fashola, Deputy Managing Director of FCMB, Segun Odusanya and actress, Mrs. Lanre Hassan during this year’s Lagos State Tree Planting Day held at Agege, Lagos…last Sunday.

Children of St. John’s African Church, Arigbajo, Ogun State and their teachers at the 2013 Juvenile Harvest of the Church held at the church...on Sunday.

Pupils of SOFUNIX Nursery and Primary School, Iroko Town, Ota, Ogun State and some officials of the school during the career day marked recently.

Timothy Adebisi Aremu Ajisafe (Alias Omoiya), was laid to rest. He died on May 4, 2013 at the age of 75 years and was buried on July 19, 2008. He was born in Inurin’s Compound, Oyan, Odo-otin Local Government Area of Osun State in 1933.

He is survived by children, grand children and greatgrand children. Among whom is Chief D.A Ajisafe

AJISAFE

49

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

LAFETE With Unstoppable, Austin K Makes Comic Statement

By Omiko Awa ORRIED that upcoming comedians lack because I have not actually promoted it the platform to showcase their talents, beyond the platforms of the events I have feaIkem Abua (a.k.a Austin K) set up a company, tured, but I hope to put it on online and also Unstoppable, to fill the void. The Delta Stateto take it to different media houses.” born, who is also into music, said, “I just On where he draws inspirations, the Feel don’t create the platform for upcoming acts Good crooner said, “I draw inspirations from to blossom; I make sure they, sometimes, the things around me to write my songs. I am perform alongside established acts, to always inspired by the people, events, nature enable them master their acts or learn from and, sometime, situations around me to write the masters.” most of my songs.

What exactly does unstoppable do? “It is a “For instance Feel Good was written from the platform for upcoming comedians to showgood experience I had one morning. Though, case their talents. I set up the company to that day, all round me seemed bad, yet I could give privilege to those comedians that canfeel some elements of goodness and assurnot ordinary feature alongside big acts in the ance within me; so, I just said, ‘I feel good’ and industry to make themselves known either that became a song. by performing as a solo artiste or doing that “It’s my own way of appreciating God in along established acts,” he intoned. songs. It’s an inspirational song that will Combining music with the running the make listeners feel good and dance away his comedy outfit, the business administration or sorrow,” he noted. student of the National Open University of Listing the dearth of sponsors and record Nigeria, Lagos, revealed, “I am not a comedilabel to sign him on as part of reasons for an, but I love comedy and that is the reason I staying this long to produce a CD, Austin K set up the company to package comedy for informed that finding a local record label to comedy lovers out there,” adding he noted, “I promote him, he is, now, sure of doing more have a single, which I will start promoting by songs and reaching out to a wider audience.

August. So, I don’t combine both, my compaCommenting on the Nigerian music scene, ny does the comedy thing while a local label the CEO of Unstoppable Comedy outfit noted, company handles my music aspect.” “the music scene is getting better with new Having played music for seven years, featur- talents coming up to do their owe thing the ing in different shows, Austin K was recently way they know best, which is actually helping signed on to a local label; a platform he to make the industry grow. The industry is hopes to use to launch out to the internagrowing faster with many people, unlike tional scene. before, coming to into it and bringing in their The R‘n’B music player said, “I do R’n’B. I geniuses too.” love R‘n’B right from my childhood days, Which musical instrument do you play? “ when I used to watch artistes such as R None for now, but I am trying my hands on Kenny and others on TV, and from there the keyboard; and ones, I am perfect on it, I developed the passion to sing. I also do hip hope to play the guitar. “Knowing how to play pop. any musical instrument make your fans feel How well can you combine both genres of you live or flow with you better when you permusic? “ Oh, I do that so well; in fact, the Austin K form live, he stressed. kind of R‘n’B I do, is done in Pidgin English for people, especially Nigerians to flow along and enjoy. It is a way of localising the song, making it different from the one the Americans play. So, my own version of the music has a touch of Africa to give it the desired flavour,” he stressed. wonder whether those infectious smiles

By Gregory Austin Nwakunor Have you any CD to show for your sevencould translate to good music. .

HE wears beautiful smiles whenever she year exploit in the music industry? “Yes, I “Yes they do,” she says cynically. “They talks. And you wonder whether she doeshave,” he continued, “it is titled Feel Good, I create the desired ambiance.” n’t get tired. did it three years ago. It’s not yet popular She continues, “if you don’t know, I’m She tells you that she is an artiste, but you the new Princess of Pop.” A long smile again.

Well, wondering who she is?

Remember Yeb-Yeb Dancehall music? in spite of big names such as Kennis Music, She is the artiste. That’s Adaora

By Gbenga Salau and Kayla Grage which already had top minds brand awareStephanie Ekekezie.

O successfully build a brand will require ness in the industry.

Born in Lagos on April 5, 1986 to Mr. and clear differentiation and a knack for origiIn his words, “it is not only about good Mrs.Uzoma Ekekezie of Enugu State, she nality in ideas and execution of projects. music, it is about passion and value creation. started singing in the church choir at the This is the view of founder and Chief We felt that the business of music is beyond Executive Officer of Chocolate City Group playing it on CDs. Music business itself cannot International, Mr. Audu Maikori. succeed just by selling CDs so we had to creMaikori, whose Chocolate City Group has promoted musical artistes such as MI, Brymo, ate a brand, investing in our website, Jesse Jagz, Ice Prince Zamani and a host of oth- Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Our customers do not need to go to the streets to ers in the entertainment industry, stated this connect with us. while mentoring budding entrepreneurs at “Our website is designed in such a way that the July edition of The Sunday Brunch (TSB), a private club for intense intellectual exchange they (customers) can get the lyrics and listen and open to young thinkers, corporate execu- to the music and they are able to get prompt feedback to their request. As a result, our webtives, and entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

According to him, a great brand is propelled site had millions of hits just because we are not trying to recreate other labels. We need to by originality, creativity and a unique value create a new brand, to be different and not proposition in order to survive in a crowded modelled after any person.” market.

Citing originality as a feature that connects He says most brands that have consistently brand well with consumers, Maikori says, been in the public domain always go back to “people connect to things that are real. Asa, as the basics so as to ensure that they are evolvan artiste, connects well to her fans not ing as organisations, more importantly, “the because she is beautiful. Her music connects core of their guiding principles during the well because it is different. When you create formative years is not lost.” originality, people will patronise your brand.”

While giving insight into how Chocolate For Maikori, competing in a market space City brand was created, including how it where big companies operate could be tough leveraged on social media and other marketing strategies despite not being able to access for start-ups, but big ideas and a sharp, creative mind would help a new brand assume a bank loan, he observed that the desire to be greater equity in such market place, adding, original and not a copycat aided the creation “Big money doesn’t always mean big results. of the brand.

If you don’t have a big pocket, you need big For him, great brands such as Nokia, ideas.”

Samsung, Nigerian musical artiste Asa and a Promoter of The Sunday Brunch, Mr. Sam host of others, were appealing brands today Adeoye, said the bi-monthly session was because of their passion for originality, niche creation and filling a need for the consumers. borne out of the need to bring business leaders to mentor young executives and businessMaikori, founder, Guild of Artistes and Poets men/women and aspiring entrepreneurs (GAP), said Chocolate City, which now has a through intense sessions of discussions, presence in Kenya after its success in Nigeria, Adaora started by building its brand from the scratch debates and questions and answers.

W

Behold Adaora, New Princess of Pop

S

Building Brand With ‘Chocolate Dude T

age of 7 and has since passed through many choirs in several churches and all the schools she attended, including Air Force Military Girls School, Jos and Covenant University, Ota, where she bagged a degree in International Relations.

Why music?

She laughs.

“I have a message for the world, and music is about the easiest platform to do it,” she says. “I’m just sick and tired of the monodirectional nature of the Nigerian entertainment industry. I want to bring a change. I sing songs with enduring messages.”

Currently signed to the Lagos-based label, Sound Gems Records, which is managed by Eddy Bena, their relationship started in April 2011, when she recorded her first hit single, Activate.

Yeb-Yeb followed on the same medium, and both the label and the artiste are happy working together.

The climax, if you think that way, is likely going to be the release of Adaora’s debut album.

When?

“In the first quarter of next year, 2014,” she says confidently.

This songstress says, “with my education and life experiences, I cannot but say, I’m more than ready to go.”

According to her, “I have participated in reality shows such as Project West Africa, Naija Sings, Nigerian Idol and many others and I’m convinced that my music will make the desired impact.“ She regrets not making the finals of these shows, especially when her impressive performance earned so much nods from the judges in one of them, but she is convinced that those setbacks have helped shape her.

Her dream?

“To be the Next Best Thing on Nigerian stage.”

Adaora is not the type that gives up easily.

Some of the top artistes she listens to include Christina Aguilera and Beyonce.

“Their music inspire me creatively, “ she says.

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

50 |

PERSPECTIVES

AWOKOYA, Pioneer Apostle Of The Universal Primary

Awokoya’s 70th birthday at Molusi College, Ijebu Ode in 1983 in company of the late Tai Solarin, who succeed him as principal of the school

By Michael Omolewa HIEF Stephen Oluwole Awokoya, born 9 C July 1913, who would have been 100 years old this month, was a frontline nationalist, educator, politician, and civil servant during his life which came to a sudden but peaceful end in 1985. He was the first Nigerian University graduate in Chemistry, having passed his final examinations of the University of London in 1946. Before that time, he had been a foundation student of the famous pioneer tertiary education institution, the Yaba Higher College and a teacher from 1937 to 1943 at the first teacher training college in Nigeria, St Andrew’s College, Oyo, founded in 1896. After teaching for a while at Abeokuta Grammar School from1946 to 1949, he was appointed the first Principal of Molusi College, Ijebu Igbo. On his election to the Western Region Legislature, Chief Awokoya was appointed the region’s first Minister of Education in 1952.

Chief Awokoya later became the first Chief Federal Adviser on Education at the Federal Ministry of Education and he was the first civil servant to combine the position of Federal Permanent Secretary with that of the Federal Adviser on Education at the Federal Ministry of Education. Chief Awokoya also became the first Nigerian to serve as a senior official of UNESCO having been appointed Director for Science and Technology by that organisation, which was mandated by the United Nations to serve as lead agency for the world body’s science, technology and cultural matters. After his retirement from UNESCO, Chief Awokoya became the first research professor appointed by the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University). It was from that position that he served as the founding

editor- in - chief of a journal founded by the Nigerian Educational Research Council, (now NERDC) titled Educational and Development with the acclaimed Nigerian scholar, Ayo Bamgbose, as his co-editor.

Chief S.O Awokoya is perhaps often better remembered as the first Minister of Education who also introduced the universal primary education programme (UPE) to his region. The young Awokoya was strongly committed to the ideals of mass education and unrestricted access to education for all and was consistently driven by a desire to make education available to all those who were denied that important vehicle of social mobilisation and self-actualisation. To this end, while serving as a teacher at Abeokuta Grammar School he had introduced an evening class to help younger adults who had dropped out of the school to obtain required additional qualification with which they could pursue higher education work.

Like many other members of the educated elite of his days who had a passion to make education available to the generality of the population, Chief Awokoya was attracted by the vision of the Action Group and had decided to become a member of the Party.

Among other policy issues of the Party, the Action Group had free education as one of its goals. Spotted by Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the leader of the Party, as a capable hand in which the education programme could be placed, Chief Awokoya was elected to the Western Nigeria legislature and appointed the Minister of Education. Guided by the manifesto of his Party, Chief Awokoya began to work on the Education Proposal. Chief Awokoya worked closely with his Action Group colleagues, especially Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin, an accomplished educa-

tionist who had helped to prepare a position paper on Education policy for the Action Group Party of which he was a Founding Father. In his capacity as his Region’s Minister of Education, Chief Awokoya travelled to Ghana where he met with officials of the Convention Peoples Party led by Kwame Nkrumah. He had fruitful deliberations and wise counsels with Kojo Botsio, Ghana’s Minister of Education and Social Welfare. For the Convention People’s Party and the action Group, education was considered a priority subject and pronounced as “the keystone of a people’s life and happiness”. Chief Awokoya began to articulate the vision of his Party for the introduction of free education for all the children of school age in Western Nigeria and presented Proposals for his Party’s Education Policy as well as the budget for a five-year legislative term, to the Western House of Assembly, which began seating at Ibadan on 25 July 1952. He followed his presentation and consciousness- raising awareness of the value of education for all when he presented the same Proposals to the House of Chiefs, which also began seating on 5 August 1952. Following the approval by the legislature, he embarked on rigorous preparation for the implementation of the proposals from 1952 to 1955. This had included careful planning for enrolment of a large number of new students, expansion of teacher training facilities and introduction of the historic modern school system to absorb primary school graduates who might not be accommodated by the few secondary schools in the region. The UPE became a huge venture, a historic educational experiment and it required the boldness and courage of an Awokoya steadfastly backed by his Party, to face the challenges associated

with the innovation of the gigantic educational expansion. Appropriately tagged “AWO Schools” in honour of the leader of the Party, the UPE came into operation on 17 January 1955 when the schools were opened to an unprecedentedly large number of learners.

Chief Awokoya also recognised the importance of comprehensive education for the learners and ensured that instructions in agriculture, physical and health education and sports were built into the school curriculum. He also ensured that adult education was not neglected because of the place of the home and the importance of the influence of parents on the learning process of the children. He also considered the provision of education for the adult population imperative, arguing that, “far-reaching economic and political development cannot take place unless the masses of the people are literate and educated”. Emphasising one of the philosophies of the new education policy, he declared that adult education is most essential and that “when the education of all children is made impossible because of ignorance of the adult, it is not an unwise policy to tackle the education of adults to such an extent that it would be useful in the promotion of universal education and not constitute a stumbling block in the way of progress”. He therefore made budgetary provision for the promotion of adult education and worked with J.S.Ogunlesi, his former teacher and veteran Mass Education Officer for Western Nigeria to prepare Primers for the teaching of literacy for the adults who had either dropped out of the school system or missed attending the schools when they were young.

As a result of major disagreements - which were partly ideological, partly a matter of

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THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

PERSPECTIVES

Education In Nigeria, 100 Years After His Birth

Awokoya in Paris

Department of Chemistry, Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Ibadan and later President of the Nigerian Academy of Science. It is striking to note that many ministers and top politicians such as Chief S.O.Ighodaro, the former attorney general of Western Region, and Chief J.O.Osuntokun, another former minister in Western Region took up teaching posts on leaving government. There is no doubt that the lesson was clear that rather than give up or beg for another political appointment, these top politicians had chosen to return to the profession for which they had been trained.

It was not long before the diligence, courage, determination, passion for work, and the cheerful pursuit of excellence, cultivated by Chief Awokoya was recognised by the postIndependence Federal Government, which invited him to serve as chief federal adviser on education. As a manager, statistician and education planner Chief Awokoya was able to support the education initiatives of the First Republic. With his characteristic zeal and confidence he pleaded in his capacity as his country’s first Chief Federal Adviser on Education, with the Carnegie Corporation of New York at his meeting in December 1961 for American assistance to meet urgent educational needs of the young state of Nigeria. Soon after his appointment, the position of permanent secretary was vacant and he was invited to fill it in addition to being the Awokoya as Chief Federal Adviser on Education in 1962 Chief Federal Adviser, becoming the most powerful civil servant of his day. Chief Awokoya proved to be at home in his Western region just as he was at the federal level where fortunes took him later on in his life. Fate and providence had launched him from the position at the regional level to the federal and international level.

It was by no means surprising that when the position of the founding secretary to the newly launched Organisation of African Unity was established, Chief Awokoya was one of the candidates expected to occupy the post. In the end, he opted to leave for UNESCO and to return to education planning and management at the organisation. His home in Paris was a haven for his myriad of adopted children and anyone seeking a shelter while in transit in the “city of light”. He retired from UNESCO and proceeded to accept the richly deserved appointment as research professor at the University of Ife. He continued to serve the nation in a variety of ways until he passed away gloriously and peacefully in 1985.

It was clear that at his death, the politician, School teacher, University Professor, researcher, educational administrator and traditional chief had recovered all his losses and lived a life void of bitterness or regret. A Foundation was established in his honour in 1995, ten years after his death and appropriately called the Stephen Oluwole Awokoya Foundation for Science Education by his family and former students including eminent professors and one former Senator who appreciate the contribution made Awokoya, as Miniater in the 1950s, visiting University College, Ibadan by this distinguished patriot. The Foundation started to award, annually since 1996, postgraduate scholarships to deserving students in all Nigerian universities.

Chief Awokoya has thus been a blessing to generations of Nigerians who may never have heard of the life and times of the education icon. The pool of the beneficiaries of the Foundation would thus be added to the large number of his former students, who have served the nation as professors, diplomats and public servants over the ages. The life of Chief Professor Awokoya is a testimony that even in his difficult times, a person may have been led to help the category of people whom one may perhaps never had been able to touch at personal level. It was indeed the difficult times that took Chief Awokoya to his students at his School in Lagos where his trials and tribulations were converted to blessing to others.

Perhaps someday a University in Nigeria, an avenue in Ibadan, a road in Abuja, or a Library or a Hall in one of the Federal Universities may be named after this illustrious Nigerian to celebrate his contribution, selflessness, and industry as we posthumously wish him happy centennial birthday.

principle and partly a product of personality clash- with his Party’s political leadership, Chief Awokoya had to resign from the Party which was then in comfortable control of the region. He thereafter founded his own Nigerian Peoples Party, and contested the next regional elections. He and all the candidates of his little- known party suffered heavy defeats at the polls, and Chief Awokoya was at the lowest ebb of his political life. His party faced liquidation, his election vehicles were destroyed and his fleet of commercial vehicles were grounded. His business collapsed and he faced serious financial problems and his political future became bleak.

The life of Chief S. O. Awokoya teaches a number of important lessons. The first is that life may not always be smooth and that one may face challenges, obstacles, unexpected defeats, setbacks, and frustrations in the course of one’s worthwhile ventures. Secondly, Chief Awokoya’s life teaches that one who would be successful should also know that the solution to a problem cannot be found in shifting blames or simply sitting down, complaining that “they did this to me”, but in carefully examining how the problems can be handled and thus be made to become a blessing in disguise.

Somebody other than Chief Awokoya may have responded to the challenges that he faced differently. But the spirit of not- givingup which was inbuilt to his name, Stephen, and which may have been prophetically given him at birth, may have assured him that he would overcome the problems and difficulties of the time and that he should neither faint nor cave in. Chief Awokoya resolved to take responsibility for his decisions and actions. The former Minister developed a positive spirit and carefully and steadfastly waited for the next step, guided by his strong conviction that defeat cannot be the end for a fighter. He took the unusual step at the time for an ex-Minister to return to the classroom to pick up his chalk and resume teaching.

Chief Awokoya was appointed the principal of the Federal Emergency Science School, which had been founded in Lagos to train students to pursue higher education courses in science subjects for admission to the universities. Teaching science and preparing students for post-secondary courses was of course the passion of this former Science teacher at Abeokuta Grammar School. He was therefore cheerful as he challenged the students, encouraging, grooming and giving of his best to the young minds. In the end he became the moving force behind the programme that led to the turning out some of the most outstanding pioneer science graduates in the country Prof. Omolewa is emeritus professor at the immediately after Independence. It was the University of Ibadan School, which produced the likes of Gabriel michaelomolewa@yahoo.co.uk Ogunmola, who became Head of the

Awokoya at UNESSCO office, Paris with his wife, youngest daughter and family friend in the 70s

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

52 |

POLITICS

APGA : How Court Judgments Preserve Leadership Squabble From Leo Sobechi, Abakaliki EGARDLESS the recent Court of Appeal rulR ing restoring embattled Victor Umeh to the position of national chairman, indications have emerged that the leadership crisis dogging the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) may not end any time soon. Pointers to another long litigation came shortly after the judgment in Enugu.

Rival national chairman of APGA, Maxi Okwu, at a press conference in Enugu, Thursday, declared that the party “rejects the technical judgment of the Court of Appeal of July 15, 2013 and instructs counsel to seek judicial relief at the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”

Okwu added that, “we are firmly resolved that APGA must move on and persons with a penchant to perpetuate themselves in office or truncate the visions of the founding fathers of the party would not succeed.” He explained that it was consequent upon that resolution that the party was rejecting the Appellate judgment recognising Umeh as chairman. The party leadership, he disclosed, “reaffirms implicit confidence, unalloyed loyalty and unflinching support for the indefatigable Deputy Leader of the party, Governor Peter Obi and Barrister Maxi Okwu, as national chairman.”

However, one knotty issue that would require the collective interpretation and position of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is the existence of two Appeal Court judgments that confer legitimacy to both Okwu and Umeh. Said Okwu: “As things stand today, we have in one breath the Court of Appeal impliedly affirming the validity of our April 8, 2013 convention and on the other hand the same Court of Appeal allowing an appeal by our erstwhile national chairman on the grounds that the respondent/plaintiff lacks locus standi and ipso facto, the lower court was incompetent to entertain the suit. Lawyers know what to do in the circumstances. On our part we choose the former as against the latter and would pursue its political implications while our able team of solicitors sorts out the legal knots.”

Okwu told journalists that the party had planned to address the press conference on July 15, 2013 immediately after the Court of Appeal would have delivered its judgment on the appeal lodged by “our erstwhile national chairman, Umeh” against the decision of the Enugu High Court in suit No. E/270/2012: Okuli Jude Ejike versus Sir Victor Umeh. Speaking further he said: “It is now history that the verdict on Monday went against us to our utter amazement and disappointment. We now have had the privilege of a copy of the Court judgment, which we have perused carefully. We have also met at the highest level of the party spanning the National Working Committee, (NWC), the Forum of State Chairmen ably led by Dr. Azika Jega, Chairman of BoT, Dr. Tim Menakaya and other critical stakeholders. We finally went into a conclave with the deputy Leader of the party, Governor Peter Obi. Consequently, a number of far- reaching decisions to meet the new challenges this curious judgment has posed for us have been taken.”

Dismissing the judgment as not addressing the salient issues, Okwu said the technical bent of the decisions of the Appeal Court judges rested just on the issue of locus standi. “The Court was of the view that Ichie Jude Okuli Ejike lacked this necessary capacity without which a suit cannot be brought. Secondly, the Court was also of the view that party matters are essentially domestic issues and should not be litigated. We strongly disagree with this position and our team of able solicitors has been instructed by us in concert with the plaintiff/respondent to challenge this position at the Supreme Court.”

In a tone betraying pain, Okwu said it was clear that the Court did not deem it necessary to go into the merits of the case in view of its rationes decidendi (issue it based its decision). “In our own humble opinion the issue as it relates to the facts of the case are still at large, or are

Jega

Obi yet to be addressed. If this is not done in the law courts, then we bring it now to the court of public opinion politically,” he added.

In what seemed a recapitulation of the genesis of the APGA crisis, Okwu went down memory lane to outline the issues that were not addressed by the Court of Appeal. His words: “Chief Victor Umeh mounted the saddle of the chairmanship of APGA at about December 16, 2004 in a ‘military coup’ type conspiracy in a hotel room in Abuja, with a sprinkling of the then NWC members. This action led his leapfrogging from the position of national treasurer to Acting national chairman. All these were totally unconstitutional going by the APGA constitution filed with INEC. There may be differing opinions on this depending the leaning of the discussant. One incontrovertible fact is that Umeh has been parading himself as national chairman of APGA one way or the other for nearly nine years. This cannot be the intendment of the APGA constitution that limits tenure to four years with one final term of another four years.” Okwu revealed that on the date of the controversial convention of January 2011 at Awka convened by Victor Umeh, his tenure had expired. “Umeh’s tenure expired on December 2, 2010, but here was presiding over an APGA purported NEC meeting on December 1, 2010 that committed several breaches of the APGA constitution. That meeting for instance, sought to amend the APGA constitution unconstitutionally by extending the tenure of Umeh and his NWC beyond the constitutionally provided four years certain,” he

Okwu

Umeh remonstrated.

He added that the election of all officers at the purported convention was by voice/acclamation in total breach of Article 18 of the APGA constitution that clearly prescribed secret ballot. “This fact was never controverted by both sides and the Enugu High Court correctly observed this,” the chairman asserted. Wondering where INEC stands in the crisis, Okwu added: “We all are aware that the ‘biggest’ party today in Nigeria is about to hold a special national convention. Why? INEC observed that many of its officers were elected by acclamation and not by secret ballot as prescribed by the PDP constitution. The officers affected by this INEC observation have since resigned and are preparing for re-election. Conversely in the APGA case, over two thirds of the affected NWC have all accepted to abide by the Court judgment, except one Victor Umeh, Sani Shinkafi and a few others. Meanwhile, the same INEC is here giving him a piece of paper to continue to parade himself; a case of different strokes for different folks?”

The Court of Appeal, Enugu had last Monday ruled that chief Victor Umeh should remain the national chairman of APGA, even as it overruled the judgment of the Enugu State High Court delivered by the state Chief Judge, Justice Innocent Umezulike, on February 8, 2013, which sacked the entire APGA NWC on the grounds that their tenure expired in 2010.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Tom Yakubu granted all the four reliefs sought by the applicant (Umeh) and resolved all the issues set out for determination in his favour. Justice

Yakubu was flanked by Justices Paul Galinje (chairman) and Modupe Kwasami.

It would be recalled that the lower court had in its ruling on the case brought against Umeh by a member of the party in Enugu State, Mr. Jude Okuli; ordered the removal of chief Umeh, saying that his tenure had expired as well as the fact that the November 10, 2011 National Convention of the party where Umeh and other NWC members were purportedly reelected was unconstitutional. Dissatisfied by that judgment Umeh proceeded to the appellate court to challenge the decision. He was granted a stay of execution of Umezulike’s judgment, paving way for Umeh to act as APGA national chairman pending the resolution of the substantive appeal. However, before the stay of execution could be granted, APGA had advertised and held a national convention from which Maxi Okwu and other functionaries were elected on April 8, 2013. INEC monitored the exercise and gave it stamp of approval.

But delivering judgment on the appeal, on Monday, Justice Yakubu dismissed all the objections raised by the respondent (Okuli) against the appeal, saying the lower court had no jurisdiction ab initio to entertain the case brought before it, since according to him, the plaintiff having been expelled by his state chapter from the party, had no locus standi to institute the action. He said that even if Okuli was not expelled from the party, he was neither a contestant for the position of national chair-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 55

TheGuardian

Sunday, July 21, 2013 53

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Opinion Democracy÷Dame=Dam-ocracy make this small contribution to a growing school of study which is strenuously trying to understand Dame Patience Faka Jonathan, Nigeria’s First Lady. For want of a better name, I will call them the Damologists.

This effort is at some personal risk, as Mrs. Jonathan has previously denounced me in a newspaper advertorial, an unwanted but telling distinction.

It began with an article entitled: ‘Patience Jonathan: Nigeria’s Most Powerful Woman,’ on October 27, 2007.

Reflecting on how Mrs. Jonathan had been halted twice in one month by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for money-laundering only for both matters to disappear, Nigeria style, I asked: “If Mrs. Jonathan can so effectively laugh at the so-called war on corruption, does that not make her the First Lady? On what basis does she perform her functions – the recommendations of the EFCC? Why has Mrs. Jonathan assumed the status of untouchable, or is she truly the nation’s most powerful woman?”

I do not know if Turai Yar’Adua enjoyed the reference to another woman as the nation’s most powerful ahead of her, but it did not matter. I was in the front row of the first class to study the emerging phenomenon from Rivers State.

The first thing to understand is that Dame Patience Faka Jonathan is no ordinary Nigerian. I know the history books refer to her as the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, but that is wrong, and I say that not because she famously numbered herself among the widows during the 2011 election campaigns.

After all, those same infernal books also refer to her as a Permanent Secretary in Bayelsa State, and we know that to be false.

Who, truly, is Dame Jonathan? She is a teacher, a cautionary tale. Her principal mission is to teach Nigeria a lesson.

Let me demonstrate.

Dame—or The Dame as she is often referred

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to—was not her title when she was first introduced to the national limelight during her money-laundering confrontations with the EFCC in 2006.

When Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court, Abuja was authorizing the freezing of the N104 million pending the conclusion of an investigation into the money-laundering offence against her on August 22 of that year, she was no Dame. When the EFCC announced three weeks later had seized another $13.5 million from her, she was no Dame, just the wife of the governor of Bayelsa State.

It is instructive that within two years, both cases against Mrs. Jonathan all but vanished, generally mentioned only twice thereafter. In the first, in 2010, Nuhu Ribadu, the EFCC supremo who introduced her as a money-laundering suspect in the first place, denied there were ever cases. He did not substantiate the claim, say where the monies were, or answer the key questions.

In the second mention, in July 2011, the Coalition Against Impunity and Illegality (CAGIL) announced a legal action against the EFCC for refusing to bring Mrs. Jonathan to justice over the $13.5 million money laundering allegations.

By then, of course, Mr. Jonathan had obtained the presidency in his own name, and, I think, explained to the Dame the true meaning of his “Transformation Agenda:” life on the executive jet with the keys to the Central Bank in your hands.

Also, in that mid-2011, Mrs. Farida Waziri, a confidante of some of Nigeria’s most corrupt persons, had been given control of the EFCC and had started to dismantle its records, disperse its personnel, and unhinge its credibility.

Among her unsung victims, as the EFCC descended into infamy, was one Osita Nwajah who, as EFCC spokesman in 2006, had made the announcement in the international press concerning Mrs. Jonathan’s $13.5 million albatross.

But things don’t always go according to the best Nollywood dreams, and Mrs. Jonathan disappeared from public view in August 2012.

Reports of her hospitalization abroad were either ignored by the government headed by her husband, or denied.

One of the most important denials was by Mrs. Jonathan herself. Returning to the country in October 2012 following several mysterious weeks abroad, she denied ever being sick. She did not even know the hospital about which she was linked in sickness, she swore.

Patience’s pretence lasted about four months.

In February 2013, at an Aso Rock Thanksgiving service in which she was reported to have wept publicly, she confessed how she had actually been so sick in September and October of 2012 she had endured eight or nine surgeries in one month. “It was God himself in His infinite mercy that said I will return to Nigeria,” she said, swearing to work for the under-privileged from then on. “God woke me up after seven days.”

That was five months ago, during which time she appears to have found no time for the under-privileged. Instead, in the crisis in Rivers, her home state, she has helped push the country to the brink.

The pattern here suggests that Mrs. Jonathan thinks of herself as Mrs. President. Either that or somebody has been too scared to explain the facts of life to her.

Either way, Mrs. Jonathan has made it her business, her style and her focus to engineer crises wherever she goes, to expend authority she does not have, to squander public resources to which she lacks official access, and to drag the presidency into shark-infested political waters.

If you want proof Mrs. Jonathan thinks she is Mrs. President or owns one half of the presidency, read last week’s imperious public statement she made on her involvement in the Rivers State crisis.

“This office wishes to call on all feuding parties

sonala.olumhense@gmail.com

in Rivers State…It is our position…We subscribe to the fact that…”

This office? Our position? We? If you cannot locate in the Nigerian constitution the office to which she alludes, or cannot identify the political person on behalf of which she uses those pronouns, it should be easy to appreciate the difficulties that face the Nigerian state.

This is why Mrs. Jonathan has become Nigeria’s most dangerous woman. She diminishes and imperils the presidency as an institution. Her range of vision stops at power as a tool for massaging her considerable ego, or ice-cream for her appetite. As economies and communities she has halted in mid-step for hours have found out, power for her is a game.

Sadly, in this subversive role, it is President Jonathan that has empowered his wife. While other leaders support their First Lady’s initiatives to provide hope and sustenance to the poor, or opportunities to the talented, his own political ambitions have blinded him to the alchemy he has brewed.

In case it is unclear, the Jonathans have accomplished two things. The first is that they arrived with a lot of baggage to which they are drawing renewed attention. The other is that under their dual presidency, this Dam-ocracy, noon may yet be darker than the night.

The lesson Mrs. Jonathan teaches Nigerians is

Hurdles To The 2015 Deadline

By Leonard Karshima Shilgba N 2010 when the drumbeats for the 2011 general elections in Nigeria grew louder, the Northern Elders Forum, made very threatening noises and insisted that the North produced the president. I wrote an article deploring such divisive inclination. I was not and am still not interested in which part of Nigeria a president should come from. I did not rebuke my elders from the North because I wanted President Jonathan to become Nigeria’s president. In fact, I warned in an article published in May 2010, Nigeria: Interpreting Times and Events, that President Jonathan would disappoint many who had hopes in him. And I must confess that he has.

During the fuel subsidy protests in January 2012, a Jonathan’s kinswoman made a very condemnable statement that “If Nigerians don’t want President Jonathan, then they don’t need our oil.” People like her saw the protests against the removal of the subsidy as rejection of Jonathan and therefore considered it wrong for Nigerians to complain even though they were fed such ill-conceived and wrongly-delivered policies. With the election year 2015 approaching, almost every statement and action is being interpreted to mean support or the lack thereof for President Jonathan. What is so special about President Jonathan that people such as Asari Dokubo and his collaborators think that Nigeria would cease to exist should President Jonathan not “win” the 2015 presidential elections? Even performing presidents are voted against by the people during elections in various democracies in the world; how much more an under-achieving president?

Do we elect to have democracy or its aberration? Must people be frightened to vote for a candidate or persuaded with reason and pleasing evidence?

I have read and listened to arguments concerning the election of the chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), which produced a winner who got 19 votes against his contender that scored 16. As a mathematician, I can prove that the number 19 is greater than 16. Even non-mathematicians should know that 19 is a greater number than 16. But, for the sake of reasoning, let us assume that number 16 is greater than 19. Well, if you rotate the digit 6 in number 16 clockwise through angle 180 degrees, you would get number 19. But it is trite that 180-degree rotation always yields the opposite. Therefore, 16 can never be 19, or even greater than 19.

Strangely, people, in the efforts at foisting falsehood upon our

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national consciousness, have been found to support or defend the indefensible. How can Nigerians that have loudly called for “credible elections” in the past accept that number 16 is greater than number 19? And why would some Nigerians call for the “proscription” of the NGF only because a pretender has proclaimed himself the chairman of the NGF, even though he participated in the election—contested and voted—and lost?

Should states in Nigeria be “proscribed” in the future when pretenders claim to win gubernatorial election? Should Nigeria be “proscribed” in 2015 when the loser proclaims himself the winner? Why have we suddenly lost the voice to speak up? Why has decency taken flight out of the room? President Jonathan is showing his hand; he is doing a dress rehearsal of what to do in 2015.

Few days ago, the Egyptian army sacked a democratically-elected president presumably to bring about peace and stability in that country. The head of the judiciary, Adly Mansour was sworn in as caretaker president until new elections are held to elect a new president. Nations have reacted differently in measured degrees. Very indicative of a strange trend is the response from the US government, which is not to insist on the restoration of President Morsy to his elected position. The US government calls on the Egyptian army to “quickly and responsibly return full authority to an elected civilian government.” It should be noted that the US government is not insisting on restoration of full authority to President Morsy, but rather to “an elected civilian government.” The military general who announced the removal of President Morsy had been appointed by President Morsy. The Brazilian government calls for dialogue in Egypt in order to fulfill the people’s demands for democracy, freedom and prosperity. This is what I would refer to as a call for a sovereign national conference. The Syrian president commented, “Whoever uses religion for political gains or in favor of one party without the other will fall in every place of the world.” The Muslim Brotherhood, the party that had produced former President Morsy, has got its headquarters destroyed and its leaders are being arrested. The people simply got fed-up with the party and president they had elected (yes, elected!), and the military had to step in at the expiration of a deadline issued to Mr. Morsy to implement a set roadmap for rescue.

Democracy without freedom and prosperity is like a car without an engine or an empty plate served to a hungry person; he

would break the plate in exasperation and frustration! The emerging trend in Egypt is a lesson to countries such as Nigeria.

The infamous section 134 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, which places time limitations on electoral litigation, which limitations were exploited to deny fair hearing to petitioners and to preserve rigged elections in 2011, has not been attended to yet by the national assembly in order to cure the abuses of the past. The nation has gone asleep without a care that it may be used again in 2015. It could spell doom to our democratic experiment.

Section 102 of the Electoral Act (2010) states as follows: “Any candidate, person or association who engages in campaigning or broadcasting based on religious, tribal or sectional reason for the purpose of promoting or opposing a particular political party or the election of a particular candidate, is guilty of an offence under this Act and on conviction is liable to a maximum fine of N 1,000,000 or imprisonment for twelve months or to both.” Need I say that the politics of zoning, to the exclusion of certain candidates, is against the Electoral Act? Have we not repeatedly shown ourselves to be outlaws in this country?

The Nigerian military can take a critical look at the happenings in Egypt, the reactions by nations of the world to those, and consider how to instigate a rescue of the nation if the present politicians fail to reverse the human deprivations and insecurity in our nation. Brazen impunity by those who should protect and preserve the law is our great undoing in Nigeria while poverty and worsening unemployment are time bombs ticking away.

Any intervention, if necessary, should be to convene a sovereign national conference, which shall lead to the framing of a people’s constitution.

Nigerian scholars and technocrats should become involved in the noble art and science of politics for nation-building, at least for the sake of our children whom we must not allow to grow up to old age in such a crisis-laden country. There is a limit to what our writings and academic advocacy can accomplish in an environment that is anti-intellectual. We must be active, not by consciously seeking government appointment; but to seek out our people, patiently enlighten them, and ask for their mandate to serve in public positions of influence that shall enable us implement those ideas we have written or spoken about repeatedly.

We must find a political vehicle and work through it courageously, diligently, and with faith to achieve the goal. The supposedly enlightened Nigerians are both docile and cowardly, and also selfish. Leonard Shilgba is Associate Professor of

TheGuardian

54 | Sunday, July 21, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Opinion Jonathan And The Politics Of Re-election

By Anthony Akinola R. Umar Ardo is profiled as “an academic, a political strategist and a gubernatorial aspirant in Adamawa State under the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party”. In an engaging interview with 247 reporters, he bared his mind on a variety of issues. Dr. Ardo came across as one highly-intelligent individual, hence it is hard for me to resist the temptation of amplifying his thoughts on the reelection prospect of President Goodluck Jonathan. One may or may not agree with Dr. Ardo, but the freshness of his arguments calls for reflections and further debates. In fact, his arguments should be a delight to those whose interests in the matter of electoral politics are mostly academic.

Hear Dr. Umar Ardo answer a pertinent question on whether or not he supported calls for President Jonathan to re-contest in 2015 “No, I don’t support such calls because of many reasons. Firstly, because I distrust the motives of those leading these calls, Chiefs Edwin Clark and Tony Annie, among many others. As a historian, it is easy for me to see familiar disturbing trends in the calls for the President’s re-election in 2015.

I believe it is significant to bring this to light for us to draw object lessons from.

In 1974/75, as a Federal Commissioner for Information under the General Yakubu Gowon regime, Chief Edwin Clark was actively involved in similar campaign aimed at scuttling the transition to democratic rule programme of that regime. Then Chief Edwin Clark campaigned that General Yakubu Gowon must remain in office for Nigeria to exist as a united country. He used to reel out the major achievements of Gowon, which Nigerians were told by Chief Clark needed Gowon’s continuous leadership to consolidate. On the occasion of the 1974 National Day, a London newspaper carried an 80,000 pounds advertisement paid by Chief Clark’s Ministry of Information describing Gowon as “the Lincoln of Nigeria.”

On many public occasions like Independent Day celebrations, University Graduation ceremonies, etc., Chief Clark would rent crowds to carry banners chanting “Gowon forever” or “no alternative to General Gowon”, all in the campaign to dissuade the Head of State from fulfilling his promise of handing over power to a democratically elected civilian regime in 1976. But for the fact that the dominant flow of national politics then heavily tilted towards democratisation and against the continuous stay of military in government, such antics of Chief Clark would have dominated the polity and ultimately plunged the country into destructive national crises. Chief Aneni is remembered for having compromised the victory of the SDP in the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, a party that he was its national chairman, in favour of the then incumbent military leadership. He partnered with Generals Babangida and Abacha against Chief Abiola’s victory – in other words he partnered with incumbency against democracy. He is also remembered to have championed the cause of Third Term for President Obasanjo in 2006.

Today, the two elder chiefs are championing President Jonathan’s re-election bid – advocating for automatic PDP ticket for the president. The question is if Gowon had remained forever, as Chief Clark had advocated, or Babangida had

D

JAW JAW By Didi Onu

Jonathan dribbled and extended his transition programme further, or Abacha had transmuted into a civilian president, or Obasanjo had gotten his Third Term bid, as campaigned for by Chief Aneni, would Chiefs Clark and Aneni be canvassing for GEJ’s re-election in 2015? Of course, not, and we all know it. As the campaigns of these two made no impact then, now too they won’t because we do not trust their motives knowing that this is what they say of incumbents long before nearly half of today’s Nigerians were born.

Secondly, there is a moral angle to it. The president himself promised not to contest in 2015 during his 2011 electioneering campaigns. Now a leader’s word must be his bond. All through history, the most essential ingredient for leadership has always been character. Although other ingredients such as capacity, empathy, humility, toughness and intelligence are often mentioned, these traits are all too often really subordinate aspects of character. Without character, no man is fit to lead others. Because leaders hold not just the lives of the people but even determine the destiny of society, it is extremely important that people trust those who lead them. Unless the President comes out and tells why he said he was not contesting during his campaign and why he will now want to shift position to contest he will likely fall under this category.

There is also the legal angle. It is my contention that based on the implication of the Supreme Court judgment of INEC versus the five PDP Governors (Nyako, Sylva, Imoke, Wamako and Idris) the president is unarguably ineligible to contest; and any judgment of a High Court Judge is to me clearly directly in contrast with the logic and conclusions of that Supreme Court judgment, where the apex court adopted two basic principles in its interpretation of the constitution in calculating the four-year tenure system. Firstly, that Governors – and the President – are elected for four years and eligible

to re-election for another four years and no more. On the basis of that the Supreme Court declared: “The 1999 Constitution has no room for self –succession for A COMMULATIVE TENURE EXCEEDING EIGHT YEARS. …. It is very clear from the relevant provisions that NO PERSON elected under the 1999 constitution can remain in office A DAY LONGER than provided, otherwise the intention of the framers of the constitution would be defeated”. It added that “the constitution does not support an interpretation of unbroken term of four years or a term in perpetuity”. Impliedly, this means in computing President Jonathan’s maximum of eight years tenure, the one year 23 days he held as president between May 6, 2010 and May 29, 2011 will be counted. Secondly, the Supreme Court adopts the principle that so long as “the acts performed during the period in office remain valid and subsisting”, then the oath taken empowering them to take those valid and subsisting acts also remains valid and becomes the starting point in calculating their four years tenure of office.

I am yet to see the argument proffered by a Learned High Court Judge who ruled that President Jonathan could contest in 2015, but given the logic and conclusions of the Supreme Court Judgment I cannot see how that is possible. If the President can contest in 2015 for another four-year term, and if he wins, by the end of that term he would have self-succeeded himself in office as president for a cumulative period of nine years 23 days. The Supreme Court says that the framers of the constitution did not contemplate for a governor – and a president – to remain in office A DAY LONGER than eight years. Those who argue that President Jonathan’s tenure of office as President between May 6, 2010 and May 29, 2011 was ‘completing the tenure of late President Yar’Adua”, are mistaken as there is nowhere in the constitution where such provision is made. Also, all the acts President Jonathan took between May 6, 2010 and May 29, 2011 before his 2nd Oath of Office are valid and subsisting. Therefore, to calculate the tenure of office of President Jonathan, from May 29, 2011 when he was sworn-in as duly elected President and ignore the period from May 6, 2010 when he was first sworn-in as President, is to close our eyes to what is real and tangible thereby extending for President Jonathan a period in office beyond the maximum 8 years tenure constitutionally granted him as President; this would be unconstitutional and inappropriate.

If this is allowed to happen, then a very dangerous precedent is being set that can be used by unscrupulous politicians in the future to perpetuate their parties in office and elongate beyond 8 years the tenure of their cronies as President. What could happen is that an incumbent president would resign from office in say the third year of his second term in office to allow for his Vice President to take over in accordance to the provision of the constitution. The new President now would contest two consecutive terms in office and would also do same for his running mate to take over the baton. This can continue in finitum. Some may see such a scenario as far-fetched, but it is a possibility. In fact, even if it happens once or twice, or it remains an expedient option, it would remain a portend danger to our democratisation process and could ultimately subvert it. Therefore, given that our laws have yet to provide for fractional

term in office, President Jonathan is definitely not qualified to contest for president in 2015 for another four-year term without an amendment of the constitution.

Thirdly, as we claim to apply international best practices, it is important the President draws some lessons from examples in America. None of the nine Vice Presidents of the USA (John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson or Gerald Ford) who, like President Jonathan, became president on account of the death or resignation of a president, ever submitted himself for election, and none was ever elected, twice in office as president. They all became statesmen and stepped down their personal interests for the higher interest of their country. I advise President Jonathan, who shares the same political circumstance with these former US Presidents, to do same and set a positive precedent for the country, and print his name in gold in the annals of Nigeria’s national politics.

Besides, from my observation, the general opinion among Nigerians of good standing across the country is that President Jonathan’s candidacy in the 2015 presidential election, in the way, manner and form it is, will be injurious to Nigeria’s national interest. We may individually or as groups build our self-interests or emotions around his reelection bid, but deep down in all of us, this is the naked truth. The facts on the ground speak volumes of this assertion. At the national level, we are getting more and more divided on sectional, ethnic and religious bases during Jonathan’s regime than at any other time in our national history. The Nigerian Governors’ Forum is fractured; further bringing out the divisive tendencies in the polity.

The governing party itself is fissured, wobbling towards collapsing. The president has had to assume emergency powers, the most extreme of presidential powers, to give citizens mere security – with the entire effort of government devoted to providing security alone, but failing even at that. The most basic of governance – passing national budget – cannot be achieved. Critical issues like fight against corruption, provision of good governance, basic infrastructures as power, roads, water, health care, education, credible election, etc. have all taken back seats in our governmental drive.

History has shown that a leader whose policies divide society is not a visionary leader but a self-serving person, with the interests of a narrow support group, while what the country needs is visionary leadership to transform the state into a nation, built not just on shared interests but on shared identity.

Shared identity does not grow out of the soil, but is wilfully constructed. It is the task of a visionary political leadership to forge it. But the president, having by his politics and policies accentuated and nurtured national divisive tendencies instead, thereby destroying whatever that was built of the Nigerian identity, is in no position to provide the needed leadership. One cannot on his account get things destroyed so that by his same account get them re-built.” *Dr. Akinola wrote from Oxford, the United Kingdom.

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THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

POLITICS

‘To Avert Anarchy In Rivers, Our President Should Show Objectivity’ Alhaji Farouk Adamu Aliyu, chieftain of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) is concerned that the face-off among governors could lead to further anarchy in the polity. He spoke with ADAMU ABUH.

we want them to go in peace because as at today, the PDP is the majority everywhere, they have majority of our governors and legislators.

So if they are in trouble, you and I are in trouble. We don’t want them to continue with this fight. Let them do things objectively. So I am not happy that the PDP is in disarray. As far as I’m concerned, even if they try to mend now, Nigerians would not vote for them again.

Is there any truth that some PDP governors are in an unholy alliance with the APC? It is true. There are so many of them that we are talking to but mark you, there are also moles in APC. There are so many of them in the APC. The PDP is doing its best to make sure we fail. Of course, we know some of them, some of them we don’t. And I am saying this to the whole world that we have our moles in the PDP. There are some governors of the PDP that are working for the APC; some of them have told us to wait because they are waiting for their house to collapse and they would join us.

Some of them are even contributing to us both, materially and intellectually. But then that is politics all over the world. We have moles among them and they have moles among us as well. Let me even tell you that Bamanga Tukur

What is your opinion on the face-off between President Jonathan and Governor Amaechi of Rivers State?

T is sad and unfortunate that the President has dragged this country backward on this issue. The blame should be put at the doorstep of the President. What is the benefit of the Governors’ Forum to you and me? Nothing! I don’t see the difference, whether it is Ameachi or Jang. Nigerians don’t care. But to stabilise the polity, the President shouldn’t have insisted in having his own candidate; the President shouldn’t midwife division in the country. And that is exactly what he is doing. And he should know that he did not become the President of Nigeria through division. I, Farouk Adamu Aliyu have never met President Jonathan, but I went to court, I got judgment against the federal executive council of this country for President Jonathan to become Acting President of Nigeria. I did this for Nigeria; I didn’t do it for Goodluck Jonathan. And so, we are looking for a president who would think like that. But we have a president who sits and decides, ‘I don’t want Amaechi because I don’t want Amaechi, I want Jang because I want Jang.’

For the President to show favouritism is sad and I call on him to have a rethink quickly and call the rival camps to order and ask Jang to pay allegiance to the other group of nineteen. If the face-off continues, there could be anarchy in this country sanctioned by the President. He shouldn’t feel it is only the governors that can renew his mandate. He should face his job and provide the basic amenities that are lacking. I am very sure if he provides them, Nigerians would ask him to continue and not the governors.

The crisis should be a source of good news to your party, the proposed All progressive congress (APC)?

I would not say it is good news because we want peace and tranquility in Nigeria. I do not want my party to rule over a country of dead people. I do not want my party to rule over a country of chaos and anarchy. Whatever the PDP does, they would be out of power. But then Aliyu

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is our mole in PDP, I know his relationship with one of our leaders and he has promised to deliver PDP to us. I can substantiate it. I am telling you what I know. Bamanga Tukur is our mole in PDP. From experience, we know there are some that would not remain with us up to our convention in APC. They would leave because they are already getting frustrated. I would not want to mention names but we know there are some who would always be with government in power. When I told you Bamanga Tukur, I am serious with it and to some extent, Tony Anenih is our mole as well in the PDP and Atiku – the three of them, those that know what I am talking about know about this tripod. Now the only problem is whether we would accept Bamanga Tukur in APC because he would have totally destroyed the PDP far more than we asked him to do.

Do you bank on free and fair polls in 2015 I know there would be election; whether it would be free or fair, that is another thing. Why I tilt towards free and fair is because, Nigerians are tired. More than ever before, Nigerians would now stand for their rights and defend whomever they vote for. If Nigerians vote for

PDP, they would stand by PDP and if they vote for APC, they would stand by APC. Whether INEC likes it or not, they would certainly attempt free and fair election. And it is in their interest they do that because any attempt to do anything, they would be incurring the wrath of Nigerians. We pray there would not be chaos; we pray we can attempt to do what Ghana and others have done.

People say there is no difference between the PDP and the APC, that it is an old wine in a new bottle?

The truth of the matter is that in terms of ideology, all the parties in Nigeria are the same, at least on paper. We are all into developmental politics, which is all about provision of roads, water and electricity. Nobody is talking about stem cells for now or space technology. But the major difference for now between us and the PDP is personalities. We do have personalities, who of course are not squeaky clean but then are people that can stand their onions. I am not saying in PDP there are no credible people also, but certainly, there are more credible people in this new APC and there are also bad people in APC as well, because we are all Nigerians.

We are trying to give Nigerians the opportunity to have alternatives and a situation whereby, it would not be PDP hook, line and sinker; we are looking at a situation whereby, there would be two-party system in Nigeria. If we fail, Nigerians can go back to the PDP and vice versa, until such a time when politics would grow, develop to the time when we would no longer be talking about provision of electricity, water and roads, which are the entitlements of Nigerians. For now, the government in power has failed and that was why some of their members left and joined us. We are all Nigerians; we cannot say because you were in the PDP, you cannot join us.

Do you fear the likelihood of the ‘leader or godfather’ factor playing out in the APC? At the initial stage, I will say yes. Yes we are still going to be talking about leaders. At this initial stage, we have the prime movers of the APC; we have Gen Muhammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. But then when the leadership takes place, when everything is put in place, the election is perfected, the leadership is elected and the chairman and other officials are in place, there would not be leaders again.

There would only be chairman of the board of trustees (BOT), who is more or less a symbol of the party and we would try as much as possible to bring internal democracy where the people would be allowed to decide democratically.

How Endless Litigations Fuel APGA Leadership Crisis CONTINUED FROM PAGE 52 man or a member of the NWC, whose interest may be affected if Umeh remains in office. On Okuli’s expulsion from the party, the court frowned at the decision of the lower court restoring him as a member of the party when he (Okuli) had in his affidavit admitted that he was expelled from the party, noting that the trial judge went beyond his powers in granting a relief not sought by the plaintiff. “The court must concern itself to the issues submitted to it by parties, the judgment of the lower court smacks of a sympathiser weeping more than the bereaved and the court is not supposed to be a Father Christmas or a charitable organisation,” Yakubu held. Reading further, the judge ruled: “I am of the considered opinion that the respondent (Okuli) has no locus standi to institute the action and the trial court shouldn’t have wasted time trying the matter because it assumed jurisdiction which it did not possess. There are several authorities that the courts should not interfere with the internal affairs of the political parties except on issue of wrongful substitution as contained in Section 87 (9) of the Electoral Act 1999 as amended.”

On the issue of non-joinder of APGA as a political party, the Appeal Court reasoned that since whatever reliefs sought in the matter were expected to be binding on APGA, it was completely wrong to exclude the party from the case as that amounted to “shaving a man’s head in his absence.”

“We find this appeal not lacking in merit and consequently the appeal is allowed; the judgment of Justice Umezulike is hereby set aside, and a cost of N50,000 is hereby awarded in favour of the appellant,” the court ruled.

In their reactions to the judgment, both Umeh and Okwu said they remained authentic chairmen of the party, thereby

returning the party on the path of fragmentation and litigations. “All those who listened to the ruling of the Appeal Court heard that all the decisions against me by the Enugu Chief Judge have been set aside. All our grounds of appeal were successful; that the Chief Judge of Enugu State has no business prosecuting me; God has vindicated me and APGA today. We thank God Almighty.” Umeh contended.

Yet to Okwu: “The judgment of the Enugu division of the Court of Appeal has opened another chapter of crisis in APGA. There is also a valid judgment of the Court of Appeal, which upheld the convention that elected me as the national chairman of the party. As it is, there is now conflicting judgments of the Court of Appeal. It is unfortunate that the party has to go through another (series of) turmoil, but I know that it will end very soon. The party under my leadership is the authentic APGA; 18 members of Umeh’s own NWC are with me. Umeh is like a king without a kingdom; he is also like a general without an army.”

Reacting to concerns on how the party would face the forthcoming council and governorship elections in Anambra State, Okwu said: “There is a judgment of the Court of Appeal, upholding Egwu-Oyibo as the chairman of APGA in Anambra State, so he will submit the list of candidates for the council elections to Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission. At the end of the day, I believe that I will submit the name of the APGA governorship candidate. I don’t know whether you know the history of APGA, it happened in the past, but at the end of the day, the ticket was returned to the right person.”

APGA national Publicity Secretary, Mr. Bernard Akoma, had in an interaction with journalists in Abakaliki regretted the inability of INEC to condemn anomalies in the party’s 2010 convention.

Akoma noted that INEC’s report upon which the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) acted to direct some members of its National Working Committee, (NWC) to resign, provided PDP the window to make amends through a mini convention regretting that had the same diligence been extended to APGA, its crisis would not have lasted this long.

While Akoma praised PDP for complying with the observations contained in the INEC report, he lamented that if the electoral body had demonstrated “such timely vigilance and proactive intervention towards APGA,” the protracted leadership that bedeviled it would not have festered in the courts.

Akoma said he expected the embattled APGA national chairman to borrowed a leaf from PDP and do the needful by withdrawing all litigations initiated by him adding that such would have proved that Umeh had the interest of APGA at heart, instead of waging an endless legal battle that hinders the party from moving forward. He remarked that INEC acted fast to alert PDP on the shortcomings of its national convention but “played the ostrich” in the APGA instance despite obvious facts that what was advertised as national convention failed on every index of the electoral body’s standards.

As things stand, APGA imbroglio seems to advertise the questions citizens ask about corruption in the judiciary and whether INEC’s independence is real. Less than four months away from a governorship election in a state where its largest promoters are based, APGA seem to be dancing in the brinks.

One of the governorship aspirants in the state, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, had in a remark at the State Headquarters of the party pleaded with the major actors in the leadership crisis to reflect on “our history as a people, our image to the outside world and above all, the challenge of not allowing the torch handed to us by the great Ikemba, to extinguish in our life time.”

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THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

POLITICS

EZEAGWU: Delta DPP Has No Plan To Zone Governorship Chief Tony Ezeagwu is the Delta State chairman of the opposition Democratic Peoples Party (DPP). He spoke with HENDRIX OLIOMOGBE on the chances of his party in the event of a bye-election for Delta Central Senatorial district, following the death of Senator Pius Apkos Ewherido and on the clamour for zoning of the governorship to Delta North Senatorial district.

• Even If We Field A Goat In Delta Central, It Will Win

ITH the Supreme Court Judgment, which W went against Chief Great Ogboru, what is your party’s stand on the clamour for power shift?

DEMOCRATIC People’s Party (DPP) is still opened to anybody, be you from North, South or Central Senatorial districts, so long as you are a Deltan. This party is opened to anybody who wants to contest election. As far as I am concerned, we have never won the governorship election under this party, so how do I wake up today and say because the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is zoning we should zone too? It’s not possible. If PDP wants to zone, they can go ahead and zone and fight it out. Those in Delta North, who are in PDP should go ahead and fight it out in PDP. Zoning has virtually nothing to do with my party. My party is an open party that anybody can pick a ticket and contest. The only thing is that people keep running away when they hear the name Great Ogboru. That name frightens them. Each time they hear it, they run away, otherwise, anybody, so long as he/she is a Deltan can pick our form and go into primaries with Ogboru.

Nobody has ever come here to pick form and we say we won’t give him form because Great Ogboru is here. Ogboru is not a permanent structure. It is DPP that is a permanent structure. The issue now is that people keep asking if Ogboru will still be our candidate in 2015.

I am not Ogboru. I am the Delta State chairman of the party. It is Ogboru that will make up his mind and now say that he wants to contest for the governorship and picks form.

It is not for me to decide for him. I am not in a position to tell you now whether Ogboru will contest in 2015 or not. He knows what he

Ezeagwu wants. If he wants to run, the party is open.

Any other Deltan, who wants to run, the party is open. Let him come. Our doors are open. We welcome anybody that comes.

With the death of Senator Pius Ewherido, how prepared is your party for the bye- election?

For the bye-election as it stands now, we are not doing anything now but we know that it will come. It falls directly on us, but we want to bury the dead first. Not until we bury Senator Pius Ewherido, we will not talk of the election. After burying him, we will look at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and what the law says before we can go into that.

Definitely, we must wait for INEC guidelines.

When we see the guidelines, it is then that we

will now decide on what to do but for now, we are not talking of the bye-election.

You know that Ewherido went for primaries with other candidates. In fact, it was himself and Ede Dafinone, who came second, but I am not saying that the lot falls automatically on him as he was second best. No. The issue is when INEC comes out with its guideline on what the situation looks like and those who are supposed to participate, it is only then that we will take a final decision as regards who is our candidate but for now the place is open.

Our man that had just died will have to be buried first and after burying him, we will start thinking of replacing him. The corpse cannot be in the mortuary and we will be thinking of replacing him. It will not speak well of us. It will look as if we are rejoicing over his death. We know that one must die, but we must give respect and honour to the dead. That is exactly what we are doing now and not discussing of his replacement.

There seems to be a faction in your party?

There is no crisis in DPP as far as we are concerned. The issue now is that DPP is a very stable political party. If you watch all these things that are happening, you will notice that no single local council chairman of our party left. So, if I the state chairman of the party is still here and I have my 25 local council chairmen intact, then where is the faction? You can’t form a faction from the blues.

A faction must come from the existing structure. Any faction that comes from outside the existing structure is no faction. As I have said, I still have my 25 local council chairmen with me intact. None of them has left me. So if anybody is doing anything differently from the 25 local chairmen, he must be fooling himself.

Has Ewherido’s suspension been lifted posthumously?

Suspension is a punitive measure. It is not expulsion and he is still a member of the party, but the thing is what when one is suspended from an organisation and retraces his step, he will equally be re-absorbed as it is a punitive measure. Before Ewherido died,

we had already started making moves to see how we could reconcile, but unfortunately it went the way it went. The man suddenly died. It is so sad.

Looking at the present political arithmetic in the state, are you sure of victory in the event of a bye-election?

Delta Central is our dominant zone. If you call election right now, we will win. There is no two ways about that. Even if we field a goat in Delta Central, it will win. I am sure.

So anybody who says he is looking at the crisis in DPP is just wasting his time. There is no crisis in the party.

Last Sunday, the Minority Leader in the Delta House of Assembly was doing an empowerment programme and I was fully there. I took my rightful position as the chairman of the party. The man who calls himself the chairman of the party, my socalled rival also came with his group, but left when he was confronted with the reality of the situation. I didn’t tell him that he is not the chairman. Before he came the rightful chairman was seated and presiding over the ceremony, but he was hanging and moving around the canopies but at the end of the day, he left. It is only a corpse that does not know the man who is more than him. If a man calls himself the chairman of a party and comes to a ceremony being organised by his member in the House of Assembly and does not have a seat, is he still a member of that party? It is obvious that he is not chairman as he walked out shamefully when he was not offered a seat.

You are sure there is no faction in Delta PDP? There is no faction in the party. The man you are talking about is the campaign coordinator for one of the PDP governorship aspirants in one of the local councils in Delta North for the 2015 election. He has been calling meetings but my members know that he is no longer a member of our party; but you know that sometimes, some people would want to reap where they did not sow. He has written letters to our members in the House of Assembl, addressing himself as chairman, saying that I have been dropped but they brought the letters

OLUBOLADE: We Must Live Within Our Means In Ekiti, Not On Endless Borrowing see good development in Ekiti, so for that reason, I found it expedient to galvanise my people and work in that direction. I want to see good changes taking place in Ekiti and in that direction I have no option than to contest governorship election in the state.

You are from Ekiti Central Senatorial district and there have been clamour within your party that the next governorship ticket should be zoned to the South, how would you react to this zoning agenda?

My party has interest to win election, whether you are from Ekiti North Senatorial district, South or Central, we are from the same party and what must preoccupy our mind is how to win the election, we shall all sit together and amicably produce a consensus candidate that will carry the flag to win ow would you react to the rumour that the election. So all other issues are internal you have made up your mind to contest matters that we would resolve within ourEkiti State governorship election next year? selves. And after resolving those issues we will let the public know our position.

IN a democracy, we all have rights to contest election. And as a party, we must have a What are the changes you want to make in Ekiti, which Governor Fayemi has not direction and as the leader of PDP in Ekiti touched?

State I must mobilise my people and prepare them to win any election that will First of all, we shall start with the allocacome up. Although, once a while I must show up at home, see what is happening, it tion, we are not an oil producing state; we is a normal thing I cannot sit down in Abuja are an agrarian state. How much do we now as a minister and forget the political aspect, make from agriculture, all you see around are peasant farmers because our agriculture of which I must play a role. I must conhas not been mechanized. So how much revstantly be in touch with home to ensure enue we are making from that all-important that my party waxes stronger and ready to sector, people are just struggling to feed win election anytime it comes up.

As far as my ambition is concerned, I want themselves, Ekiti remains a civil service to see changes taking place in Ekiti, I mean state, so the money cannot go round. The most annoying thing is that the state govserious transformational changes in line with Mr. President’s directives. He wants to ernment has to resort to taking loan to exe-

Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade last Friday declared his intention to contest Ekiti governorship election next year. In this interview with MUYIWA ADEYEMI (Head, South West Bureau), he discussed the changes he desires in the state, the controversial zoning arrangement and his chances among other aspirants jostling to fly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag.

H

cute projects and how do we pay back this loan. I want to put an end to that, we have to live within our income, work harder and increase our revenue. We need to bring investment to the state, so that we can make progress.

The development so far has been concentrated in Ado Ekiti, when will it get to Efon, Aramoko, when do we get to Ikole, I think the development should be even and all our major towns can be developed at the same time. I want rapid transformation of Ekiti State; I want to see changes taking place at the same time, so that we can catch up with other states. This is my mission and the difference I want to make.

How do you see your chances among 23 other PDP aspirants jostling for one ticket?

My party will set up some criteria to pick the consensus candidate and I will abide by it, all I am saying is that I have interest and I have what it takes to be governor of this state, especially at this crucial moment. I am qualified more than any other aspirant, I am now available to serve this state, if I cannot do it as the leader of the party, if I cannot do it as somebody that has governed a state before, if I cannot do it as somebody that has served in a cabinet in three positions, first as minister of state and full minister, who else can do it?

In Rivers State, the Police Commissioner and the state governor are at loggerhead, as Minister of Police Affairs, what are you doing to resolve the impasse?

There are operational matters and there are administrative matters, I will not go into operational matters because it is not

within my purview, since it is an operational matter. I have instructed the Inspector General of Police to investigate it and report back to me. I am waiting for him.

Having declared your intention to contest Ekiti governorship election, when are you going to resign as Minister?

I know what the law says about that and I will throw in the towel at the appropriate time.

Olubolade

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

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POLITICS

Ebonyi Youth Assembly: PDP Rigging Machine Or Private Militia?

From Leo Sobechi, Abakaliki VER since members of the Ebonyi Youth E Assembly (EYA), exchanged punches with the security details of Governor Martin Elechi on May 29 2012, the group has continued to surprise and terrify residents of Ebonyi State.

In fact, a lot of people believe that the privileged status and political penetration of the youth group are similar to those enjoyed by Boko Haram sect in Bornu State before they went haywire and upgraded into terrorism.

However, unlike Boko Haram, there is no religious or ideological principle propelling the Ebonyi Youth Assembly. Whatever driving spirits there may be behind EYA, only revolve around the pecuniary and by extension, the political.

A little background is necessary to understand the trajectory of this misguided youth band.

Shortly after he mounted the saddle as the second democratically elected Governor for Ebonyi State, Chief Martin Elechi, sounded a note of warning to all political thugs in the state. He told the political urchins, most of who were inherited from the immediate past administration of Governor Sam Egwu, that instead of being there to defend him, he was actually the one to defend them as their father.

Moreover, Elechi explained that he was set out to reform Ebonyi politics to rid it of all tendencies towards violence. As expected, that policy pronouncement threw up an immediate salubrious effect on the precincts of the Government House. The hangers-on and sycophantic elements fled. Ebonyi people heaved a sigh of relief.

However, the relief was short lived! Nearly eight months into the life of the new administration, the ruling People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) held its state congress to elect substantive executive committee members of the party. It is necessary to recall that prior to that election; a caretaker committee was brought on board to arrest the leadership squabble between Barrister Okeagu Ogada and Chief Joe Obinna Ogba, who were both claimants to the state chairmanship post. The incumbent national president of EYA, Chinedu Ogah, was incidentally the acting secretary of the party.

After the said congress, however, he became the PDP youth leader. He is now serving his second term in that position.

It was therefore from that vantage position of being PDP youth leader and the sudden death of Prince Joseph Nomeh, the former national president that Ogah took over EYA. And shortly after Ogah mounted the saddle, he was said to have instigated a crisis in the apolitical National Youth Council of Nigeria, (NYCN) Ebonyi State chapter headed by Deacon Samuel Igwe. Though there were subdued protests, but the suspicion was that the sponsors of Ogah for the PDP posts of acting State secretary and finally youth leader, may be the ones backing his ‘expansionist excesses’. With the NYCN decimated and incapacitated, especially by the mysterious disappearance of its official Toyota kombi bus; EYA had an open field of operation.

Idle hands were recruited and most political thugs and youths of dubious trade congregated around Ogah in the EYA. Local councils’ chapters and cells were inaugurated with fanfare. Suspecting that the expansionist programme of Ogah was about to reintroduce the culture and climate of political thuggery in the state, the then State PDP chairman, chief Dave Nweze Umahi, now Deputy Governor, sought to stop the grouping stressing that the party frowns at such micro-assemblages within the party. The chairman’s attempts amounted to a swim against a ferocious tide. Ogah was receiving heavy patronage from the government and, swimming in much easy money, he found it easy to facilitate the advance of EYA. Many people still remember how from his incarceration at the Abakaliki Prisons, Ogah emerged as petty dealer in second hand cars.

But with the coming of Elechi administration in 2007, Ogah, who hails from the same Ikwo local council as the governor, gradually snowballed into a major supplier of official vehicles to Ebonyi State Government and other func-

Gov Elechi tionaries. Incidentally, because he was enjoying the monopoly of the business, he supplied cars, buses, Hilux vans and Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), at his own prices. This he succeeded in doing most times by agreeing to supply the vehicles on credit to be paid later.

Within three years, Ogah and his Ebonyi Youth Assembly became household names and a byeword for violence. They were believed to intervene in land disputes and fighting armed robberies. But most times, their overzealousness exposed their naivety and search for relevance.

For instance, during a labour dispute between the state government and labour officials, Ogah was accused of ambushing and beating up the chairman of Joint Negotiating Council, Mr. Eke, while he was heading to the Unity FM radio station in Abakaliki. Government denied any involvement in the matter but in labour circles, that episode remains a high point in the many violent interventions of EYA in labour and student union matters.

Again, during the 2010 local council election in the state, EYA was accused of unleashing mayhem and rigging elections in favour of PDP candidates. Briefing journalists in his office, the then state chairman of People’s Progressive Assembly (PPA) Mr. Cyril Obazi pointedly accused PDP of importing political thugs as well as intimidating, harassing and threatening the lives of its members, adding that he had already lodged a complaint with the state police command. Obazi alleged that the PDP roughnecks attacked and threatened PPA candidates in various council areas and wards to step down for PDP candidates in the council election, pointing out that some PPA faithful were attacked while their houses and cars were burnt in Inyere ward, Ezza North; Agba ward, Ishielu; Amike/Izhia ward; Ishingbo 1 and 11 wards, Ohaukwu; Izzi, Ivo, Ikwo, Afikpo North and South, as they were pasting their posters for council election.

“Few days to the election, a house, one golf car, three members of PPA, including the youth leader and all their household effects were burnt by PDP thugs in Afikpo South on July 6, 2010. PDP thugs kidnapped PPA Ward chairman

Osah in Ishingbo11 ward, Ohaukwu council, Mr. Stephen Eze. We are going into this election with mixed feelings mostly of fear,” he declared then.

If PPA went into the council election with the emotion of fear, the All Nigeria Peoples Party, (ANPP) had a contrary tale to tell in the 2011 election. There was an attempt by the party to balance the potential terror presented by the EYA, leading to much destruction of lives and property. Commenting on the orgy of violence that attended the 2011 election in Ebonyi State, then acting chairman of PDP, Prince Ugorji Ama-Oti stressed that ANPP did not get into the election to win, but to cause havoc with a view to cause the cancellation of the exercise in the state. But

even in spite of the suggested balance of terror, many Ebonyians believe that EYA’s exploits during the 2011 general election emboldened it.

Even one PDP stalwart disclosed that there was a directive on Mr. Save Cemali, an assistant commissioner of Police from the state government to ensure that any political thug arrested during the election was only released on the order of the state governor or the national president of EYA, Ogah. Though that information could not be independently confirmed, the mere fact that the ACP’s transfer out of Ebonyi was recently upturned seems to feed credence to such collaboration.

But reacting to the allegation of the government’s connection to the cancellation of Mr. Cemali’s transfer out of Ebonyi State, the state Police commissioner, Saba Ndagi Said: “It is a decision of the Inspector General; he has the right to say that somebody who was moved today should be asked to return. It is not an issue of lobby; you cannot lobby the Inspector General; posting of ACP, to AIG are done by the Inspector General. And if there is anything that warrants him to review the transfer, he will do it, but it is not correct to say that the particular officer lobbied to be posted back to Ebonyi.”

Nonetheless, the general din of disapproval that greeted the award of national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) to Ogah in November 2011 sent tongues wagging in the state that, “Ogah was being rewarded for any job other than patriotic contributions to the nation’s progress.” Yet the young man carries on with devil may care attitude, rendering philanthropic gestures to less privileged, widows and prisoners in the state.

Not long ago, Ogah commenced rebuilding houses of PDP supporters, whose houses were burnt during the 2011 general election. He also involves himself in the construction of culverts in his Ikwo local council and catching criminals.

When confronted with the allegation that he was using the cover of fighting crime to cover his own crimes, including abducting political rivals, he said his group does whatever it was doing in the area of fighting crimes in collaboration with the security agencies.

“Ebonyi Youth Assembly is a responsible group; we are working with the police, the SSS, civil defense. They have been helping us; we don’t want Ebonyi youths to be engaged in criminal activities. The Governor has been empowering us and we want to emulate him because when you say there is no employment, some of the youths are not employable, so we are asking them to get hand work (skill),” he added.

But despite Ogah’s explanations, as the 2013 council polls in the state draws near, concerns are being raised even among his fellow party men on whether EYA is his private militia or an appendage of the PDP? Yet as some PDP stalwarts murmur their reservations on the exploits of EYA, other politicians say that by leaving the control of Ebonyi Youths Assembly in the hands of the PDP youth leader, the ruling party has set a precedent for other political parties’ youth leaders to raise their own band of ‘youths’. Even at that, sources within the state chapter of PDP that did not want their names in print expressed worries that the development where the party’s Youth Leader controls youths down to the ward levels, does not augur well for the discipline, control and internal cohesion of the party.

“I must confess to you that the Ebonyi Youth Assembly constitutes a moral burden for our party,” the source stated pointing out that attempts by the Youth Leader to remove elected officers from office could be traced to the undue influence the EYA President is allowed to peddle.

Barring any change in timing, Ebonyi State would be going to the polls in September, to elect new set of local council executives. And remembering that the councils’ executives expected to be sworn-in by November 1, 2013 would remain in office during the 2015 general election; there is no discounting the possibility of violence being a major feature of the forthcoming council polls. With an emboldened youth grouping like EYA, it is hard to believe that the stage has not been set for ‘physical campaigns’.

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21 2013

58

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

The Multilateral Collaboration To Save The Gulf Of Guinea

By Oghogho Obayuwana, Foreign Affairs Editor

• The Reasons Behind The Historic Step By ECOWAS, ECCAS AND GGC

HE multilateral collaboration by states in T the huge maritime belt known as the Gulf of Guinea is correctly seen as a major statement by the 25 countries contiguous to the area to wrest it from the asphyxiating grip of non state actors.

The African continent has witnessed an upsurge of piracy since the early 1990s, characterized initially, by repeated attacks off the Somalian coast and the Strait of Malacca.

Today however, it is the Gulf of Guinea, rich in oil, gas, and aquatic life and with a great biodiversity that is commanding global attention.

The region in question is said to hold oil reserves estimated at 24 billion barrels. It’s natural gas and vast mineral deposits which remain largely unexploited, to which should be added fisheries reserves estimated today at over 1 million tons with a yearly production of about 600,000 is seemingly now up for grabs by persons and organisations not armed by legitimate states.

And so, after what seems a long period of vacillation, heads of state of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), their counterparts in the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), as well as officials of the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC), finally took the bull by the horns at a special security summit in Yaounde, the Cameroonian capital in the charge to make the gulf of Guinea safer and more secure.

On the strength of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2039 of February 2012, which mandated the three bodies to work together with other partners to put a halt to piracy, armed robbery and terrorism related activities, a regional strategy has now emerged, which diplomatic watchers hope would strengthen national legislations and the wholesome harmonization of actions at the sea of member states.

The Gulf stretches from the north-easternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia, bordered by Cape Verde and Angola. Interestingly, it happens to also be the intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian (zero degrees latitude and longitude), extending to about 6,000 kilometers.

Apart from Nigeria, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Sao Tome and Principe, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Congo (Brazaville), the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola, which are the main littoral states, other countries with a stake in the gulf include Gabon, Central African Republic, Chad, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Mali, Niger and Senegal.

Of the coastal states in the gulf, Nigeria has the largest maritime border; last May, sea pirates attacked a Nigerian vessel. Nigeria has with a long border with Cameroon (about 1000 kilometers) and Over two million Nigerians living in the eastern border country.

In an unreported development but now confirmed by security officials, penultimate week, pirates in speedboats attacked an oil supply vessel and kidnapped four Indian and Polish crew members in increasingly dangerous waters off Nigeria’s coast. The gunmen launched their assault on the Singaporeflagged tugboat MDPL Continental One around 30 nautical miles from land.

Subsequently, the vessel was ransacked and four crewmembers were taken hostage off the coast of the oil-producing Niger Delta.

Now, the summit on maritime safety and security, which held in Yaounde, recently, put modalities in place for an Inter regional coordinating centre to be established in Yaounde, Cameroon to tackle headlong, the scourges already identified.

Easily recalled is the fact that at various times, the UNSC and sundry regional security think tanks had actually warned that left unchecked, the expanding insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea risks a significant endangerment of global trade, regional development and stability as the area, owing to its strategic location and vast resources, becomes more sought after.

Supporting Facts For Action APART from hijacking and seizing oil vessels and running gun trade in the Gulf of Guinea, in more recent times, pirates have successfully raided banks and for instance killed government officials and soldiers in Cameroon, sometimes also killing crew members. Nigeria has reported an oil production slowdown, while Benin has declared a slump in ship anchorage revenue due to their activities.

Attacks on commercial ships in West Africa have become more frequent and are now occurring across a broader geographic area. But pirates in the region are said to be encouraged by weak navies and coast guards, as well as the general lack of awareness about the threats they pose; such that today, West Africa has somehow become a passageway for illicit drugs from South America.

Various intelligence reports are pointing to the fact that since the U.S. administration got tough on traffickers from Latin America, Africa is increasingly becoming a transit hub for Latin American drugs destined for Europe and the U.S. with the Gulf of Guinea being the conduit.

According to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crimes, West African countries have a rising number of seizures as 18 tons of Latin American cocaine worth an estimated $1.25 billion transited through the Gulf of Guinea and South Africa in 2010 for Central Europe.

Gradually, the emerging Asian powers — China and India — are also showing heightened interest in the region’s resources and securing oil and gas exploration deals. However, the swelling presence of foreign powers may present another potential source of danger as locals may start to feel sidelined by their governments, a good reason why the leaders came together in Yaounde to also look a the internal forces at play.

The Yaounde Declaration THE “Yaounde Declaration” as has now been adopted is also meant to collect and share information in a coordinated manner, raise awareness of the strategic nature of the maritime sector and help develop national policies on the fight against piracy, armed robbery, etc, besides putting in place the Inter-regional coordinating centre.

As we now have it, the Declaration has to be rightly seen today as the driver of the renewed process of all the action called forth by the UN resolution 2039 as well as the older one Resolution 2018 of 2011 on the Gulf of Guinea, which had also urged states to pull resources

together with an assurance that a regional anti piracy strategy will get the requisite support of the global body and it’s affiliated international organisations.

And so, the African leaders affirmed the fundamental text of ECCAS, ECOWAS AND GGC on good governance. They also got their partners in the newly found alliance on maritime security such as of the United States, France Britain, Russia, China, Japan, Brazil, to make pledge to intervene in the huge financial outlay needed to jointly police the volatile gulf of guinea.

They went further to adopt and then sign a declaration of safety and security in their common maritime border while directing ECCAS, ECOWAS and GGC to operationalise the decision contained in the declaration with the support of the development partners.

Voices Of Regional And World Leaders NIGERIA’S president Goodluck Jonathan, who had a bilateral meeting with his Republic of Benin counterpart Boni Yayi, as well as Cameroonian president Paul Biya on the margins of the summit, did not make any address at the security summit’s plenary. The chairman of the ECOWAS authority of heads of state and president of Cote d’Ivoire Alhassane Ouattara, to whom that task was assigned stressed the urgent need for inter-regional cooperation to save states in the gulf from losing more revenue due to the illegal criminal activities in the area.

The country’s high-powered delegation consisted president Jonathan, the ministers of defense, Justice, Interior, Transport, minister of state for foreign affairs, as well as a technical hand –Nigeria’s envoy to the Republic of Benin, ambassador Lawrence Obisankin.

Speaking on the matter in Yaounde, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon held that the leaders of the stakeholder countries have the responsibility of keeping the situation from escalating even as the regional anti-piracy strategy requires tremendous financial resources for effective implementation.

Ban said through his Special Representative and head of the UN regional office for Central Africa Abou Mousa: “less than two years ago (October 2011), the Security Council, issued it’s first ever resolution on this issue, calling on countries of the Gulf of Guinea to develop a comprehensive response to piracy and armed robbery at sea. You have met this challenge head on... Now you should be reviewing the building blocks of a regional strategy developed with the support of the UN.”

While addressing a session on coordination, the ECOWAS Commission president Kadre Desire Ouadraogo gave a thousand and one reasons why the sub-regional group would take the lead in the efforts to have greater synergy with a regional community. The reasons hover around the fact that West African countries more than those in the ECCAS, have a preponderance of maritime security issues.

On the way forward, he told The Guardian: “As you know, the authority of heads of state has now approved a code of conduct to be implemented and they have also agreed that after a period of three years, it will be legally binding.

We as an organisation (ECOWAS) are going to start immediately with the implementation of the contents of the code of conduct. We have just secured also a commitment for financial support to fight this phenomenon. You have some legal measures to prevent but also to punish all the piracy and terrorists acts in the Gulf of Guinea. We are now to gather all the equipment necessary to fight the phenomenon. Now, all the details are contained in the code of conduct which is actually a comprehensive document that will organise all the operations and activities of member states in the fight against maritime insecurity in the gulf of Guinea.”

For president Paul Biya, maritime security poses a serious threat to peace and stability of our states as it undermines the people’s development and wellbeing. And he asked: “how can a country progress if somehow our waters became too dangerous for the free movement of people and goods? How would our towns be safe if pirates flood them with drugs and weapons? How can we navigate the Gulf of Guinea waters in constant fear of being killed or taken hostage? That is unacceptable, for the Gulf of Guinea would then cease being a safe bosom on Africa’s shapely and curvy body, to become a hellhole.

By his reckoning, Cameroon was now “pleased by the climate of trust”, noting in the same vein that it could not have been otherwise as “we (the gathering leaders) are mindful of the challenges to make our oceans safer and more secure. Illicit activities in the seas, coast and continental shelves bring huge stress to our governments hence our decision to implement UN Resolution 2039. We will achieve it through efficient coordination of our efforts. The Inter regional coordinating centre to be established in Yaounde would only ensure that we would no longer be sur-

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21 2013

59

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

JAPAN: How Not To Sow In India And Reap In Africa

By Chigachi Eke E African peoples are slowly beginning to W respond to events around us. We note that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently

him. Has he ever read an African newspaper or sat down with African editors the way he does with Western commentators? Abe has never made attempt to hear directly from us.

If he is not properly briefed he will continue to proffer the wrong solutions. African problem is not illiteracy; we have millions of idle graduates with degrees in engineering. Our problem is not hunger. Nigeria alone drinks N4.6 billion worth of imported Champaign annually. It is not poverty. We spend millions sending pilgrims to Mecca and Jerusalem.

Our problem is poor leadership characterized

by Bigmanism. African presidents are too remote from their people and decrepit facilities.

Two, African peoples never had problem with Japanese people, emperors or military.

An African child reading modern African history judges Japan favourably. The burden is on Abe to decide the type of relationship that exists between us and his people. We may not possess nuclear warheads today but our loyalty, borne out of a tortured memory, will always decide who wins in a contest between two nuclear protagonists. History is a teacher.

The above realizations mean Abe must talk and act differently when matters concerning us are tabled. Having read his utterances I know an ellipsis when I stumble upon one.

My response is that Africa is not a burden to any power. America, Japan, China, Britain, etc, owe us nothing. We are also at liberty to refuse to even sit down in a room with these donor nations. I write to impress on the respectable prime minister that in its present form and content TICAD is at variance with our quest for self-determination, namely: To look inward for local solutions to our developmental challenges. Our inspiration is Aluko Dangote, whose heavy industries bear witness to what an African can do if given the incentives wrongly placed at the disposal of foreign profiteers. The Japanese rolled up

hosted two conferences in his capital Tokyo.

The first was a demeaning tea party called the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), between him and forty African presidents. Abe’s manner was patronising, his intentions ambiguous and his commitment to African development nil. Abe never gave, he only pledged, $14 billion aid spread over five years with the hope of making $500 billion from us within the same period. Apart from the food in their tummies our leaders left Tokyo empty handed. For good measure he reminded them to promote human rights at home.

The second was the Japan-India bilateral partnership summit between him and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. His body language was matter-of-fact and his intentions genuine as he committed Japan to the rapid modernization of India. Singh left Tokyo with nuclear reactors and Japanese engineers to install them.

India will have uninterrupted power supply generated by these reactors while Africa wallows in primordial darkness. Human rights and tourism never came up in their communiqué as Singh knew what he wanted. Writing on eastasiaforum.org an impressed Professor K.V. Kesavan notes: “The joint statement highlights Japan’s deepening involvement in India’s infrastructure development projects including metro rail systems in major cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai. In addition, Japan is involved in the implementation of two flagship projects — the Delhi–Mumbai freight corridor and Delhi–Mumbai industrial corridor. It is also deeply interested in assisting in the new Chennai–Bangaluru Industrial Corridor. Japan has also signed fresh ODA loans amounting to Y4.24 billion for various projects including the Mumbai metro. India has been the biggest recipient of Japanese aid since 2003 and it is worth noting that at a time when Japan’s overall aid volume is declining, it has maintained its aid to India at a high level.”

We do not fault Abe for the decisions he made.

It was his human right to empower whoever he pleased with his money and nuclear reactors. As a rational mind he knew on what side his bread was buttered in his commitment to India. But Abe must never weep when his Japanese firms reach our communities only to be told to go to India and get their raw materials there as he cannot sow in India and reap in Africa. He must remember to respect our human right to decide who enters our communities to do business and who is chased away.

For an African to contradict self-styled experts who misrepresent us at the United Nations, UN, and World Bank is to be written off as emotional. But emotional or rational, I stand on two points.

One, Abe has a wrong notion about us due mainly to the incorrect information reaching Abe

their sleeves and built their country without waiting for anyone to do it for them. Their cando attitude is the path for us.

We acknowledge that 99.9percent of our problem is perception and not technology.

But if it is the latter, neither the East nor West will give it to us to be self-reliant. That explains why Abe gave his nuclear reactors to another nuclear power-India (as far back as 1964 Pakistan bitterly complained that India under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru “is in a position to produce two or three atom bombs conveniently today, and there are secret plans to raise the capacity to ‘a minimum of fifty bombs a year,’” West African Pilot Newspaper, Saturday, September 5, 1964, page 4) rather than Africa that desperately needed them. The hand-operated borehole pumps he installed in Katsina and Bauchi States, Nigeria, reflect his attitude to African development.

Not only are these pumps of no economic value to the locals, the real beneficiaries of this N1.4 billion project are Indian, not Nigerian, manufacturers that fabricated the pumps. The same anomy could apply to the $1 billion Abe pledged for combating terrorism in the Sahel Region of West Africa. African security consultants, with the exception of white South Africans, who have our support, may never see a dim of it as Western consultants are always preferred. Nigerians have a parlance for a redundant fellow. They call such person a sidon-look. We refuse to be a sidon-look while other men make their billions in the name of babysitting us. Abe must contract our own indigenous consultants and security experts who know the African terrain and culture to fight terrorists in the Sahel. The Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN), an indigenous security expert, single-handedly tamed militancy in the Niger Delta. We are never in short supply of competent hands.

We embrace the Transformation Agenda of our leaders aimed at modernizing the conti-

nent. Transformation means replacing one system with another. The failed system is never given a second chance, as in reformation. In this respect the Nigerian Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), is inadequate as it is more reformatory than transformatory. Multinational oil companies still control our wealth. It is not Transformation exporting our commodities when we could process them locally to create jobs. It is not Transformation imposing prepaid meter on electricity when the challenge is resuscitating small business.

Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria and Jacob Zuma of South Africa, African leading statesmen and exponents of Transformation, must take heed. Abe and Singh have a “Look East” doctrine that excludes Africa from Asian prosperity. Anything short of “Africans-Only” counter-doctrine will place us at a great disadvantage. African presidents must borrow a leaf from transformed Botswana that recently put a halt to the sale of its diamonds in Antwerpen and Tel Aviv. If you want diamonds you come to Gaborone and buy them. Nothing short of a sweeping indigenization policy in all its ramifications to pave way for local mistakes and milestones will do.

African peoples must control their natural resources by any means necessary, with prejudice to those scrambling for same. These resources are our core human rights, the Kaiama Declaration, Ikwerre Chatter of Demands and Ogoni Bill of Rights refer. Note: Distinction must be made between the human rights prescribed for us by foreign donors and our own definition of human rights. Donors equate biological functions (sex, eating, dancing, talking, walking, etc), reserved for subhumans incapable of abstract thinking, as our human rights. This explains why tourism, dancing and homosexuality are vigorously promoted in Africa over research and manufacturing. For us, land right, which defines our 21st century nationalist struggle, is the sum total of all human rights. This is a definition no donor wants to hear.

Abe must redefine his foreign policy on Africa in line with the above considerations without which Japanese firms coming to do business among restive communities risk ambush, with reason. Read my lips: African second war of liberation looms. The ethnic nationalities constituting African modern states must halt the looting of their resources by corrupt governments and their foreign collaborators, American imposed African Command (Africom) or not. White-washed democracy has robbed them more than bare-knuckled colonialism ever did.

Outside the corridors of power the mood is not investment but confrontation. The angst is what becomes of our future when these resources are exhausted. How would the children of our great grand children survive in an Africa littered with man-made craters and contaminated environment after your foreign investors are through with us?

Eke Is an Igbo Rights Activist

The Reasons Behind The Historic Step By ECOWAS, ECCAS AND GGC prised by the ingenuity of pirates. We have also welcomed the AU (African Union)’s continental maritime strategy billed for 2015.”

In his capacity as the chair of ECCAS, Chadian president Idris Derby had harped on the dire need for comprehensive security in the Gulf of Guinea. Brimming with satisfaction, he declared: “We have taken informed decisions, maritime safety is vital. Our survival depends on it. The Code of Conduct as signed will shortly come into force and there is no price too high to pay. Working with the partners, we are pulling our resources together supported by the body of experts now set up to start working in order to carry out the necessary assessment in securing our maritime space.”

In the twilight of his African tour, the United States (US) president Barrack Obama linked growing terrorism in Africa to bad governance and called on African leaders to build capacity to tackle terrorism while the White House provides training and advice.

The US president noted that the war on terror including piracy and illicit maritime activities is not the exclusive preserve of a single country but is rightly a global issue.

He said in this regard: “It is my strong belief that terrorism is more likely to emerge and take root where countries are not delivering for their people and where there are sources of conflict and unaligned frustrations that have not been adequately

dealt with...We want to build an African capacity. We want the African union and every other organisation to build up their capacity. If they do this, they will be able to nip terrorist cells that may be forming before they even start and gain strength. We can provide advice and training and, in some cases...”

Expert Opinions And The Way Forward VETERAN diplomat and security consultant with the National Defense College, Abuja ambassador Ayo Adeniran wants the leaders to implement to the letter the Yaounde Declaration, stressing that “the reason why the fight against piracy had been intractable is because of the unilateral approaches by various states. So fleeing pirates could easily move into another territorial waters. Therefore this multilateral instrument will go a long way. But we have to wait to see how they go about its implementation.”

Communications Director of ECOWAS, Mr. Sunny Ugo who was part of the preparatory team in the production of initial drafts, maintained that the coming together of states represents a significant milestone in the fight against maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea “I think the Yaounde meeting signaled the political will of the two regions (West and Central Africa) working with the international community, to confront the growing, and disturbing maritime security challenges that have assumed worrying dimensions in the Gulf of Guinea. Considering the implications for the

economies and security of the two regions, the summit should be seen as an initial step in confronting this demon, which if not expeditiously dealt with will adversely affect the economies of the countries of the zone as a whole.”

According to him, “based on the report of the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) these have made significant dent on the economies of the countries of the two regions with reports saying we now have a 70 per cent reduction in the port activities in one of our member states...”

Michael Kounou, a Law and Political Science professor at the University of Yaounde, said Western industrial and commercial powers are interested in the Gulf of Guinea for two major reasons. “The U.S. is interested because it wants to curb its oil dependence in the Persian Gulf. Also for Europeans and Americans, the geographic location of the Gulf of Guinea provides a direct maritime route for the exploitation and exportation of its resources...”

Could this view be married with that of a school of thought, which says the interest of global powers in the Gulf is what is driving higher the activities of non state actors?

Individual member states have already started the fight against maritime insecurity in the Gulf. What is new now is that a step has been taken in favor of coordination and collaboration to bring more efficiency in the fight. Again trans-national citizens wait to see the fruits of the latest endeavour.

THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, July 21, 2013

60

FOREIGNNEWS

Tel Aviv To Free Palestinian Prisoners Following US ISRAEL SRAEL says it will release a numIpartber of Palestinian prisoners as of an agreement made with US Secretary of State John Kerry to resume peace talks.

Minister responsible for international relations, Yuval Steinitz, said it would involve “heavyweight prisoners in jail for decades”.

Mr Kerry announced on Friday that initial talks would be held in Washington “in the next week or so”.

The Israeli minister’s remarks are the first details of the deal.

Kerry had declined to tell reporters in Amman what the two sides had agreed to, saying that the “best way to give these negotiations a chance is to keep them private”.

The agreement came at the end of four days of frenetic shuttle diplomacy, on Mr Kerry’s sixth visit to the region in the past few months.

Steinitz told Israeli public radio that the deal adhered to the principles set out by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for kick-starting the talks.

The release of prisoners would take place in stages, he said.

While the number of detainees to be freed is unclear, one Palestinian official said discussions had earlier focused on the release of 350 prisoners over a period of months, including around 100 men held since before 1993, when Israel and the Palestinians signed the Oslo peace accords.

According to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, 4,817 Palestinians are held in Israeli jails.

Egypt's interim president Adly Mansour welcoming Jordan's King Abdullah II (right) before a meeting holding… today, July 21, 2013, in Cairo. The Jordanian monarch had been among the first leaders to congratulate Egyptians after the army overthrew President Mohammed Morsi following protests calling for him to resign.

PHOTO: AFP

Six jailed Over Swiss Gang Rape INDIA COURT in India has sentenced A six men to life imprisonment over the gang rape of a Swiss tourist in March this year.

The woman, 39, and her husband were attacked while camping in woodland in central Madhya Pradesh state.

The men, aged between 22 and 30, were all from a village close to the

scene of the rape.

The attack came months after a 23year-old Indian woman died following a gang rape on a bus in Delhi, sparking protests across the country.

Days after the Swiss tourist was raped, changes to the laws were passed, containing stricter punishments for rapists, including the death penalty.

“All the accused have been convicted and we are satisfied with the

judgement,” prosecutor Rajendra Tiwari was quoted as saying yesterday.

The couple had been on a long cycle tour, as they headed to the Taj Mahal in Agra in Uttar Pradesh, when they were assaulted and robbed in a dense area of forest in the Datia district on March 15.

Five of the suspects were detained and put before the media soon afterwards and a sixth was later arrested.

Caracas Ends Bid To Restore Full Washington Ties ENEZUELA says it has “ended” V steps towards restoring diplomatic ties with the US, after comments by the woman nominated as the next envoy to the UN. Samantha Power said this week she would seek to combat what she called the “crackdown on civil soci-

VENEZUELA ety” in countries including Venezuela.

She was speaking at a US Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

Man Bomb Beijing Airport In Protest CHINA MAN in a wheelchair with an A apparent grievance yesterday detonated a small device at Beijing International Airport.

The man, named by state media as Ji Zhongxing, 34, from central Shandong province, was injured and taken to hospital.

No one else was hurt in the blast, which filled part of the Terminal 3 arrivals hall with smoke.

An online microblog attributed to the man says the explosion was to protest at his ill-treatment by

Chinese police.

The blog suggests his lower body was paralyzed after he was alleged to have been heavily beaten by security agents in southern China in 2005.

Mr Ji, who is alleged to have been operating an unlicensed motorbike taxi service, was also apparently dissatisfied with the way his complaints against the authorities had been dealt with.

State news agency Xinhua said he detonated the device –– a package of gunpowder taken from fireworks –– after being prevented from distributing leaflets.

The remarks prompted an angry response from Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro.

“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela hereby ends the process... of finally normalising our diplomatic relations,” said Venezuela’s foreign ministry in a statement.

It objected to Ms Power’s “interventionist agenda”, noting that her “disrespectful opinions” were later endorsed by the state department, “contradicting in tone and in content” earlier statements by Secretary of State John Kerry.

Relations between the US and Venezuela have been strained in recent years. They last had ambassadors in each other’s capitals in 2010.

Washington angered Caracas by backing the Venezuelan opposition’s demand for a full recount of the presidential election in April to replace Hugo Chavez, who died in March.

Mr Chavez’s anointed successor, Nicolas Maduro, won the vote by less than two percentage points.

FUGITIVE PRESIDENT AL-BASHIR

Running Away From Reckoning

By Kamal Tayo Oropo HILE it is not totally unexpected that international fugitive and President of Sudan, General Omar Hassan Ahmad AlBashir, evaded arrest during his controversial visit to Nigeria to attend the recently concluded African Union (AU) summit on HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Abuja, the question remains how long does he intend to continue the hide and seek game with the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Al-Bashir is a controversial figure both in Sudan and worldwide. In July 2008, the prosecutor of the ICC, Luis Moreno Ocampo, accused AlBashir of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur. The court issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir on March 4, 2009 on counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, but ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him for genocide.

However, on July 12, 2010, after a lengthy appeal by the prosecution, the Court held that there was indeed sufficient evidence for charges of genocide to be brought and issued a second warrant containing three separate counts. The new warrant, as with the first, was delivered to the Sudanese government, which till date has refused to execute it.

By these warrants, Al-Bashir became the first sitting head of state indicted by the ICC. Understandably, especially in view of the position of the AU, Nigeria was in no position to arrest Al-Bashir. The court’s decision on Al-Bashir is opposed by the AU, League of Arab States, Non-Aligned Movement, and the governments of Russia and China.

Instructively, Al-Bashir is not alone in this mind-game with the ICC; he has for company his Kenyan counterparts, President Uhuru Kenyatta and Vice President William Ruto. Both on charges of crimes against humanity and for fuelling violence after disputed elections in 2007.

Amidst the reactions trailing the Al-Bashir’s Abuja visit, speculations are rife that Nigeria risks international sanctions over her hosting of the fugitive president and refusal to hand him over to the concerned authorities.

But former secretary-general of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, absolved Nigeria of any blame over the country’s failure to hand Al-Bashir over to the The Hague.

He defended Nigeria’s action, saying the country acted in accordance with the AU’s position on Al-Bashir’s indictment.

Anyaoku contended that it was unrealistic for the Nigerian authorities to hand over the visiting president to the ICC. Recently, the AU accused the ICC of “hunting Africans because of their race.” The organization has never hidden its opposition to the ICC trials of African leaders. The AU is expected to raise its concerns with the UN. Curiously, the ICC charges may have bolstered Kenyatta’s campaign in this year’s poll, as many voters saw the trial as interference in Kenya’s domestic affairs.

W

PEAKING at the end of an AU summit in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Prime Minister, Mr. Desalegn Hailemariam, said the cases of Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto should be referred to the Kenyan courts.

African leaders were concerned that out of those indicted by the ICC, “99 percent are Africans”, Hailemariam added.

“This shows something is flawed within the system of the ICC and we object to that,” he said.

The ICC had been formed more than a decade ago to end the culture of impunity, but “now the process has degenerated into some kind of race hunting”, Hailemariam said.

The ICC, however, insists that it acts impartially, and says it intends to press ahead with the charges.

Al-Bashir was also in attendance in the Addis Ababa summit, where many Africans were justifiably upset by purported hypocrisy of the international justice system.

Their contention was such that it was unreasonable for the UN Security Council to refer Al-Bashir to the ICC when three of its five permanent members –– the United States, Russia and China –– had either not signed up to or not ratified the Rome Statute, which established the ICC. “How could you refer the cases of others while you don’t feel compelled to abide by the same rule?” said AU Peace and Security Council head, Ramtane Lamamra.

Al-Bashir, who also visited Uganda in 2011, has continued to deny the charges against him, and accuses the ICC of being a tool of Western powers.

Around 300,000 people are estimated to have died in Darfur since 2003, according to the UN. Few days to the 2013 presidential elections, which returned Kenyatta, Kenya’s government wrote to the UN Security Council, asking for Kenyatta and Ruto’s trials to be halted.

The prosecution was “neither impartial nor independent”, said the letter, signed by Kenya’s UN Ambassador Macharia Kamau.

Kenyatta and Ruto were the “glue” that held the country together during the March poll, the letter added.

While, the UN Security Council is able to defer ICC cases for up to 12 months, which can be renewed indefinitely, but the Council cannot order the court to drop a case.

Two days ago, the ICC case against Kenyatta and Ruto suffered a major setback when two witnesses withdrew their testimony due to security concerns. ICC Chief Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, also dropped a third witness whose testimony she said was no longer necessary.

But while the case against Al-Bashir’s Kenyan co-travelers seems to be heading for the cooler, the Sudanese president may continue enduring life as fugitive president for a long while. The charges against him are more intense and heavily politicised in the international arena.

S

TheGuardian

61 | Sunday, July 21, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Sports environment of the Nou Camp - especially former Girona boss Rubi, who was only appointed earlier this summer. instead of their preferred method of appointing from within, then, Barca will have to venture further afield.

However, they will almost certainly choose somebody who is already intimately familiar with the team’s unique style of play, which is far more disciplined and structured than it can often appear.

Every player on the field has a specific and demanding role, both in possession and in defence, which has been carefully honed over many hours on the training pitch and is therefore difficult for outsiders to grasp.

With the new season less than a month away, appointing a manager who is unfamiliar with the club and its well-defined playing system, and expecting him to immediately adapt, would be a huge gamble.

For that reason, Tottenham fans can rest somewhat easier- Andre Villas-Boas would be a shock selection, no matter what the bookies’ early marmoved on after failing to break into the first kets might be saying. team and only very briefly featured in the top The most obvious flight with Celta Vigo between 1992 and 1995. candidate to After working as a coach and technical director ensure contirespectively at Catalan sides FC Palafrugell and nuity Terrassa though, Vilanova was called upon by his would be old friend Guardiola to form part of the coaching Dutch staff at Barcelona B after Guardiola had been legend appointed as manager in 2007.

Johan After a season working with the club’s youngCruyff, sters, Vilanova followed Guardiola as he graduat- the ed to first-team boss the next season and was a man key part of the side that won 14 trophies over a who did remarkably successful four-year period. more “i am not looking to compare myself to anyone; than anyi simply want to do my job,” said Vilanova when one else he was officially presented as the new Barça to devise coach in July 2012. the club’s Vilanova’s relationship with Guardiola famous ‘tikiappeared to have cooled since the latter’s decitaka’ playing sion to leave Barca last year. system when The new Bayern Munich boss claimed last week he took over as that the current Barça board, led by president manager in Sandro Rosell, had deliberately tried to use 1988.

Vilanova’s illness to damage Guardiola’s reputaHowever, Cruyff and tion by claiming he had not visited his ailing club president Rosell friend despite living in New York where Vilanova have endured a was undergoing treatment. bitter perThat claim was flatly rebuffed by Vilanova last sonal week, who said he had only seen Guardiola once fallingduring his two-month spell in the American city. out, Barcelona’s focus throughout Vilanova’s strugand gles have quite rightly been focused on his health rather than the state of the side on the pitch, however his departure does now leave one of the world’s leading clubs without a permanent manager less than a month before they are due to start the defence of their La Liga title.

The search for replacement The immediate reaction in Barcelona to the news of Vilanova’s departure has been one of shock, but not surprise.

Shock, because a serious health problem for this popular, personable and hugely respected coach was always bound to rock the club to its strong foundations.

But, sadly, it’s not too much of a surprise because there was always a significant possibility that Vilanova’s cancer would recur, even though that prospect was understandably rarely acknowledged. indeed, the fact that club president Rosell, expects to name a successor as early as this week strongly suggests the club’s hierarchy were already prepared for this scenario to unfold. in fact, it would have been negligent for them not to be.

So who will be the new Barcelona manager?

For starters, Vilanova’s assistants Jordi Roura and Rubi can be ruled out because of their lack of experience.

Unlike Vilanova, who had five seasons assisting Pep Guardiola under his belt when he took over a year ago, Roura and Rubi have spent a limited amount of time coaching in the pressure-cooker

Vilanova: Battle For Trophies End, Battle For Life Begins iTo Vilanova’s time in charge of Barcelona T drew to a close after just 14 months on Friday when the 44-year-old stepped down as coach after suffering a relapse in his brave battle against cancer.

“After evaluating the results of routine rests this week Tito Vilanova has been presented with the option of carrying out a treatment to continue to control his illness which will make it incompatible to carry out the role of first team coach from now on,” Sandro Rosell, Barcelona President told a news conference. “i want to ask everyone, especially the media, in the name of his family to show the maximum respect for the privacy of the whole process which will start now,” he added.

Vilanova’s replacement will be announced “probably in the beginning of next week,” Rosell said.

Club officials met with the squad and the team decided to shelf the trip to Poland to face Lechia Gdansk in a pre-season friendly yesterday. “i want to say that life goes on, this is a huge blow, a very hard blow, for Barcelona but Barcelona has suffered many blows and we have always overcome those blows and today will not be an exception,” added Rosell, who was flanked by the club’s sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta.

Several Barcelona players, including Argentina forward Lionel Messi and veteran defender Carles Puyol, attended the press conference in their kits.

Vilanova first had a tumour removed from his throat in November 2011 while still working as an assistant to Pep Guardiola at the Spanish giants, but returned to coaching duties in March the following year.

He then went on to succeed Guardiola as head coach of the Catalans after the latter decided to step down at the end of the 2011/12 season.

However, after an amazing start to his first senior managerial role on the field as Barcelona made the best ever start to a Spanish league campaign, the club was rocked by the news in December last year that the cancer had reappeared.

Vilanova had surgery on a salivary gland and then spent two months in New York receiving chemotherapy treatment before returning to the touchline for Barça’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie against Paris SaintGermain in March.

Vilanova’s race to the top Having amassed a commanding lead in the first-half of the season, Barça comfortably went onto to seal their 22nd Spanish league title in May, but a draining season on and off the pitch seemed to have taken its toll on the squad when they were hammered 7-0 on aggregate

by Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals.

Despite that defeat Vilanova continually stressed that had the energy and determination needed to continue in the role for the upcoming season. “i feel fine. i have the energy and the desire to continue at the head of the team next season,” he said.

But unfortunately his health once again failed him and he has now agreed to step aside to concentrate on his battle with cancer. Like many of the world’s best coaches, Vilanova made it to the top despite not having a distinguished playing career himself.

He started off in Barcelona’s ranks as a youth player where he first met Guardiola, but

But unfortunately his health once again failed him and he has now agreed to step aside to concentrate on his battle with cancer. Like many of the world’s best coaches, Vilanova made it to the top despite not having a distinguished playing career himself.

Vilanova

there’s virtually no possibility of the pair burying the hatchet to allow the former midfielder to return (not to mention the fact the Cruyff would be very reluctant to return to the pressures of management in any case).

Although the man himself is not an option, Barca can turn to a handful of Cruyff disciples men who are already immersed in the Dutchman’s complex system following playing spells at the Nou Camp. one member of Cruyff’s European Cup-winning team in 1992 (alongside Guardiola and current director of football Andoni Zubizaretta) was Swansea manager Michael Laudrup, who became a huge fan favourite and a key member of Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’ during five magnificent seasons in Catalonia between 1989 and 1994.

The style of play employed by Laudrup’s current Swansea team is clearly closely akin to the prevailing football philosophy at the Nou Camp, and his history as one of the club’s greatest players in the last few decades would command instant respect from supporters. if Barca believe that Laudrup has spent too long away from the club (or if they still resent him for leaving to join Real Madrid), they could also turn to recently appointed Celta Vigo boss Luis Enrique, the gifted and hardworking midfielder, who ended his playing career at Barcelona and later served as the club’s B team coach under Guardiola before leaving to join Roma.

Another possibility in the same mould would be current Ajax boss Frank De Boer who, like Enrique, joined Barcelona as a player after Cruyff had departed but had earlier progressed through the youth system at Ajax, Cruyff’s first love and the original exponents of Total Football - tiki-taka’s tactical father.

Laudrup, Enrique and De Boer would all be logical choices, but VillasBoas,

Roberto Mancini, Jurgen Klopp and Jupp Heynckes could also present strong cases.

Fortunately, it appears we won’t have to wait long to find out.

THE GUARDIAN Sunday, July 21, 2013

62 | SPORT

Politicians, Poor Planning

By Christian Okpara and Gowon Akpodonor HEN in 1984 the then Minister of Sports, W the Late Air Commodore Emeka Omeruah, declared that Nigeria would build on the success of the team to that year’s Los Angeles Olympics, not many people doubted the willingness of the government to work towards a successful development programme that could see the country competing among the great nations of international sport.

At that Los Angeles Olympics, Nigeria won a silver medal through Peter Konyegwachie, while five others, including Jerry Okorodudu, Charles Nwokolo, Christopher Ossai, Joe Orewa and Roland Omoruyi got to the quarterfinals in their various weight categories.

Interestingly, all the boxers came from the old Bendel State, which had a thriving sports culture that saw boxers being groomed from early age to international stars. All that is gone now.

Admitting that sport had replaced war as the major tool of diplomacy, Omeruah set about putting up structures that were expected to lead to a sport revolution that would put the country at par with other progressive nations of the world.

But that dream was cut short, for barely six months after the 1984 Olympics, the Federal Government, led by Mohammadu Buhari, for which Omeruah served as Sports Minister, was removed in a coup that brought Ibrahim Babangida to power. Omeruah was reassigned to Anambra State as Military Governor, while another military officer took over as sports minister.

As it were, governance is not a continuum in Nigeria because successive administration throw away the programmes of the predecessors to start on ‘a clean slate,’ which in most cases they do not witness to fruition.

Thus, with the redeployment of Omeruah, all the expected gains of the 1984 Olympics could not materialize because his successors came up with different ideas.

So, when in 1988 at the Seoul Olympics, no Nigerian boxer was good enough to make the semifinal, observers and followers of the sport were not surprised because there was nothing on ground to suggest that the country was ready to challenge Cuba and the Eastern European countries for the medals in the sport.

Boxing gave Nigeria its first two Olympics medals, including Nojeem Maiyegun’s light middleweight bronze at the 1964 Games in Tokyo, Japan, and light Heavyweight Isaac Ikhuoria’s bronze in boxing at the 1972 Munich Games.

There was considerable success, relatively speaking at the Barcelona 1992 games, where David Izonretei won silver in the heavyweight class and Richard Igbineghu got another silver in the Superheavyweight class.

Nigeria also got another bronze in the Superheavyweight category in 1996 through Duncan Dokiwari.

Since 1996 Nigeria has been on a dangerous downwards turn that has seen the country entering major international competitions without any hope of getting a medal in boxing. And since the success of professional boxing is tied to the foundation laid in the amateur category, followers of the sport believe that it would be a miracle if Nigeria produced any world title contender with the way things are currently in the sport.

There is the belief that exploits of former World heavyweight Champion, Samuel Peters, would not have been possible if he was not given the rope by Americans to realize his ambition in the United States. So, what has accounted for the current state of Nigerian boxing?

From Sydney 2000 to Athens 2004, Nigeria’s amateur boxing has taken a terrible nosedive, as a result of poor administration and inadequate coaching.

There was a period that boxing had an absentee chairman for eight years, a former state governor, whose election was politically motivated, and rigged.

The country paid for it at the Algiers 2007 All Africa Games, where it did not win a single gold medal. Compared with past All Africa Games’ results in boxing, Algiers was a calamity for Nigeria’s amateur boxing.

Before the likes of Ikhuoria and Ossai ruled

Nestor Bolum of Nigeria (R) exchanges punches with Akhil Kumar of India in the Men’s Bantam 54 kg Boxing Semi-

Dick Tiger in the go od

days of Nigeria bo xing

the boxing ring, the system had produced other great boxers such as Davidson Andeh.

He was first Nigerian boxer to win a World Boxing Championship gold in 1978. Andeh was two times African champion in lightweight in 1981 and 1983. He was ranked number two by World Boxing Council (WBC) and fought for the world title but lost.

Some other great Nigerian boxers of the time include Eddie Ndukwu, a gold medalist at the 8th edition of the Commonwealth Games held in Kingston, Jamaica in 1966.

Nigeria once had some illustrious professional world boxing champions like the late Dick Tiger Ihetu and Hogan Kid Bassey, as well as title contenders like Obisia Nwankpa, Joe Lasisi, among others. So, the problem is not lack of the talent base, but a system that has failed to nurture the potential of the abundant talents to international stardom.

Perhaps Nigeria needs to go back to the method taken by some of its founding fathers in sports administration (a few of them are still alive), who sought and got assistance from the international community, including Cuba, Bulgaria, Ukraine and the United States.

Ikhuoria is one of those who made boxing thick in Nigeria, having contributed his quota as an athlete and a coach.

As a teenager in Uromi, Edo State, Ikhuoria fell in love with boxing in 1966 after watching one of Mohammed Ali’s fights, which was shown in the market square by the film unit of the then Mid-West State Information Ministry.

Three years later, Ikhuoria became a commander-in-chief in the boxing ring, beating Christopher Onyeolu in Benin City to become the Midwest Light middleweight

Samuel Peter did his best to re-write Nigeria’s name in international boxing

champion. He held the position from 1967-70 and rose to become the country’s Light heavyweight champion from 1972-79.

Before he quit active boxing in 1979, Ikhuoria got a bronze medal for Nigeria at the 1972 Olympic Games held in Munich in the then West Germany, a gold medal at the 1973 All African Games in Lagos, silver at Africa/Latin America Games same year and a bronze medal at 1974 Commonwealth Games in New Zealand.

As a manager, he coached all that represented Nigeria at Brisbane ’82 Commonwealth Games, where Nigeria got three gold and three bronze medals. The same team featured at Los Angeles ’84 Olympic Games, where Konyegwachie got a ‘golden’ bronze for the country.

In all, Ikhuoria led Nigerian boxers to four Olympic Games in Los Angeles ‘84, Seoul ’88, Barcelona ’92 and Atlanta ’96, three Commonwealth Games (1982, 90 and 94) and two All African Games (1987 and ’91). His team won three silver and one bronze medal at the Olympics, six gold, two silver and four bronze medals in the All African Games.

Since he left boxing, the county has recorded many failures in the ring and Ikhuoria is blaming the government and ‘politicians-turned managers’ for the downward trend.

“It is so sad that our administrators allowed the beautiful sport to die a graduated death,” he told The Guardian in a telephone chat during the week.

“Boxing used to be Nigeria’s pride in international sporting events in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. I am blaming the administrators and partially the practitioners for the death of boxing in Nigeria.

“When I say the administrators, I mean the Sports Ministry and National Sports Commission (NSC).

They left our boxing to die because there was starvation of funds, non-provision of training and retraining of coaches and to worsen the situation, there were no competitions platform for boxers and their coaches to showcase their ability. It is so sad that our National Stadium in Abuja and Lagos don’t have a boxing gymnasium,” he stated.

SPORT | 63

THE GUARDIAN Sunday, July 21, 2013

Ruined Boxing In Nigeria

Hogan Kid Bassey

final bout at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Turning to the practitioners, the Uromi-born Olympics medalist said: “The problem of Nigerian boxing became more complicated about five or six years ago, when people who knew nothing about the game found their way into the board as chairmen and managers. The government brought politics into boxing and the NSC did not think twice before injecting politicians into the board against the will of the people.

“You can never give what you don’t have and that was where we got it all wrong in boxing.

“The spill over was what we saw at the London 2012 Olympic Games, where novices were brought as facilitators and managers for our boxers. Our boxers who had not attended up to five competitions were lined up against those who had been competing in boxing championships round the world. It was like bringing a primary three pupil to write examination against SS3 students. That was what exactly happened at London 2012 Olympic Games,” he added.

One of the boxers Ikhuoria took to the Brisbane ’82 Commonwealth Games was Christopher Ossai. He captured one of the three gold medals won by Nigeria at that competition.

Ossai, an employee of Delta State Sports Commission, also heaped the problems of boxing in the country on the doorstep of sports administrators, whom he said, failed to act on matters affecting the sport when there was the need.

Ossai recalled how boxing, at the amateur level, promoted Nigeria’s image in the Olympics, Commonwealth, and the All Africa Games.

“As a young boxer in those good old days, we used to have regular camping exercises whether we have competitions or not. The idea was to keep the boxers in good shape for competitions. Boxing at that time was the pride of the country at all international sport-

rne 2006 ft) at the Melbou Muideen Akanji (lemes Commonwealth Ga

ing events. But here we are today. Some people who don’t know anything about the game are the ones controlling it and it won’t do us any good,” he stated.

Ossai, who captained the Nigerian boxing team to Los Angeles ’84 Olympic Games, where he lost in the quarterfinal, noted that at all levels, adequate provisions were lacking for boxers: “This situation has left many coaches idle and bereft of development in the technical areas.

“In many states, coaches are starved of gloves, head-gears and punching bags to train boxers. This is not to mention the near absence of boxing rings in many states of the federation. Each time there is a national competition, the NSC has to move a ring from the nearest zonal sports office to where it was needed. That is not the best we can have.

Equipment must be made available for the sport to grow.”

Also speaking on Nigeria’s decline in boxing, another Los Angeles 1984 Olympian, Jerry Okorodudu, said the country would continue to falter in major international competitions until it learned to put structures on ground to grow the sport.

According to Okorodudu, politicians and poor planning have ruined Nigerian boxing.

Narrating how the country recorded some of its successes in the ring in the past, Okorodudu said: “Nigeria usually prepared for major international competitions by sending its boxers to preparatory events outside the country. It was at such events that the boxers sharpened their skills, learnt new tricks and studied their future opponents such that when the event proper arrived, they would be ready.

“But now, the boxers don’t even have local competitions to test their progress, while they cannot attend international events because those responsible for that don’t care.

They don’t even go for qualifying champi-

Ijeoma Egbunine

onships because the federations most of the time don’t have the money for that. It’s a shame.”

The way forward, according to Okorodudu, is for the National Sports Commission (NSC) to return to the grassroots and ensure that young boxers and their coaches are sent on regular tour of boxing nations and refresher courses to learn the latest trends in the sport.

“Boxing is always evolving and no coach can sit back in his little corner and expect to compete successfully against the elite of the game in international competitions. We have seen a situation where boxing coaches dispute results of fights simply because they are not abreast of the counting system. If you lacked modern tactics you cannot win modern bouts.”

Okorodudu also thumbed down the state of facilities in the country, saying they contribute to the poor state of the sport in the country.

A visit at the Brai Ayonote boxing gym at the National Stadium, Lagos, which was the pride of the country in the 1980s and early 90s, will show a decayed structure, which has become home to miscreants. The boxing clubs that used to produce top amateur boxers for the country no longer do so, just as the Games Villages across the country, including Afuze in Edo State, Nsulu in Abia and the Bembo In Oyo states are now used for other purposes.

Since professional boxing cannot thrive in a culture that has no programme for amateur boxing, Nigeria, which alongside South Africa and Ghana had the best world title fighters in Africa, can no longer compete in the West Africa sub-region.

Sports lawyer, Sabinus Ikewuaku, sees professional boxing’ travails as the handiwork of businessmen, who entered the sport because they wanted to use it to feather their nests.

“You hardly hear of any boxing championship in the country because those who rushed to become Nigeria Boxing Board of Control chairmen and board members do not have the capacity to run the show.

“Time was when boxing fights involving Lat Darasin, Obisia Nwankpa, Dele Jonathan, Joe Lasisi, Jerry Okorodudu and Fighting Romanus drew thousands of fans to the National Stadium. Then, the boxers went home with big purses, they had money to take care of their families and train to upgrade themselves.

“Now, because boxers hardly get up to N5, 000 for professional fights in Nigeria, most of them have turned bouncers. They now work for clubs and those who can afford to pay them as bouncers.

“This year, there has not been any championship at the National Stadium, or any where else in the country because there is no money for such fights. Even if anybody comes up with money to organize a championship now, he would not see any boxer worthy of the name to promote his fight.

“Our best professional boxers, including King Davidson Emenogu, Isaac Ekpo, Segun Ajose are all based abroad. So, until we put the structures right such that we would begin to harness the talents available, we cannot reclaim our lost position in the sport. It is as simple as that.”

TheGuardian

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Okagbare Hits Personal Best, Wins Long Jump In Monaco

By Gowon Akpodonor with Agency Reports NE of Nigeria’s medal prospects in the Moscow 2013 IAAF World Championship, Blessing Okagbare has powered to another win in the long jump event at the IAAF Diamond League Grand Prix event in Monaco.

The Nigerian jumped a staggering 7.04 to record her personal best of the season. She finished ahead of Rurria’s Darya Klishina and Britain’s Proctor Shara who came second and third respectively.

Okagbare remains top of the Diamond rankings and has now increased her points to ten.

Earlier this month, Okagbare won the Women’s Long Jump event at the IAAF Diamond League Grand Prix in the Swiss city of Lausanne.

She jumped a remarkable 6.98 ahead of USA’s Brittney

O

Reese (6. 96) and Britain’s Shara Proctor (6.92). The 24year old Nigerian has been in fascinating form this year, putting up impressive shows in all the eight diamond league meets.

Before the Lausanne meet, Okagbare upstaged illustrious rivals Shelly-Ann FraserPryce and Carmelita Jeter to win the 200 meters at the Birmingham Grand Prix, capping a tough day for a string of reigning Olympic champions on their returns to Britain.

The standout race of the Diamond League meet was billed as a head to head between Fraser-Pryce and Jeter, but Okagbare, who is triple African champion, made an unusually strong start and held off FraserPryce, the two-time Olympic 100-meter champion from Jamaica, to win in 22.55 seconds.

Hosts Zambia Win COSAFA Cup AMBIA were crowned the Z champions of southern Africa for a fourth time as they beat defending champions Zimbabwe 2-0 in the COSAFA Cup final in Ndola.

Two goals either side of half time from Alex N’gonga and Kabaso Chongo gave victory to the host nation.

Chipolopolo scored after just five minutes when a N’gonga free kick caught the Warriors defenders fast asleep.

They doubled their lead deep into stoppage time when Chongo’s superb free kick sailed into the net.

Zimbabwe had limited chances in front of goal and on the few occasions that they found the target, the

Zambian goalkeeper Danny Munyau stood his ground.

With his eye on September’s World Cup clash against Ghana in Kumasi, Coach Herve Renard will have drawn a great deal of encouragement from the way the match went.

The Zambians rediscovered a little of the zip that saw them win the AFCON in 2012.

Earlier in the day, Captain Wayne Sandilands saved a penalty as South Africa beat Lesotho 2-1 to grab third place at the tournament.

The goalkeeper guessed right as defender Tlali Maile took the spot kick, diving left and making a one-handed block.

Neymar Relishes Messi Partnership EYMAR believes that he N can form a history-making partnership with

US golfer, Tiger Woods watches his drive from the first tee during the third round of the 2013 British Open Golf Championship at Muirfield golf course at Gullane in Scotland yesterday.

PHOTO: AFP

Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi.

The prospect of Brazil’s Confederations Cup hero linking up with the fourtime Ballon d’Or winner has got the entire footballing world talking, with Russia’s coach, Fabio Capello claiming the pair could make the Blaugrana unbeatable.

Neymar, who was signed from Santos for 57 million

euros earlier this summer, is just as excited and optimistic about being paired with Messi.

“I hope it will be a partnership to make history,” the 21-year-old attacker told reporters on Friday.

“We have everything for that to happen and it’s an honor, a dream come true, to play alongside the best in the world and that is what persuaded me choose my European team.”

Westwood, Woods In Contention NGLISHMAN Lee E Westwood, led on -3 at the end of Round Three of the British Open, which enters its final round today at Muirfield.

He was closely followed by Americans Tiger Woods and Hunter Mahan both on -1, while Adam Scott and Henrik Stenson finished the round on level par. Ryan Moore, Angel Cabrera, Zach Johnson were on +1 at the end of the third

round.

In the course of play yesterday, Woods, however, found himself in a once-familiar position: leading a major championship, having shaken off a couple of bogeys on the front side at treacherous Muirfield. He made the turn at 2 under, the same score he had after 36 holes, and was tied with Westwood as 36-hole leader Miguel Angel Jimenez

British Open ran into trouble.

Playing in the next-to-last group with Westwood, Woods had the lead all to himself when he birdied the second hole and Jimenez came along a few minutes later and made bogey.

Then it was Westwood surging out front when he curled

in a 60-footer off the front of the green for an eagle at the fourth, pushing his score to 3 under overall. The 40-year-old Englishman appeared to be pulling away when he birdied the par-3 seventh, putting himself three shots clear of the field.

Westwood’s lead was gone by the time he headed to the back side. He closed the front with two straight bogeys,

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(ISSN NO 0189-5125) Editor: E-mail letters@ngrguardiannews.com ABRAHAM OBOMEYOMA OGBODO • A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation •ABC

including the par-5 ninth when he drove into a bunker, ran his third shot through the green and couldn’t get upand-down.

Woods, on the other hand, did get up-and-down from a greenside bunker for birdie, snatching his ball out of the cup and heading to the 10th with a confident bounce in his step.

The last time Woods led a major after 54 holes was the 2009 PGA Championship, which turned out to be the first time he ever lost a major when taking the lead to Sunday. Y.E. Yang pulled off the upset at Hazeltine.

Woods hasn’t been in that position since then, his life turned upside down by scandalous affairs and divorce while his golf game was plagued by physical problems and a swing change. The last time he won a major was the 2008 U.S. Open, leaving him in an 0-for-16 slump that is the longest of his career, a stretch that includes missing four other majors because of injuries.

He looks healthy at Muirfield and intent on picking up his 15th major title, which would pull him within three of Jack Nicklaus’ record.