The Nation, April 28, 2012

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AMAA 201

Oni loses seat as court voids South West PDP congress

Lagos 7 moves to replace striking doctors PAGE

The ...begins remarkable happenstances! recruitment

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Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

VOL.07 N0. 2109

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

N150.00

Boko Haram

Security adviser blames PDP

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Anger as US turns back citizens from S’South summit over security scare 8 PAGE

Gen. Azazi

PDP got it wrong from the beginning, from the on-set by saying Mr A can rule, Mr A cannot rule …according to PDP's convention, rules and regulations and not according to the constitution and that created the climate for what has manifested itself, this way

ThisDay blast: Security 6 agencies recover vital documents Forensic experts begin probe Police beef up security in media houses PAGE

...Governors PAGE 2 Forum, ACN, CNPP condemn attacks

Survivors 4&5 recount horrors PAGES

2 NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012 ATTACKS ON MEDIA HOUSES

It’s arrow in the heart of free speech, says ACN

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HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday condemned Thursday’s bombing of the offices of ThisDay and other newspapers in Abuja and Kaduna, and called the attack an arrow in the heart of free speech and a move to abridge the rights of Nigerians to news and information.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said in a statement that nothing in the world could justify such attacks on the media.

He said: ’’Unfettered flow of information is the lifeblood of any society and a necessary ingredient for a successful democracy, and the media in Nigeria have largely carried out their role in this regard with rare courage and uncommon determination. ‘’To now seek to scuttle this constitutionally-guaranteed role of the media on the basis of some nebulous justification is totally abhorrent and unacceptable. Any society that stifles the media asphyxiates itself.’’

The ACN commiserated with the media organisations over the loss of their employees as well as the destruction of their offices in the dastardly act, and prayed that God would grant repose to the souls of the departed and grant those injured speedy recovery.

The party urged the relevant agencies to work with the various media organisations to provide them (media houses) with adequate security, so they can continue to carry out their onerous duties without fear of being attacked.

It also urged the media to continue to adhere strictly to the highest professional standards and ensure that they remain above board in carrying out their duties in an increasinglydivided Nigerian society.

•Part of the Senate building of the Gombe State University bombed on Thursday night

PHOTO: NAN

Canada, governors deplore bombings

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ANADA yesterday joined in deploring the Thursday bomb attacks on ThisDay, The Sun and The Moment newspapers’ offices in Abuja and Kaduna.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, said in a statement: ”In my meeting with my Nigerian counterpart earlier this week, I reiterated Canada’s commitment to strengthening security cooperation between our two countries.

“Canada has strong ties to Nigeria and the two countries share the values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

“Canada urges all people in Nigeria to work with the government in bringing to justice those responsible for these terrible crimes.

“On behalf of all Canadians, I would like to extend

Augustine EHIKIOYA, Abuja my deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those killed in these attacks, and I wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” he stated.

In the same vein, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) yesterday described the bombing of the media offices as shocking, abysmal and one attack too many, which should not go unchallenged.

Reacting to the incidents yesterday, the Chairman of the forum, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State said it was “most abysmal that perpetrators of these acts unashamedly hide under the guise of religion and poverty.”

The NGF said while it realised the quest and agita-

tion of the generality of Nigerians for a better nation and sustainable living and development, “we refuse in its entirety the notion that brigandage and heartless destruction would herald our Eldorado. Our nation is bigger than all of us and we must all protect it.”

It condemned the bombing and pledged support for the security agencies and the Federal Government “in our quest to guarantee the lives and properties of every Nigerian citizen, regardless of race or creed.”

Commiserating with the families of the victims of the bombing and expressing regrets to the publishers, managements and staff of the three newspapers, the governors declared: “This is an assault on our collective psyche and one which we must not allow to go unchal-

lenged. ‘’We ask the Media and Nigerians in general not to be deterred or undaunted by the acts of a few miscreants to plunge our nation into the valley of the shadow of death but to stay focused.

“As Nigerians, we are a resilient people and have overcome several past attacks on our psyche and nationhood. This time too, we shall overcome.

“On our part as governors, we pledge our commitment to better the lives of our people and to guarantee the peace and security of our various states. It is an oath to which we swore and one that we are determined to keep. We also urge the Federal Government to remember that it owes every Nigerian and all those living in Nigeria the responsibility to protect lives and property.”

Fani-Kayode seeks tougher action against Boko Haram

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ORMER Minister of Aviation, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, wants the Federal Government to stop dealing with the Boko Haram sect with kid gloves because, according to him, the sect has declared war on Nigeria.

Reacting to the bomb attacks on three media offices in Abuja and Kaduna by the sect on Thursday, FaniKayode said it was time for government to “ rise up to this challenge once and for all.”

“As far as I am concerned, we are at war and the sooner our government realises that and stops chasing shadows, the better.

“I have said this from the start and I will say it again, the only answer to Boko Haram is to utterly crush them and those that are sponsoring them and to send them to their maker.

“It is a law enforcement problem that the security agencies and the military can solve if only those at the top of this government can cultivate the political will to allow them to do so and give them a free hand and full

Sanni ONOGU, Abuja backing.’’

He described the attacks on media houses as wicked and senseless.

He said: “What a wicked a

wicked and senseless act this is. I ask again, where are all those that have insisted on dialogue with Boko Haram and precisely what is our government doing to safeguard the lives and property

of the Nigerian people and to fight Boko Haram?

“Nigeria is at war and may the God of heaven defend her and avenge all those that were brutally killed in yesterday’s (Thursday’s) attacks and those that have been murdered by Boko Haram in the last two years.”

FCTA to offset victims’ bills

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HE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has offered to offset the medical bills of victims of Thursday’s suicide attack on the Jabi, Abuja office of ThisDay Newspapers.

Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, announced this yesterday when he visited the victims receiving treatment at the National Hospital, Abuja.

About nine victims of the bombing are currently on admission, receiving treatment at the hospital where they were rushed to following the various degrees of injury they sustained in the attack.

Some others had been treated and discharged.

The Minister, while commiserating with the victims, wished them quick recovery.

He told them not to lose hope, stressing that the Federal Government and Nigerians were solidly behind them.

He said the bombings and the security threats constitute a challenge to all Nigerians, who

Bukola AMUSAN, Abuja should rise collectively to tackle it.

Senator Mohammed prayed for them and directed the medical personnel at the hospital to take adequate care of the victims.

He assured that the FCT Administration would continue to do its utmost to safeguard lives and property in the nation’s capital.

He also pledged more support for the Police and other security agencies to enable them to continue to discharge their functions effectively and successfully.

The Minister had earlier visited ThisDay office at Jabi, Abuja shortly after the bombing on Thursday for an on-the-spot assessment of the level of damage.

He condemned the bombings as very ugly and unfortunate acts.

He consoled the management and staff of ThisDay Newspapers and urged them not to be discouraged in serving Nigeria.

Amosun, Okotie express sympathy with ThisDay, others

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GUN State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has expressed sympathy with the management of Thisday over the bomb blasts at its offices in Abuja and Kaduna, which led to deaths and destruction of properties.

The governor also expressed regrets over the bomb explosion at the offices of The SUN and The Moment in Kaduna and the effect of the Abuja blasts on the office of the Nigerian Tribune.

In a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Mrs Funmi Wakama, Senator Amosun described the incidents as unfortunate and deplorable.

He said every dispute should be resolved at the round-table rather than recourse to violence or self-help.

Amosun called on Nigerians to live in peace with one another as enjoined by the teachings of Islam and Christianity.

He commiserated with the families of the deceased and urged Thisday, Nigerian Tribune, The SUN, The Moment and the entire media industry not to be deterred by the unfortunate incidents but continue to fulfil their constitutional responsibilities.

The Chairman of the Fresh Democratic Party (FRESH), Rev Chris Okotie, has expressed shock at the bombing of the offices of Thisday, The SUN, and The Moment newspapers in Abuja and Kaduna, last Thursday.

In a condolence message to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the affected media organisations over the incident in Lagos yesterday, Rev Okotie also prayed for the repose of the souls of the innocent people who were killed in the blasts.

Okotie lamented that defenceless journalists could be targeted in the terror war launched by the Boko Haram group at a time the media is canvassing for a quick solution to the crisis.

“When journalists become targets in this kind of campaign, then we know the situation has become desperate. The Federal Government must find a way to end this unfortunate situation in the country now that the terror war seems to know no boundaries,” he said.

Resist Boko Haram insurgents, Adegbite urges Nigerians

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HE Chairman, Presidential Committee on Public Awareness on Security and Civic Responsibility (PCPASCR), Dr Lateef Adegbite, yesterday urged Nigerians to brace up to the dangers posed to the nation by the Boko Haram sect and muster resistance against the group.

Adegbite, who is also the Secretary-General of Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), charged the rest of the citizens not to despair or “surrender to the intimidating tendencies” of the militant sect which has levied unwarranted death, violence and sorrow upon innocent people.

The PCPASCR Boss, who gave the advice in a news conference at Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, said should the nation allow itself to be cowed by the Boko Haram members and their heinous activities, there would be no more strength left to tackle them. ‘’Nigerians must not be cowed, despondent or surren-

Ernest NWOKOLO, Abeokuta der to the intimidating tendencies of these unscrupulous elements who have continued to inflict sufferings upon innocent Nigerians.

“Once we become despondent, our strong lines will be weakened, discouragement will set in and that will be the end to the struggle,’’ Adegbite said.

He spoke on the heels of the Thursday attack by the sect on three media houses in Kaduna and Abuja, where no fewer than six persons were feared dead while many others got injured when suicide bombers in vehicles laden with bombs rammed into the offices of the affected media organisations.

According to him, the attack on the media portends a grave signal designed to intimidate the press into running away from performing their roles of informing, educating and enlightening the public on issues that affect them.

NEWS 3

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012 ATTACKS ON MEDIA HOUSES

ACN in UK holds conference today

It’s wicked, heartless, says Fayemi EKITI State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has condemned Thursday’s bomb attacks on media houses in Abuja and Kaduna.

The Governor described the bombing of offices of This Day, The Sun and The Moment newspapers as heinous, wicked, heartless and dastardly.

In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Olayinka Oyebode, Fayemi said the media do not deserve such an attack, given the important roles played by journalists in nation building.

He noted that the media contributed immensely to the enthronement of democracy being enjoyed by Nigerians, wondering why a group of individuals could mastermind such a horrendous attack on media houses, thereby killing innocent Nigerians in the process.

Fayemi urged the media not to be deterred by the latest attack but to see it as a challenge that could be surmounted in partnership with relevant stakeholders in the Nigerian project.

The Governor reiterated the need for state police to curtail the Boko Haram phenomenom and other security issues in the country, adding that it was important to fish out the real drivers of the ugly trend.

“We need to tighten local security arrangement, and by that, we must go back to that old age issues. State Police is an imperative because the Nigerian Police is over-burdened and incapable of responding to these issues the way it ought to,’’ he said.

Fayemi commiserated with the families of all the victims who lost their lives and

Oseheye OKWUOFU, Ibadan.

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•Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State and the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Mohammed Pate, commiserating with the correspondent of Standard newspaper during their visit to the scene of Thursday’s bomb blast in Kaduna.

PHOTO: NAN

Fear of mass exodus in Kano A

NOTHER round of fear and panic has gripped non-natives resident in Kano, following Thursday’s attacks in Abuja and Kaduna, which claimed eight lives and left many injured.

It was learnt that the attacks, which have dominated discussions among southerners in the northern city may spark off fresh exodus of non-indigenes, similar to that of January 20, 2012, when more than 185 people lost their lives.

The Chairman of Ohanaeze,

Kolade ADEYEMI, Kano the umbrella organisation for the Igbo in the state, Chief Tobias Idika, expressed fears yesterday that the two deadly attacks might take a toll on Kano. He said it was capable of prompting another round of mass movement of the Ndigbo in Kano to their respective home states in the South-East.

In a telephone conversation on Friday, Idika noted that al-

ready, there was panic within the non-indigenous community of Sabon Gari.

He disclosed that many Igbo who were still in Kano were beginning to change their minds and were contemplating relocation like their other kinsmen who had relocated earlier.

The President of the Imo Indigenes Association in Kano, Chief S.U Osuji, also expressed deep concern over the security situation in the city, adding that it was affecting economic

activities.

“With what has just happened in Kaduna and Abuja, the worry among non-indigenes in the state is increasing. I won’t be surprised if more people flee the state,” Osuji said.

It will be recalled that bomb explosions rocked Abuja and Kaduna on Thursday, as suicide bombers targeted the offices of ThisDay newspaper in the two cities, resulting in the death of no fewer than eight people, while several others sustained injuries.

HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN, United Kingdom chapter, has debunked media reports that the third international conference/congress of the party slated for today , 28, April, 2012 has been postponed.

The party affirmed that the congress date has not changed as being peddled by a faceless group sponsored by the opposition .

The party accused the opposition of attempting to cause confusion and disaffection within the ACN, after losing in all front to progressive minded and focus leadership under Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

According to a press statement signed by the chairman, Action Congress of Nigeria, UK chapter, Dr Philips Idaewor, "The said publication was facilitated by enemies of the party who claimed to be a caretaker committee in UK in which they said that the conference would no longer hold as scheduled and that another date has been fixed".

The ACN Chairman, United Kingdom Chapter who condemned the actions of those he described as 'disgruntled elements' advised the enemies of the party to stay clear from the conference and desist from infiltrating the party with their wicked acts of division and hatred. " We want to use this medium to state that the international conference/congress would still hold on Saturday, 28, April 2012 at the. Old Town Hall, Stratford, London, E15 4BQ beginning from 8:am.

Pray for FG over Boko Haram, corruption, Aregbesola tells Anglicans

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OVERNOR Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State on Friday said there are more than enough security and corruption challenges waiting to be tackled by the Federal Government instead of allowing politicians to foment trouble in a peaceful state like his.

The Governor said rather than allow selfish politicians to spin lies and concoct stories ultimately aimed at eliminating him, the activities of terrorists and acute corruption in high places require much more urgent solutions if Nigeria must move forward.

Speaking at the opening of the first session of the ninth synod of the Diocese of Osun (Anglican Communion) at Saint Andrew’s Anglican Church, Ada, Aregbesola said the recent noise of purported plan to Islamise Osun was a ruse aimed at creating religious disharmony with a view to getting a state of emergency declared on the state.

The Governor said: “I believe so strongly that the Federal Government and security agencies deserve our prayers at this time. Instead of plotting mischief and fomenting trouble in a peaceful state like Osun here, they need to take a grasp of the depth of the security challenges facing the nation.

“Some evil people are bent on blowing the nation apart, and the security agencies seem to have no clue on how to

tackle this menace.”

Aregbesola said corruption has become endemic, noting: “Imagine again the hundreds of billions of naira of pension funds being creamed off by corrupt government officials and the over one trillion naira fuel subsidy already stolen by oil cartels working in cahoots with political party officials and for which the Federal Government has not found any solution.”

The Governor said he had received major support from the Christian communities in the state even before he became the chief executive of the state.

He said: “I am fortunate to be a beneficiary of the goodwill of Christians in my public career. Christians are among my staunchest supporters before, during and after my election; through the dark days and until now. I am particularly grateful for the support I received from the Christian community during the struggle for the reclamation of my mandate and the recent failed attempt at causing mayhem in the State of Osun by agents of darkness. ‘’Osun Christians hate injustice and will not condone it even if the perpetrators are their co-religionists. They stood firmly by me, not minding the consequences to their lives, property and liberty. Indeed, many were killed, raped, wounded, assaulted and hounded into involuntary ex-

ile for standing with justice.

We were in the trenches together, fighting for justice until the courageous and Godfearing judges of the Ibadan Court of Appeal vindicated us, restored my mandate and kicked out the impostors from power.’’

He added that he was consoled by the fact that the plan to plunge the state into chaos had failed woefully.

“To the glory of the Almighty and the goodwill of the Christians in this state, the plot failed woefully and miserably.

Apart from the few text messages, the Christian commu-

did not buy the lie and • nity thus refused to be provoked.

It just simply beggars belief that I can Islamise a state populated with millions of adherents of other faiths just like that.

“It is not surprising that the first people to come to the Government House on solidarity visit were the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state.

Other Christian leaders followed suit in the following week. Till today, I am still receiving solidarity visits from people of goodwill from the state and all over the country,” he added.

The Governor explained to the members of the Anglican communion present that the issue of new school uniforms, which the opposition politicians attempted to use to cause chaos was approved by members of the executive council of the state.

Saying that the executive council is made up majorly of Christians, Aregbesola also said that the local adire batik material chosen for the schools uniforms is aimed at promoting the economy of the state.

He said: “The allegation that I planned to Islamise Osun because our government has

decided to give free uniform to pupils in public schools is pure mischief. School uniform in our public schools is part of our well-thought-out policy on education reform. ‘’We are constructing stateof-the-art buildings for our schools. We are also introducing free meals in elementary schools. Computer tablets will be given free to 150,000 pupils in our senior secondary schools from next month.

“It is therefore an infernal mischief straight from the pit of hell for this lofty scheme to be portrayed as an Islamising agenda.”

Attack on media irrational, say CNPP, CPC

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ONFERENCE of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) and the Congress for Political Change (CPC) have condemned the Boko Haram insurgents’ atacks on the offices of some media houses in Abuja and Kaduna.

A release signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the CNPP, Osita Okechukwu, condemned the sect for "their irrational attack on the media, and in this instance, on Thisday, Sun and Moment newspapers offices in Abuja and Kaduna.

"We regard this as an attack on our much cherished freedom.

We frown seriously on any breach of our freedom, for this is the only dividend so far from our democracy."

While commiserating with the affected newspapers and the immediate families of the dead and wounded, CNPP prayed that God in his infinite mercy would provide and protect the afflicted.

"CNPP wishes to remind the master-minds of Boko Haram that they are holding the wrong stick of history; for history has no record where violence has redressed any grievance, especially in a democracy. For we are at a loss how wanton killing of both Muslims and Christians in a secular society like Nigeria will achieve the irrational check-list of Boko Haram

Chris OJI, Enugua and Gbenga OMOKHUNU, Abuja minders.

"We are of the candid view that Nigeria will remain a secular, united state, as nobody has the powers to evacute either the Muslims of the South to the North or the Christians of the North to the South. The abject poverty in the North is also prevalent in the South.’’

The CPC also expressed displeasure over the bombings in a statement issued by the party's National Publicity Secretary, Rotimi Fashakin.

"These latest bombings have drawn the empathetic feelings of outrage and anguish from the Nigerian people. The unabated spate of these bombing raids have made Nigerians (of all social strata) to ask if indeed there is still a government in Nigeria,’’ the party stated.

It added: ‘’It is indeed unfortunate that Nigerians now go to their places of economic interest with much trepidation, owing to the pervasive insecurity in the land.

"Indeed, our hearts go out to the families of the dead, who have suddenly lost productive members of their families. We wish the wounded speedy recovery.’’

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

K

ONTAGORA Road in the heart of Kaduna metropolis is a busy commercial area.One of the more visible buildings in the area is SOJ Plaza which came under attack from Boko Haram on Thursday.

A few metres away from the building stands what has become to be known as newspaper’s centre. It is where all newspapers and magazines published in the country are distributed to agents and vendors in Kaduna and surrounding towns.

The plaza houses the Kaduna offices of The Sun, ThisDay and Moment.

But Kontagora Road is not all about business.Residential houses also abound.

Thus,residents,workers and traders were engrossed with one business or the other on the fateful day when an explosive went off ,tearing into pieces everything ,including human beings,within its deadly range,and its impact felt even up to a kilometre away.

Danjuma Sarki, a youth leader in the state, was just a few metres from the scene.He told The Nation that the explosive went off right in his front.

“We were very lucky,” he said.

“The bomb exploded right in front of us. In fact, we were just about five metres away from the scene of the explosion. We had to make a quick turn. “ In fact, if the impact was as much as the Easter Sunday explosion, there is no way we would not have been affected”.

Thirty-two year-old Danlami Abdulmalik was not as lucky as Sarki,but he survived all the same.

The welder told The Nation at St. Gerard’s Catholic Hospital where he is receiving treatment that he was attracted to the scene of the explosion by his friend’s mother.

He said: “I went to see one of my friends who works in Daily Trust. He said he was going to supply papers to somebody and so, I stayed in his house waiting for him to return. Suddenly, we heard some noise outside and the mother told me that someone had been caught while trying to plant a bomb in the area.

“When I came out, I saw so many people outside and they were beating the man who was already bleeding. He was beaten from Jos Road down to Ahmadu Bello Way and some people were saying he should go and remove the bomb he planted in the plaza.

“Some people were taking pictures with their phones and I joined them in taking pictures. They took him to Kontagora Road and he entered the compound to go and remove the bomb. He was the only one that went in.

“So, I started looking at the pictures I took with my phone and suddenly, I heard a loud sound. And before I knew it, I went temporarily blind , the entire area having been enveloped by smoke from the explosion.

“Pandemonium soon ensued. A boy who was standing close to me had been thrown to the ground,covered by blood.

“Some people brought their motorcycles to take the injured,including me, to the hospital those injured to the hospital and I was brought to this place.”

A street trader, Abdullahi Sirajo,is another survivor.The 22-year-old from Zamfara State said he was on his way to the Ahmadu Bello Stadium roundabout where he sells Gala when he ran into a crowd.

He overheard them talk about a man bringing a bomb to the area.Sirajo was not interested in the unfolding development.His preoccupation was to go and earn his living for the day. But within seconds,not enough to get himself out of the area,an explosive went off. “ I don’t know where it came from and could not see anything. I felt something hit me and I think it was fragments of the bomb that entered my body. I fell down, and I saw other people lying on the ground too.

“There was also fire.Walahi, I did not see what exploded. Then I heard Police and Civil defence’s siren. I was among those they brought here.

“Since I arrived here, I have been well treated. I was given injections and placed on drips. Last night (Thursday), they took an x-ray of my body, and they said that there are some objects inside. “They said I should not worry, that they will remove all of them.

“Please, if you have a way of reaching the people doing this to us, tell them that

SUICIDE ATTACKS ON MEDIA HOUSES

•Abdullahi Surajo on hospital bed

•Mrs. Immaculate Ezeji

Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Jinjiri speaking with newsmen at the scene

•Danlami Abdulkadir, another victim

Survivors’ tale of horrors

‘I felt my face was covered by sweat and when I touched it, I saw blood...’

Tony AKOWE, Kaduna if they have a problem with government, they should find a way of resolving it. They should leave us alone because we are only looking for our daily bread.

“These are the things we usually see on TV or hear over the radio. Now it is with us.

This is very strange indeed. I can’t still believe that I am passing through this. May the Almighty Allah bring everlasting peace to Nigeria and protect the poor.”

An eye witness, Usman Umar , said he and some friends were sitting opposite the SOJ building when the incident happened.

According to him, “I saw one huge man in a blue caftan speeding into the SOJ building.His action raised curiosity and in no time, people had descended on him beating him. He ran into a building but the crowd followed him and brought him out.

“All the while,I was watching from afar.

The next thing I saw was the man throwing the bomb into the crowd that had formed.Several people fell down, some with their limbs gone and some dead.

Another eye witness, who would not disclose his name, said when the man identified by the State Security Service (SSS) drove into the building, people initially thought that his car had a break failure and wanted to help him out because he did not come out of the car immediately. Some of the people went to the passenger’s side and tried to open the door of the car only to see three gas cylinders wired to the steering and they raised the alarm.

“That was when he came out shouting bomb, bomb, bomb. People started beating him, but he fought back. He even brought out a pistol, firing into the air and was able to run into the building again. But unknown to him, the place had been surrounded and

•A motor bike affected by the first explosion

some boys entered to fish him out. “ They forced him to remove the bomb.

He said if he removed it, it would explode.

He eventually removed it and threw it outside the building and it exploded, killing some people”.

The state Police Commissioner, Mohammed Abubakar Jinjiri, said at a news conference in company of the state Commissioner for Information that three people died from the explosion, while 25 others were injured. Jinjiri paid tribute to the three persons who lost their lives, saying it was their efforts to keep the suspect alive for interrogation that led to his arrest. The Police boss described the suspected bomber as huge and very strong.

“Even with the bad state of his health, he still fought back. But we have chained him and placed a heavy security around him.

We are not going to parade him because we no longer parade suspects. If we will do that, it will be with the permission of the Force Headquarters, which is very unlikely,” he said.

The SOJ building incident was soon followed by the news of another explosion on the outskirts of the metropolis.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

SUICIDE ATTACKS ON MEDIA HOUSES

•Executive Secretary of SEMA, Ishaku Dogo Makama discusing with a ThisDay staff who was at the scene of the explosion

‘

I don’t know where it came from and could not see anything. I felt something hit me and I think it was fragments of the bomb that entered my body.

I fell down, and I saw other people lying on the ground too...

•The Honda vehicle carrying the explosives Photos: Tony AKOWE

‘

The intestines were out and the doctors had to manage to push them in and bandage the place. I had to call them to bring an ambulance so that he could be transferred to Shika.

His wound was first degree and only God can say whether he will survive or not...

The Police Commissioner confirmed that two men were conveying the IED to an unknown destination when it exploded on them. The suspects were riding on a motorbike and are currently at the 44 Armed Forces Military Hospital where they are undergoing treatment.

The explosion injured Mrs Immaculate Ezeji, who was in the company of her friend.

Mrs Ezeji, who is the Chairperson of Nkpor Development Association (Women wing) in the state, said she and her secretary were on their way to Kurmi Mashi when the explosion occurred. She said: “I got a message that one of our members lost her husband and we were on our way to go and commiserate with her.

“Before then, we had heard about the explosion in town and my husband said I should not go. I told him that since I am the chairperson, it would not be wise for me not to go since the woman who lost her husband is our member. So, he agreed with me and I called my secretary. We met at the Textile Workers House where I joined her in her car and we started going. “ At Angwan Muazu, we just heard a loud sound. I could not see or hear anything for some time. “My secretary came out of the

’

car and since the door on my side was not opening, I had to come out from her side.

When I came out, I felt my face was covered by sweat and when I touched it, I saw blood.

Blood was just gushing out like water and one man now said they should take me to the hospital otherwise, I would die there.

“So, I was taken to an hospital at Kabala junction where they gave me first aid and stitched the wound before my husband came and brought me here”.

The mother of six said she still feels as if there are glass particles in her eyes while her ears still hum.

The Public Relations Officer of St. Gerard Catholic Hospital, John Ali, said apart from the two persons still on admission as a result of the attack on ThisDay and The Sun offices, one was transferred to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika, near Zaria because of the nature of his wound.

“The intestines were out and the doctors had to manage to push them in and bandage the place. I had to call them to bring an ambulance so that he could be transferred to Shika. His wound was first degree and only God can say whether he will survive or not”, he said.

Lay down your arms, father of slain student tells Boko Haram

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HE man whose only son and a final year student of University of Maiduguri was killed by members of Boko Haram has urged the sect to drop their arms, embrace peace and dialogue for the sake of the country’s unity.

Chidi Ogbuji, the father of the late student, said shortly after the remains of his son, Chukwuma, were buried, that the bombings and armed attacks by the group, which have sent many Nigerians to their early graves, do not augur well for the progress of Nigeria.

It could be recalled that late Chukwuma was allegedly shot dead in his residence in the university allegedly by Boko Haram insurgents during one of their attacks in the Borno State capital on January 6, this year.

Chukwuma had rounded off his study, defended his project and was prepared to leave for home in less than 24 hours before he met his violent end.

He was buried last Saturday at his father’s compound in Umuezeukwu Nsulu in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State.

Speaking with newsmen after the interment, Ogbuji urged Boko Haram to refrain from their violent bombings and toe the path of dialogue and peace.

Ogbuji said Nigerians should continue to live in love, peace and unity. “If all of us living on this planet earth embrace peace and have love for one another, God will be happy with us and will see us through”.

He said there was hope for Nigeria but counselled that “with the way things are going today, people should turn back to God in truth and spirit”.

Ogbuji said the death of Chukwuma has caused him unspeakable grief and sorrow, adding that he has, however, left everything to God. When the news of his son’s death reached him, Ogbuji said he petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan, the National Assembly, security agencies and Abia State government

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If all of us living on this planet earth embrace peace and have love for one another, God will be happy with us and will see us through... with the way things are going today, people should turn back to God in truth and spirit Ugochukwu EKE, Umuahia

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to facilitate the release of his son’s body to him, but he said there was no positive response from any quarters, prompting him and his Christian brothers to undertake to retrieve the corpse and brought it home for burial.

Giving the sermon during the funeral service, Brother Sunday Okiyi urged the family to be comforted by the fact that Chukwuma led a good Christian life, while the chairman of the service, Hezekiah Ugochukwu, said at the graveside that the Ogbuji family should draw inspiration from the experiences of Job, who after his travails, had everything he had lost replenished in many folds because he was found trustworthy by God.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012 FG approves four new departments for better armed and better NAFDAC funded? But I can assure you

Boko Haram: National Security Adviser blames PDP

HE contribution of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to the escalation of the Boko Haram insurgency was exposed yesterday by an unlikely source.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Owoeye Azazi, said the party’s brand of politics, especially the way it picks its candidates for elections, is partly responsible for the menace now being visited on Nigeria and Nigerians by the Islamic sect.

“A situation where a political party insists on fielding a particular candidate over another to get a massive win, and that if they get that massive win the party has arrived, is the source of the problem,” Azazi said at the second South-South Economic Summit in Asaba.

Azazi, who himself has been widely criticised for the inability of the security agencies to put Boko Haram in check, added: ”How come the extent of violence did not increase in Nigeria until the public declaration of the people that were going to contest election by the PDP? And I would also like to say this, though the PDP people will not agree with me, they would like to attack me, but I hope they do it in private: PDP got it wrong from the beginning by saying Mr A can go and Mr B cannot go, and these decisions were made without looking at the constitution.

“Is it possible that somebody was thinking that only Mr. A could win and that if he could not win, there would be problems in this society?

“Let’s examine all those issues to see whether the level of violence in the North East just escalated because Boko Haram suddenly became better trained, better equipped and better funded or some-

thing else was responsible.

“And in any case, how did they get it all done? It takes very long for somebody to be a sniper. But I can assure you that Boko Haram can garner that level of sophistication over time, if it has not got it already.

“There are a lot we know that they are doing and there are a lot that could be done to address the problem. But then, I must also be quick to point out that today, even if all the leaders that we know in Boko Haram are arrested, I don’t think the problem would end, because there are tentacles.

“I don’t think that people would be satisfied because the situation that created the

problems are not just about the religion, poverty or the desire to rule Nigeria. “I think it’s a combination of everything.

“Except you address all those things comprehensively, it would not work.

“It is not enough for us to have a problem in 2009 and you send soldiers to stop the situation, then tomorrow you drive everybody underground.

“You must look at what structures you need to put in place to address the problem holistically.

“There are economic problems in the North, which are not the exclusive prerogative of Northerners.

“We must solve our prob-

lems as a country.”

“Some people were wearing white garments 22 years ago and calling themselves Republic of Afghanistan in the north, and some people said they were only keeping to their religion and that there was nothing wrong.

“We try to play the ostrich and think things will blow over. I believe we should stop the politicisation of security issues in Nigeria.

“I believe there is a strong element of politicisation of the crisis, where some people were assured that they would win 80 per cent and they did not win. ‘’Is it not amazing that after the elections, the Boko Haram (sect) became better trained,

that Boko Haram could not have that kind of sophistication without a backing.

“Today, if you arrest all the leaders of Boko Haram, I don’t think the problem will end, because the situation that created the sect has not been tackled e.g poverty and the desire (of some people) to rule Nigeria. These issues cannot be isolated unless they are handled comprehensively.”

Azazi said the present security challenge in the country was getting complicated on account of the 2015 election with different interest groups desperate to have it their way.

He called for economic empowerment and enlightenment of the masses with a view to checking poverty and crimes.

Attack on media worries Obasanjo •From left: The Nation’s Executive Director, Mr. Ade Odunewu; Director of Operations, Television Continental (TVC), Ms Lola Sanusi and Deputy Director of Programmes, TVC, Ms Morayo Afolabi-Brown during TVC’s officials’ visit to the company over the recent fire incident... yesterday.

THISDAY blast: Police, security agencies recover number plate, vital documents S

ECURITY agents are going after the owner of the vehicle used in bombing the Abuja office of ThisDay. They have already retrieved the number plate of the dark green Isuzu Sports Utility Van (SUV) used by the suicide bomber in the Thursday attack.

Also in their possession are some vital documents that could assist them in tracking the brains behind the explosion.

A major component of the full scale investigation into the bombing by the FCT Police Command and other security agencies is the forensic analysis of parts of the SUV and shrapnel of the explosive device.

The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, said yesterday that the state of insecurity in the country was a passing phase.

A top security source told The Nation that the investigation was being handled by all security agencies and the police.

Said the source: “We have been lucky in retrieving the number plate of the SUV used by the suicide bomber. We are actually sieving records to locate where the vehicle was reg-

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HE Federal Government has approved four new departments to improve and strengthen the activities of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in its war against fake drugs and other substandard regulated products.

Minister of Health, Prof.

Onyebuchi Christian Chukwu, who announced this in his office while receiving the WHO Audit Report on Prequalification of Nigerian Pharmaceutical Companies, said the creation of these departments was a direct response to the huge mandate of the agency and to sustain its leading role as a global leader in the fight against counterfeit products.

Chukwu, who lauded the current strategies deployed by NAFDAC, especially the use of cutting-edge technologies in carrying out its mandate, named the new departments to include Drug and Chemical Evaluation and Research, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Pharmacovigilance and Post Marketing as well as Veterinary Medicine and Allied Products Departments.

The new structure, the minister stated, will bring a new vigour in the current onslaught against counterfeit medicines and other regulated products as competent directors will be appointed to man these departments in order to reposition the agency to effectively carry out its broad mandate of safeguarding the health of Nigerians.

•Forensic experts begin analysis of recovered bomb shrapnel, SUV parts Yusuf ALLI and Gbenga Adanikin, Abuja istered in order to know the owner or owners of the illfated SUV or whether the ownership had changed hands.

“With the recovery of the number plate, we are actually tracking the sponsors and collaborators behind the explosion.

“There are other clues we are working on, which I may not immediately disclose.

“Some forensic experts have also started analysing shrapnel of the explosive device planted in the SUV for the bombing.”

Maku, speaking after inspecting the scene of the blast yesterday, said: “I am here to commiserate with THISDAY newspaper over the unfortunate and unprovoked attack on your own establishment here.

The President has spoken and I will not want to repeat what the government has already said.

“But as a journalist and Minister of Information and as

member of this constituency, I have come to express my personal sympathy and sorrow over this attack, particularly the loss of lives of your guards and other Nigerians in the premises of this organisation.

Let me express my personal satisfaction with the statement that has been issued by THISDAY, saying that this organisation will not be intimidated or cajoled by the attack.

“I wish, therefore, to rather encourage you. All of us as journalists and all Nigerians are with you and are praying for you. This is a passing phase in the history of the nation.

“When a nation comes under attack, it calls for greater courage by the citizens; it calls for greater commitment by the citizens; it calls for greater vigilance by the citizens. I therefore express my sympathy to you. I am in solidarity with you. I have come to greet all our colleagues.”

A delegation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also visited the scene and ThisDay Nation’s Capital Editor, Mr. Nduka Nwosu, said the

newspaper had been fair in reporting issues concerning Boko Haram in the country.

He said THISDAY would continue to uphold the principles of journalism in spite of the setback.

Nwosu said: “THISDAY management issued a statement on the attack, but I want to assure Nigerians that we will continue to uphold the ethics of this profession. Journalism has its basic principles, and in this profession, THISDAY has distinguished itself severally and maintained the cardinal principles of journalism.”

Reacting to a question on the accusation by the Islamic sect that THISDAY had been misrepresenting its positions, Nwosu dismissed it as a bias.

He added: “We have always been balanced and fair in our reports. We have not gone beyond what other newspapers have been doing, and to that extent, we will continue to look at issues passionately.

“Of course, we have whipped the government when there was need for that

and when they were doing what was wrong. My organisation will always want to see things from a balanced point of view.

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, sent a delegation led by the National Secretary of party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

In his message, Tukur said there was need for security agencies in the country to intensify their efforts at curtailing the activities of the sect.

He said: “This is a very bad development. It is surprising.

I can only implore the security agencies to step up their duties to ensure that decency returns to Nigeria.

“I want to urge you to continue with your duties and don’t be discouraged. I want to use this occasion to encourage the security personnel to step up their operations curtailing the activities of this sect. likewise; “I will like to advise Nigerians that security is not a key duty reserved for government alone. As individuals, any information no matter how minute should passed on to security agencies to forestall this kind of incident.’’

FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo is saddened by the bombing of ThisDay, The Sun and The Moment newspapers’ offices on Thursday.

Obasanjo, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in London yesterday, said the development would not augur well for Nigeria’s peace, development and progress.

He asked the authorities to investigate the remote causes of Boko Haram members’ attack on media houses.

Obasanjo would, however, not make further comments on the motive behind the bombings, saying he needed to be briefed on why they (BokoHaram) had chosen those media houses as a target before making recommendations or suggestions.

“I need to find out if there is a particular grievance. What is that grievance? Can that grievance be addressed by other means than the ones others have adopted? These are some of the issues I need to know before I can give advice,’’ Obasanjo said.

He recalled his fact-finding trip to Maiduguri which led to some of the recommendations he made to the government on how to deal with the sect.

“I have always maintained that when you have a situation like the one we are having now, we have to look thoroughly what the remote and immediate causes are that cannot be solved.’’

Obasanjo said he believed that violence is not the answer to any problem.

“We have a problem of security. We have to give it the right dosage of solution. We are the ones to solve it and nobody else,’’ he said.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

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Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday voided the recently conducted South West zonal congress of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The congress produced former Ekiti State governor, Segun Oni, as the party’s National Vice Chairman (South West).

Justice Okon Abang, in a ruling, set aside the said congress on the grounds that it was held in violation of a subsisting order of court, directing parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the suit instituted by the Dayo Soremi-led faction of the party in Ogun State.

The judge observed that despite that the party’s former National Vice Chairman, South West, Alhaji Tajudeen OLadipo’s lawyer, Waheed Lawal, undertook to ensure that his client take no further steps in respect of the issues raised by the plaintiff, Oladipo proceeded to conduct the congress and put the plaintiffs in a position of disadvantage.

Justice Abang deprecated Oladipo for conducting the congress despite the court order, describing him as an individual without respect for the due process of law and the rule of law. He held that his action was meant to foist on the court a state of helplessness by taking a short cut “which now amounts to a nullity.”

“Any responsible citizen of this country, no matter his position, ought to respect the court’s order particularly when processes and such orders are served on them.

They should allow the court to decide the case one way or the other.

“I will not allow anybody, no matter how highly placed, to act in a manner that challenges the majesty of the court and likely to bring the court to disrepute or odium. The conduct of the zonal congress by Alhaji Tajudeen, despite a subsisting court order, is mischievous,” the court held.

Justice Abang described the action of the party leaders in the South West as “reckless, disgraceful and high-handed”, noting that “it signposts their disdain for the observance of the rule of law.”

“Disobedience to court orders is an endemic disease that has eaten deep into the fabric of this country. A court must enforce the law in a manner that will ensure the attainment of social reengineering,” the court held.

Justiec Abang said but for the fact that the plaintiffs had not filed committal applications against the defendants, he would have

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Oni loses seat as court voids South West PDP congress Eric IKHILAE

shown them some lessons that “court orders are meant to be obeyed.”

Justice Abang, aside voiding the congress, also set aside the list of delegates sent to the party’s headquarters by the Ogun chapter and the nullification of the nomination of Tunji Akinosi, Segun Sowunmi and Pegba Otemolu as delegates from Ogun chapter.

The court also gave an interim injunction restraining the PDP by its national organs – National Working Committee, National Executive Committee, its South West zonal organs and their officials from taking any disciplinary actions against them in respect of purported queries for Chief Soremi, the Chairman of the party’s Harmonised Executive in the state and others, including Prince Buruji Kashamu, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

It also restrained the party, its

organs and officers from taking disciplinary actions against the plaintiffs and their supporters in respect of the congresses they conducted in the state pursuant to the judgment by Justice Charles Achibong on January 27 this year.

Justice Abang also compelled the PDP by its organs and officers to “accept, recognize and utilize the results of the congresses conducted at ward, local government and state levels of the party under the leadership of the applicants.”

The court further ordered the party to accord the officers elected from the said congress all necessary recognition and facilities recognized in the party’s constitution.

The court discountenanced the argument by defendants’ lawyer, Chief A. O. Ajana, that the party’s former Zonal Legal Adviser, Waheed Lawal, who represented Oladipo in the case was not briefed. Justice Abang held that it was not the duty of the court to enquire whether or not a lawyer representing a party has such party’s mandate.

The judge also held that it was not the law that a lawyer must first file a memorandum of appearance before he is accorded audience in court as against the argument by Ajana.

The court’s ruling was on an application by members of the Harmonised Executive of the PDP in Ogun State represented by Dayo Soremi, Engr Bayo Dayo and Hon Taiwo Abisekan. Named as defendants are the PDP, former Acting National Chairman, Abubakar Kawu Baraje, Tajudeen Oladipo, Uche Secondus, Olusola Oke and Prof Rufia Alkali.

Soremi and others had sued, challenging the legitimacy of queries for Soremi and the Secretary to the Harmonised Committee, Pegba Otemolu, by Oladipo, on the bases of which they were threatened with disciplinary measures.

They also queried the legitimacy of a published directive purportedly made by Alkali, barring the party from conducting congresses in the state, allegedly cancelling those earlier conducted and

•From left: Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs Adegboyega Adetoun; Special Adviser to the Governor on Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs Funmilayo Esho Williams, Mrs. Sherifat Aregbesola and Mrs. Susan Okanlawon during Mrs Aregbesola’s investiture as a patron of the Nigeria Girls Guide Association, Osun State chapter at the Goverment House, Oke-fia, Osogbo yesterday.

Lagos moves to replace striking doctors

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R. Ore Falomo, the Chair man of the Medical Advi sory Committee (MAC) to the Lags State governor, has said that the striking doctors in the state may soon lose their jobs.

According to him, the state government has started recruiting medical doctors to replace those on strike.

He said the state government took the step to prevent deaths and

Wale ADEPOJU ensure patients in any of the the state-owned hospitals get prompt treatment.

Falomo, who briefed journalists on the ongoing strike by the state doctors under the umbrella of the Medical Guild, said the strike embarked upon by the physicians had left much to be desired as many patients had died, adding that other

patients may suffer similar fate, if nothing was done to address the problem.

He said the striking doctors violated the Hippocratic Oath that guided the medical profession which states that a doctor must avoid the death of patients irrespective of their grievances or socio-economic status and also finish every medical procedure they have started on any patient or discharge or refer them to another health facility.

Govt faults medical personnel on tax deductions

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HE claim by striking doctors in the service of the Lagos State Government that their taxes are being overdeducted from their salaries has been faulted by the government.

Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Taxation and Revenue, Bola Sodipo, addressing journalists at the ongoing ministerial press conference yesterday, said that claim was far from the truth since there was no discrimination in

Miriam NDIKANWU tax deductions of workers.

Sodipo explained that the government operates a tax policy in line with the Federal Government provisions for states of the federation, saying there was more to the doctors’ strike than just tax deduction.

He said it was wrong for the doctors to dictate to the government how much they should earn.

He challenged the state Medical

Guild to come out with evidence to back up their claim on the tax deductions.

The Special Adviser said the government recorded an improvement in her Internally Generated Revenue by a growth of 15 per cent, adding that this had made the state less reliant on allocations from the Statutory Federal Allocation Account and providing the state government with the needed funds to implement developmental projects.

“If doctors go on strike, it is to let the government know they are angry, but it should not be used to kill patients who are in pain,” he added.

He said medical doctors outside the Medical Guild were against the strike currently embarked upon by their counterparts, while condemning them for declaring an indefinite strike in spite of ongoing negotiations with the government.

Falomo said: “We are not justifying strike or no strike, but this a noble profession that has to do with lives and this is why we are saying that there are better ways to achieve their aims and objectives instead of embarking on strike at the slightest opportunity. Nobody can pay doctors enough, but they should change their methodology. They are to stop death, reduce pain and discomfort and be at peace when they go to their maker.”

He said the MAC had charged the specialists on ground to take care of emergency surgical procedures and services, adding that medical doctors on the national service will be assigned to emergency services.

threatening disciplinary measures against anyone who disobeyed the said directive.

Justice Abang adjourned to May 2 at 12 noon for the hearing of the defendants’ notice of preliminary objection and the substantive suit which particularly seeks to enforce the judgment by Justice Achibong to the effect that the Soremi-led Executive represents the party’s authentic leadership in the state.

Nigerians urged to be creative

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HE Special Adviser to the Lagos State Government on Regional Integration, Rev. Adetunji Adebiyi, has said that the state is working round the clock to ensure that it remains a symbol of Nigeria’s hope for good governance and incorruptible leadership for the greatest good of the greatest number.

Adebiyi, who represented Governor Babatunde Fashola at a public presentation of a book titled “Nigeria... A Future in Ruins” by Dr. Jimanze Ego-Alowes, challenged Nigerians to be creative and re-order their thinking from that of managers of foreign capital to that of builders of a new local capital that would help fight against poverty and re-awaken the entrepreneurial enthusiasm in them. This, he said, would eventually help to transform the country’s economy.

He added that the state would continue to engage the best brains in rendering excellent service to the country’s citizens who poured in from North, East and South as well as foreign nationals who had made the city their home, apart from being an age-long international centre of commerce.

Also speaking, the chairman of the occasion, Chief Kingsley Ikpe, advised that to avert further ruins of the nation’s economy, its economic planners must stop relying much on imports and seek ways to encourage productivity, if it hopes to remain relevant in the global competitive market Ikpe, who described the work as deep and incisive, lamented that lack of knowledge was keeping Nigeria away from development. He, however, said “it is not yet midnight for the country as it can still turn its dwindling economic fortunes around.”

He further said: “Our people should be productive. We should stop importing things that we can make.

It is not right that we are a petroleum producing country, yet we import petroleum products from the UK. So, our planners must make sure that this country is industrialised and the industrialisation should begin with value-added industries. Industries that can add value to cassava, rice, yam and so on. Once we do that, jobs would now be created for the people and we would become self-reliant.”

He also advised the country’s leaders to learn to live less on politics as a way of making money or being self -dependent, adding that self-dependency would come from the country’s industries.

The seasoned stockbroker blamed the continuous dwindling fortune of the country’s economy on emphasis on importation and challenged the government to invest more in infrastructure and great companies that would in turn produce values that would be far more than what was invested.

On his part, the book reviewer, Joe Igbokwe, described the work as a masterpiece, but warned that “if the country does not understand its past, there is no way it can fashion its future.”

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

USA stops ex-mayor, general from South-South Summit over insecurity T

HE American Embassy in Nigeria yesterday stopped an ex- Mayor of New York, Ruddy Giuliani and the 17th Chief of Staff of the US, Mike Mullen from attending the South/South Economic Summit in Asaba, the capital of Delta State,citing insecurity.

The Americans were already in Lagos enroute Asaba when officials of the American Embassy advised them against proceeding to the summit venue.

The duo were scheduled to address the forum.

News of the development was broken to the audience at the talks by the Chairman of the Summit Organising Committee and Publisher of ThisDay,Prince Nduka Obaigbena.

A fuming Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State called the action of the American embassy an exaggeration of the security situation in Nigeria.

He wondered why foreign oil workers continue to live in remote locations in the Niger Delta exploiting the nation’s natural resources despite security advisory issued by their respective countries His words, “If a foreigner thinks Asaba is unsafe, how come foreign expatriates in the oil industry are living in remote villages of Niger Delta where they are exploiting natural resources to their own profit and gains?

“I think before Giuliani left the U.S he was assured of adequate security in Nigeria. For me, this issue of insecurity is being over exaggerated by the West and our foreign partners.

I am not saying we don’t have the problem but it is not peculiar to the country.

“When New York was bombed, did people stop travelling to U.S? People were still going there, that did not deter them. But what they are doing now is giving the dog a bad name in order to hang it.

“I think the West and our development partners should review their strategies for the mutual benefit in the partnership. And as leaders of the country, there is need for us to stress our advantage .For in-

•Oshiomhole fumes Okungbowa AIWERIE, Asaba

stance we have a population of over 150 million people.

“And one is further puzzled that the West is complaining about the safety of their nationals in Nigeria and thus have undertaken a policy of withdrawing their citizens, how come they continue to import their goods into our country because there is a market here.”

Oshiomhole also took on commercial banks for the

high interest rates,saying this is a disincentive to economic development of the nation.

The South South governors,rising from the summit,called for the unbundling of the Federal Government operational structures with a view to making the centre less attractive.

It is also to make government devote more attention to security.

Besides,the governors recommended the diversification of the nation’s economy.

Governor Godswill

Akpabio of Akwa Ibom,speaking for the forum, said: “The system we have now has a structural defect; we have too much agencies.

The Federal Government must unbundle the agencies and focus on development. “ If the centre is too attractive, we will continue to have the malaise that we have been having since the past 50 years.

“We must unbundle the Federal Government; we must have revenue formula that gives more money to the

•From left: Prof. Wole Soyinka; Vice President Namadi Sambo; Gov. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State; and Gov. Liyel Imoke of Cross River State during the opening ceremony of the 2nd South- South Economic Summit in Asaba on Thursday

Kidnappers kill ex-lawmaker’s daughter, injure wife in Anambra DAUGHTER of Sir A n t h o n y Ezechinwoye, former member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, has been shot dead by suspected kidnappers.

The ex-lawmaker’s wife,Veronica,was injured.

Fifteen year old Chisom Ezechinwoye and her mother were riding in the family’s Mercedes Benz 190

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Odogwu EMEKA Odogwu, Nnewi car on Thursday evening when a five-man gang blocked the car close to All Hallows Junction, Onitsha,apparently to force them to stop and kidnap them.

Mrs Ezechinwoye was shot on the legs while resisting the hoodlums’ feverish attempts to drag her into the

booth of their own car.

One of the bullets hit Chisom killing her instantly.

Chisom was an SS2 student of Mercy Secondary School, Umuoji, near Onitsha.

Sir Anthony who represented Idemili North in the state House of Assembly between 2007 and 2011 said of the incident:”My wife who is a pharmacist and a member of the Idemili North Transition Committee, was re-

Boundary disputes between states in South-East to be resolved — Obi

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OVERNOR Peter Obi has called for speedy resolution of boundary disputes to sustain harmonious co-existence and stability in the country.

Governor Obi spoke when the management team of the National Boundary Commission paid him a courtesy call at Government House, Awka.

The Governor noted that land had remained one of the most contentious issues in the country and should not be allowed to become a source of discord. He explained that the State has maintained good and peaceful neighbourliness with the eight states surrounding it.

Governor Obi noted in particular, the need to resolve the land dispute between Anambra and Enugu State over the Omasi farm

states and the local governments. The Federal Government must lessen its weight; it must remove itself from what can be done by the states and local governments and focus on development. “ He challenged the Federal Government to resolve the issue of insecurity in the country, especially the menace of the Boko Haram sect, saying “if there was bombing in London and it was brought to an end; if there was 911 in the US and it was brought to an end , we will like to see Boko Haram brought to an end in six months.”

Odogwu EMEKA Odogwu, Nnewi land to avoid rancor.

The Director General of the Commission, Dr. Mohammed Ahmad said they were in the State for the Joint Meeting of Officials of interstate bound-

aries of Anambra, Enugu and Imo States to discuss progress of works on interstate boundaries and the best ways of ensuring quick resolution of all outstanding issues .

Dr. Ahmad regretted that much has been expended in the quest for a lasting solution to the Anambra-

Enugu boundary dispute since 1992.

The Director General called on the Federal and State governments to expedite actions towards permanent resolution of boundary disputes and to physically demarcate the boundaries on the ground for ease of recognition.

CBN to conduct 13 year-audit on foreign airlines remittances

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HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is planning a 13-year foreign airlines forex remittances audit. The CBN in an April 26 circular, instructed all authorised dealers to submit data on remittances for each year on behalf of foreign airlines.

The circular tagged: “Request for Information on Foreign Airlines Remittances for the Period

Collins NWEZE 1999 to 2011” was signed by Director, Trade and Exchange Department, CBN, Batari Musa .

He said data on forex transactions should be submitted to his office in both hard and soft copies.

The banking watchdog expects all information to be submitted on or before May

3, failing which defaulters will be sanctioned.

Analysts predict that the planned audit would assist the apex bank to check the movement of foreign exchange by foreign airlines as the data to be captured would include date of remittances of foreign exchange, name of airline, beneficiaries and the purpose for which such funds were remitted.

turning home from her shop around 6.30 pm, when the five-man gang blocked her and our 15 year old daughter who was sitting in front.They just shot her in cold blood and dragged my wife out to join them inside their car, but she refused crying that she would not enter the car, since they had killed our daughter.

“The kidnappers had already fired a warning shot from their AK47 rifle, which scared away those who would have helped . Even as these people looked on helplessly, my wife was fighting with them for close to 30 minutes. They beat her and tore her clothes, down to her under wears. They finally left her after they He said the matter had been reported at the Inland Town police station, and Chisom’s remains now in the mortuary will be laid to rest on Wednesday.

He pleaded with the state government to improve the state’s security network to safeguard the lives and property of law abiding citizens.

This came as three persons were allegedly killed in Nnewi during a clash between vigilance groups and a group known as ‘Ndi piawa-azu’ from Onitsha that went to take over the Nkwo Nnewi Market.

Navy needs extra budgetary allocation, says Anyanwu Nicholas KALU, Calabar HE Chairman of Senate Committee on Navy, Senator Chris Anyanwu says the Nigerian Navy needs extra budgetary allocation to enable it combat oil theft and other security challenges.

Anyanwu said this on Thursday in Calabar when members of the committee paid a courtesy visit to the Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Olufemi Ogunjinmi.

The Chairman, who was on tour of Navy locations in the country, said that Navy requires more money to acquire the necessary equipment for its operations.

Her words, “The funding of the Navy is inadequate, because the Navy requires a lot of money to buy the kind of equipment they need.

“I am sure not that it can happen through ordinary budgetary means; there has to be an extra budgetary means to reequip the Navy.”

She said the visit to some of the Navy’s operational areas has made them understand some inadequacies of the force in fighting oil theft along the country’s waterways.

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Perpetrators of attacks on media must be defeated, says Uduaghan

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OVERNOR Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State says the bomb attack on the offices of ThisDay, Sun and Moment newspapers is an affront on the fundamental rights of Nigerians and indeed mankind to basic freedoms.

The governor said in Asaba that as organisations that bridge the gap between the government and the governed, the media hold in trust the power of the people to hold its elected representatives accountable, responsive and responsible.

Uduaghan said targeting the media depicts the perpetrators of the crime as agents of darkness and evil that must be defeated.

He said the attack is all the more illogical because the perpetrators of the crime have always relied on the media to get their message across. “If these people ever had any claim to genuine grievance, they have irretrievably lost it with these attacks. They have unequivocally declared themselves as enemies of the people, not just the government,” the governor said..

9

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

M

ITT Romney the US Republican Party Presidential candidate won five primaries in one day this week and effectively became the sole opponent of incumbent President Barak Obama for the presidential election slated for November this year. Romney immediately pledged to wage a campaign war on Obama’s handling of the economy claiming that his five -in - a -day primaries victory marks the beginning of ‘a better day for all Americans’.

In Europe the EU warns Argentina that it would face sanctions and scare investors if it goes ahead with its nationalization of Argentina’s biggest oil company in which Spain’s national oil giant Repsol has controlling interests .In global business, the world’s biggest supermarket Wal – Mart is accused of bribing Mexican officials in securing contracts for its Mexican subsidiary while at the same time trying to derail the application of a 1977 anti bribery law against such practices in the US. Yet in the UK at the Levenson Media Inquiry Rupert Murdoch perhaps the most influential media mogul of our time stunned his questioners when he insisted that his publications’ support for governments , and political parties at elections were always based on issues and not on some future business favors.

Today however I want to analyse these events in comparison with some regional issues and events in the ECOWAS sub region.

The essence of the comparison is not to say political or corporate operators in one part of the world are better or dirtier than the other, since no two environments are the same in context, leadership, resources and objectives as we shall highlight in the various analyses. My ECOWAS nominees for this exercise therefore are Mali and Nigeria.

Let us go back to the Romney challenge to the US president this week. Romney reportedly said that Obama has wasted the euphoria and high expectation that catapulted him into office four years ago . He then gave an uppercut by saying that since Obama‘s economic policies have failed woefully he expects the Obama campaign team to wage a counter campaign of diversion, distraction and distortions against him but such campaign will not succeed in this age and time.

He then rephrased the 1992 campaign message of former President Bill Clinton which said–it’s the economy stupid–and went on to clinch the presidency for Clinton. This time Romney said this week – Yes, we know it’s the economy, but this time we are not stupid.

Which to me is quite brilliant and brings an historical perspective to this clash of two millionaires bidding for the highest office in the US. For while Romney is said to have paid a tax of $ 13m which his critics say is underpayment, Obama too is a wealthy man who raised more money than his opponent at the last presidential elections and did not receive any official grant from the state as he was entitled to.

In the 1992 elections Bill Clinton went on to reduce his Republican opponent

Big money, power and democracy

George Bush Snr to a one term president on the basis that the economy is not working and there is need for change. Can Romney do the same to Obama in 2012? The answer is dicey because November is still far away and Romney is not yet formally a candidate as the primaries for the Republican party are still on but Romney has shown his hand with regard to the quality of his campaign , his mettle and courage.

In addition he has shown that he is unusual and unique like Obama did four years ago as the first front running black candidate for his party who went on to clinch the US presidency.

Romney will be the first Mormon Christian candidate for the US elections and pollsters have said that while most US Christians regard Mormons as a cult they say that will not influence their voting decisions .So the battle line is drawn between two unique millionaires for the powerful office of the US President.

In Argentina President Christina Fernandez de Kirchener seized 51% of the 57.4% shares of Repsol in Argentina’s largest oil company leaving YPF leaving Repsol with a paltry 6%. Spain which owns Repsol and was Argentina’s former colonial master has protested vehemently to the international community especially the EU which is now acting at Spanish behest.

Repsol has asked for astronomic compensation for its loss of controlling interest in YPF but Argentina’ response was that while it is ready to pay compensation for acquired shares it is not going to pay for the moon. Argentina said it took action to nationalize YPF because the company was not

investing enough to increase output from Argentina’s oil fields to lessen the need for oil import.

Which translates into the plain fact that while Argentina is awash in oil, its oil bills were mounting and since new oil fields were being discovered, no responsible government can allow the trend to continue. Anyway the nationalization is popular with most Argentines who fault the free market policies of the IMF of the 1990s as being responsible for Argentina’s past and present woes which reached an anti climax in the debt default of 2001/2. During the time of economic hardship in Argentina, Spanish companies bought prized Argentine ones at rock bottom prices but now Argentina has struck oil like Brazil and Venezuela in Latin America and it seems it is doing a revaluation of sovereign assets and asserting that he who pays the piper dictates the tune. Which is a pity for their former colonial overlords ,Spain which is in very dire economic straits in the austerity and strikes embattled euro zone nowadays.

In the Wal Mart Mexican bribe Inquiry and anti bribery lobbying in Washington it is necessary to discuss the issues involved alongside the Murdoch revelation at the Levenson Inquiry in London . The issues involved here are corporate ethics, transparency and integrity. It has always been taken for granted that Rupert Murdoch had always used his immense media might and clout to make or break government for some contracts or business benefits from the governments his media possessions supported.

Now the man insists that he

is more interested in issues and cited the example of Governor Bloomberg in New York that his publications normally criticize even though they have always supported his election bid . He also told the Inquiry that Gordon Brown , Tony Brown’s successor was probably out of his mind when he told him on phone that the Labor Party was at war with him for his declared support for the Conservative Party in the 2011 elections which Labor lost. Murdoch said he never asked any favor from Tony Blair in spite of his friendship with him in the 10 years he was in office and asked his interrogator to phone Tony Blair there and then.

To me the old warrior of global media Rupert Murdoch has effectively dislodged a dirty myth about his media clout and integrity and he should be allowed some peace of mind at least for now.

In similar manner Wal Mart also blew a myth but in the opposite direction of corporate ethics and integrity. Wal Mart was founded on the corporate values of customer satisfaction and low prices which seem at odds with the corporate objective of most companies of making profit at all costs at customers expense. But Wal Mart, the text book corporate giant on corporate integrity and service delivery has become a do or die business behemoth giving bribes to the tune of $24m in Mexico to secure construction contracts and lobbying with other corporate giants to kill an anti bribery law in US. The US law involved is the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act which prohibits US companies from offering gifts or fees to foreign officials to advance corporate interests. The US Justice

Department has reportedly commenced investigations against Wal Mart but the company along with other corporate giants have through the Institute of Legal Reform –ILR - a part of the US Chamber have led the way in criticizing the law and changing it the way it was formed to combat bribery in foreign lands.

Reportedly other members of the ILR are General Electric, Exxon Mobil, and Dow Chemical which shows that the Wal Mart that we know for corporate excellence is in very strange company indeed and that is an unfortunate metamorphosis indeed for this super mart which grew from very humble corporate origins based on high moral values.

During the week two events took place in Nigeria and Mali in the context of our topic. In Mali the Interim PM a creation or imposition of ECOWAS like its boss the Interim President, after the military coup in that nation, announced some 24 cabinet appointments. Three of those for defence, interior and civil protection went to the military.

The PM Cheik Modibo Diarra made the announcement in Bamako this week. In a nation at war with the desert Tuaregs who have seized the northern part of Mali there is no doubt that the army has seized power again in Mali behind the back of ECOWAS. Although the constitution which ECOWAS invoked requires 40 days for elections due this month before the coup - to be conducted there is no doubt that this is not possible.

The army is therefore in charge of security in Mali and is the de facto government and the Interim President the de jure government. In addition security is the issue of the day and the army ministers in charge of security in the three key ministries mentioned before will oversee all contracts and procurement of military wares, materiel and equipment. To me this is a strange development different from the ECOWAS intervention in similar coups in GuineaConakry and Niger Republic.

We are watching ECOWAS reaction to this army manipulation of power again in Mali by ceding power to civilians in a diarchy and seizing the se-

curity industry and apparatus of that nation.

In Nigeria the security analogy with the Mali situation exists to a stage with the influx of security gadgets and equipment into the country but the control is in civilian hands . This is because of the growing power and influence of the Boko Haram menace especially in the North and the fact that government is ready to spend anything to fight Boko Haram as the President himself has been reportedly targeted by spokesmen of the terrorist organization .

But the main problem I want to discuss, since Boko Haram containment is not a real priority of government, are the big money fraud in pensions, and the fuel subsidy report of the House of Representatives.

The amounts involved and the number of dubious and illegal payments are mind bogging and unbelievable . One thing is clear though and that is that the House of Representatives is determined to be up to the task in exposing and punishing the criminal beneficiaries of the stealing of our national largesse and patrimony. It has always been said that our legislators earn too much. But this time they face pension fraudsters and oil importers richer than banks who will give the legislators a run for their high earnings and political clout.

It will be cruel to say may the better side win because there is big money on both sides. But our common wealth is being stolen in broad daylight and the House of Representatives is saying that it can not be business as usual. Really I wish the House of Representatives the very best in the way it is conducting its investigations on both pensions and the fuel subsidy report. It is the best approach we have had so far in cleaning our public life and very dirty Augean stables.

I wish them God speed and sustainable progress in this regard. Amen

Correction The headline of this column last week should have read ‘Justice, Corruption and Development ‘ instead of ‘Leadership, politics and sportsmanship’. The mix up is regretted.

10 COMMENTARY

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

An unhealthy revolution our pastors began

A

dramatic scene once occurred in my church. It was on one of the few Sundays I arrived the church early enough to take part in the Sunday school teaching which usually precedes the main service. At the end of the teaching, one of the pastors who had supervised the session said we should feel free to ask any Bible-related question. I quickly raised my hand, seeing the gesture as a golden opportunity to get an answer to a contravention of some verses of the Bible I had witnessed not only in the church, but virtually all the churches I had attended.

As soon as I raised my hand, the supervising pastor walked up to me and sought to know what my question was before I would make it public. I whispered it into his ear but was shocked at the way he reacted. “Ah, you don’t ask that kind of question; it is capable of destabilising the church!” he said. I had wanted to know the justification for pastors’ wilful violation of Apostle Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians 14: 34-35. “Let your women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted unto them to speak. But they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is a shame for women to speak in the church,” that portion of the Bible commanded.

But whereas Paul said a female worshipper cannot as much as ask a question in church,

Re: This Shuaibu is not my brother Vincent, thanks for your piece on the scam in the pension administered from the OHCSF, Abuja. While your fellow Kogites and others are facing trial before various courts of competent jurisdiction, we the affected pensioners appeal to Mr. President to direct that the N35 billion idle pension funds placed in various banks by the Task Force be used to pay all outstanding arrears owed pensioners. My understanding of the law is that such already appropriated do not need the National Assembly’s endorsement before disbursement.

As one of the affected pensioners owed arrears, I am bitter with Dr. Sule Shuaibu and would wish Nigeria had a law of summary execution of corrupt public officials as it is done in China. There is no how a civil servant would come about billions of naira except through heartless looting. In 2009, I was before Dr. Shuaibu on two occasions, taking the risk of travelling from Lagos to Abuja after several unreplied letters only to be given the excuse that there were no funds to pay pension arrears whereas the government had regularly made funds available. All the people who have subjected pensioners to hardship will go into perdition.

Barrister Ayo Olalere, Apete, Ibadan.

Vin, I am one of your fans. It is really unfortunate to learn that you hail from Kogi State. It is one of the shortcomings of nature that a star like you was made to be born in that state. You see what you people from the majority tribes are doing to this country. Yet you are contributing to the national coffers. I retired from the civil service five years ago, yet I have not been paid a kobo up till now.

Somebody was using my money to acquire mouth-watering property for himself.

Could it be that the men at the helm of affairs at the National Boundary Commission are also from Kogi State? No single interstate boundary has been fixed, yet every year, money is budgeted for that department.

They too should be investigated please.

080235698..

•Corruption is the second name of all the pension offices the three tiers of government in Nigeria and their parastatals/agencies.

The EFCC should beam its searchlight on all the tiers of government and their parastatals

they now appear to be even more vocal than their male counterparts.

Let me state clearly that I am not a male chauvinist. Anyone who knows a bit about me would also attest to this fact. My comment is motivated by the ripple effects this selective obedience to biblical injunctions by the men who are supposed to guide us in matters of obedience to the words of God have had on our social lives.

I have asked at least two pastor friends why this biblical injunction is often overruled by church leaders, but neither of them could provide an answer. I suspect, however, that as competition grew among the churches and the female population grew in influence and financial stature, it became increasingly difficult to restrict women to the background in church activities. They reasoned that if money is the vehicle that drives the gospel and women are now ministers, members of parliament and chief executives of blue chip companies, then there is nothing wrong with making them deaconesses and pastors if that would redound to the church’s financial strength.

Consequently, women now not only mount the pulpit and dish out orders,they also function as pastors, bishops and even church founders. But as it has turned out, the women liberation movement begun in the church has transcended the realm of the spirit into our social lives, provoking unhealthy rivalry between the sexes and sparking the fire that now threatens to consume the institution of marriage. Only recently, I picked up a copy of a British newspaper, The Mail, only to be confronted with agitations by the promoters of same-sex marriage that words like Mr, Mrs, husband and wife be expunged from the country’s laws because there is no more such thing as superior partner in marriage.

That is a far cry from what obtained at the

and/agencies.

Barrister Olu Arotiba.

Oh, Vincent, May your article titled This Shuaibu Is Not My Brother also prompt the Lord to say ‘this Shuaibu is not my son.’ I wish we can develop an anti-corruption vaccine, so that we can begin to immunise Nigerians against the deadly disease called corruption.

Godfrey Ehimare.

I really enjoyed your piece on Shuaibu. I laughed at your interpretation of ‘Riba-Ile’. I wish I could write beautifully like you.

Franklin.

What a calamity. It is a crime against humanity stealing from pension money. May God punish them for this wicked act and afflict them with diseases that cannot be cured. Brother, keep telling the truth.

Aminu Ahmed, Katsina.

Vincent, we all know that Dr. Shuaibu is your fellow Kogite, but you are not his Kogite-in-theft. We know you as a forthright, principled decent person. Shuaibu should be derobed of his PhD, having shown himself to be heartless, unkind and wicked. Merely reading about the choice properties of his, as revealed by the EFCC, show Shuaibu to be a criminal. He bastardised the PhD. Go on with your own good journalistic work. You can’t be robed into Shuaibu’s indecency and theft.

Lanre Oseni, Lagos.

Shuaibu is definitely not your brother.

Failure is an orphan. There are many Shuaibus in the system. Many people tag to Tinubu today because of his uncommon, dedicated service to the society. Shuaibu should be eternally consigned to Kirikiri with his co-travellers before his date with Allah for the blood of the dead pensioners.

Oladele Oseni, Ita Oliwo, Ikorodu, Lagos.

Re: It’s not over for Ibori, after all You know my only regret is that Ibori was not caught in the US where he could have bagged about 30 years or China where he could have been shot. The sad people that we are in Nigeria will welcome him home, rolling out the red carpet right from the airport. As for our judiciary, they should bury their heads in shame. But then, again, Nigeria is not a nation of remorseful people.

081596970..

Vincent, what is the problem with the British courts? Our courts ruled that Ibori was

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We have our pastors to thank for whatever change has occurred in the gender equilibrium.

But the question is: if it is possible to ignore 1 Corinthians 14: 34-35, why is it not also possible to shun Malachi 3:8, the portion of the Bible on whose basis our pastors insist we must pay tithes?

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beginning of creation, if the stories we read in the Scriptures are anything to go by. God, we are told, created Adam and only decided much later to create Eve to be his helper. The Bible is unambiguous in its position that the man is the superior partner in marriage, hence the charge to woman to respect her husband.

This was a position Apostle Paul felt should extend to the church until pastors championed a rebellion that made male and female worshippers equal.

Rather than content themselves with being the neck and determine the position of the head, our women are now insisting that they must be co-heads in the home like they are in the church. The extreme result is the

not a thief because no money was missing.

This is a frame-up. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International should take the matter up. Assuming he stole money, is it not our oil money? Bad belle!

F.A. Adeleke It is very sad that someone who occupied government house for eight years in Nigeria can be described as a thief in government and also a common thief in the UK. This same man was once accused of being an ex-convict, but the highest court in Nigeria said the James Onanefe Ibori brought before it was not the convicted James Ibori. Haba Nigerian judiciary! Allah ya ‘isa.

Alhaji Adeboye Lawal, Felele, Ibadan.

Re: Betweem Kim’s water and Okonjo-Iweala’s blood Hi Vincent. Your article on Kim and Okonjo-Iweala was an accurate account of the politics involved in the selection of World Bank’s president. Our dear madam has not done anything at home to deserve being selected. Charity, they say, begins at home.

Obama might probably not want to be seen as supporting a fellow African to the detriment of his own political future.

Competence apart, there were other impediments militating against her being chosen. Economic failure in governance actually contributed to her failure.

Chief Apelogun, Oshogbo.

Whatever the thinking of Obama was in pushing Kim as World Bank President, it showed that a leopard will never change its skin-spot. The USA, upon all its democracy noise, remains as partial and autocratic as ever all over the world. There was no iota of merit in the choice of Kim by the USA and its cohorts. This is why countries should not be compelled to embrace democracy. Rather, an environmentally-suitable type of government should be adopted. What has been our gain from democracy vis a vis the huge expenditure between 1999 and 2012?

Lanre Oseni, Lagos.

On Kim and Okonjo-Iweala, you got the analysis and reasons all wrong. Obama is African only by birth. It is not enough to make him change an age-long tradition of the World Bank in favour of an African.

Americans voted him (Obama) in as president, not Africans. It is an election year in the US and everything counts. It is self

phenomenon of same-sex marriage that now confronts us like a monster. It began slowly with the saying that what a man can do, a woman can try. Those were my days in the primary school. By the time I got to secondary school, the slogan had changed to what a man can do, a woman can do also. By the time I got to the university, it became what a man can do, a woman can do better.

The foregoing position was most forcefully expressed at the Beijing Conference where eminent women from all over the world gathered and issued a communique to the effect that women would no longer content themselves with playing the second fiddle in matters of governance. While the threat is yet to produce a female President or Governor in Nigeria, the dominant roles our women now play in government are enough signs to suspect that the time will soon come when the Presidency will become an exclusive preserve of the womenfolk. It is no secret that in many states of the federation, the direction of governance is solely determined by the first lady.

The trend is catching on at the family level where most men now only delude themselves with being the head. The story is told of a man who was asked for his remarks on the occasion of his 10th wedding anniversary.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “when this marriage was consummated 10 years ago, my wife and I agreed that I would take the major decisions and she would take the minor ones.

But somehow, there has not been a major decision since we got married!”

We have our pastors to thank for whatever change has occurred in the gender equilibrium. But the question is: if it is possible to ignore 1 Corinthians 14: 34-35, why is it not also possible to shun Malachi 3:8, the portion of the Bible on whose basis our pastors insist we must pay tithes?

conservation first and nothing like African solidarity. World Bank is politics and tool for US. 080577760..

Vincent, the fuel subsidy saga revealed the rot in our oil industry. Do we the expect Obama to support the person at the helm of this state of affairs? Obama has shown that he is the best man for the job in the USA, unlike our President who admits he is not the best.

Adeleke F.A. Okonjo-Iweala knew the rules of succession at the world bank and the IMF but attempted to force a change she knew could not work and embarrassed her sponsors in the end.

080540687..

There is no way Obama can support Okonjo-Iweala. They are aware of all the rot in Nigeria. America will not make the mistake to entrust the World Bank in the hands of a Nigerian; a bank in which they are the highest shareholders.

Alhaji Adeboye Lawal, Felele, Ibadan.

I admire the impeccability of your son’s sagacious intellection for exposing the true meaning of OBAMA. The rubber-chichencircuit where Kim’s presidency was announced clearly intellectualises the magnum opus of Walter Rodney as stated in his book titled How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. So sad that the like of Obama, with African geneaology, still hold the idee fixe and abysmal monomania to further the excesses pertain of imperialism.

Godfrey.

Bad leadership in Nigeria cost Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala the presidency of the World Bank. James Ibori’s conviction in London is a clear indication that our judicial system is not working. They should bury their heads in shame for discharging and acquitting Ibori over charges of money laundering.

Gordon Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State.

If obama’s lack of support for Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is as a result of our leadership failure or corrupt tendencies, then he should have a rethink. As a blackman, Obama should help Nigeria in addressing its leadership problems rather than stigmatising the country. As for Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, she should not be discouraged but rather bring her 20-year experience in the World Bank to bear on the Ministry of Finance and help turn the economy of the country around. God bless Nigeria.

Don Ezeala, Port Harcourt

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

H

ER eyelids met like she would catch a little nap. She didn’t. Her mottled head dropped to her chest like a daffodil starved of sunlight and water for too long. “Poor sweet child. Poor sweet child.

You tried your best I know but you gotta go,” whispered a barely clad lady in her prime. She looked like bruised violet.

Her name is Susan Yorose but “everybody” calls her Suzy, and the “poor sweet child” was her child. The latter was diagnosed with Cholera and cerebral malaria just before she died. Suzy’s life would be tolerable if it weren’t for its tragic amusements: Pretty, her four-year-old daughter just died in her arms.

Two months earlier, Maggy (Margaret), her younger sister, died having an abortion in the same clinic and under the knife of the same doctor in whose hands their mother died “trying to remove a bastard child” (have an abortion) 11 months earlier. Her brother died fighting the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) as a rebel with the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Development (LURD) army in the civil war and she hadn’t the barest inkling what their father looked like.

According to her, “He split on ma before me and Maggy grew up. He left ma all by herself…Ma was from Sierra Leone so she got nobody here when he left. Nobody to run, nobody to support but she got to be the man of the house so when the war ended, she brought us here to settle (West Point). There was nothing to do here, so ma started to hustle (hawk sex for money) so that she can pay rent and feed us.

“One day, ma met this guy that front (pretended) to be a nice guy. He gave her money and bought us gifts but he split after he got ma pregnant. Ma died getting rid of the bastard child,” said Suzy. Shaken and evidently pained by her mother’s sad fate, Suzy vowed never to tread such part but she did. At 14, she had perfected the “hustle,” just like her “ma.” According to her, she needed the money to take care of her younger sister and pay the rent. Maggy only had to “be a good girl and attend school” but the latter, unknown to Suzy, had started her own hustle.

“I don’t know why she did it. She never had to do anything. I had everything covered,” lamented Suzy.

Now left with nobody in the world, Suzy plans to make just enough money to foot her bills out of West Point, one of Monrovia’s largest slums, and serve as her “secret fund” outside the country. “Met this nice guy. He’s promised to take me to the States (United States of America). He’s been very good to me. He aint like the fool who split on my ma. In few months, I will be in Philadelphia getting an education and a decent job,” said Suzy.

She never said anything about marriage nor does she seem to be fully aware of the guy’s job or his actual plans for her. But Suzy thinks the world of him despite her fears about “cowards who like to get a woman pregnant and split.”

Sina Nyenpan had no man “split” on her nor does she have to engage in full time “hustle” commercial sex work to survive. The 32-year-old native of Margibi County relocated to West Point just after the war. According to her, there were too many deaths and dreadful memories she wished to flee from, hence when her friend and neighbour told her that she and her boyfriend were relocating to West Point, Nyenpan decided to leave with them. “When I got here, I had no money and I got no one. I slept outside a small bar for two nights until I met my first husband. He never married me but he gave me everything I needed as a woman and wife.

He was kind and gentle at home unlike most men in this place,” recollected Nyenpan.

However, tragedy struck when Nyenpan’s husband fell seriously ill.

Like most families in the shanty community, when her husband’s ailment started, the latter and Nyenpan resorted to self medication and alternative medicine; mainly herbs but they just weren’t enough. Nyenpan and her husband were unaware of the true nature of what they were dealing with. According to her, “We thought it was just malaria.”

It wasn’t. When the sickness bore down on her husband at full throttle, Nyenpan wasn’t around. Hurriedly, they put him in a wheel barrow and wheeled him down to the neighbourhood West Point Clinic. Early diagnosis proved that Nyenpan’s husband suffered from Cholera, a water-borne disease.

The attending doctor directed that he be rushed to the JFK Hospital in Monrovia but by the time he got there, Nyenpan’s husband didn’t stand a chance. “He died before the doctor could save him,” said Nyenpan with a heavy heart.

Cholera has claimed the lives of many like him in the slums. For instance, Alphonso, a

•Too many patients waiting on inadequate health personnel is a recurrent feature in many Liberian village clinics

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Our graves are not full.

They are not yet full.

You see, all these people you see around have one or two sick neighbours. They have one or two very sick family members. They are all waiting for them to get better or die…not because they are bad people. No, they are not bad people. They just can’t afford to pay medical bills...

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Olatunji OLOLADE, Assistant Editor

self-styled contractor and commercial transporter lost a sister. “I told her to go to the hospital but she didn’t. She said she got no money for the bill. So I gave her money…one week later she died. Then I got to know she never got treated. She gave the money to her husband,” lamented Alphonso.

Salome, a full time housewife in Paynesville, Monrovia, lamented that lack of potable water supply constitutes a grievous problem for most people in her neighbourhood. “We don’t get good water here. All we drink is rain water

•Primary healthcare remains a sorepoint in Liberia’s healthcare system

•Patients awaiting the arrival of health personnel at Phebe Hospital, Gbarnga

and sometimes water from the wells. And they are not very clean. But we have no choice.

If we want to drink good water, we have to buy it…Many people can’t buy it because they can’t afford to do so. So they take dirty water and they fall sick,” she said.

The statistics are appalling. Eighteen percent of all deaths in Liberia are related to illnesses caused by poor water and sanitation – illnesses like diarrhea, malaria and cholera – according to a 2008 World Health Organization report. Small children are particularly at risk. Only 25 per cent of Liberians have access to safe drinking water. Less than

one in five Liberians has access to improved sanitation facilities and just one per cent of households actually get water that way according to the latest estimates from the joint UNICEF/World Health Organisation monitoring program.

Moriamo Saleh washes clothes in Paety Town, where about 5,000 people live in shacks crammed together and built of old rusted zinc.

The 24-year-old widow and mother of three spends at least five hours every day filtering muddy brown water from the well for drinking, cooking and washing. The well water is unpurified and unclean, just like the rain wa-

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012 tipped the child’s head to sip cold herbal juice from a cup. The concoction should flush the ailing child’s system of the sickness troubling her. But the poor child doesn’t seem like she would get better anytime soon.

“Our graves are not full. They are not yet full. You see, all these people you see around have one or two sick neighbours. They have one or two very sick family members. They are all waiting for them to get better or die…not because they are bad people. No, they are not bad people. They just can’t afford to pay medical bills. These people can hardly afford three decent meals a day…they don’t have money for treatment,” said Leticia Barh, a West Point based tailor and trainee midwife.

The situation is worse in rural Liberia. Rural Liberians, like the majority of folks living in the city, face the choice of using home remedies for their health problems, or consulting traditional healers or orthodox medical practitioners. But little is known about how those health choices are made. The Nation findings revealed that women and old people have a stronger preference for traditional medicine than men and young people. The association between age and type of health-care system preferred is corroborated by a recent study of high school students which showed that respondents only resorted to traditional medicine when they lacked money or when hospital emergency rooms were overcrowded.

Available income, among other things, determines most households’ healthcare preferences, according to Mareba Davies, a South African-born Liberian health volunteer and social worker.

•A bereaved woman bemoans her fourth stillborn at Phebe Hospital, Gbarnga

•Maternal ward at Phebe Hospital, Gbarnga

•A nurse attends to a pregnant woman at an antenatal clinic in Gbarnga

•This neonatal clinic at West Point has just one doctor attending to 75, 000 residents

ter many West Point families drink. Saleh and her three kids drink the water and cook their meals with it. Consequently, she has to take her children to the clinic once or twice every week.

Tima, her last daughter, a two-year-old, lay

spread-eagled on a worn wrapper spread on the floor. Her breathed was ragged and came out in uneven gasps. Her body felt incredibly hot to touch and slimy from a mixture of herbal roots and palm oil that her mother rubbed all over her body. Intermittently, Saleh

Health care in rural Liberia The health situation in Gbaomu, Upper Bong County, for instance, is typical of that found in most rural areas of Liberia. The most vulnerable to health problems are children, particularly those under five, women of childbearing age: 15 to 44, and the elderly. The major causes of morbidity and mortality among children in Liberia, are malaria, diarrhoea, measles, pneumonia, neonatal tetanus and protein-energy malnutrition. These illnesses are exacerbated by the unsafe water available to most of the rural population. The major illnesses and causes of death among adults are malaria, gastroenteritis, upper respiratory infections and intestinal parasites. Women between 15 and 44 are particularly vulnerable to these and other illnesses through frequent pregnancies and ineffective antenatal and postnatal care.

Other health problems found in rural areas of Liberia that are not normally mentioned include illnesses related to farming such as schistosomiasis, leeches and sores, and accidents resulting from farming in general: cuts, snakebites, falls from palm trees, loss of limbs in sugar cane crushing machinery. Illnesses related to alcoholism are undocumented but appear to be common in many rural areas.

Owing to the seasonal shortage of certain important foods, such as rice, vegetables and meat; to food taboos, which apply mainly to women and children; and to the general harshness of life, rural Liberians follow a constant cycle of ill-health.

With the spread of the monetised economy, a central feature of life even in the most remote village is the generation of a cash income and monetary expenditure on a variety of items, especially food, health and labour.

Gbaomu is not typical of most Liberian villages in its inhabitants’ access to orthodox health-care facilities. Its proximity to Gbarnga means that the county’s major hospital (Phebe Hospital) and several public and private health institutions are less than one hour’s drive away.

In addition, since the mid- 1970s, Gbaomu has been served once a month by a mobile health unit from Phebe Hospital. Other less conventional health-care treatments were available from a ‘medicine store’ in the nearby town of Weinsu, from a local man who had previously worked at a clinic in Monrovia and occasionally from travelling medics of dubious qualifications (‘black baggers’). The village has four midwives, two of whom had been trained under a program for traditional birth attendants.

Various traditional health practitioners are also available to Gbaomu residents. A number of people, both men and women, are knowledgeable herbalists; there are two female and three male ritual specialists (zoe) associated with the male and female secret societies (Poro and Sande, respectively); a local chapter of the Snake Society, which specialises in treating snake bites; two ‘traditional’ (i.e., untrained) midwives and a bone setter in the neighbouring town of Weinsu.

Furthermore, most people, especially women, have basic knowledge of herbal and other treatments for common illnesses and health problems such as skin infections, body

pain, worms, diarrhoea, hepatitis, contraception and the inducement of abortion.

People in Gbaomu use both traditional and Western medicine. It was apparent, however, that people select one of the two systems on the basis of several considerations, including the perceived nature of the illness (whether the illness is seen as having an underlying spiritual cause), the perceived efficacy of the treatment, and the availability of time and money. Some of the residents feel that traditional medicine has become less effective in curing certain illnesses such as malaria or that Western medicine cures certain illnesses better than ‘country’ medicine.

For example, although there are herbal treatments for extracting teeth, a woman who was suffering from a toothache preferred to go to Phebe Hospital to have her tooth extracted because, she observed, ‘I am a working woman and don’t want to waste time’. In other cases, people sought Western medicine because traditional applications caused too much pain, as it does in the treatment of conjunctivitis. However, the natives usually turn to Western medicine as a last resort because of the high cost involved.

Although traditional cures are for the most part less expensive than orthodox healthcare, they are not necessarily inexpensive. In one case, a bone setter charged a family L$500 to set the broken leg of a little girl. Since the bone setter was related to the family in question, the final fee paid only amounted to L$120 part of which was paid in kind. Thus, a major difference between payment for Western and traditional health care is that since the latter is provided by a member of the community, often a relative; the fees are negotiable and can often be paid in kind.

Western health treatment by contrast, must be paid for immediately in cash, which is often a scarce commodity in rural areas. On the other hand, treatment by a zoe may result in a situation of continual debt in that the former patient is expected to show respect to the zoe by periodically offering him or her gifts or working for him or her on request.

Some examples of the cost of traditional medical interventions are helpful. The majority of childbirths in Gbaomu are managed by the local midwives who charge about L$200 per delivery but when faced with a complicated delivery; they refer the mother to a midwife in Weinsu or to Phebe Hospital.

Some families bring in Western health personnel (a physician assistant) from the county hospital to perform male circumcision. In a recent case, where a physician-assistant performed male circumcision, the family spent L$50 per child plus feeding expenses. The cost of a form of traditional contraceptive, a specially prepared ‘string’ worn by men or women around the waist, used to be L$20, but the price has increased to L$100 or more.

Most of the health expenses paid by Gbaomu residents are for the treatment of children, major illnesses that require hospitalisation (e.g., operations), childbirth, and minor problems such as male circumcision, traditional forms of contraceptives and so on. Children’s illnesses are frequently treated with either traditional remedies or orthodox medicine provided by Phebe’s Outreach Clinic. Since Phebe Hospital is a mission-run institution, fees are charged for the registration of a child and plus an additional fee for medicines.

Hospitalisation fees at Phebe are based on a family’s socioeconomic status. Health expenses, both traditional and Western, therefore ranged from a few dollars to several hundred dollars, the latter for operations and hospitalisation at private health institutions.

Expenditure is spread across the various treatment options, although the largest cash outlays are made at Phebe Hospital.

Health care is a major expenditure in most households in Gbaomu, probably ranking as the third major expense after food and agricultural labour. Unlike these last two expenses, however, health expenses are neither regular nor constant in amount. As a major expenditure, there is a clear-cut gender division in who pays for health care, given the Kpelle native norm of men as providers and the ideal income management arrangement whereby men keep the bulk of the income earned by a couple.

Unlike other regular expenditures such as for food or minor household items, which some men are able to avoid paying, knowing that their wives will somehow struggle to provide from their own earnings, women’s health problems often involve a matter of life or death or the cessation of farm work and cannot easily be ignored, especially since a husband runs the risk of being sued by his inlaws if he does not attend to his wife’s health needs. The seriousness of men’s obligation to respond to their wives’ health needs was •Continued on Page 14

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

•Salome

•Mothers wait with their sick kids at a primary healthcare clinic

•Continued from Page 13 shown in a household where the husband and the head wife were involved in a major domestic conflict which resulted in his refusal to provide her with any financial support. This husband, however, unwillingly paid for his wife’s hospital bills when she contracted cholera.

Maternal and newborn care Liberia, according to the country’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, has very high maternal and neonatal mortality. The maternal mortality ratio is estimated at 578/100,000 live births, meaning that each year almost 1000 women die from pregnancy related causes.

The neonatal mortality rate is estimated at 66 per thousand live births. Therefore, about 11,000 newborns are dying within the first month of life, and most of them are dead within the first week. Access to skilled maternal care is very low. About 75 percent of births occur outside the health facilities and unskilled birth attendants perform about 80 percent of all deliveries. Also contributing to those high mortality rates is the dearth of qualified health personnel. There are just 122 doctors attending to 3.5million Liberians.

High fertility rates continue to be supported by traditional cultural values, and contraceptive use is low, at 12.6 percent. Teenage pregnancies continue to escalate and unsafe abortions are prevalent as well as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

Complaints of misdiagnosis, misconduct, failures by physicians to examine charts, the dispensing of medications deadly to those suffering from particular health conditions, pharmacy personnel dispensing the wrong prescriptions to patients are all too common in Liberia. I have been told stories of doctors refusing to see patients when immediate care was needed in life-threatening circumstances,

and even stories of patients waiting for hours before anyone would respond.

Often the response was to simply send them home. In some cases, just a few hours later they would have to return for emergency care.

Now that the country is no longer officially in the post-conflict humanitarian crisis phase, the emergency relief funds are pulling out, along with their medical personnel. This transition, from acute crisis to development, is problematic because the country itself is not yet ready to take over the systems now run by the big relief agencies. Fifty per cent of health facilities are run by non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

A recent audit of all healthcare givers from tertiary hospitals down to unmanned rural medical posts, conducted by the country’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare revealed that most of the facilities were under-staffed and lacked reliable water and electricity supply, adequate drugs, and the most basic equipments any clinic should have.

Achieving adequate staffing levels is particularly difficult—most skilled health workers left during the war years and those left behind missed out on even a basic education, making it hard to find suitable candidates for fast-track training courses. John Snow International has estimated that the country needs to increase their total health-care workforce by close to 10, 000 people, including finding 4223 nurses, 842 doctors, 1143 midwives, 249 medical assistants, and 249 pharmacists;

skilled staff that cannot be created overnight.

The government of Liberia also recognises the need to provide free health care, and in 2005 suspended the “user fee” system. But there is a big difference between policy goals and practice, and even though the government has taken important measures to improve access, free care is still simply not a reality for far too many Liberians.

As the health care debate in Liberia continues, the issue of introducing “user fees” is once again being considered. MSF strongly believes that the burden of financing Liberia’s health care system should not fall on those least able to bear it.

If Liberia is to even have a chance of serving the population’s health needs, health care must be subsidized. The cost of medicines, diagnostics, staff salaries, and clinics and hospitals can only be shouldered by the national government and international donors like USAID and the European Union.

There are no easy solutions, and the government of Liberia faces daunting challenges as it tries to rebuild the country after decades of war. But ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent Liberians from getting essential health care deserves sustained support. Despite the challenges, the ministry of health has set about upgrading not only its clinic walls but also the quality of the health services being provided within them.

The NGOs have been informed they must all submit performance-based contracts for the facilities they are currently running and prove

•Alphonso: lost a sister to cholera outbreak they are meeting the standards set by the ministry. This move has ruffled quite a few feathers in organisations not used to being asked to prove their worthiness.

But doing things differently is what building a health system out of the rubble of a protracted conflict is all about, said Nestor Ndayimirije, WHO’s representative in Liberia. “Post-conflict countries are very different from other countries…Here in Liberia, sometimes you have to rebuild or re-engineer what was there.”

Revivifying Liberia’s health system is a huge task no doubt, notwithstanding, it is yielding interesting solutions to daunting problems even with very few available resources. As Rozanne Chorlton, UNICEF’s representative in Liberia put it: “People like to say that working in Liberia is like flying in a plane while still building it. But I prefer to say it’s like having the scaffolding around the building while you are working in it.”

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

I recruited my members, including a native doctor, during my stay in prison A – Suspected robbery gang leader SUSPECTED leader of a sixman robbery gang arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Lagos State Police Command, 31year-old Patrick Ogar, a native of Ogoja, Cross River State, has explained why he escaped when he realised that SARS operatives wanted to use him and another detained member of the gang to track down a buyer of stolen vehicles in Obosi, Anambra State.

Narrating his involvement in a robbery operation in Ajah, a Lagos suburb, recently, Ogar said: “I am the leader and ‘commander-inchief’ of the six-man robbery gang that terrorised Ajah residents. We specialised in robbing rich people in Ajah and its environs of their money and exotic cars, particularly jeeps. I hate big men because they hate common people. Even the government hates common people.

When poor criminals steal or rob people of small money, the people, the police and the court would shout, ‘crucify them!’ But when very important people rob or steal, they are treated like kings. Even communities celebrate them and honour them because of their wealth.

“I escaped in Anambra State when the opportunity showed itself, because I did not want to experience the suffering that common criminals undergo in the hands of law enforcement agents. Big people who rob others of millions of naira with their pen are charged to court but none of them goes to jail in the end while common people who steal peanuts are charged to court and remanded. The case of a common man is celebrated and in the end, they are slammed into jail while the more unlucky ones are sentenced to death.

“I am a married man with a child.

My wife is pregnant with my second baby. I am a qualified auto mechanic. It is enough to take care of my family. I took the chance to escape the moment my captors became careless. It was a life time opportunity.

“I have participated in more than four robbery operations since I came back from prison. I went to Onitsha prison and spent some years and later went to prison in Lagos. It was in prison that I met Jude Eze, the native doctor, and we became friends and learnt a lot together about crime.

“In our first operation in Ajah, we used two guns to snatch a Toyota car. We ordered the owner to come down or have his life wasted. He complied and we zoomed off with the car.

“The second operation involved the snatching of an SUV Xtera. We had two guns but we did not shoot the man because he obeyed and we took the jeep without stress.

“In the third operation, we took a Toyota Highlander. We saw a man discussing with his girlfriend in his jeep and we went straight to him, blocked his car with ours and pointed gun at him and he surrendered his car to us.

“I don’t kill. Even whenever any of my gang members threatened to shoot a victim, I never allowed him to shoot. It was during the fourth operation that luck ran out on us.

We went into a building through the gutter. When we entered the compound, the landlord had not woken up. We waited for him to wake up. After an hour or thereabout, the man woke up, opened the door and came out. We followed him immediately and

•His arrest was our greatest manhunt operation, says SARS

•The jeep with which the re-arrested suspects initially escaped. Inset: The arms and ammunition recovered from them

Ebele BONIFACE marched him inside at gunpoint.

We ordered him to give us money and he gave Bright, a member of the gang, N24,000.

“Later, Abushi, another member, went outside the compound to survey the situation outside the building. To our greatest surprise, he came back and told us that policemen had cordoned off the area.

“The policemen called on us to come out if we didn’t want them to open fire on us. I was the first to come out from the room to the compound. I then called on my colleagues to come out but they hesitated for some minutes before they filed out. Uche jumped over the fence and escaped. Abuchi, Bright and I were arrested.

“Later, SARS operatives took Abuchi and I to Obosi, Anambra State, to help them track down the buyer of most of the vehicles we

had snatched. When the buyer arrived, the policeman who drove us there left the ignition key behind when he wanted to arrest the buyer.

As he jumped on the buyer, I started the vehicle and zoomed off.

In his effort to stop us by firing at us, the buyer also escaped. We went straight to Atani in Obaru Local Government Area.

“Our trouble began when we called a nurse, a wife of a police officer transferred to Port Harcourt from Fegge Police Station, to come and treat us. The Police trailed her and found where we were hiding and arrested us.”

Recalling his prison experience, Ogar said he went to prison in Onitsha in 2006 for snatching a Lexus SUV. He said: “I was arrested by SARS men in Ihiala, prosecuted and sent to jail. When I came to Lagos, I started robbery again. It was during one of the operations that I was

‘

I don’t kill. Even whenever any of my gang members threatened to shoot a victim, I never allowed him to shoot. It was during the fourth operation that luck ran out on us.

We went into a building through the gutter...

,

arrested and sent to jail in Lagos. I made a lot of friends in prison and most of them became my gang members when we came together.

It was in prison that I knew the native doctor, Jude Eze, and later knew his sister, the nurse who treated us.”

The officer in charge of SARS, Abba Kyari, said the arrest of Ogar was the greatest manhunt operation embarked upon by his men. He said it enabled them to arrest the two robbery suspects who escaped with a jeep and other suspects who escaped at a scene of robbery in Ajah, as well as the native doctor who keeps their guns and his nurse sister, Mrs Amerchi Ofem, a wife of a serving police officer, who treated wounded robbery suspects.

The second suspect, Bright Egwu Onwu (27), an indigene of Amaobia Akwa South Local Government Area, Anambra State said: “When the officer dived to hold the receiver of our stolen goods and left the ignition behind, Patrick started the car and drove off from Obosi to Atani. There, his brother called the nurse to come from Fegge to Atani.”

The third suspect, Uchenna Ejike, (27), a native of Umumba Ndiuno, Eziagu Local Government Area, Enugu State, said: “I escaped from the Ajah robbery scene when the Police had surrounded the place. I ran to Obosi. When they called me

on the phone that they too had escaped from the Police, I went to Atani to join them.”

The fourth suspect and the gang’s native doctor and alleged armourer, Jude Eze (33), a native of Umudaike village, Anambra State, said the circumstances surrounding his birth must have aided his involvement in questionable activities.

He said: “My mother was looking for a male child after she had given birth to many female children. She promised a shrine at my place that if she was given a male child, she would offer the male child to the shrine. When I was born, I was offered to the shrine. That was how I became a native doctor.

“When Patrick, Bright and Uche Ejike arrived Atani, Patrick and Bright had bullet wounds. When I saw the wounds, I asked what happened. They told me that they escaped from the Police who had put them inside a jeep without handcuffs and also left them alone in the car with the ignition key. They asked me what I expected them to do in such situation. I then told them that I do not treat bullet wounds but would call my sister, who is a nurse, to come and treat them.

“I then called my sister and told her that my friends had auto accident and that she should come and treat them. I met Patrick and Bright in Onitsha prison. They both play oracle. I have four sisters. The nurse is the eldest. I am the only son of my mother and the youngest. I am not the gang’s armourer. I did not rob with them. I was in my house when they came with bullet wounds.”

The fifth suspect, Amaechi Ofem, (43) said: “I am a nurse. I attended nursing school in Oji River. When they called me to come to Atani, I did not know that they were armed robbers before I treated them. I later referred them to the house of Chief Ogbuefi because their bones were affected. They entered a boat and went to Ogbakuba, a town after Akri.

“They called me on the phone that Ogbuefi wanted to see me because of their friend who had an accident.

When I got there, the Police arrested me.”

One of the gang’s victims, Ayo Abayomi, a businessman based at Ajah, said: “These guys came to my house as I was driving into my compound. Their leader pointed a gun at me while two others broke my side glass and said: ‘Cooperate or we waste your life.’ I complied and they collected my shoes, blackberry phone and wristwatch.

“The place where they met me was the compound of my shop.

When they finished searching my pocket and ransacking the vehicle, they pointed a gun at me and ordered me to take them to my residence. As we were going to my house, we passed through Ogombo Police Station in Ajah, but the police did not know that I was being held hostage by four armed robbers. When we got to my house, they collected N155,000 cash. This was between 7 pm and 8 pm.”

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umaru Manko, expressed joy over the re-arrest of the suspects, a development he said had boosted the image of the command.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

•Other albinos at the workshop

•Jake Ekpele

M

OSES Wasah is 28 years old, but he has not been able to complete his secondary education because of his medical condition. Moses, an indigene of Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, is one of the five children of his parents and incidentally, the only albino among them. The mere sight of Moses with his oversized dark eye glasses tells you that there is something wrong with the young man.

He was one of the few albinos who attended a sensitisation workshop on how to handle an albino by teachers and educators, which took place at the St. John’s Hall in Kachia, Kaduna State under the auspices of the Albino Foundation with support from the Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN), a DFID funded intervention programme in the education sector in selected states in the country.

Moses told The Nation that he was forced to drop out of school when he started having problem with his right eye and could not see properly with it. Before the

Tony AKOWE, Kaduna

problem began to manifest, he had enrolled for the National Business and Technical Education Board (NABTEB) examination as an SS 3 student of the Government Technical College, Kajuru.

But destiny had something different for him as he could not sit for the exams. With the help of his mother and brothers, Moses said he was admitted at the 44 Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna for treatment.

“They did the first surgery on the eye last year at 44 Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna and it cost us about N200,000. Since then, the eye has not opened and we don’t have any money to go back to the hospital because my brothers are not working. I lost my father in 1996 and my mother is a farmer. So, we cannot raise the money to go back to the hospital”, he managed to say in not too coherent English.

From his spoken language, it was evident that he barely managed to pass through school to

‘Why albinos deserve special treatment’ the level he claimed to have reached. He is, however, grateful to his family for their care and love, saying: “My family has been very good to me. We are five children in the family and I’m the only one with this colour. They don’t give me hard jobs to do. They only give me those jobs that I can do. I really want to go back to school and I need help because of my eye”.

There is hope for him as the Albino Foundation has taken up his case and are ready to sponsor his treatment at the National Hospital, Abuja. The President of the Foundation, Jake Ekpele who was moved by Moses’ plight said that the foundation will undertake to treat him free

at the National Hospital. Ekpele attributed the eye problem to unnecessary exposure to the sun, pointing out that the major problem of an albino is skin cancer which is caused by over exposure to the sun.

According to him, “it takes a non-albino about one hour thirty minutes to get burn from the sun when exposed to it. But for an albino, it is just thirty minutes and that can cause skin cancer.

The problem you are seeing in this young man is cancer of the eye which can be caused by the sun. The situation is pathetic, but there is hope for him because worse cases than this have been handled before. We are taking care of the treatment at the Na-

‘

It is something that should get the attention of the Federal Government because the situation of the albinos is extremely bad. Cancer is our major problem. All albinos are susceptible to skin cancer...

,

tional Hospital where our members are treated free.

“For now, he is not a member, but I will register him from my pocket and send him to the hospital. The only problem is where he will stay because I don’t have a place for him to stay, but if he can be accommodated, things will be easier because it will take a process of about two weeks for the diagnosis to be made before the treatment can commence. But I will go to the CMD and try to shorten the process. We are sending him to the hospital free of charge. Once the treatment starts, he will not pay for anything. He will not pay for, water or bed. All these will be provided for him free at the National Hospital.”

But where will Moses stay in Abuja before his treatment will begin? He told The Nation: “I have discussed with my brother and they are going to find a place for me to stay”.

Ekpele told The Nation that there are several albinos with similar problems with Moses even though theirs may not be eye related. According to him, the Al-

17

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

How Ondo OPC chieftain met his death shortly after returning from a colleague’s rememberance party

‘

The policemen had queried why the OPC members were in possession of fire arms and at the same time drinking at the joint, that they must properly identify themselves. It was in the process of trying to flee the scene that their leader (Akewusola) was shot in the back by a policeman...

,

I •Moses Wasah

bino Foundation has provided free medical service to about 246 albinos nationwide, pointing out however, that the for any albino to be accorded that opportunity, they must be registered members of the Albino Foundation. He noted that the condition of the albinos calls for concern.

He pointed out: “It is something that should get the attention of the Federal Government because the situation of the albinos is extremely bad. Cancer is our major problem. All albinos are susceptible to skin cancer, including myself. I have a patch on my leg. The treatment of skin cancer is a major milestone and three successive governments such as the Obasanjo government, the

Yar’adua government and the Jonathan administration have implemented it. So, the treatment of albinos is a major issue for us.

“As we speak, the National Hospital is being owed about N18 million and we are pursuing that at the Federal Ministry of Finance. So, it is major issue and as at today, they are treating us free of charge, from the water we drink to the medicals, the bed and everything which is absolutely free.”

Ekpele believes that albinos should be given some special treatment and should not be exposed to the sun. He believes that the issue of skin cancer associated with them can be eliminated or minimised if they are not unduly exposed to the sun and other harsh conditions.

F ANYONE had told Alfa Kamaldeen Akewusola, a chieftain of the Odua Peoples Congress (OPC) in Ondo State, that death was lurking in the dark, he would have dismissed it as utter rubbish. He met his tragic end shortly after returning from a remembrance ceremony of former Deputy President of OPC, Alhaji Badmus, aka Kosija, on April 7, 2012.

According to sources, the late OPC leader had barely returned to his base in Ondo West Local Government Area with other members of the group at about 8pm when they settled down at a beer parlour owned by one of the members of the group to enjoy themselves.

It was not long after that when a team of policemen from Enu Owa Division stormed the joint asking for the identity and mission of the men, numbering 30. The ‘encounter’ turned into a shouting match between the minions of law and the OPC members during which one of the policemen allegedly shot Akewusola.

Sources told The Nation that police visited the spot following a distress call by residents that some OPC members were shooting sporadically in the air at the joint and terrifying innocent people who were already in bed at that time of the day.

Adeniyi Omojola, a resident, said:”It was the distress call from residents that made the police to visit the beer joint. The police were alerted that some OPC members had embarked on shooting spree

•The late Akewusola

Kunle AKINRINADE

at the joint causing panic in the area. But the arrival of the policemen at the scene had angered the OPC members who queried the mission of the law enforcement agents, leading to a violent confrontation. It was during the confrontation that Akewusola was allegedly shot by one of the policemen.

Another source, who asked for anonymity, however, said that the OPC leader was shot while fleeing with other members of the group following police insistence on proper identification.

“The policemen had queried why the OPC members were in possession of fire arms and at the same time drinking at the joint, that they must properly identify themselves. It was in the process of trying to flee the scene that their leader (Akewusola) was shot in the back by a policeman.

Recalling the incident, the widow of the deceased, Suliat, accused the police of deliberately killing her husband.

“I am sure that the police intentionally killed my husband be-

cause they have been harassing him lately.”

“On the day of the incident, he had just returned from Lagos with other members of the group when he called me on the telephone that they would be visiting a beer joint owned by one of them to enjoy themselves. It was not long after that I was informed that my husband had been killed by a heartless policeman.”

The remains of the deceased have since been deposited in mortuary pending the outcome of investigation by the police.

The spokesman of Ondo State Police Command, Mr Aremu Adeniran, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), explained that the errant police officer who shot the late OPC chieftain had been arrested and is currently undergoing interrogation at the State Criminal Investigation Deprtment (SCID).

“The policeman who shot the late Akewusola has been arrested and given orderly room trial.

“He is currently being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department(SCID) and we are awaiting the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution.”

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

18

If you’re looking for ‘banana peel’ in the House, you won’t find it —Anambra Rep Ogene Hon.Victor Afam Ogene represents Ogbaru Federal Constituency of Anambra State in the House of Representatives on the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). He debunks the notion that the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu declared war on Nigeria and states that Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State is the new Igbo leader. He spoke with select journalists, including ODOGWU EMEKA ODOGWU, on some other topical issues. Excerpts: the current security crisis? not because we don’t have men and

W

HO, in your view, should assume the leadership of Igbo after the death of Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu?

I think that beyond uniting the Igbo race, Dim Emeka Ojukwu sought to unite the Nigerian people.

That was why Nigerians, not just Ndigbo, rose to bury him.

Circumstances tossed him up during the crises of the 60s as the leader of the Igbo race.

Don’t forget that he didn’t make himself the leader. He was the then governor of the Eastern Region, and because of the pogrom, people were running home. There was what was called a consultative assembly, made up of leaders from different parts of Igbo land, including some parts of the Mid-West as we had it then, which is the present day Delta State. The Eastern Region at the time stretched as far as Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom states, apart from the present five eastern states.

Dim Ojukwu felt that if our people were being slaughtered and some were rushing back home, the best thing was to offer them protection.

And if we reverse everything, we can’t reverse history. Ojukwu didn’t declare war on Nigeria. He decided that on the basis of the advice of the consultative forum that gave rise to the Ahiara Declaration of May 31, 1967, when they said: ‘If the Nigerian federation does not want us, let us stay in our enclave and be called Biafra.’

Ojukwu did not declare war. If I declare war on you; I will come and slap you. Ojukwu didn’t take the battle to any part of the country.

Instead, the first shot of the battle was fired somewhere around Cross River State on July 7, 1967. That clearly tells you that Ojukwu at no time declared war on the nation.

Instead, he was alive to his duty as a military governor. He was alive to his duty as the chief security officer of the Eastern Region.

Talking about who steps into his shoes, except that you have asked, nobody is going to have a debate over who takes over from him.

There are three ways of gaining leadership, and we are talking about Ojukwu because he qualified in all the three. One, you are born great.

His father was one of the first recognised millionaires in Nigeria.

As a result of that, he was just like a prince. Another way to achieve greatness is by a dint of hard work.

Ojukwu attained greatness by not only attending Kings College, he went to Oxford University. He came back and despite his wealth, he sought to make a name for himself.

He went into the colonial service and served as a district officer.

From there, he enlisted in the Nigerian Army as a recruit. He didn’t enter as a graduate officer. He worked his way up and within six months became a lieutenant-colonel and commander of the Fifth Battalion. So, that was a great feat at the time. He even rose to become an adjutant in the Nigerian Army, and by sheer providence of the civil war crises, he also had greatness thrust upon him. So, Ojukwu had three ways to greatness: he was born great, achieved greatness and had greatness thrust upon him.

But the general perception now is that there is a tussle as to who

•Hon. Ogene

succeeds him.

In the olden days, a leader was known by his large compound, how large your farm was and your number of wives and children. So that when the man dies, people begin to scramble for some of his things. In modern society, nobody sits down to elect a leader. A leader emerges by consensus and personal hard work. People will now say okay, you will lead us. When you talk about the South-West, the clear and identifiable leader you can see is Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

If you come up North, you can identify people like Muhammadu Buhari. Whether you believe in what he stands for or not, when Buhari talks, people listen to him. If you come to the South-East, Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State is already playing that role, even without telling you. So, Tinubu does not need to stand on the table to tell you he is the leader. By the things you do, people will now say you are the leader. I say Peter Obi because, today, we are saying Ojukwu was buried like a hero. Who made it possible? Peter Obi.

There have been reports that before Ojukwu died, he anointed a successor. Now, with so many interests in the leadership of Ndigbo, don’t you think this could lead to a crisis?

That is not true. What Ojukwu said on record during the 2010 governorship election in Anambra State was to raise Peter Obi’s hands and said: ‘This is my beloved son.

This is my last wish: return him to the back seat.’ It is a popular quote, and it was actually Ojukwu’s last wish because that was his last major public appearance. During last year’s presidential election, APGA did not present any candidate. It is

women of timber and caliber, but by a deliberate choice engineered by Peter Obi to support the aspiration of now President Goodluck Jonathan. To my mind, that support was what the Igbo reaped in the burial.

If you extend it further, there is no Igbo man today that is leading like Peter Obi. He has been Chairman, South/East Governors’ Forum.

Even at that time, he was the single governor of APGA and the four others were PDP. His colleague governors saw something in him and allowed him to lead them. Their chairmanship is supposed to be rotated after six months, but he has been the chairman for four years. He was Vice Chairman, Nigerian Governor’s Forum under Bukola Saraki for the same length of time.

He was to be the chairman, Governors’ Forum, but at the last minute, the PDP governors felt that it would not work well. How could all of them be here and the opposition would lead?

They still prevailed on him to continue when it was supposed to go somewhere else. It is normally North and South or South-North.

Today, Peter Obi is Honorary Adviser to the President on Financial Matters. He is also a member of the Economic Management Team. Any Igbo man who wants to get a position at the federal level comes to Peter Obi. So, I ask you, from Ojukwu’s prophetic message, who is the leader of the Igbo people?

Will the idea of Biafra remain a metaphor or you think it can be realised?

I will say it is a metaphor for injustice; a metaphor for the fight for equity, fairness for every Nigerian to be a Nigerian in whatever part of the country you find yourself. It is ironic that at a time when Nigeria was burying Ikemgba Nnewi, the clamour for a sovereign national conference is on-going, 45 years after Ojukwu told Nigerians that the way to go is confederacy. You know it is said that lightning does not strike twice in a particular place. But Ojukwu’s lightning has struck more than twice.

Today, we have come to accept that we have six geo-political zones.

When he said it, some forces at that time, who probably didn’t see tomorrow, thought otherwise. You know that if today you leave what you are supposed to do till tomorrow, the problems will still be there. It is ironic that now that Ojukwu is dead, the call for SNC is louder. So, it tells you that Biafra is a metaphor that is replicated in Boko Haram, militancy, Odua People’s Congress. So, any kind of agitation for a better Nigeria means that the spirit of Biafra is alive.

As a veteran journalist, how would you assess media reports on

After inauguration, when we noticed that there were convert and overt moves to enthrone a leadership from outside, members rightly felt insulted that if on day one they could not be trusted to handle their affairs as people who had been freely elected, they insisted on electing the leader of their choice...

‘

,

Don’t forget that those who pay the piper dictate the tune. Most of these media houses are owned by private individuals who have their own motivations for setting them up. I agree that the media should be more nationalistic, but you must see this subjectivity. If you cover an event, you will choose the perspective that is suitable for you. Any real journalist would tell you that there is nothing like objectivity in journalism. Rather, the word is fairness. Instead of looking for objectivity, you should look for fairness.

The call for equal revenue sharing formula is getting hot.

How would you like to see it shared?

The simple way to go is either to allow the states to work or we allow the geo-political zones to work. We have a loose federation. What is happening is that every month, we come to Abuja cap in hand with a bowl to share money and go back to the states to pay salaries. No nation develops like that. In the 60s when we had the regions, all the regions, Lagos, Ibadan, Calabar, Kaduna, Kano and the rest were products of the regional arrangement, such that today, if we had regions, they would have been in healthy conditions. They tap whatever mineral resources in their environment and pay tax to the centre, which was why Ahmadu Bello was not keen on coming to the centre.

What was he coming to look for when Northern Nigeria was booming because they had put things in place? The West was making money from cocoa, and they established free education with cocoa. But now, there is no motivation to go and do these things. This clamour won’t work because you cannot appropriate and abrogate at the same time. Preindependence and postindependence, the derivation format was 50 per cent. Now, it is 13 per cent. So, we are even cheating the Niger/Delta that we are crying are taking all the money. Oil, instead of being a blessing, is rather a curse because it has made us lazy. We share money on the basis of local governments, but some states have more local governments than others.

Lagos, with all its population has 20; Akwa Ibom has 23; Kano has 44. So, Lagos too has the right to agitate. But the way to go is either to allow true federalism or go for confederacy.

The 7th House has been united since inception. What is the binding force?

If you are looking for any banana peel, you won’t find it. I think God designed it this way. About 200 members came to the House and most of them were not happy with what was happening. When you are coming to a place, you come with certain ideas on how you think the place should be. After inauguration, when we noticed that there were convert and overt moves to enthrone a leadership from outside, members rightly felt insulted that if on day one they could not be trusted to handle their affairs as people who had been freely elected, they insisted on electing the leader of their choice.

Coming on the wings of enormous goodwill, it decided to also stand with the people.

19

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

Saturday

THRILLER

Why killer diseases are defying age T

HE images are shocking and look like a scene from a horror movie. The young man’s two legs were swollen to twice their normal size, looking too big for his slim body. Worse still, they were covered with ulcerous sores and deep wounds that

Patience SADUWA, Gbenga ADERANTI and Ogechukwu EMEDIKE

looked like raw meat that had gone bad in the market place.

It was a scary sight, not one for the fainthearted. Looking pathetic, but with a brave smile on his handsome face, he stared at the camera, hopeful that succour will come his way soon.

For Okeoghene John Igwhiwotho, life in the past several years, has been a living hell. He’s stricken with diabetes (type 1 and 2), a disease that has rendered him bedridden for the past six years. It has left him traumatised physically,

socially and otherwise. He has lost all the toes on both feet due to the disease. His condition has sadly prevented the young man who is in his 20s from completing his university education (he dropped out from OAU).

At the moment, his life is at stake and he is in need of surgery urgently. Gangrene has set in his feet which, medical experts believe, may be amputated. He was supposed to have had the surgery in January this year, but he has not been able to, because of his inability to raise funds. Oke is said to need N5million for treatment in a hospital in India.

Continued on Pages 20-22

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

20 •Continued from Page 19 At the Federal Medical Centre, EbuteMetta, Lagos, a large number of patients numbering over 30 could be seen on a mild morning last month, waiting calmly for their turn to see the doctor. Though of different backgrounds, ages and occupations, they all had one thing in common: diabetes.

“Many of them have been coming here for sometime for treatment while others are new patients,” a nurse who declined to be named told The Nation.

Upstairs, on the first floor of the hospital, little Michael (12), was in a pitiable state.

At an age when his mates are either in school or engaged in various activities the young are known for, the JSS 1 student is bedridden in a sterile hospital ward. Some months earlier, he was disgnosed with diabetes (Type 1) also called insulindependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes.

The ailment has affected his big toe which has been cut off, leaving a bandaged stump.

“The doctor said it was to prevent gangrene from affecting the whole leg,” his father, Eruka Masoga, who sat besides the young boy stated. Besides the cost of the hospital bill which keeps piling up each day, there’s the special diet that Michael has been placed on by the doctor. “He can’t eat certain foods anymore like starchy foods and the doctor recommended more fresh foods like vegetables, fruits and fish,” said Masoga. He said his son hates these foods and it was always a struggle between him and his mother whenever it was meal time.

“This is a boy that used to like snacks a lot but those foods are off-limits now,” he noted.

Gone too soon In the past, such ailments like diabetes, stroke, renal failure, liver problems, high blood pressure and some others used to be associated with elderly people or the middle-aged.

Not anymore. Like an epidemic, these diseases are increasing progressively everyday not just among the old but younger people as well. Figures from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF which is affiliated to the WHO) show that 78,000 children develop type 1 diabetes every year while worldwide, 366 million people (all ages) had diabetes in 2011. This figure is expected to rise to 552 million by 2030.

So, what is fuelling this epidemic in diabetes and other diseases? Health expects have attributed this to certain factors such as lifestyle, genetics among others. “High fat diet, being overweight, physical inactivity, high alcohol consumption, age and cigarette smoking are factors that can cause diabetes,” stated Dr Taiwo Fadeyi of F and G Hospital, Lagos.

According to him, there are three major types of diabetes namely Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM).

He added that the first two are the most common with Type 1 being the most prevalent among the young.

Indeed, Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. This type of diabetes, also known as juvenile-onset diabetes, accounts for 10-15 percent of all people with the disease. Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common endocrine and metabolic conditions in childhood and the number of children developing this form of diabetes is increasing rapidly, especially among the youngest children.

Said Dr Adesunlowe Oladokun of the Federal Medical Centre, Lagos: “Diabetes is the presence of abnormally high amounts of sugar in the blood stream.

There is indeed an increase in diabetes in young people. In the case of this group, Type I occurs due to the absence of insulin in the pancreas. But in type 2, there is some insulin.”

It is triggered by environmental factors such as viruses, diet or chemicals in people genetically predisposed. People with type 1 diabetes must inject themselves with insulin several times a day and follow a careful diet and exercise plan.

For many children and even adolescents, coping with diabetes can be extremely difficult. Managing the disease, especially with regular insulin use and blood glucose monitoring, physical activity and a healthy diet can be a regimen too strict and difficult for a young person to cope with. Besides, for the family of a child with diabetes, especially in low-income families, access to self-care tools, including selfmanagement education and also to insulin, is limited and this, combined with the daily

Diabetes, renal failure, hypertension take toll on the young

•Mozzyx

‘

It is triggered by environmental factors such as viruses, diet or chemicals in people genetically predisposed. People with type 1 diabetes must inject themselves with insulin several times a day and follow a careful diet and exercise plan...

needs of a child with diabetes may place a serious financial and emotional burden on the whole family. In some cases, it can lead to physical disability and even death.

That was what happened to young Chika (surname withheld) a few years ago. The teenager, who was in JSS 111 at the time of her tragic death, had suffered from insulindeficient diabetes for years. She finally

’

succumbed to the disease due to poor management. Sources close to the family of the bright student informed The Nation that Chika relapsed in the strict diet she had been placed on to manage the ailment. Unknown to her family, the young girl had been secretly taking her favourite snack-garri soaked in water with sugar and eaten with coconut.

Apart from taking sugar, one of the food items

•Oke John she was supposed to avoid, she was also not taking her insulin shots regularly. The result was that her condition worsened leading to her premature death, aged just 14.

Managing the scourge Those with diabetes are forced to live with the disease for life as there is no cure for it. “It can be managed but can’t be cured,” asserted .Oladokun. Management includes insulin injections (especially in Type 1), checking of blood sugar level, special diet, moderate exercise and others.

Sometimes though, more advanced treatment is required when the patient’s life

Adebayo Sokunbi is the Operations Director of Kidney Consultants International, a non-profit organisation devoted to preventive education and screening of Nigerians for kidney failure. He is also council member of the International Federation of Kidney Foundations. He is currently on the board of Kidney Clinics Nigeria Limited,operators of the Abeokuta Dialysis Center. GBENGA ADERANTI had an encounter with him. Excerpts:

•Sokunbi

‘Most people don’t know they have hypertension and diabetes until they undergo tests’

21

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

•Diabetes screening at UUTH, Uyo

is at risk. This is the case with Okeoghene Igwhiwotho. Concerted efforts by friends and well-wishers to raise funds for his treatment has yielded fruit as he is said to have been taken abroad as at the time of writing this report.

“He has gone to India for treatment. He left yesterday,” a close friend and former schoolmate told The Nation. However, due to the gangrene and terrible state of his legs, there are fears it might be too late to save them. “We pray his legs can be saved but amputation might be the only option left due to the state of his legs,” she added. The trip

was made possible by the determined efforts of his friends, donations from concerned citizens as well as the Delta State government that responded to Oke’s plight”.

While it’s important to manage the disease, health experts however, advocate a healthier lifestyle as a means of preventing it. These include certain lifestyle changes such as increased exercise / physical activities, maintaining a healthy weight, having a modest fat intake, eating a good amount of food rich in vegetables and fruits, moderate alcohol intake and avoiding stress.

“My advice is that those who have a history

of diabetes in their family should go for check up and also watch what they eat. Then those who don’t have a history should check out for wounds and not to take it to a roadside chemist for treatment as some people do,” said Oladokun.

Bed-ridden artiste Closely related to the diabetes scourge is kidney or renal failure. Indeed health experts have warned that the incidence of kidney failure in the country is on the increase and it cuts across all age groups, from the very young to the elderly. An estimated 15,000 cases of kidney failure are said to occur yearly

in the country.

“Kidney failure could result from various factors. Most prominent among them are hypertension and diabetes,” stated Adebayo Sokunbi, the Operations Director of Kidney Consultants International, a foremost non-profit organisation devoted to preventive education and screening of Nigerians for kidney failure. He added that the two conditions often occur without any discomforting symptoms at the onset.

“Most people do not know they have them until they undergo tests. Other factors like •Continued on Page 22

W

recommended to be done three times a week but most Nigerian patients cannot sustain this due to the cost. For this reason dialysis patients are very ill and die very often.

On the other hand, a transplant involves harvesting a healthy kidney from a healthy donor to a patient whose kidneys have failed.

Currently in Nigeria, this is very expensive, running into millions of Naira and since patients and family members must pay in full for it, most patients have to ask kind Nigerians to help or have no treatment. Besides, anti-rejection drugs are very expensive and often out of reach of most Nigerian patients.

In Sudan , the cost of post-transplant medications are borne by the state.

In Benin Republic, the cost of dialysis of patients is subsidised. This makes it possible to retain patients who can contribute to their countries’ GDP. Nigeria can learn from this to develop a practical renal policy with the professional advice from Nigerian Association of Nephrology and other relevant stake holders.

At what point does renal failure become dangerous?

Chronic kidney disease is not curable but its progression to end stage or what you call “dangerous” level can be delayed by competent professional management. An acutely affected kidney, on the other hand, if diagnosed promptly and treated with a few sessions of dialysis may regain kidney function. If not diagnosed promptly and treated, it may progress to chronic kidney disease.

In general, patients should seek expert care and advice when their good health is in doubt. A regular medical check up is good as a long-term preventive measure.

How can one prevent renal failure?

Preventing renal failure is possible with healthy living. Also known hypertensive and diabetes patients must take their medications for life. Losing weight will help in this regard a great deal.

Renal replacement therapies are dialysis or kidney transplants. Both are expensive and out of reach of 90% of Nigerians except those who are lucky to have public or social institutions contribute to their care. Currently, the Nigerian Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) currently does not cover renal care.

How true is it that it is heredetery?

Genetic inheritance increases the likelihood of risk but does not mean all members of a family will have renal disease.

Can babies have kidney failure?

Babies may have kidney disease due to some harmful or toxic substances that may be ingested. Unfortunately insufficient records do not make it possible to determine accurate levels of its occurrence.

What are the symptoms of kidney failure ?

In the early stages, there are no noticeable symptoms, but as the disease progresses, a person with kidney problem is likely to be feeling unwell and may be having an unusual urine production or frothy urine. Others include fluid retention in body,high blood pressure and low red blood cells.

What is the relationship between diabetes and renal failure?

Diabetes is a condition that could progress to kidney damage if sugar levels are not adequately controlled.

How much does a patient spend on dialysis weekly?

Dialysis costs an average of N75,000 a week, excluding medications and lab investigations.

Do you think government is doing enough to arrest renal failure?

Government’s intervention is important and could be in form of preventive screening, research on cause intensity; and sustainable levels of subsidy could be worked out in partnership with the Nephrology Association of Nigeria (NAN) and other relevant and interested stakeholders. An official declaration of kidney failure as an epidemic maybe a significant step in the right direction. A combination of government, individuals and civil society groups will need to help subsidise treatment for Nigerians.

This will go a long way to reduce deaths and improve quality of health and reduce socio-economic burden on family members too.

Is it possible for a pregnant woman to develop renal failure?

A complication of pregnancy elevates blood pressure; it may result in kidney damage if sustained.

What other things can kidney failure damage in the body?

The black men are genetically predisposed to hypertension, which, if not controlled or diagnosed timely, may contribute to kidney damage.

What is the effect on a kidney donor?

Transplant donors are usually certified medically fit to do so and generally do well afterwards.

HAT are the causes of kidney failure?

Kidney failure could result from various factors. Most prominent among them are hypertension and diabetes. These two conditions often occur and without any discomfort symptoms at the on set. Most people do not know they have them until they undergo tests. Other factors like sustained abuse of analgesics, and traditional herbs have been linked with kidney damage also.

Renal failure is often responsible for high levels of morbidity and mortality. High casualty rates and poor health are common with people suffering renal failure. The disease is also stressful to family members.

At what age does it manifest?

Kidney failure occurs in children and adults with no specific age restrictions. It is disheartening to note that a lot of young men and women who have end stage renal failure are young and often in their econonomic active years or promising young students, the group has the a potential to contribute to Nigeria GDP. How do you manage renal failure?

Renal failure in early stages may be managed by the use of medication and adopting special diets to ensure that failing kidneys are sustained for as long as possible. At end stage, the kidneys are no longer able to maintain the good health of the patient and their functions must be replaced by different renal replacement therapies like dialysis and kidney transplants. Dialysis involves passing the patient’s blood through a machine and artificial kidney for cleaning before returning it to the patient’s body . It is usually

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

22

•A participant undergoing diabetes screening

sustained abuse of analgesics and traditional herbs have been linked with kidney damage also.

“Renal failure is often responsible for high levels of morbidity and mortality. High casualty rates and poor health are common with people suffering renal failure. The disease is also stressful to family members,” he said.

It can take many years to go from chronic kidney disease to kidney failure and sometimes people with CKD live out their lives without ever reaching kidney failure.

To Sokunbi, it was particularly disheartening that the disease occurs in a lot of young men and women, “who have end stage renal failure. They are often in their economic and active years, a group often with a potential to contribute to Nigeria’s GDP.” An example of this is Mozzyx, one half of the musical duo Fellyx and Mozzyx who made waves in the entertainment scene in the 90s. The singer and songwriter (real name Moses Ochie), is said to be critically ill with kidney-related problems. He has been diagnosed with chronic kidney failure and some other complications, such as liver and heart inflammation.

The artiste has reportedly been undergoing dialysis three times a week since

‘

My advice is that those who have a history of diabetes in their family should go for check up and also watch what they eat. Then those who don’t have a history should check out for wounds and not to take it to a roadside chemist for treatment as some people do...

’

Diabetes, renal failure, hypertension take toll on the young December 2011. The current doctor’s report states that his kidneys have packed up, which means he needs a kidney transplant urgently.

“About two years ago, I was first admitted to a Lagos hospital, from where I was transferred to another to get life support. So, while that was going on, I knew that I would need a kidney transplant”, he said in an interview recently.

Before Rev. Peter Monday Osoba became a regular visitor to a renal centre, he was a bubbling young man who had no qualms about life. Today, things have changed for this once ebullient clergyman. Apart from spending hard earned money on his health, he now suffers rejection in some quarters.

“Early in December 5, 2011 I discovered that my body was swelling up. I was finding it difficult to urinate and pass excreta. It was difficult for me to eat without vomiting. My balance was a suspect as I staggered when walking and at times, I would fall down. I had pains all over my body,” Osoba recounted his experience when his illness first manifested.

Initially, he was treated for typhoid and malaria, but it was like scooping water from the ocean as the sickness continued to deteriorate. Eventually he was diagnosed with kindney failure and ever since, he has been a constant visitor to a dialysis centre.

“With the help of dialysis treatment from Kidney Clinics of Nigeria Dobs Centre, Kenta Idi Aba and the Federal Medical Centre, IdiAba, Abeokuta, Ogun State, I started receiving treatment,” he said.

While many have died because of lack of support, Osoba has been a bit lucky. He enjoys financial assistance from his family members. “They (family members) rallied round at the initial stage, sought for money and they prayed for me.”

He said managing his illness is very expensive as he spends an average of N70,000N120,000 weekly on dialysis.

Kidney failure has robbed him of so many

•Osoba

things, including his job and family.”I have been unable to do my job again. My family and relationship with friends has suffered so much strain. My properties and business have also suffered a set back. I have also been unable to pay the children’s school fees. In fact as a father in the house, I have failed in my primary duties,” he said with regrets.

If not for the renal failure, he would have continued with his pastoral work at the African Church, Egba Diocese, Abeokuta.

Osoba is idle as a result of his ill-health. He suffers forms of discrimination from people, a situation that has made his case copmplex.

Right now, he is appealing to well-meaning Nigerians to assist financially in his bid to get renal transplant.

An expensive ailment Treating renal failure is an expensive venture. Experts put the cost of dialysis at about N5 million annually, a figure clearly beyond the reach of the average Nigerian.

For a kidney transplant, a patient would need to cough out about N4 million and a further N150,000 monthly to get immunosuppressive drugs after a successful transplant.

“In Nigeria, there is little or no access to

renal replacement transplant, meaning many people simply die. In essence, kidney failure is usually a death sentence if not detected early and managed appropriately,” said a medical practitioner.

Said Sokunbi: “Renal failure in early stages may be managed by the use of medication and adopting special diets to ensure that failing kidneys are sustained for as long as possible. At end stage, the kidneys are no longer able to maintain the good health of the patient and their functions must be replaced by different renal replacement therapies like dialysis and kidney transplants. Dialysis involves passing the patient’s blood through a machine and artificial kidney for cleaning before returning it to the patient’s body. It is usually recommended to be done three times a week but most Nigerian patients cannot sustain this due to the cost. For this reason, dialysis patients are often very ill and die very often.”

Considering the high cost of treating the disease, experts believe the best option is prevention. “Preventing renal failure is possible with healthy living. Also, known hypertensives and diabetes patients must take their medications for life. Losing weight will help in this regard a great deal,” Sokunbi noted.

Another option is screening. The screening options that are available to pick up the early symptoms of kidney failure are blood pressure measurement, testing blood sugar level, urine test for protein and kidney function test.

Once any of the causes is detected early enough, the best management option opened to the individual is drug treatment and management, which must be adhered to strictly for best result and the prevention of terminal renal disease.

Prevention, the best medicine The best option, like in most other diseases, is prevention, according to health experts. “Keeping fit, keeping blood pressure under control, regular monitoring of blood pressure, healthy eating habit, quitting smoking, avoiding drug abuse and regular kidney check are some basic rules one must adhere to in order to prevent kidney failure,” says Sokunbi(See interview).

He urged Nigerians to avoid lifestyles or habits like smoking, alcohol and drug abuse which could predispose them to kidney problems, adding that it is much easier to prevent the disease because there are inadequate health facilities for treating affected persons.

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Edited by: VICTOR AKANDE

Tel: 08077408676

E-mail: victor_akande@yahoo.com

ntertainment

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012, 2012

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2 1 0 2 A A AM

The

remarkable happenstances!

SEE PAGES 28 - 37

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

STANDh BY! Wit

VICTOR AKANDE E-mail: victor_akande@yahoo.com Tel: 08077408676 (SMS only)

THINK

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NEXIM is ready for Nollywood!

O

N May 15, 2010, my article on this page dwelled on the effort by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) to develop the non-oil sector of the economy. And having realised how much the American, UK and Indian film industries contribute to their economies, the Nigerian motion picture industry was considered viable enough as one of the nation's export that needed to be well harnessed.

The agony of Nollywood, a supposedly multi-billion naira industry, is like a derailed train which continues to attract the interest of the people who desire not just to get it back on track but also canvass urgent rescue operations.

In that month of May 2010, the NEPC initiated a conscious campaign in the three major zones of the country through workshops that sought to collaborate with industry stakeholders to reposition the movie and music industry. The World Bank appeared to be the biggest ally in that attempt, but two years down the line, the story remains the same.

The implication is that the agonies of filmmakers who believed that the NEPC's intervention may just put their woes to rest remain if not worse than ever.

"Pure water is more expensive than Nollywood movies. I have done over 150 films and cannot afford a new car or house of my own. We can't shy away from global trends. My stand is on behalf of every other impoverished director.

We stand for anything than can rescue us," said Lancelot Imasuen, a notable filmmaker, whose film Adesuwa won the Best Nigerian Film in this year's edition of Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) which held in Lagos last weekend.

The president's announcement of a USD200 million intervention fund for the entertainment industry in 2011 opened another book of hope.

Although in some quarters, including my humble self, it was received with mixed feelings, especially since the statement came during the electioneering campaign for the presidency of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. I had described jubilation in some quarter of Nollywood as a dance off-key. But true to the president's promise, NEXIM Bank, one of the custodians of the fund has began disbursement, with the first beneficiary being Black Ivory Communications, producers of Tony Abulu's film entitled Doctor Bello.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in fulfilment of our mandate as the only statutory agency responsible for the promotion of non-oil export, we have identified entertainment (movies and music) as part of the five priority sectors for promotion under the services sub-sector." I love these lines from the NEPC's CEO, Mr. David Adulugba at the Lagos opening of the workshop series on May 14, 2010. But for whatever reason, that mandate did not come to fruition.

One institution has however taken the risk associated with funding an industry that has little or no structure -NEXIM, the Nigerian Export-Import Bank headed by Mr. Roberts Orya. The bank's mandate is to fund indigenous products for external markets; thus to ensure that it is no longer business as usual, Orya is determined to support properly constituted and duly registered corporate entities with satisfactory film business antecedents, evidence of feasible distribution outlets and verifiable financial records. Thus, Americabased Nigerian filmmaker, Tony Abulu becomes the first man to access the fund which many thought was a fluke. Now that the disbursement process has begun, it is not unlikely that every Tom Dick and Harry would want to start putting up a hurried proposal, just so the national cake will not finish.

This is where I think they will start to fail, because the fund, I am meant to believe is not a national cake for all. The bank needs return on investment. Tony Abulu has been able to win because he has the US,

The agony of Nollywood, a supposedly multibillion naira industry, is like a derailed train which continues to attract the interest of the people who desire not just to get it back on track but also canvass urgent rescue operations UK and African market, judging by the success of his previous films; Back to Africa, American Dream and Crazy Like a fox. A filmmaker who depends on the home video outlets that is currently being dominated by Alaba Market pirates would never get the fund. The memory of Dove Media and Ecobank's crashed investment on Nollywood is still fresh in the minds of many corporate bodies. Roberts Orya may not be totally opposed to risk taking as a business man, but he is certainly not going to take a blind risk.

Because for sure, if Doctor Bello and many like it succeed, Orya will be proud to beat his chest before the federal government and say this is possible. When this happens, there is no doubt that more fund will come in. Indeed, Orya is courageous to have blazed the trail. There is no doubt that the bank of Industry (BoI) will follow suit with domestic investment on Nollywood, but even BoI needs to be very wise in the process. There will be noise and discordant tunes, but a business man must remain astute.

I would like to, for the umpteenth

time refer to the submission of Agape Solicitors, a group of solicitors from the United Kingdom who recently visited the country.

The group stated that Nollywood loses no less than 800 million US Dollars yearly due to lack of proper distribution framework of Nigerian films in the United Kingdom. I recall that it is against this backdrop that the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) initiated a distribution framework that will not only reduce the incidence of piracy but also ensure returns on investment. The Censors Board should begin to harmonise its plan with this fund, most especially with the Bank of Industry, since going by Orya's mandate, NEXIM is meant to fund the Export end of the Nigerian entertainment industry, under which Tony Abulu's much desired Hollywood/Nollywood collaboration falls.

Although the NEPC put the worth of the industry at 200 million dollars; a far cry from the Agape Solicitor's 800 million dollars worth of Nollywood, just for the UK market as at 2006. Perhaps, the 200 million dollars is the return on investment that the industry gets and not its actual worth; or should we say that the industry's worth has dropped because of the reduced number of films produced from 2007 to date? However, if what the industry loses is 800 million dollars according to Agape and what comes in is 200 million dollars according to the NEPC, then it is at least logical to say that the industry is worth a billion dollars per year. Whichever way we choose to look at it, it is encouraging that the NEPC recognises the fact that the industry is the second largest employer of labour in the country, going by UNESCO's report that over 200, 000 people are employed directly, while over a million are engaged indirectly.

Orya said his bank's support is for full exploitation of the benefits accruable to the pool of creative talent through the monetization of their intellectual properties. He noted that with the global film entertainment market generating over US$86 billion in revenues in 2010 and with revenue streams largely from box office collections, it is pertinent that Nollywood begins to adopt strategies to participate in the global market space. Even though Nigeria is prolific in film production and with high expertise in low-budget film production, there is also need to locally enhance theatrical receipts and collections.

The Indian Film industry, he said generated over US$1.9 billion revenues in 2011 with box office contributing about 79% of the share of revenue streams from over Indian 13,000 screens (Multiplexes / single screens). 70% of the revenues were generated locally with the 9% from foreign markets. Unlike the Nigerian market, Home video (VCDs, DVDs and Blu-ray Discs (BD) contributes only about 6% of these revenues.

WRITE TO US! Do you watch Nollywood movies? What do you think of the Nigerian motion picture industry? Send your review of any movie or short essay on any topic of your choice about the film industry in not more than 200 words. Send entries by e-mail to: victor_akande@yahoo.com or SMS your short comments to 08077408676

SNAPSHOTS

Rita Dominic dazzles at AMAA Awards!

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OLLYWOOD actress and current AMAA's Best Actress in a Leading Role, Rita Dominic was the cynosure of all eyes at the 8th edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards held last Sunday at the Expo Hall of Eko Hotel and Suits, Lagos.

Known for her impeccable dress sense, those who graced the occasion will tell you that she could have also clinched the Award for the Best Dressed Celebrity for the night because she was looking absolutely stunning.

The icing on the cake however was when the actress and Glo Ambassador gave her speech after she had been presented

with the prestigious laurel on the continent of Africa; the AMAA Awards. “I didn't see this coming. I thank the jury for this great award. I thank the producer of the movie Shattered. I thank my colleagues, friends most especially my late parents who sent me through school to become what I am today. I thank my siblings for their support.

They've been wonderful. And Kate, I thank you so much. I appreciate you all”.

After her speech, everyone was full of admiration for this diva clad in a beautiful pink evening tube dress. The cameramen slugged it out downstage, as each of them struggled to get the best shot of the actress.

Eucharia Anunobi in Police Command…

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POTTED a few days ago at the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja was Nollywood actress and newly ordained minister, Eucharia Anunobi.

Astonished to see the star, this reporter accosted her but contrary to what many would think, she was not arrested by the police neither did she have any allegations to answer to.

According to the thespian who reveals she was on a courtesy visit to the Commission of Police, Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Umar Abubakar Manko, “As a resident and citizen of Lagos State, I have decided to pay this

August visit to the new Commissioner of Police and his entire team, first to welcome him as a Commissioner in charge of policing the citizens of the State and secondly, to give myself and my services for use in any area that your office may deem fit both in my capacity as an actress and also an a minister of God”.

A security Ambassador for the Nigerian Army, Eucharia was also seen inviting the Commissioner and his team to her programme, “God's Glamour Girls” which involves some well known Nollywood members like Stella Damasus and Oyeka Onwenu.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

RE ELNEW S Cannes Film Festival gets jury

NTA fetes Wale Adenuga A

CE production Company, Wale Adenuga Productions has been honoured by Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), in appreciation of its outstanding performance as one of NTA's Ten Best Business Partners for year 2010/2011.

The award ceremony which was held 0n April 12, 2012 at Eko Hotel, Lagos was a gathering of erudite and eminent personalities.

The Chairman, Wale

Adenuga Productions, Mr. Wale Adenuga MFR reiterated the Company's poise to create more values for viewers with their quality family programmes.

He says “Wale Adenuga Productions will not relent in its commitment to create positive change in the society” WAP has won several awards with its flagship programmes such as Superstory, Papa Ajasco, Thislife and Nnena & Friends.

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Segun Arinze loses mother-inMiss Big and Beautiful unveils pet project law

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HESE are certainly not the best of times for Nollywood actor, Segun Arinze. The current President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria lost his mother in-law, Mrs Nsofor who died after a brief illness in London.

The unfortunate incident occurred on Friday, April 20, 2012. Segun Arinze, his wife and family members are said to be putting burial arrangements in together and date for final burial rites will be announced soon.

Omotola campaigns against environmental degradation

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OLLYWOOD actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde is leading a campaign against environmental degradation.

The thespian has taken a hot stand on oil giant, Shell over oil spiallage in the Niger Delta.

Omotola was spotted in London recently outside Shell's headquarters calling on the company to Own Up, Pay Up and Clean Up. She has joined forces with Amnesty International in fighting this cause for Niger Delta region in Nigeria.

The sultry make-believe queen reminded her fans that she is from Niger Delta (Ondo State), hence, she feels pained at the effect of the pollution by the activities of Shell in her region.

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ISS Big and Beautiful, Pharm Chibuogwu Adaobi recently unveils her pet project.

Organized by Ge-Swill Global Investment Limited under the leadership of Amba Austin th Enehijeiana, the 5 Beauty Queen of the pageant, Pharm speaks about her pet project, the Laser Fever. In her words she said, “I am trying to create the awareness for Laser fever in schools. I have a comic book which I'm working on. The book when it is ready will be distributed in

Mercy MICHAEL

school to further help students and pupils understand the disease. The first case was in 1969 in Borne State and it's now back and if proper awareness is not created we could lose a lot of people to this disease”.

What is the fulfillment for her in the campaign on Laser fever?

She said, “Actually since secondary school when I built my self

•Adenuga

esteem as a plus lady, I have been looking for an opportunity to empower plus size ladies and enlighten them because a lot of plus size ladies are wallowing in depression. So when I heard about this I felt it was a big opportunity so I went for it. Having the crown alone is a fulfillment because I've always wanted to be celebrated.

And I feel the society have giving me enough and I should give back to the society”.

Laser fever is an epidemic, “It can wipe away a lot of people.

Trust me; with laser fever if one is infected, it may the end of that person life. That is how serious it.

Everybody is at risk of laser fever because it's being infected by rat, their feaces and urine when they come in contact with our food stuffs, she said”.

I Film enthusiasts gear up for

O

•Nanni

Charting a new cause for Creative Business

T was a gathering of creative egg heads recently when stakeholders and power players converged for a creative business forum at the Four Points Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The forum organised by Enterprise Creative- a social N the 1st to the 4th of May 2012 at the Southern Sun Cape Sun; enterprise focused on the the CILECT Congress will be hosted by AFDA, the South building capacity in the Nigerian African School of Motion Pictures and Live Performance. creative business was sponsored The CILECT (Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de

by Asset and Resource Company Cinéma et de Télévision) Congress is an international association Limited (ARM). that represents over 160 film schools from across the globe, from The theme of the forum was Ghana to the USA. This will be the first time in its sixty year history tagged 'Towards Greater that the CILECT Congress is being hosted in Africa. The theme Understanding, Better of this year's conference is UBUNTUFILMEDUCATION. Dialogue and New The conference deals primarily with new and existing Business'. The forum teaching methodologies, and is a platform for also offered collaboration between students, lecturers and film schools. participants the opportunity of a The conference sees speakers from the film school better industry, as well as universities from around the world, exchange knowledge on understanding of topics such as teaching methodology, the peculiarities of contemporary documentary film, creative business; economic development and new media stronger links and technology. forged between Joining the conference as keynote the creative and speaker is South African, Ronnie financial sectors, Apteker; a successful entrepreneur and and the film-maker, with his latest production development of being the film 'Material' starring Riaad new businesses.

Moosa. Ronnie will deliver the keynote A key note address and his thoughts on UBUNTU presentation in Film in South Africa on Thursday, May 3 2012 at the CILECT Congress was delivered 2012.

by Mr. Deji •Obi Asika

Cape Town Film Festival

HE prestigious Cannes Film Festival recently reeled out a list of names that would form the jury of the yearly Film Festival. The Jury of the competition presided over by Nanni Moretti (Italian director, actor and producer) welcomes to its ranks other members such as Hiam Abbass (Palestinian actress, director), Andrea Arnold (British director and scriptwriter), Emmanuelle Devos (French actress), Diane Kruger (German actress), Jean Paul Gaultier (French designer), Ewan McGregor (British actor), Alexander Payne (American director, scriptwriter and producer) and Raoul Peck (Haitian director, scriptwriter and producer).

The Jury of the 65th Festival de Cannes will have to decide between the 22 films in Competition in order to select the winners, to be announced on stage during the Closing Ceremony on 27th May, culminating in the announcement of the Palme d'or.

Alli, CEO ARM Investment Managers while discussants were drawn from different walks of life such as advertising, design, film, TV, music, visual arts, web, mobile, interactive media, radio, arts, publishing, fashion and marketing.

Obi Asika, CEO of Storm 360 and one of the discussants at the forum centered his discussion on the challenges and opportunities in different creative fields. He proffered a panacea on common issues of route to market, fragmentation and lack of risk capital. The issue of how producers can maximize the commercial value of creative projects in order to attract investments was also in the front burner of Obi's presentation.

Speaking after the forum, Nkiru Asika, founder, Enterprise Creative said the mission of her outfit is to build capacity for the creative industry in Nigeria.

“Our mission is to strengthen and build capacity in the Nigerian creative industry by providing training, business support, information, and professional development to aspiring, emerging and established creative entrepreneurs and practitioners,” she said.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

Bongos Ikwue is regarded as one of Nigeria's most successful artistes and he has also succeeded in winning for himself a glut of music fans most of whom can never forget his soulful and folkloric songs such as 'Otachikpopo', 'Amen', 'Still Searching' and the theme song for the now rested popular TV series 'Cock Crow at Dawn'. Now, demonstrating his stayingpower with the release of a new album, the iconic musician spoke about his latest project, the movie Inale and the fact that he is not a fading star in this interview with AHMED BOULOR.

My greatest song has not been written yet —Bongos Ikwue W

HAT really helped the popularity of the now rested TV series entitled 'Cock Crow at Dawn' was the soundtrack written and produced by you. Could you tell us how you got inspired to write that soundtrack at the time?

There were so many instances, experiences and things which helped in writing the lyrics of that song. The setting at the time was another contribution. But majorly, I listened to the story told by Peter Igho, the producer of the series and got inspired in the process. That was how I came up with the theme song for the now rested series.

You also made a bold re-entry into the scene two years ago with the movie Inale.

How did the movie fare in the market?

The movie is not faring badly in the market; it is faring well as expected but it could be better. Before that bold entry, quietly, I worked on a lot of musical hits with musicians, with several remixes here and there. I can assure you that once this present work of mine hits the airwaves, Nigerians will appreciate my creativity and reasons for the long absence from the music scene.

How much did it cost to put the movie together?

We can't really place a figure on the entire amount spent on the project. We are still sorting out the figure for the film. We are not done yet with computing the figures‌ Is there any particular reason for producing that movie?

There is always a reason for telling a story. We want to tell our story our way and from our own point of view.

What about the album for the movie? Is it out yet?

The album is not out yet but it is in the works as soon as it is done it will be released and that would be sooner than later.

How did you feel initially when your first daughter Keke took to music?

Keke was not into music initially but she embraced it as some point in her life. My other daughters Omie and Jessica are the ones that are really musically inclined. God has been so good to me and every member of my family. I have a lovely wife, who is very caring and nice. I am blessed with good children who are all graduates. They schooled in the United States and two of my daughters are lovers of the art of music. One of them has written and recorded an eighttrack album which will be released soon.

Was Keke majorly the brain behind the movie Inale?

Keke was certainly one of the brains behind it and the movie project is one of the biggest projects embarked upon by BIK Entertainment. There were other people who helped in ensuring that the movie project became a success and I am thankful

for their efforts.

What projects does BIK Entertainment have in the pipeline?

Over the years, I have been quietly building what can be described as 'Hollywood in Nigeria', an entertainment outfit that will in another few years take Nigeria by storm and move show business to the next level.The outfit is based in Makurdi, Benue State and it consists of ultra-modern and state-of-the-art equipments that can rival any entertainment industry in the world. There is the film studio, a multipurpose complex built to cater for film and TV production, animation and futuristic graphics. There is a recording/musical studio where international artistes of repute can record songs. There is also the rental arm of the business for indoor and outdoor equipments for concerts of any magnitude with lights. I have also been working on a lot of materials for my forthcoming album with a musician called Double X. DJ Sinbad, one of the top DJ's in Europe was responsible for the remix of the song 'Love of My Life' which is currently receiving airplay in Canada and New Zealand.

I have also recently secured a 2 year distribution deal with a London based outfit known as Kudos Records. That means that my songs can be assessed worldwide. I have also secured a deal for a tour in London this year which is being put together by a company known as AGMP. They have organised shows for artistes such as James Brown and Abbey Hancock.

How did it feel performing again after 22 years at Ehidiana's "Kicking it O'l Skool" in Port Harcourt?

It really felt great but I have been performing; I recently did a show in Abuja with the Vice President in attendance. And a day before the Port Harcourt show, I also performed at Makurdi for the President. I am back with a bang, with a bold new threealbum project entitled, Native Roots Jazz album titled Love of My Life, Native Roots

I am a man on the move, ready to give my all to music and the entertainment business, which no doubt has brought me fame and fortune –

Country and Blues album Wulu Wulu and a contemporary album titled Hold On. The album variously featuring two of my daughters named Omie and Jessica and two British artistes brought in as back-up vocals, including other talented instrumentalists from home and abroad. I have picked up from where I left off.

What does it feel like being one of Nigeria's music legends?

I feel very proud about that more so as I am being placed on the same musical scale with Nigeria's very best such as Haruna Ishola, Ebenezer Obey, Fela Anukulapo Kuti and King Sunny Ade. Would it be okay to say that you are temporarily out of retirement?

I was never retired, I just took a break. I am still playing and recording with a young vibrant band.

What fond memories do you have of your 70's group, 'The Groovies'?

I have fond memories of the group and we had great shows all over the country. For me, it was great and the biggest fun was to have the crowds sing those songs as if they were the ones that wrote them. There were also some crazy dancers from the audience and the young girls who always made new dresses for every show that hit their city.

When you faded off the scene to settle in Oturkpo as a furniture maker, did you miss the attraction of being a musician?

Not really, I settled in Makurdi making furniture and doing other things. But the fire of music was and is still burning inside of me.

How are you faring with your construction and tourism business?

Things are going on well and I feel very good about the prospects of the business. I don't think anybody knows what he or she is capable of doing or the challenges to expect in a passionate hobby. I am of the strong conviction that every human being

created by God is endowed with the power of possibilities. Some are lucky to witness a situation where things happen in their favour and they are able to express themselves. Some geniuses have died inexpressibly but we are lucky to be alive and create new ideas that will turn around this generation and position Nigeria positively in the eyes of the comity of nations. We are grateful to the Almighty for being so good to us in the area of construction and tourism expertise.

Do you see yourself as a faded star?

No, I am a rising star. I can assure you that Nigerians would be amazed and shocked to witness the success of my latest 40 hit songs. Both the audio and visual output of my new songs will bring about an evolution of culture and good music in the country. I am a man on the move, ready to give my all to music and the entertainment business, which no doubt has brought me fame and fortune. My resolute belief in the Nigerian project is contagious as expressed in my current album.

Which songs do you consider as your greatest hits?

'Ella' and 'Still Searching' are some of the greatest hits of the past and I am hoping that the songs I have written today will become instant successes like them. What we have done is to play some of our old hits in a country way, and 'Ella' in a more refined and creative style. My greatest song has not been written yet; I am bringing in new ideas into some of my old songs and pass the hits through today's technology. I believe I have a better set of musicians now, with pedigree of a minimum of two years.

Each of them plays instruments and beats drums very well. I must confess that all my musicians are good at what they do.

Besides, the 8-tracker EMI studio I had before has given way to my present 40tracker ultra modern studio.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

Spinlet to fund DaGrin's post humous album

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OLUTION Media and Infotech Limited clocked one recently and what better way to mark it than a high impact entertainment show. A massive crowd converged with an audience of almost 9,000 people at Kings College Annex Victoria Island under the biggest tent in Africa to unwind, relax and have fun.

The event featured performances from high profile artistes such as 2face, Teju Babyface, MI, Ice Prince, Ruby, Dj Jimmy Jatt, Ego, Shuga Band and a host of others with fun lasting well into the early hours of Saturday morning. The celebration never saw a dull moment with the hilarious comedy by Teju baby face and Mc Freeze of cool FM. Highlights of the event include the amazing tent and its capacity, the excited crowd of over 9,000 people, the fantastic stages and the buzz of the Red-carpet activities which was heavy with media presence.

Solution Media and Infotech Limited is a Hitech multimedia events and entertainment company with expertise in Cinematography (Media production such as Documentaries& Commercials), Events Logistics (Sound, Tents, Lighting, Stages, Music water fountain etc) Laser/multimedia, 3D animations, and Digit print.

eLDee out with new single

Tuface, Ice Prince, MI, others set Lagos ‘ablaze’

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RM releases Onitemi Ni

ET to be a part of the music industry, new kid on the block, Mary Omolade Adewale has dropped her first single titled Onitemi Ni. Born in Kano, RM is the first in a family of three- two girls OUNDER of Trybe good life feels when you are rich. and a boy. A prominent member Records, Lanre Dabiri The song portrays eLDee as a of The Polytechnic Ibadan popularly known as eLDee dynamic artiste who knows how Christian Union Choir while Da Don has dropped a new hit best to do what he does and keep studying Computer Science in single titled Category. This is his listeners gasping for more. the institution, she was raised in following the successful release The Producer cum singer a Christian household, and of the video to his wedding song recently completed the began her musical career at a single, Today-Today dropped few Undeniable project, re-mixed all Church Choir at a very young weeks back. songs in New York and mastered age.

Currently generating great the album in Argentina.

She is currently an reviews from different online According to eLDee, "this is by undergraduate at the University entertainment sites, the new far my most exciting album and I of Lagos, Akoka, studying single is one of the singles off really want the experience to be Educational Management. RM eLDee's fifth studio album, truly refreshing for all my fans. I worships at the popular Undeniable. Category is a feel good hope they enjoy the album as Kingsway International Christian song that centers on much as we did making it". He Centre (KICC), Maryland, Lagos achievement, success and how said.

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Ali Baba returns to stage

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OME May 12 2012, Nigeria's celebrated king of comedy, Atunyota Akpobome aka Ali Baba will perform live at the special edition of Nigeria's family comedy show, called Stand up Nigeria. Tagged The Deluxe Edition, the event is put together to mark the 12th anniversary of Afrotainment Productions, producers of Stand up Nigeria.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, April 24, head honcho at the Afrotainment house, Bunmi Davies, said the show will feature Ali Baba and three other Nigerian comedy greats such as Okey Bakassi, Basorge Tariah and Port Harcourt based Yibo Koko. “Over the years, we have tried to give our audience the very best and we appreciate that they have kept their loyalty, so we are prepared to do something remarkably different but of immense quality to reward them,” he said.

The norm in Nigerian stand up scene is to have several comedians

perform for between 10-50 minutes each but this edition redefines the standards as Alibaba is set to perform for three hours per show. The two shows will bring his total performance time to almost six hours.

To be held at the prestigious Muson Center, Onikan, Lagos,the two part show will take place by 3 and 7pm and according to Davies, tickets were made extremely affordable in order to accommodate more people that will be interested.

Excited at the upcoming event, Ali Baba says that the event aims to bring stand up acts from the past and chronicle it into a stage performance.

where she is a member of the Choir.

“I am set to propagate the Gospel through songs of love, songs of hope and songs of prosperity using a popular musical genre hip hop,” she says. RM's role model in the industry is Nicole C. Mullen.

Happily married with a daughter, RM says that Onitemi Ni has been composed for about four years ago and she has other songs to her credit.

Anita Joseph plunges into music SULTRY actress Anita Joseph has finally released her debut single titled 'Go Gaga'. The song which has been in the pipeline for a while is gradually receiving appreciable airplay and the actress believes the song will make a huge impact.

•Ali Baba

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PINLET- a lifestyle, entertainment and music platform is set to fund DaGrin's post humous single titled 'If I Die' remix featuring American Rapper Styles P of the LOX (group with Jadakiss and Sheek Louch) Spinlet has also helped to put together an album with remixes and new songs from DaGrins rhyme book.

The single "If I Die" from the album titled Invincible Bulletproof which was released last week.

The track produced by Frenzy is done and would be released soon. "Frenzy was a natural choice for producing this song", says Tunde Peter of Spinlet.

"He worked with DaGrin in the past and he does projects for the love of music and he also has high respect for DaGrin, the music he created and his ability to rhyme." Tunded added.

The album would be released under the Missofunyin Entertainment and Spinlet is also releasing a video to accompany "If I Die" using footage shot in Lagos.

The video will be premiered on May 9 at the Industry Nite with a line-up of artistes featured on Invincible Bullet-proof.

Produced by Jopee the song is said to Anita's quest to successfully manage her burgeoning career as an actress and a promising artiste.

The undeterred singer, model and actress could be described as one of the most misunderstood thespians on the movie scene as she has had her fair share of bad publicity and negative rumours in the past.

•Anita

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R R R R R R R R R R E E E E E E E E V V V V V V V V E E O O O O O O O O V V C C C C C C C C O O C C Beautifully crazy red carpet THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012, 2012

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

COVER

COVER

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IGHT from when the organisers of the Award announced the change in venue for this year's AMAA, away from Bayelsa state which has played host to it since the past seven years save for 2008 when it took place in Abujato Lagos, the Nigerian media was awash with what might be the implication of that change of venue.

The event held in Lagos for the first time and so far, many pundits have come to agree that it has done more good than harm contrary to their belief.

As most of the challenges usually faced by the organizers which include logistics, security, and among others were easily managed here in Lagos.

However, Chief Executive Officer of AMAA, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe made it known that the Bayelsa State government is still very much one of its strong supporters despite the change in venue, and AMAA may return to Yenagoa in the future.

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OR an event of this magnitude, in its eighth year, the Red Carpet is one of the major highlights of the AMAA. Pundits have described this year's red carpet as beautifully crazy! Far too glamorous than what we have had in the past. No doubt, it attested to the fact that Africans are very glamorous people in the world. From Nollywood to Ghollywood, the stars where ravishingly beautiful on the Red Carpet just like their international counterparts. The stars were a sight to behold as they posed for the paparazzi; local and foreign photo journalists who stormed the venue in their numbers.

The Red Carpet this year remains one to beat in the history of the Award as it lasted well over three hours. The paparazzi really had a great time clicking away on their favourite celebrities. Some of the Red Carpet stunners for the evening included ace broadcaster and TV host, Funmi Iyanda, Lynn Whitfield, Kate Henshaw, Rita Dominic, Grace Egbagbe, Maye Gilbert, Asa, Yinka Davis, Ama K. Abrese, among others.

Guests also looked glamorous as most of them outfitted themselves like stars. It was difficult to tell who the real stars were.

All for Rita Dominic, Majid Michel and ‘How to Steal 2 Million’ The African time

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T is not unlikely that with every event, big or small, hitches are almost inevitable. This year's AMAA however would have almost been hitch-free, except for a few lapses which is the usual 'African-time' mentality. The event which was billed to start by 7pm didn't commence until about 10:30 pm. So bad was the situation that some of the international stars got angry and threatened to boycott the event because of the delay.

Celebrities, particularly from Africa who understood the mentality with timing, hung around one another, chatting, while some seized the opportunity to pose for the paparazzi. But apart from that, there was no other major controversy this year. The organizers no doubt deserve thumbs up for this.

2 1 0 2 A A AM

It was a landmark ending for the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) as filmmakers from all over Africa, Nigerians in the Diaspora and at home, Hollywood stars, actors and actresses, and international media converged in Lagos for the 8th edition of the prestigious award, aimed at celebrating the best of Africa cinema.

It was the first major event of that magnitude in the year. It was also holding in Lagos for the first time, and at the popular Expo Hall of Eko Hotel and Suites. Apparently,

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expectations were very high.

Since the week-long event finally climaxed on Sunday, April 22, 2012 comments have continued to pour in for the event which had one of the largest convergences of both local and international stars under one roof.

Some of the international stars that stormed the country for the Awards that has come to be regarded by many as the Oscar of Africa include: Hollywood star actor, Morris Chestnut, Emmy award nominee and Oscar winner, Lynn Whitfield, Jimmy Jean Louis of the Phat

Gals fame among other notable films, Maya Gilbert, Ebbe Bassey, Isaiah Washington, Rockmond Dunbar among others. And from Africa, the stars include Rita Domini, Kate Henshaw, Nse Etim-Ikpe, Majid Michel, Lydia Forson, Ama K. Abrese, to mention a few.

Though the event may have come and gone, the experiences are too numerous to be easily forgotten. Mercy Michael takes a look at some of the happenstances of this year's AMAA Award.

Excerpts:

Presentation

T

HE selection of the presenters for this year's Awards has been adjudged by many as the best so far. Most of them were professionals. With the exception of a few who did not keep to their script, the guests had a good time beholding some of their big celebrities on stage for the first time. Lynn Whitfield, Funmi Iyanda, Ejike Asiagbo, and Patrick Doyle were some of the Award presenters who made an impression on most of the guests. The other Award presenters include Chief Grace Egbagbe, Senator Ita Giwa, CEO of Airtel Oba Otudeko, Emeka Osai, Morris Chestnut, Chinedu Ikediazie and others.

Planning

Holding the grand finale of the Award at the Eko Hotel and Suites has been one of the best decisions the organizers took because of the world class services the hospitality outfit has been known for over the years.

Most of all, the sea of heads that turned out for the 8th edition of the event which include filmmakers, stars, government officials, captain of industries, stakeholders, among others could only have been housed by the expansive structure of the Expo Hall. Perhaps, it is imperative to say that the change in venue could have been responsible for the impressive turnout of at this year's AMAA.

Overview

A

MAA once again did a good job at celebrating African filmmakers, her Actors, stories and the continent as a whole! Putting Africa on the world stage! In the words of AMAA CEO, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, “As filmmakers, our duty is to retell African story in our own way. We cannot allow others to tell our story and that is why the theme for this year's AMAA is - Africa is Rising and that is why I would thank Nollywood, Tanzania, South Africa, Ghana and the rest of the Africa nation for telling our own story in our own way.

Sponsored by Airtel Nigeria, among the personalities that added glamour to the awards which has been described as Africa's Oscar were business mogul, Chief Sunny Odogwu, Billionaire magnate and Chairman of Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Oba Otudeko, socialite, Grace Egbagbe, Outstanding woman politician and former Senator of the Federal Republic, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, former Minister of State Defence, Mr. Demola Seriki, former Governor of Cross-Rivers State, Donald Duke and Ovation Publisher and former Presidential Candidate, Chief Dele Momodu and other captains of industry from banking, insurance, Oil & Gas sector and representatives of Lagos State Government.

Hollywood Jimmy Jean Louis and O.C Ukeje were the hosts of the evening and they did absolutely fantastic till the very end. The show opened with an electrifying performance by one of the best vocalists in Nigeria, delectabl

e Yinka Davis. It could only take someone like the acclaimed queen of African Soul Asa, to further charge the atmosphere and get the guests dancing and singing along to her popular track Jailer. Finally Africa's finest act, Tuface Idibia, basking in the love shown from the crowd, wowed! He was just fantastic on stage.

It was time for the presentation of awards. Pretty much professional celebrities were called to do the Awards presentation. They include Zik Zulu, Funmi Iyanda, Patrick Doyle, Ita Giwa, Grace Egbagbe, and Morris Chestnut among others.

Like the previous years, the team that made up the jury for this year's Award, headed by Mrs. Asantewa Olatunji could not be faulted given their reputation in Africa and the world cinema. They are self made filmmaker, Berni Goldblat, Journalist, author and newspaper administrator, Steve Ayrinde, John Akomfrah, a Super 8 maker and movie enthusiast as well as international film curator and writer on African cinema, keith Shiri. Others include international film curator, June Givanni, Hyginus Ekwuazi, Husseini Shaibu, Dorothee Wenner and Ayuko Babu.

South African Charlie Vundla scooped Best Director and his debut film noir thriller How 2 Steal 2 Million was named Best Film. South African actress Terry Pheto was named Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film, which also won Best Achievement in Editing (Garreth Fradgely). With four laurels, How 2 Steal 2 Million was the most awarded film of the night.

Nigeria's Benin-set historical epic, Adesuwa came closely with three awards, namely Costume Design, Visual Effects, and Best Nigerian Film. South Africa's crime drama, State of Violence won Best Film in an African Language and Best Achievement in Sound.

Man on Ground, a Nigerian/South African xenophobiathemed coproduction, won the Special Jury Award given for only the third time since the inception of AMAA and Best Supporting Actor for South African Fana Mokoena. Nigeria's Rita Dominic was named Best Actress for her role in Kenyan film Shattered, while Ghanaian Majid Michel won Best Actor for his role in Somewhere in Africa. Danny Glover's Toussaint Louverture was named Best Diaspora Film.

Nigeria was the most awarded country that night, receiving 12 awards, followed closely by South Africa with 10.

In his address, Chairman of Airtel Nigeria, Oba Otudeko said the mobile telephone giant has found a worthy partner in AMAA as a platform to contribute to the growth and development of the film industry in Nigeria and across Africa.

By

Harry Iwuala

Inside The

Glass House WITH AMINU MAIGARI

AKINLOYE

AT LARGE

08050246155 atlarge84@yahoo.com

38

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

Crystal Band: The clear winner!

S

ATURDAY, April 21, 2012, will always remain memorable, not only for the finalists of the bandbased talent hunt show, Star Quest but for those who took time out to cheer them up at the Grammy-style show.

Held at Eko Hotels and Suites, the Grand Finale of the 2012 edition of one of Nigeria's foremost musical reality contest Star Quest, the atmosphere that evening was indeed intimidating and in every detail conformed to world-class standard.

Replete with excitement and an appealing ambience, the Saturday evening was made spectacular and indeed memorable for the budding stars making up the three bands that reached the finals. For the 18 young youngsters, that evening was surely exciting, thrilling and exhilarating since the commencement of their stint in music.

The tension was palpable among the band members. But if they appeared consumed by the tension due to the enormity of the occasion, it did not reflect when they stepped on the masterfully crafted stage with the brilliant flashing lights.

At the beginning of the Grand Finale, three bands of the six that entered Star Quest Fameland remained. They were Crystals, Quantum Vibes and Soul Rhythm. Soul Rhythm became the first band to be voted back in by the viewing public, after their earlier eviction.

Seven brilliant and enthralling performances that greeted the evening before a capacity filled hall and for Crystals, it was an extension of their impressive performance since the competition began as.

The tone for the finals was set as Crystals waltzed through two songs.

The first, 'E Go Beta', was the second original composition from the band. The song got the audience dancing as the terrific combination of vocalists Atinuke Afolayan and Civian Obehi, shone like a million stars with their impressive choreography and crisp voices.

Romeo, the crowd favourite, was also at his best, entertaining all with his impressive rap routine. If the first performance from Crystals was exciting, then the second was electrifying. The band brought Kanye West's hit song, 'All of the Lights' to life. They cemented their reputation as the band to beat in the competition with both performances and the crowd could simply not get enough of them.

Taking their turn with a commendable performance, Quantum Vibes, also did two songs; Kojo Dada, their personal composition and British Pop star's song, Adele's 'Set Fire To The Rain�. The combination of Tega Apochi and Wakpor Aghomise seemed to get better with every performance. David Akinola was his usual flawless self on the lead guitar.

Soul Rhythm also was given their turn to prove themselves as being worthy of the coveted prizes with their two songs, Mawoju Uche, their own composition, and 'Billionaire' by Travis McCoy featuring Bruno Mars. Rapper Stessi Chima, brought all of her rapping skills to the stage while the duo of Naomi Oboyi and Paul Chris sang as if their lives depended on it.

If the razzmatazz that followed the performances thrilled the audience, wait till you see how intense decision time was, a time for the results to be announced. Show anchor, Gideon, was in his usual mischievous element, delaying the final announcement. Also standing by him was the distinguished person of Nicolaas Vervelde, Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc. All 18 band members were present. Hands interlocked and standing in groups, they awaited the moment of decision.

At a few minutes to midnight, when Chika Nwobi, CEO of MTech Nigeria, presented the final voting results to Gideon Okeke, Star Quest 2012 anchor, and Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde, Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, only one band remained standing Crystals.

Wild celebrations erupted right from the stage down to the hall. The members of the bands huddled together in frenzied celebration while the crowd joined in the merriment. The countless rehearsal sessions and performances finally paid off.

For emerging winners, the band gets the grand prize of a recording contract

worth N7.5 million, N3.6 million cash, a brand new minivan and one year fully paid accommodation in a choice location in Lagos. Their fans who were swept away by their performance may as well get ready for more breathtaking performances from Crystals as they would also perform in several Star sponsored concerts across the country.

The victory by Crystals didn't take the shine away from the other two runners up of the night. Quantum Vibes may have succumbed to the sheer talents of Crystals but they also put up a splendid performance on the night. Sadly their performance was not good enough to upstage Crystals as they pooled the second highest votes.

For Soul Rhythm also, it was an end to their lucky streak as they finally bowed out of the competition. The band was initially evicted from the competition, alongside Golden Clef. But after receiving the highest number of votes, they found themselves in the Grand Finale of the event. Still, the occasion seemed to be too much for them as they emerged in third place.

There was still time for one more performance as all three bands performed 'Greatest Love of All', in memory of the late Whitney Houston.

Star Quest 2012 may have ended but the memories are sure to remain with everyone present that night, especially for audience. They were not disappointed for they got a taste of what the future of Nigerian music industry would look like.

39

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

I’m 54 years old, how can I increase my sexual intercourse from 3 to 4 rounds in a night?

Hi Adeola, kindly advise me on how to increase my sexual intercourse from three to four rounds in a night. I’m 54 years old and married with children.

- M from Jos. Dear M, I see a problem here. Most guys your age (and even those who are younger) are happy to have one good sex in the night before falling asleep and another one early in the morning before going to bed, and that’s like winning a prize. By 40, most busy men manage to get in the sack five times weekly. So if you’re thinking of having sex three to four times a night every night or let’s say five times in a week, you may have a problem here. If at 54, you can still have 20 rounds of sex in a week, then you’re a stud. I hope you’re not too high on aphrodisiac because that may pose a problem to your heart.

How old is your wife? If she’s about your age, she should be occupied more with getting the children on the right paths in life rather than having sex four times in a night. Can she cope with your high demands for sex? Or is she the one asking for more rounds? If she is, and she’s already getting three rounds per night, let her know that sex is more pleasurable if it is taken slowly but steadily. If your wife is younger, she may want more than three rounds per night, but I know that once a woman has reached orgasm once or twice in a night, she’s okay and may not want more. Maybe you’re not getting her to the hilt hence the need to overwork you. Ask her if she’s actually getting satisfied to her brains. If she’s not, work more on knowing her G-spots and making her scream with pleasure rather than just pumping in and out many times in a night.

You’re not as young as you used to be and you’re not a machine, so slow down a bit. Life is not about how much, but how well.

I’m still a virgin at 20 but my guy is suggesting that we have sex so that I’ll be free with him I’m 20 years old and I’m dating someone who loves me and I love him too. But there is a problem I’m facing – whenever I’m with him I’m always so shy I don’t know what to say and I’m not bold enough to ask him anything. This is really costing me my relationship since he no longer calls as he used to. He’s always with his friends because I’m not free when I’m with him. He is suggesting that we have sex so that I’ll be free with him, but I’m still a virgin and I don’t want a situation where he would leave me when he has gotten what he wants. Please tell me how to keep this relationship by telling me what to do to fight shyness. - E from Warri.

Dear E, in the ‘shy faculty’, I could be HOD, but when I meet those who are my kind, the shyness soon disappears and we relate as if we have known for years. If at 20 you have been with this guy for a while and you’re and still shy around him then it could be something deeper than just being tonguetied around him.

If you have a lot in common with somebody for instance, you soon hit it off and have endless things to talk about.

So if you find you hardly have things to talk about, then you have no reason to be in this relationship.

In on the other hand, you know you have a lot in common, but you’re too shy to open up around him, then you may have issues with self-confidence.

It is either you think he’s more superior to you and so, you don’t know how to place your words when you’re with him, or you simply feel overwhelmed when you’re together.

If it is any of the two, you need to take a break and work on yourself. You may find yourself being like this with other people and they may take you for

granted.

DO NOT fall into the trap of having sex in order to shed your shyness. Sex in itself can be awkward. If you don’t have anything to say to a guy before sex, is it after you have shown your body to him that you will now have something to say to him? For most guys, they always have something to say to you before they get you to bed after which they run out of ideas. After

all, the chasing game and brain-cracking to get you are both over, so they may get quiet and reflective. For somebody who is already out of ideas on what to say to you, you’ll just go to bed, behave like two deaf people and get out without a word being spoken. You shouldn’t even try it.

Grow out of your shyness. Mix with people who share whatever passion you have and love yourself.

Baby, I want you to teach me English Baby I want you to teach me English language.

Hi. Asking me to teach you the English language is just like asking somebody to teach me German or French. That person would need to be dedicated and a lot of hours would need to go into it. I really don’t know the level you have already reached with the language, but since you could send a text, it means you’re a bit above the elementary stage. However, a lot of people speak English and when they say they’re university graduates; you want to ask if they taught them in pidgin English. I’m glad you’re not one of those who think they know, but who do not. The English language has many rules and structures, but once you know them all, it’s as easy as your local language.

Study skills - For Beginners: Learning any language takes practice - lots of practice! Often, it’s difficult to know what you should practice. Should you watch a video? Perhaps, it would be a good idea to do a few quizzes. Of course, you should try to speak English with your friends. All of these are great ideas, but it’s also important to build a routine. A routine will help you make studying English a habit. That’s the

best way to improve your English!

Make learning a habit: It’s important to be exposed to many different areas every day. However, you shouldn’t try to study too many different subjects. These suggestions take a short listening and reading as the basis for daily practice. You are trying to learn many new things, so don’t try to learn too much in any one area too quickly! There are a number of videos and books that you can use.

Books written for children are also a great idea. These tips should help you.

Hearts With Adeola Agoro

E-mail: libranadeola@yahoo.co.uk

Re: My sister, Folawe Agoro has left us P.S: When I saw the overwhelming number of condolence messages a lot of you beloved sent to me on the passing away of my sister, I shed tears afresh. As at the last count, I had received over one hundred and eighty. Thank you all for the messages, telephone calls and prayers. I know that by the grace of God, we shall never have any cause for me to repay back this way. Instead, God will make you all celebrate promotions and elevations in your private worlds. Thanks a lot. Ese pupo!

•Hello maa, I want to use this opportunity to tell you that I sympathize with you on the death of your sister. It’s always a painful thing when we lose those that are very dear to us, but who are we to blame God. Take heart my sister and God will keep watch over you, your dad and other siblings. Ani ri iku akufa, Olorun o ni se ni telentele. – Biodun from Ijebu (07060708070).

•I commiserate with you on the passing away to glory of your dear sister. May her soul rest in eternal peace with the Lord. Accept my sympathy.

– Mr. Demolu.

•I’m deeply sorry about the death of your sister, I pray the good Lord will strengthen and comfort your family at this period. Cheer up sister.

Like you said families should always create time to be together because it is always terrible when it is death that brings people together. Please take heart. E o ni ru e mo o. - julian_oyakhire@yahoo.co.uk.

•Dear Deola, just want to say pele for the loss of your sis. My name is Wale Ademowo, former editor of Tribune. I know daddy very well, he used to frequent my office then with one of his wives, a fair complexioned woman. Anyway I am a fan and I read your column. Just read about it. A o ni ri ru e mo o. Pele dear take heart. You are doing a good job. acusarpr@yahoo.co.uk.

•Precious Hajia Adeola, It is with a heavy heart that I write this mail as I learnt with a big shock, the untimely demise of your darling younger sister, Folawe Agoro. The very sad incident which according to you happened on Sunday April 15th, 2012 was no doubt a big blow to you and the rest of your beloved family. I’m very sorry. Your amiable dad, the great man of God and consummate politician, Dr. Olapade Agoro must have taken the unfortunate incident with philosophical calmness hence he instructed that burial took place same day. That Folawe departed this wicked world through a “common” ailment, typhoid fever, is all the more painful. Well, we can’t fight or query God. He gives, He takes. Take heart, my dear sister. Cry no more and be your cheerful and lively self once again. Take solace in the fact that Folawe has gone to rest in the abode of her creator. I fervently pray that your family never witness such a sad incident again. May Allah grant all of you the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. May the gentle soul of your departed sister rest in perfect peace. Accept my condolence, please. It shall be well with you and all the members of your large and lovely family. Jackson Nwadike, ikembanaija4life@yahoo.com.

A Libran skill?

Good day my beautiful auntie, how are you today? I read your Column every Saturday and see how you masterfully dish out solutions to people’s problems. I must commend your efforts.

Nevertheless, my email isn’t on any relationship related issue but on something I need to know.

Is the ability to help people find solutions to their problems via advice and motivational words an innate dexterity of the Libra born?

I thus ask because I’m a Libran and I find myself doing exactly what you do on social networking sites and I have a Libran friend whom I seek advice from whenever I have reasons to because she dishes sound probable solutions.

So, Ido hope you’d help me understand this “thing” because I wanna know from a more experienced Libran! I’m Tadi Duwem from Abuja, (izudinho@aol.com).

Dear Tabi, I grew up knowing that the Libra sign is the best zodiac

•L-R: CEO WSP Africa, Engr MKO Balogun; Group MD-CEO WSP Africa & Chairman Board of Directors of WSP FMC Nig Ltd, Matthieu Du 'Plooy; CFO, Florence Adene and the General Manager, Fabian Owunna during the cocktail party of WSP Africa in Lagos.

sign because it’s the only sign represented by an inanimate object. All other signs are represented by animals making them easily prone to extreme feelings and other animalistic tendencies. Irrespective of my religious beliefs, I hold on firmly to the astrological calculations and of course the Libra power over other zodiac signs. To your question, yes, I think it’s a Libra gift to be wise and articulate in our dealings with people and whatever life throws at us. We have the ability to weigh whatever we hear and look at issues with great perspectives. We also take our time to arrive at decisions. Instead, we usually take time to ponder on things and check the two sides of a coin before uttering our opinions.

We are also people who love people, but we love time by ourselves when we want to. Spending time alone allows us look at life more objectively and makes us wise people. We also look at what God would say by our decisions, so we tread with caution in matters involving others. The Libra person is a man/woman of great conscience.

I could go on and on, but I have limited time to socialize. I copied the following for you from the web on the Libra and wisdom. Enjoy: When I think of Libra what comes to mind is definitely the concept of the balancing act, the person trying to juggle all the balls without

dropping any of them. Your life is dedicated to have all things in harmony and all relationships at peace.

Of course this is a tall order to perform but it doesn’t stop you at taking the role of the peacekeeper even when you should keep out of it. The symbol associated with your sign is the Scales of Justice.

In your personal relationships you show understanding of the other person’s point of view, trying to resolve any differences by compromise, and you are often willing to allow claims against yourself to be settled to your own disadvantage rather than spoil a relationship. In matters of the heart you have a strong idea and fantasy of what true love is and you will constantly pursue this journey for your soul mate. However you probably will experience heartaches on your search because you have such a clear vision of the perfect partner that you can easily be disillusioned by the imperfection of most other human beings. But disappointment will not deter you from your mission of marriage.

Emotionally you are always sensitive to the needs of others and have the gift, sometimes to an almost psychic extent, of understanding the emotional needs of your partners. You are very social human beings.

You hate cruelty, violence and crudeness and detest conflict, so you do your best to cooperate and compromise with everyone.

I have often seen the analogy of the pressure cooker when associating with Libras. What I mean is that Libras will try very hard to keep peace and will give up their own individual needs for the sake of harmony. But like a pressure cooker slowly and eventually the steam and pressure builds up and if the Libra continues to keep a tight lid on their true feelings, which is usually the case, well, that lid is going to blow right off the cooker.

Libras are not wishy-washy or indecisive as written in many astrology books. You just spend too much time weighing all the possibilities before making up your mind. And when you do you are very determined, it just takes you so long because of your overly cautious analyses.

Therefore you have good critical minds and you are able to stand back and look impartially at matters that call for an impartial judgment to be made on them. But you do not tolerate argument from anyone who challenges your opinions once they are set. But your character is on the whole balanced, diplomatic and even tempered.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

40

IT HAPPENED TO ME

W

ILLY and I met at the NYSC orientation camp. He had arrived camp rather late and the official in charge, a stern-faced, no nonsense retired army officer, had sent him away, telling him to wait for the next batch. Though I had never met him before, I took pity on him and spoke to the officer whom I had developed a good rapport with.

“I’m doing this because of your friend. You better behave or I will throw you out of this camp,” he warned Willy as he relented. “You these young boys of today are never serious about anything. Always coming late for everything except for free beer,” he grumbled as he marched away.

That’s how our friendship started. We were posted to different organisations for our primary assignments but we kept in touch by phone and visits to each other’s homes.

At the end of the service year, we left for different parts of the country.

I headed for Port-Harcourt to see an uncle concerning a job he had promised me in an oil company. Willy on the other hand went to Lagos and immediately started work in a large manufacturing firm in the city. It was owned by his fiancée, Nina’s father who was a multi-millionaire business man. He owned a group of companies as well as substantial interests in some banks and other financial institutions.

I waited patiently for the job but after nearly a year and no job materialised, I decided to go back to school for my Masters Degree program.

I had started the admission process when I got a call from Willy. He told me of an opening in his company and encouraged me to apply. I quickly did so and applied online as he instructed.

I was called for an interview a month later. There were so many applicants at the interview venue that I lost all hopes of getting the job. So, you can imagine my surprise when I was called some weeks later and told that the job was mine.

Later, when I found out it was through Willy’s influence that I had got the job, I called him to express my gratitude.

He waved it off.

“Guy, don’t mention it. You are like a brother to me. So, how I go dey here and another person go get the job. E no fit happen!” he said in pidgin, chuckling.

How can I betray my best friend who has been so good to me?

“Just do your best and the sky will be your limit,” he advised.

We went on to discuss his forthcoming wedding to Nina, his fiancée. He wanted me to be one of the groomsmen and I gladly accepted.

Resuming work After the wedding which was a high society one, I reported for duty and began work in earnest. Since the job involved marketing, I was given an official car which I used to make the rounds of clients and customers that we did business with. I was given an assistant, Dan to work with me and together we devised a way of increasing the sales of the company’s products.

The strategy seemed to work for within eight months, the sales figures had more than tripled. The management was so pleased with my work that I was promoted and even given another official car with a driver.

I was also placed under a new Director to oversee my unit. It was headed by Nina,

•The CEO Maldini Marbles & Granite Company (left), Mr. Mike Anazodo, discussing with other participants during an international marble and granite exhibition in Brazil.

Willy’s wife who was an Executive Director in the company.

Once a week, we had a meeting to discuss sales strategy, figures and other matters relating to the department. Nina was very competent and had a lot of drive as well. She gave me some new ideas that helped me a lot in my work.

Then one evening, after I had returned to the office from seeing a major distributor of the company that had some complaints concerning one of our products, Nina called me to her office.

Thinking it had to do with the customer’s complaints, I took the necessary file along.

“Sit down,” she said, waving me to one of the chairs at her desk. She opened a drawer and brought out an envelope.

“Here,” she said, proffering the envelope to me. Inside was a cheque for a large sum of money which was in my name.

“The management is very pleased with your work and mandated me to give you this money. It’s a bonus as a form of encouragement,” she said smiling at me.

I thanked her and got up to leave.

“Just let me know if you have any problem,” she said.

“Yes, Madam,” I said and made for the door.

“I’ve told you not to call me that. The name is Nina, in case you’ve forgotten,” she said teasingly.

“Alright, Nina.

Goodnight,” I said with a smile and left.

A few days later, she called me again to inform me about a seminar in Abuja that she had been invited to.

“I want you to come too as I believe you will gain a lot from it for your job,” she told me. It was a three day programme and we were to leave the following Sunday with the evening flight.

Declaration of love We arrived Abuja before night fall and went straight to our hotel which was close to the venue of the seminar.

The programme went smoothly and on the last day, Nina suggested we go out that evening as a way of unwinding from the hectic schedule. We went to a local fun-spot in the city that played live music and served barbecued meat (suya), chicken and other delicacies to its customers.

Another man who also attended the seminar from Lagos, was with us and we all had a nice time eating, dancing and generally having fun.

Back in the hotel, I was packing the few clothes I had brought as we were leaving with the first flight in the morning when I heard a knock on my door.

I went to open it and saw Nina standing there.

“Can you come to my room for a minute? There’s something I want to show you,” she said, before walking off towards her room which was on the same floor with mine.

Inside her room, she gave me a glass of wine and told me to wait while she took a shower. I sat on the bed and watched the Nollywood movie showing on the cable TV. It was an old one featuring Liz Benson and Pete Edochie with his ubiquitous beard that he never liked to shave.

A short while later, Nina came out wearing a bathrobe.

“Can you help me apply this cream to my back?” she said, handing me a small tub of cream.

I hesitated a little, then shrugged and started to rub the cream on her shoulder and back. I finished the task and feeling a bit uncomfortable, decided to leave at once.

I dropped the cream on the side table and was heading for the door when she grabbed my hand.

“Please Ken, don’t go. I want you to spend the night with me,” she pleaded, looking longingly at me.

I stared at her as if she was mad.

“But Nina, you know that’s not possible,” I protested,

stepping away from her as she tried to embrace me.

“Why? Because of Willie?”

“Of course, yes,” I stated emphatically. “He’s my friend. How can I sleep with his wife?”

“Maybe I should make myself clear. The truth is that I love you, Ken. In fact, I’m in love with you. I’ve felt this way since the first time I set my eyes on you. I tried to control my feelings for you but I can’t bear it any more. I want you.”

I was shocked at her words.

Did she realise the implication of what she was saying?

How could she be in love with me, her husband’s best friend?

“But Nina, Willie is my friend. You shouldn’t be feeling this way about me. It’s not right,” I said.

“So, what if he’s your friend? He doesn’t have to know or are you going to tell him?” she asked.

“That’s not the point,” I stated firmly. “Besides the

fact that you will be cheating on your husband, I would also be committing a serious offence against my friend, who has been so good to me.

It’s all wrong.”

“You are behaving like a prude. Here’s a woman offering herself to you and all you can do is ‘speak big grammar’. Or don’t you find me attractive?” At this point, she opened the bathrobe, exposing her large, full breasts that pointed at me like twin towers. Honestly, as a man, I will be lying if I say I wasn’t tempted. Seeing those breasts, her naked body, I wanted to make love to her then and there. I was seriously tempted and I could feel myself getting aroused.

Infact, I was almost reaching out to fondle her succulent boobs when something held me back just in time. The thought of Willie and all he had done for me kept me from falling into temptation.

How could I do that to him, betray him in such a dastardly manner?

Besides, when we were leaving Lagos, he had told me to keep an eye on his wife and not let any man “mess around with her.”

And here was I almost sleeping with the same wife!

With great effort, I extricated myself from her clinging arms and nearly ran out of the room, ignoring her calls for me to come back.

The following day, on the flight back to Lagos she barely spoke to me. I tried making conversation with her but she pointedly ignored me. I left her alone, believing she was still angry over the incident of the previous night.

Back in Lagos, I threw myself into work and decided to put the incident with Nina in Abuja behind me. But the woman would not let me be...

To be continued next week Preview of next week’s edition...

Nina continued: “I’m a very forgiving person so I’m giving you a second chance. Meet me at my guest house this weekend and you won’t regret it... I can make you very rich, you know. Or don’t you want to be rich? You want to remain a worker for life? I have the power to make or break you.

So be wise, Ken.” Don’t miss the rest of the story next Saturday!

Re: When love is not enough (1) •Hi, your story is really captivating. Although, he was wrong to have kept such a thing from you, you should know however that genuine love conquers all. If truly you love him (your fiancé), hear him out and try to work things out before making decisions that will leave you longing for him for the rest of your life. Take it as a challenge worth facing.

(08103765991) Winner of the N1,000 recharge card for best sms or email. Congratulations!

•You got what you prayed hard to get. So give him a chance to redeem himself.

(08025598048) •When you love someone, you forget the past. It’s heartbreaking to know he kept his dirty past from you, but if he is willing to explain, forgive him. Give him a second chance.

Isadora- (07038928558)

•Everybody has a past. It will be wise to forgive and forget all he has done. Who knows whether God has ordained him to you? Don’t lose the best opportunity you have.

Damcel-(08133358699) Let her wait for him to return so she can hear his own side of the story. If he is into legitimate business now, let her accept him and forget about his past and look into the future which she will occupy.

Onyia Ifemdi, Owerri (08162400269) Never use the past to judge the present. Of course, Deni must have gone to prison but what is he today? You are so hasty in taking decisions. You can never see a 100 per cent perfect man. I advise you to listen to this guy, go along with the wedding and always be prayerful. It’s well.

(08034281976)

&

LIFE

Society Profile

THE NATION, Saturday, APRIL 28, 2012

There wasn’t much noise about a civil servant having houses here and there. Unlike what obtains now, as a civil servant, government must know how you spent your money. For example, if you were earning N4,000 as monthly salary and you owned a car that cost N8,000, even your neighbours would say, ‘Isn’t that Funke who earns so and so amount? Look at her in a Mercedes Benz.’ People were disciplined...

‘In those days, there was not much money but we’d discipline’

STYLE Gossip Interviews

41

SEE PAGES 44,45 & 48

42

&STYLE

LIFE

THE NATION SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

With KAYODE ALFRED E-mail:kayflex2@yahoo.com

Maje Ayida, Toke Makinwa set for altar

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edding bells are set to ring for Maje Ayida, the famous son of former Secretary to the Federal Government, Allison Ayida, and Toke Makinwa, anchor of an early morning show on Rhythm 93.7 FM. All things being equal, the lovebirds will walk down the aisle in a classy marital ceremony in December.

Happenstances gathered that preparations are in top gear to ensure Toke's smooth transition from spinsterhood to marital bliss.

Details of the wedding are still sketchy, but we have it on good authority that they have been talking freely about their proposed union after their engagement a few days ago.

The lovebirds were said to have met about eight years ago through Sola Ojora at a party. Toke was then a student at the University of Lagos while Maje was a young man trying to start a new life after school.

A few weeks later, they started dating and Maje finally sealed the relationship by proposing marriage. The duo were said to have gone out for dinner after which they retired to Maje's apartment where he brought out a ring, knelt down and asked Toke to marry him.

Toke is an on-air personality with a high number of followers on her show, Early Morning Drive on Rhythm FM. She is also a TV personality and one of the presenters of 3 Livechicks. Maje is the CEO of Eden Lifestyle Health Fitness on Victoria Island, Lagos.

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Adejare Adegbenro's latest moves

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dejare Adegbenro is not only the grandson of slain politician, Pa Alfred Rewane, the young man is also known and respected in the social space because of his exploits in the business community and the social arena.

As such, he means many things to sociable people, who cannot stop talking about him. Happily married to Jumoke, who is also as stylish as he is, Adegbenro is a member of the Polo Club, Ikoyi. Last year, he rocked the Lagos social firmament to its foundation when he brought “The Little Big Club Live in Concert� to Nigeria for the very first time.

The first of its kind in innovative singing, dancing and stage drama show, it paraded a rich assemblage of the world's most popular pre-school characters.

At the moment, Adejare Adegbenro, the President of Balmoral International Limited, is working on another project.

According to those who should know, he will be bringing one of the American superstars to Nigeria in the next few months, although the details of the event are still under wraps.

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Martha Madaki-Ali, Fatimah Belgore go home t has been a harvest of deaths in the social circle in the last few weeks. It seems to remind us all that the world is nothing more than a stage and human beings the actors and acresses.

The departed souls include Abuja-based celebrity, Martha Kehinde Madaki Ali, who died in an auto accident on Kaduna-Abuja Road penultimate Monday. The accident was said to have been so fatal that she died on the spot. It will be recalled that she lost her husband, Garba Madaki Ali, two years ago.

Also, former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Alfa Belgore, is bereaved. His wife, Alhaaja Fatimoh Folorunsho Belgore, died last week. The Ilorin born lovable woman, who would have clocked 71 in September, gave up the ghost in Abuja last Thursday.

Her remains were flown into Ilorin at about 4:20 pm the same day and moved straight to the Belgores' family house on Emir's Road where they were interred. Top dignitaries started storming the city as soon as the news of her death broke.

Gossip Interviews

TEL:08035733605

Behind Jennifer Obayuwana's single status hose who have been to the Polo Store, the one-stop shop for expensive wrist watches located in Lagos, would always have something good to say about the beautiful executive director of the company, Jennifer Obayuwana, even without her knowing it. This is on account of the way she runs her father, John Obayuwana's company with the zeal of a Catholic Courteous and pleasant, the popular thinking is that a young lady so blessed and hardworking deserves nothing but the best of suitors.

Surprisingly, a life partner still eludes the beautiful lady who has previously been linked with some young men.

While she is not known to jump into the hands of just any man, Jennifer has had her fair share of broken relationships. Now, we hear she is no longer ready to be treated as a plaything by skirt chasers.

An insider said she is praying fervently that God would show her the man that would usher her out of spinsterhood and into the world of married women. The mother of one has made no pretence about her resolve to wait on the Lord after some serious emotional blows.

But some believe that some men who might love to keep her might be intimidated by the overwhelming presence of her father in her life, as they go everywhere together. This, we gathered, is scaring away potential suitors.

Society Profile

About Bisi Abiola's passion

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isi Abiola may be missing the presence of her late husband, Chief MKO Abiola, with whom she was highly obsessed when he was still on this side. But one fact no one can deny is that Bisi, who runs the Indulge Group, is not missing her late husband's generosity and pampering.

The sight of this gorgeous widow of the late politician clearly shows that she is one of the rare breeds who do not have a problem running matrimonial and motherhood race without a husband. She goes about with a high sense of contentment and confidence, which many attribute to the huge fortune her husband left behind.

Considering her age and beauty, not a few people had insinuated that she would remarry. But this school of thought appeared to have been proved wrong with Bisi's decision to remain single many years after the death of MKO. Instead, Bisi Abiola fell in love with keeping fit.

She is seen by residents of Ogba, Ikeja every evening, jugging to make sure she maintains her fitness.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

Chief (Mrs.) Funke Arthur-Worrey, popularly called Aunty Funke, was born into the Ogunmade Royal family of Lagos. She holds a Diploma in Social Studies from the Ohio State University, Columbia, USA and Paris Academy of Fashion Designing. A holder of several titles, the former president of the International Women Society (IWS) and Ikeja Lions Club, among others, speaks with KEHINDE FALODE about her life at 85, love life, family and other sundry issues.

‘I was shocked the first day someone called me Mama’

•Chief (Mrs.) Funke Arthur-Worrey

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HAT was your growing up like?

I was born into the family of Mr. Ezekiel Akindele Davies of Isale Eko. I was raised in Lagos. I also schooled in Lagos but got married in England where I had my children. I came back in 1966 with my husband, the late Chief Steady Arthur-Worrey. He was a lawyer and I was his secretary for many years.

Thank God, the marriage was blissful. I see myself as one of the luckiest women in the world to have met a man called Steady. He passed on about five years ago and I am still missing him dearly. He was good and friendly with everybody and was well-known for his sense of humour. He never knew how to play pranks on people, but he liked to tell you about history and it turned into curious things to listen to.

Before I travelled overseas, I worked with Arrie and Bonner. When I came back from England, I worked briefly with the defunct Phillip Petroleum. After some time, the pressure was so high in my family that I switched to importing bags from Korea. So, I left a beautiful job and we got this shop which we named Bluegate, and it is still on, even though it changed hands through many Igbo traders. It was the place for fanciful shoes, bags, children wears and books then. But now, things have changed.

I lost my baby girl, Biola, at the age of 10 in 1957. She was so brilliant, so loving and she was everything to me. As young as she was, we were so close. She understood me and was special to me. I loved her. Since then, I don’t know what happened, I kept looking at people that lost their babies like that. I got involved and I talk to them because I was feeling their pains.

That must have been the lowest point in your life?

Yes it was! From there, a very good friend of mine said there was this club that started in 1957.

They called it International Women Society (IWS). They catered for widows, children and orphans. One of my friends, Deji Alakija, encouraged me to join the organisation. She is still alive. From there, I got involved with the charity projects run by the organisation. I was

so involved that I at one time or the other served as the secretary and treasurer. The same lady introduced me to the Dining Club, one of the prestigious clubs of the era, where we met every week and the money we raised went to charity.

From there, I joined the Lions Club, and they did so much work. My husband was the one that joined Lions and became the governor. We travelled round Nigeria and I was involved in raising funds. So, I have been combining all these with raising the children, looking after my

husband as a wife in Nigeria, and I felt better. It was good. I enjoyed myself. Lagos was so close then. We knew each other more or less before the capital was moved to Abuja and things changed. Then there was the explosion in the population of Lagos. Nowadays, you can hardly visit someone who had just relocated to Ikeja from Olowogbowo. But thank God, Governor Babatunde Fashola is trying now to make that possible. Then, we used to visit our relations in Badagry with ease, and it was the playground for Lagosians. I pray that Governor Fashola will give us the honour of flying boats. So, even if we don’t go to Cotonou, we can go to Badagry and Lome and have good meals.

How would you compare the social life and standard of living then to what obtains now?

The cost of living is very high now. At that time, there was not much money, but then, we had all the discipline from the colonial masters to cut our coats according to our sizes. There wasn’t much noise about a civil servant having houses here and there. Unlike what obtains now, as a civil servant, government must know how you spent your money. For example, if you are earning N4,000 as monthly salary and you own a car that costs N8,000, even your neighbours would say, ‘Isn’t that Funke who earns so and so amount? Look at her in a Mercedes Benz.’ People were disciplined.

We didn’t have much money then, but what we had, we managed. And even though we might not be able to spend our holidays in England, we would spend them in Jos because the city of Jos was the favourite holiday ground then for most civil servants. And Lagos was

beautiful and people were very happy. But now, what upsets me most is that when you turn on the radio or television—I am not even talking of Lagos alone, I am talking generally about the world—you don’t hear anything cheerful. If it is not about war in Sudan, Iraq, even in France now with their election, you don’t hear anything worthwhile. How much more at home?

So, you don’t feel happy. You feel this is another country and not the place where everybody looked after the other. I feel sorry for the younger generation, because things are so different now. Cost of living is so high. A couple starts happily, but then, they have to pay rent; they have to send their children to school and good schools are not cheap. And some of them are living in high rise buildings where there is no water or electricity to power the fridge. The leftovers in those days, we saved everything in the fridge or freezer. Now, there is no light, water or road. Thank God, we now have LAGBUS (BRT). It has helped a lot. But then, the population is much. Lagos is the place where everything works. If it is not 100 per cent, at least, 80 per cent, for which we count ourselves very lucky.

You don’t look your age. What is the secret?

To be sincere with you, I don’t know. But I guess it has to do with the gene. My father at that time looked after his white apparels because he was a produce examiner at the Federal Ministry of Trade and Commerce. Despite his old age then, he still went out on his bicycle in the morning, and you needed to see his khaki, which were well ironed! He taught me how to do so many things. Maybe that was where I got it from.

How does it feel to be 85 years old?

It is great, because in those days, we looked at the people who were celebrating 60, 65, 70 and

‘I’ve paid dearly for being frank’ •Dudu-Orumen

Godwin Dudu-Orumen is one of Nigeria's frontline sports analysts. His TV programme, The Best of Football, was very popular in the 90s. He tells GBENGA ADERANTI why the programme went off air and why he shunned the law profession in spite of his training as a lawyer, among other issues.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

45

they were like people from another world. But then, they were good and smart. They still went to the market and church, because the church then was really the thing for our women. It is not that you don’t have much time because of the driver, servants, no cars, the road is blocked.

At that time, your church was in your neighbourhood and you just walked there from your home. But now, it is a different world. They call you for a wedding or a family birthday party, you have to go, and that keeps us going.

And when you think of all these things…I think going to birthday and wedding parties at the moment is a blessing for us. So, we the aged are trying to show the younger generation that life is wonderful. Don’t think of the other sides,

think of the beautiful sides of it. I feel good at 85 and I thank God for it.

Do have any advice for those that are aging?

If we go into that, it is not only in Nigeria.

Everything started from China and Egypt. Now, going into the Bible, the fabulous biblical women, Esther and Deborah, among others, dressed to kill and would do anything to look young. I went to China three years ago and we went to visit a salon, there is nothing they don’t do to make themselves look beautiful and young. You would see a woman of 60 years, by the time they finish with her, you would think she is 24. I have passed that stage, but they do anything to make themselves look young, and I think that is natural; nobody wants to grow old.

But when the time comes and your grandson is saying ‘Grandma, you cannot go out or look like that,’ then you think something is happening. I remember I was used to being called “Aunty Funke.” Then, one day, somebody said Mama, and I was shocked. You have to face reality. Whether you like it or not, you have to grow old. But then, I don’t see anything wrong with women doing whatever that would make them look good or using whatever would make them to look young forever (laughs). When you see somebody who looks good, you are happy yourself. I don’t want the children to come here and say ‘Grandma, what is the matter with you?’

I hate it.

Do you have a special diet?

I eat well and I love food. I love good food and I love good restaurant. God has been wonderful to me in that area. If I don’t like something, I don’t eat it. I eat anything, provided I like it. At the moment, I live on vegetable and sea foods with vitamins and balance diet. In Nigeria we are blessed with varieties of vegetable.

What has brought you joy the most in your life?

My children. It was my husband in those days, because he did everything to make me happy. I am not talking only about my biological children; I have so many children who call me mother. They all make me comfortable and happy, and I love to see them and their children doing well. My children are teaching their own children to know the beauty of growing up nicely and knowing what to do (etiquettes). You have to respect the elders and you have to say your prayers. I don’t care whatever your denomination is; just go to church and read your Bible. The Bible is the most knowledgeable.

Whatever authors are writing now, most of them are happenings in the Bible. There is nothing new that has not happened or started from the Bible. So, that has been my greatest source of joy, and I thank God for that.

Who is your favourite author?

My favourite author, as far as I am concerned, for the rest of my life, is Mr. Fola Authur-Worrey.

He wrote this beautiful book called Mr. Michael.

Try and read it. I have read some of his other books too.

You lost your husband some years ago. How has life been without him?

All our lives, we were together and he did everything to make me happy. It is not my doing; it is God. We were not like husband and wife; we were like a twin brother and sister. We were so close and he spoilt me rotten, I will tell the world now. Then suddenly, he died. He didn’t die young; he died at the age of 82, which was good because we had been married then for about 55 years. We enjoyed ourselves together. But then he left and I am still missing him till tomorrow, because if I am travelling now, I have to think of packing, visa, booking, etc. He did everything.

But now, thank God I have children. But I still want to make sure that everything is alright. I miss my husband dearly. The talk, the party, he was a partying man. And because of him, I am connected to a lot of countries around the world.

At first, I was nervous to travel on my own, but I am getting used to it and I am living to please him, because he never wanted me to be sad. If he can talk, he will say, ‘Funke, just go ahead and enjoy yourself.’ So, I thank God for my life.

What were the secrets of your closeness?

It was God’s doing, because some of the people who are rich and very knowledgeable…about

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courts of competent jurisdiction and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who himself is a lawyer and incidentally my classmate at the Law School, Pius Anyim Pius, says he is reconciling the parties. And I’m wondering and asking, under what jurisprudential heading is he acting?

You see, I won’t want to run against the establishment because I have had enough of that. The cost has been grave. In my 50s, at a time when three of my classmates are governors, it’s time to move on. I have bills to pay. I have people I’m a surrogate father to. They are expecting from me, and if all that I have is name or reputation, there are other ways to earn a living. At least, let me face those things that can put food on the table because Project Nigeria hasn’t found a place for people like us.

You are a lawyer. What are you doing in sports?

Sports is my passion. Incidentally, I took a first degree in English because I wanted to be a journalist. Being a lawyer has tied me more to it.

You will recall that the biggest influence in modern football, Dr. (Jao) Havalange, is also a lawyer. (Sepp) Blatter, I think he is a lawyer. It thus means that my multi-disciplinary capacity is a plus when I have to put things down.

I’m also exposed to more disciplines talking to other people and relating to them by virtue of being a lawyer. I think it has been an advantage.

Don’t you think you are missing something

by not practising as a lawyer?

I can tell you that not more than 10 per cent of the people called to bar go to court. Lawyers are not compelled to go to court. That is not the demand of the profession. I know lawyers who do excellently well without having to step into the courtroom. There are many sides to the business of law practice.

I have not regretted it for one day. Being a lawyer has been an advantage. It gives me the right dose of confidence. It gives me the capacity to analyse situations very well. It helps me to reach reasonable conclusions. In any case, I’m back in law practice as a partner.

I remember that you used to present a beautiful sports programme. Suddenly, it disappeared.

What went wrong?

At the beginning of this interview, I remember that I told you about the cost of being on the television and holding my views. The Best of Football started in 1993 and in 1996, it stepped up as a strong platform for marketing communication.

It had this idea of aspirational sports, and they saw my programme as the best for that delivery. Before you knew it, enemies of progress went to Pepsi to tell them, ‘Why are you sponsoring a man that is anti-government?’ Before I knew it, Pepsi was off; not for lack of delivery but because they got pressure from certain quarters.

So, The Best of Football lost its sponsorship and over the years too, lost its patronage from media buyers. It got to a point, since The Best of

•Chief (Mrs.) Funke Arthur-Worrey

OW did you feel when you realised that your name had been dropped from the presidential committee on Nigerian football?

It was one of my disappointments. As Segun Adeniyi later acknowledged in his book, it was because of my advice that the committee was set up. So, it is only human that I would be disappointed, because I thought that being there would help to work things out.

And that is the sort of things I have suffered in the last 10 to 15 years when a high-level job is supposed to come my way in business or by way of appointment. I paid the price of being frank and I feel, why am I wasting my time trying to straighten things out while other people are benefiting from them and things are not even improving? So, I just I stayed off.

Nigeria still has problems with football. What if you are called now to serve or submit a proposal on the way forward?

Well, I can’t say yes or no really. The problem of Nigerian football is not because there are no submissions as to the way forward. I have read some submissions written by eminent Nigerians. I have also been part of ministerial committees which made some recommendations that would have changed things. The critical point is whether there is political will and honesty of purpose to move us forward. I would hate to sit down and write a proposal, whether I’m paid for it or not, and it is not implemented.

Of course, we have a situation now where

three marriages that I went to like five years ago, the other day, I asked about the husband from one girl with three children and she said, ‘Oh, Mummy, you didn’t know? We’ve parted’.

I said what! Because that marriage, half of Lagos was there. The money, aso ebi (ceremonial uniform), the noise, it was a fabulous wedding.

I was so shocked and I just sat down and said this is impossible. But she said, ‘Oh, you know, it is nothing. I will tell you the story about what happened later’. Not only hers, there have been so many like that now because of pressure.

If God says you are going to be together, you will be together, and you have to play some parts. You have to make it work. Both of you have roles to play and you have to make sure that you try your best to make it work. And then, you don’t involve your parents on both sides, because that is another thing. Sometimes, the interference of the in-laws on both sides is poison. You keep on popping in and out, saying you are advising them; that is not good.

If you know what is going on, before can set up that home, you manage. But you say I cannot take it anymore I am going…Once you are still with your husband, there is a crown of protection and your husband knows that this is my wife and nothing must happen to her. Then you leave your husband’s home and go back to your parents? You will find that you are going back to an empty world, because your husband is your friend, brother and partner, and when you are low, you know that there is somebody for you to talk to, lean on or cry on his shoulder. But when you leave, it will never be the same.

So, you must make sure you protect your home like an egg. It must not break with patience, with understanding and with love. The basic thing is love. And then you don’t copy your neighbours. But if you have to, copy the good sides. This is your life. This is your world and you have to protect it. Believe in yourself and believe in God. So, cut your coat according to your size. Be truthful and you must trust your partner.

What was the attraction when you met your husband?

It was a surprise package. He was my late brother’s (Chief H.O. Davies’) adopted son because his father and my late brother were very close. His father died and my brother took over the care of this young man because he was good and very brilliant. My husband’s father took him along with his two siblings to England when he was about six years old in the 30s to watch the queen’s coronation and to study. Along the line, he got married to a white woman so that she could take care of Steady and his brothers. And when his father died, my brother took over. And when my brother left England for Nigeria, his heart too also left and he started saying that he was going back to his fatherland. Anyway, he got a job through the colonial home office and unfortunately or fortunately, they sent him to Birni Kebbi. When he said he was coming home, we were so excited, saying at least we would know this your son.

So, he came back and we all lined up to meet him, introduced ourselves and welcomed him back home at Apapa. When it came to my turn, he held my hands and I said you are welcome, you will never regret coming back to Nigeria, and so on. But I noticed that he held onto my hands and said, ‘This is my wife. Funke, you are going to be my wife.’ Eventually, he released my hands and I was furious and embarrassed •Continued on Page 48 Football cost money, I had to check my losses.

You are in Nigeria while your wife lives abroad. How do you cope with that?

That is personal.

Why did you stop the publication of your sports paper?

It was for the same reason The Best of Football was rested. Some powerful forces came one day and gave my entire editorial team the support by whatever resources to quit. I went abroad on vacation and by the time I came back, my paper, Multi Sports, had changed to Multi Sports International. My entire team left with the aid of some powerful forces. I know them but I leave them to God. It is interesting that many years later, all the actors have said sorry to me. But the damage was immense. At that time, I had to get a court order to restrain them from publishing the paper and I actually filed a suit for pass-off against them. But at that time, judicial process was very slow and getting justice was a hectic thing. I left them and moved on.

When your parents discovered that you were going to abandon the law profession to present sports, how did they take it?

First of all, by the time I made that decision, my dad had died. My mum? Yes, she was worried a bit, but she understood the fact that I must have thought about what I wanted to do very well before making a decision.

It didn’t go down well with my wife at a •Continued on Page 48

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

Boost your image with cute belt

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ELTS are important as they can change your image significantly and boost it one hundred times or absolutely ruin it.

Belts generally make us look slimmer, add chic to the garment we wear, distract attention from problem areas.

Tiny and wide belts appear to be the season’s most soughtafter waist accessory. And celebrities and fashionistas are sporting them. They come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and hues, and they can put in so much proportion to any outfit.

Tiny belts: Tiny belts are in fashion this season. They come in a diversity of colours and materials and can go with just anything, from an evening gown or jumpsuit to a pant-and-blouse combination.

Jewellery belts: Jewellery belts are embellished with stones, metal details, clips, rivets and so on.

Such belts look glamorous and tender and serve as nice decorations to evening outfits. But you can wear it with your casual clothes as well, if you wish to look feminine.

Fabric belts: Various clothing materials are used to make them,and these are ankara, tie, satin, suede, velvet and silk. At times, some are decorated with sequins or beads. The softness of fabrics allows to experiment with knots.

Wide belts: If there are thin belts, there must be wide belts as well. This season, we see a lot of wide belts which come in various hues, shapes and designs.

Belts are important and do a lot to complement our look and most importantly, they show off a woman’s curve.

•Chioma Chukwuka

Alberta Ferretti knotted snake-effect metal belt •This cute piece features a patent waist belt for extra shape enhancement.

•Kiki Kamani •DAmbrosia tie belt made from men’s necktie

•A model in aH&M brown genuine leather belt

•Original Kelly Rowland appeared on the X Factor UK in a stunning black leather

•Metal belt

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

Get the maxi look Omowunmi OGUNTUASE

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ITH a long flowing dress and a simple figure, you can either look beach chic or elegantly magnificent.

Maxi gowns are both casual and corporate, depending on the accessories they are paired with. They can be worn to informal places as well as corporate events.

They can have floral and all sorts of designs and they are very colourful and are comfortably chic. They are for all seasons, but should not be worn during a heavy rain because of its lengthy nature.

If you are having a second thought on wearing a maxi dress when you are cold, you can pair with a bolero jacket.

They can come in the Grecian style, halter-neck, spaghetti or simply strapless. We also have the maxi tube skirt or dress.This can be used both as a dress and a skirt.

Maxi-gowns were usually associated with pregnant women and characterized under maternity dresses, since it usually has a stretchy material around the mid-section, but now, they are made for women of all body types and sizes and no matter your shape, there is always the perfect dress for you.

•Bunny Hunt

Tips -Wearing maxi dresses with sweat shirts and cardigans, fancy slippers or gladiator sandals and chain bags or box bags presents the lengthy and casually chic look -Paired with boyfriend jackets or boleros and flat shoes or wedge sandals and office bags shows the corporate look -When going for a corporate look, you should pair them with pearls and studs. When going for a casual look, you can pair them with Caribbean earrings or long necklaces and bangles.

-Wearing a maxi gown for an evening event, you can pair with a clutch purse and nice peep-toe shoes.

•Ini Edo

•Stephanine Okereke •Maxisleek maxi •Military maxi, Indian print maxi dress and Miss Selfridge maxi dresses

Issey Miyake wins Design Museum of London’s prize

I

SSEY Miyake and his studio's origami-inspired "132 5." collection took the top honour over some serious competitions, including Sarah Burton's wedding gown for the Duchess of Cambridge, the "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty" Costume Institute exhibit, Mary Katrantzou's fall 2011 collection, Celine fall 2011, Suno spring 2011, Vivienne Westwood's "Ethical Fashion Africa Collection" for fall 2011, and Melissa + Gaetano's Pesce boot and flip-flop.

•Fashionable maxi

New bridal shows

V

ERA Wang, Marchesa and Carolina Herrera Designers showed their new bridal collections last weekend, which means lots of princess-gown pictures are now available for your perusal. Noteworthy trends include an influx of abovethe-knee hemlines, a few lady suits and many nonwhite options. In particular, Vera Wang showed a mainly red collection, and Angel Sanchez sent pretty blue dresses down the runway.

48 •Continued from Page 45 because everybody saw what was happening. I was so embarrassed, timid and ashamed. A man I had never met before and he was supposed to have the courtesy of being a bit shy.

I turned to my sister-in-law, Aunty Doris, and I said I don’t like this man at all. She pretended she did not see what happened, and she said, ‘Funke, o de ni yen’ (Funke, you have come again).

You find faults unnecessarily. The young man was just being nice. In England, they don’t see it as anything. They call a spade a spade. If they like you, they like you. And in England, calling someone dear is nothing. People can even kiss; it means nothing to them.’

I thought she was going to be on my side. But when she kept going on and on, I was annoyed and I went to my room and sat down. That was how the whole thing started. Then I just found myself following like a lamb. He made me understand football, cricket, tennis and some other sports. He taught me how to swim. I didn’t know that was what they call falling in love. I just found that I was enjoying every bit of his company. He was such a wonderful young man and I fell in love with him. We got married in England and we lived together for about 55 years afterward.

At this age, what keeps you going?

I don’t have a set plan, to say I am doing this today or I am doing this tomorrow. I just find things happening, I am never alone. They say I don’t sit down. There is so much to be done. I go out. I watch the television and I read a lot. I love books, novels, magazines, whatever. I am hooked on newspapers, especially political ones, and that is why I like The Nation. It is not because you are here. It is my favourite newspaper. It used to be The Guardian. I go to wedding and birthday parties, and sometimes, I run errands for the family.

But at the moment, I am busy. I have to go to Abeokuta several times because my uncle has been made Oba Oluga the 1st by the Governor of Ogun State, Governor Ibikunle Amosun, and the Alake. Without their consent, it would not have been possible. But this is the thing we have been fighting for years. When you go to Orile Kenta from Olugbo Market, they work so much.

They work like beast if you look at the women there, but they don’t see the result because when they work and gather the bags of fruits and garri, lorries that are supposed to come and buy from the about seven villages will not be able to come because the road is so bad. Last year, the road just collapsed like that, and they had to put a

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

‘I pity the young generation...’ palm tree for people to walk across. When I tried it, I nearly died because I was not used to it.

It is so pathetic, but they don’t have any other choice. They have to travel to Abeokuta to get a clinic. God works in mysterious ways. Maybe now that they have an Oba, they are going to see a difference. That is what I am happy for now and has been keeping me busy because I am involved. First of all, what they need there is a good road from Olugbo to Oluga, not necessarily a fly-over, so that when they have their produce, it will be easier for people to come from all over to buy.

How important are family and friends to you?

I am not one of those that would say I have friends as such. I have a few and they are not my friends again. They are now my sisters because we grew up together. But some of them are gone and the few of us that are left still know one another. I won’t mention names so that I don’t offend some people. So, we thank God. For my family, I am fortunate to have a lot of families, extended and nucleus. My family is so important to me because they will be the one that will be there for you when everybody turns against you. They are there for you all the time. When things are down, they talk to you and comfort you. So, your family is the most important thing in your life. I don’t joke with my family, and they know it from both sides. I can boast that I am close to both sides and I am proud to say so.

For you to have a beautiful garden like this, you must also love pets. Which are your favourite pets?

Ah, I love dogs! For years, I had dogs and they tried their best to be my friend and protector.

The first one was Rex; it was a gift from a Czech woman. She taught me how to look after dogs.

That is her life. But the thing is I cannot allow them to eat or sit on the same chair with me like she does. The second one was Jojo and the third was Terry. All my years, I always have turtles, and there is one I have kept for more than 10 years. I call her Yellow. She knows when I am talking to her and she doesn’t bother me. She feeds herself in the garden and she is very happy.

Apart from that, I have so many birds in my compound. I call all of them and they come down and eat whatever I have to offer them.

•Chief (Mrs.) Funke Arthur-Worrey

What do you like doing in your leisure period or how do you unwind?

I used to play tennis. But what I do now is to play bridge game. I like swimming. I have played bridge game almost all over the world wherever I travel.

What was the most difficult project you worked on during your tenure as the president of the Ikeja Lioness Club?

We said we had to build an HIV/AIDS aid centre with Dr. Somorin of LUTH (Lagos University Teaching Hospital), and we got a

‘I've no regrets abandoning Law for broadcasting’ •Continued from Page 45 time, but hers was more of societal reaction than the reality then. It was a decision I needed to take. I had been in law practice for five years and I thought I could take another track, vocationally speaking, and be able to make an impact. I was more interested in impacting on my environment howsoever, and I weighed both.

But sports, the passion it drives in me appeared to be one sure track for me, and I have enjoyed every moment of it; even the turbulent times. If you like, I have been first in so many respects. I had a very strong influence in the Pepsi sponsorship of the league in 1996. I’m the founding director of the Pepsi Football Academy. I incorporated it. I started the concept of viewing centres in Nigeria when I started my outfit 15 years ago. The first sports shack is also the first viewing centre in Nigeria and everybody is copying it.

Today, I have a football academy for children between ages five and 16. Two of them got scholarships to go to the university in the US, and one of them is currently the advert face of Copa Coca Cola. I have 25 children or more waiting to relate with me every Saturday and during the week.

It is not about whether I needed anybody’s permission. I was a full grown man, I was in my 30s when I made that decision. As long as I am happy with it, everybody around me is happy with it.

Why did you start a football academy?

My football academy was a reaction to many things. First of all, I thought that cash in hand or cash at bank may not translate to much. My society has been kind to me. Very few people in this country live to 50. I have passed 50. Very

few people had the opportunity of formal education. I have two degrees. Very few people have the opportunity to have the kinds of friends I have. I have loads and loads of friends who have been wonderful to me and I have demonstrated it in so many respects.

And I thought since I didn’t have money to build a school for people to go to and have free education, maybe I should impact on people in an informal way and by extension, give something back to the society. Four years down the line, I set up a football academy, first as a weekend vocational centre where children learnt new things on the platform of football. My friends have been supportive and we got it to a point where we are. Today, we enjoy sponsorship from Cowbell or Promasidor on the platform of their Cowbell milk. With that, we are now able to buy the facilities the children need to train and we bring about the sound mind and sound body who can do just anything I said.

The excitement is the fact that I’m teaching children. Mike Taib Gidado, who is 15 years old, played for Nigeria at Copa Coca Cola in England in September last year at age 14. It proves the point that there is no need for us to play 27 or 28-year-olds in Under 17.

With the right approach and formula, we will have Nigerians who can represent this country at the right age and we can still enjoy the benefit of having the players; not that you play Under-

17 today and five years after, you are already in retirement.

I’m making a statement that you can have the right players at the right age. I’m also using my God-given time and energy to bring up good Nigerians, not necessarily professional footballers. I have never taken part in the transfer of players into professional football. Yes, I will get there someday because I have reached a

permission to build a clinic at the General Hospital, Ikeja. Then, it was not a high class hospital. We raised money, we planned and did everything. But in the end, they said no. The Local Government Council said we could not build such a thing there. So, I was so disappointed. Dr Somorin and Prof. Olumide helped but nothing came out of it. I think there was an issue between the hierarchies and so they stopped the project. They scuttled the project and I was very disappointed. I nearly said no more charity at that time. point where I have to answer to the sponsors what next after this and after that.

What was growing up like?

I would say excellent, because the first few years, there was enough. My mum’s elder brother was the president of the Nigerian Bar Association by 1969. So, I grew up having everything. I went to a good secondary school.

Yes, I come from a huge polygamous home, but then, maybe going to school too early eventually took its effect, because it was nothing to write home about. One was drifting. Teenage years were turbulent but sports kept me out of trouble and off the streets.

I have a long-dated relationship with sports. I was ever present at Ogbe Stadium (Benin). All the footballers that played for Bendel Insurance from 1970 till a few years ago know me. They are my friends. My turbulent teenage years was compensated for with my association with sports, which has now taken much of my attention. And when it was time to make a certain critical decision, I said ‘hey, I know sports. I know the personalities. I can help with the activities there’.

I know lots of people who had the same experience with me, but they went smoking Indian hemp and indulging in all sorts of things and they never went to the university. I went to the University of Benin in 1979 and did exactly what I wanted. After my youth service, which I did at NTA Calabar, I went straight back to the University of Benin, studied Law and went to Law School. I worked briefly in a law firm and went to the Sports Commission in the 90s.

I have since got married. I have two sons. My mum passed on some years ago. It is an experience I have been trying to get used to. But all in all, I will say life has been wonderful to me.

Why is it that Edo people dominate sports and publishing in Nigeria ?

I think it goes back to an era. All credits must go to Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia. You will discover that most of us you are talking about are within a generation. The publisher of Thisday, Nduka Obiagbena, was one year ahead of me in the Faculty of Arts. It must be plus or minus one year in age between us. Look down the line: Frank Ilaboya, Sam John, we all grew with a huge dose of Ogbemudia’s sports influence. If you grew up with such influence, you would look for a valve to disseminate that knowledge.

What is your greatest regret in life?

I can’t think of one.

TRIBUTE 49

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

Weep not for Femi Adekanye, he died a fulfilled man

I

T is really difficult for me to do this, but I know that a tribute on Dr. Femi Adekanye is one thing I must do for several reasons. First, because he was a great man.

Secondly, he lived a great and fulfilled life. Thirdly, he touched lives, several lives within and outside the shores of Nigeria. Fourthly, he touched my life in the manner he touched several other lives, and I dare say, very, very positively.

I recall that as a young student I came across him through his works, his intellectual works that spoke volumes about his innate intelligence and huge brain that helped in shaping our intellectual prowess, particularly on banking matters.

I also recall that one of his children, Wale, was my classmate with whom we resumed together on that first day in Ansa-rudeen College Offa way back in 1976. Wale then full of life reflected an image of proper upbringing and the news in the air was that he was a split image of a great father.

May I also recall with nostalgic feelings my endeavour as a young bachelor who was engrossed in preparations for my wedding in 1992, realising my humble background as a son of a diligent vulcanizer, I had naturally looked forward to a wedding in which a ‘big man’ would preside over the proceedings as Chairman and who did I think of? It was this same Dr. Femi Adekanye, then Chairman and Chief Executive of Commerce Bank Plc and how would I contact him, knowing that this man did not know me and may probably not think much of a son of a vulcanizer. I, however, summoned courage to write him a personal letter, inviting him to chair my wedding reception. What response did I get? He not only replied me with a polite letter but also made sure that he arrived at the reception venue two solid hours before the proceedings and waited patiently in the hall as guests sauntered in from the Nikkah venue, unaware that the ‘big man’ we thought would not make it had indeed arrived. That was vintage Dr. Femi Adekanye. He was full of laughter throughout the event, and for us as a young couple, his presence alone assured us of a remarkable beginning and that was really, really significant. I was later to know that he was billed to fly out of the country that same night and indeed left to catch his flight from the reception venue. In accepting my invitation to the wedding and arriving on schedule at the event, he showed he was a Gentleman. Simply acting as a gentleman is not enough, it is being a gentleman that is important and that means thinking of others, being there when you are needed and really displaying courteous manners, all of which Dr. Femi Adekanye reflected throughout the proceedings.

I was later to have a privileged encounter with him on the board of Owners (Savings and Loans Ltd) Mortgage Bankers, where he was the chairman. I recall that during this period and on rare occasions when he presided over board meetings, he would come in quietly without any airs and conduct proceedings as an experienced professional who understood the nuances of board room procedures.

In later years our paths crossed again and this time it was my turn to pay back in some way the previous remarkable gesture of this extraordinary Nigerian when I had the rare opportunity of teaming up with his legal team in ensuring his release from an unjustified incarceration of nearly five years at the pleasure of the Nigerian State. The development may have shaken his confidence in the efficacy of our legal system which he captured in his book satirically in the title as ‘Presumed Guilty’. The book may have revealed the urgent necessity to take a harder look at a legal system that makes mockery of the hallowed principles of presumption of innocence until the guilt or innocence of an accused is established - a practice that is the acknowledged standard in all civilized societies around the world.

I recall that the struggle for his release and others from detention was quite intense and long drawn with the expertise of some of the best legal brains in Nigeria enlisted. Names such as Chief Richard Akinjide SAN, the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN, Professor Yemi Osinbajo SAN, Femi Falana, Dickson Osuala and my humble self were involved at various stages in fighting the war of freedom for Dr. Femi Adekanye and others involved in the unjustified incarceration.

The significance of this struggle is that through it, Dr. Femi Adekanye enriched the corpus of our jurisprudence.

Today, evidence of such struggle litters the pages of our jurisprudence and law reports - an indication that the name of this cerebral Nigerian has been immortalised for posterity. The cases involving Dr. Femi Adekanye’s painstaking struggle for freedom include the following – all now reported in our law reports: a.

Comptroller Nig. Prisons Services, Ikoyi, Lagos & 2 Ors v Femi Adekanye & 17 Ors. (1999) 5 NWLR (Part 977) 587. b.

Comptroller Nig. Prisons Services, Ikoyi, Lagos & 2 Ors v Femi Adekanye & 26 Ors (1999) 10 NWLR (Part 623) p. 401. c.

Dr. Femi Adekanye & 26 Ors v Comptroller Nig. Prisons Services, Ikoyi, Lagos & 3 Ors. (1999) 14 NWLR (Part 637) 115 These cases exposed the attribute of Dr. Femi Adekanye as a warrior and a man who would not keep quiet or fold

•The late Dr. Adekanye

‘

I also recall that upon his release from detention and on a thank-you visit to the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN in his chambers in which I accompanied him, Chief Fawehinmi showered encomiums on Dr. Femi Adekanye in my presence, saying the deceased was a great Nigerian...

’

Wahab SHITTU

his hands in the face of tyranny. The tragedy of our circumstances in our country today is that majority of our people prefer to keep quiet and grumble even when their rights are being suppressed. Dr. Femi Adekanye and his team were an exception and I salute him.

I have since reviewed these cases in ‘The Force of Justice’, a book in honour of Honourable Adesola Oguntade, Justice of the Supreme Court and published by DAC Publishing Company Ltd. In 2010.

I also recall that upon his release from detention and on a thank-you visit to the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN in his chambers in which I accompanied him, Chief Fawehinmi showered encomiums on Dr. Femi Adekanye in my presence, saying the deceased was a great Nigerian. Through that visit I discovered another fine attribute of the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, i.e. Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s infectious humility as he treated Dr. Adekanye with reverence and courtesies throughout the visit which lasted some two hours.

I also had a glimpse of the workings of the deceased’s mind when as counsel on a flight with him from Lagos to Port Harcourt to present his case before the Oputa Panel, he revealed to me his love for his children and how he indirectly and innocently contributed to the ‘dilemma’ of his son, Kunle whom he said qualified as one of the most brilliant of his children manifested by Kunle’s grade one School Certificate result. He told me ‘if Kunle is not doing too well yet as I expected, I have a share of the blame too, going by the way I flaunted his good grades to the world when I ought to have been more discreet’. He tried to make up for this by fully re-absorbing and reconciling with Kunle before he answered the ultimate call. As it turned out, he became really proud of Kunle’s radical transformation positively before he died.

The encounter showed me clearly that Dr. Femi Adekanye was a personage ready to own up for his mistakes and willing to forgive. This may also have revealed

that great men also tend to have great flaws and Dr. Femi Adekanye would seem not to have been an exception.

The useful lesson here is, how many Nigerians are ready to own up to their mistakes and forgive those perceived to have wronged them? We can profit as much from great men’s wisdom as their foibles, if we have the courage and the patience to learn from their lifestyles. ]In several other correspondences with me in months preceding his death, he revealed his seeming discomfort with the way he had been treated by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, despite what many consider his monumental contributions to the institute and the banking industry in Nigeria generally.

Again, in his letter to the institute, a copy of which he graciously endorsed to me, he readily expressed his willingness to forgive and forget his sad experience with the institute during his travails, an indication that he had a forgiving spirit and believed that to err is human.

I am aware that upon his death, the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria acknowledged his contributions when in a full page advertorial in the Guardian Newspaper of Monday March 5th, 2012, announcing his transition, the institute, in a release signed by ‘Uju M. Ogubunka, Registrar/CEO, wrote: “With deep sense of loss but with gratitude to Almighty God, we on behalf of the Governing Council, Members, Management and Staff of the Institute announce the transition to glory of our Member, Fellow and Past President, Dr. Femi Adeyemo Zakariyahu Adekanye FCIB, President (1989 – 1992). He has since been buried according to Islamic Rites at his country home, Offa, Kwara State”.

The institute may also consider reactivating the Dr. Femi Adekanye annual lecture series, which in times past used to be one of the hallmarks of the Institute. This great man deserves no less.

I also know through my interactions with him at the twilight of his life that he was more concerned with preserving his hard earned reputation, honour and venerable name and, inspite of the unsubstantiated and wild allegations against him in the market place, he retained his honour and name till the end as he was never convicted for any offence until he breathed his last. The Nigerian state may well consider offering a public apology to him posthumously for his unjust incarceration. I know that my several other interactions with him and those of others during this critical period he had graciously documented in his book ‘Presumed Guilty’, a fact that may reveal that one is somewhat entitled and justified to write this tribute in his honour.

Few months to his death, he wrote to offer me what I consider ‘a gift’ and which he disguised as something else for a token. I didn’t know at the time that he was bidding me farewell. When later, I saw the gift, I realized that it was his own unique style of saying to me ‘goodbye’.

As a man reputed for keeping his word, he signed and transferred ‘the disguised gift’ to me without my asking before he bade the world farewell. What a gentleman and a generous spirit! The development showed that he left the world without being indebted to anyone. I am also grateful to God that I resisted the urge to ask for a receipt of ‘the token’ before the man of God did what was right before his exit.

I know that Dr. Femi Adekanye actually struggled to live and indeed battled death as a warrior till the end.

He sought medical assistance as far as India, and on an earlier trip to Canada after his release, he offered to return home and make his own contributions to nation building.

When news reached me that he was hospitalised at LUTH Specialist Hospital, Idi Araba, Lagos, I paid several visits to him on his sick bed and, on one of such occasions, I made frantic phone calls to some of his closest associates, including Dr. R. Oladipo, the proprietor of (R. Jolad Hospital) who immediately contacted specialists at LUTH to offer immediate medical attention to the ailing chief.

I can also confirm that during this critical period, Dr. Femi Adekanye was surrounded by the love and concern of his children, both male and female, all of whom deployed finances, attention and support in ensuring their cherished father survived the crisis. On one of such visits, I came across Alhaji Muftau Balogun (Demba) deploying his attention and resources.

It was from this point that he was moved to the University of Ilorin Specialist Hospital where he eventually died. Before his death, close associates showed concern and when he finally died some of these associates took an advertorial to celebrate him ‘for the privilege of passing through you ’ “(see Punch edition of Thursday March 8, 2012).

These associates include: R. K. O. Osayameh (a gentleman to the core), Abdulateef Ijaya, Ade Ayoola, Aja Enekwachi, B. O. Onamusi, Ben Ozor, Binjo Oduye, Bisi Afolabi, Dan Igbokwe, Doyin Shodeinde, Dr. Tunji Shobodu, Dr. Uju Ogubunka, Folorunso Omosa, Jimmy Erinosho, Kayode Adesanmi, Kayode Daodu, Mike Ngbakor, Odekoya Oluseyi, Ola Amosu, Razak Aboyeji, Remi Adeboyega, Rotimi Badiru, Hon. Shehu Garba, Shina Alabede, Tokunbo Oshilowo, Tunde Olagunju and Wasiu Dosunmu.”

Continued on Page 56

INTERVIEW

50

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

The Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, in an encounter with journalists in Abuja, spoke about the government’s plans to resuscitate railways, boost marine transport and create an enabling environment for foreign investors in the sector. He also spoke on the controversial multi-billion waterways contract that was awarded to a former militant from the Niger Delta. Our Managing Editor, Northern Operation, YUSUF ALLI and Abuja Bureau Chief, YOMI ODUNUGA, were there. Excerpts:

Our plans to restore the lost glory of the railways —Transport Minister Idris Umar tablish a self-sustaining, efficient, affordable and seamless intra mode r n syst e m o f transportation in line with global best practices while creating an enabling environment for public private partnerships. The Federal Ministry of Transport, as you know, is responsible for rail and marine transport and inter-modern co-ordination.

The mandate, policies, programmes and budgets of the ministry are implemented through the various agencies at the ministry which include Nigeria Railway Coperation, Nigeria Ports Authority, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Shippers Council, National Inland Waterways Authority, Nigeria Institute of Transport Technology, Zaria and Maritime Academy of Nigeria Oron.

Most Nigerians are curious to know what is happening at the railways which, ordinarily, should be a veritable alternative to road transport. Is there any development in this sector?

Rail line construction in Nigeria has reached its present stage of 3,505 kilometres on the existing

•Idris Umar

narrow gauge. The standard gauge is about 254 kilometres. Now, let me say that in the ministry, we have adopted two approaches on the development of the railway. As you are fully aware, the railway has been comatose for a number of years. In those days, the best and perhaps the cheapest means of transportation was through the railway. People travelled from Lagos to Kano, from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, and then it was the trend as students, traders, businessmen, farmers and goods were transported then with trains. However, this became a thing of the past.

So, where does that leave us?

Any hope for the return of trains?

Of course with the efforts of the current administration, Nigerians are definitely assured that the railway system is going to be resuscitated. The dual approach we have adopted first is to ensure the rehabilitation of the existing narrow gauge, and secondly to reconstruct or to construct and develop what we call the modern rail lines, the

standard gauge. The existing narrow gauge from Lagos to Kano is being rehabilitated. It constitutes what we call the Western corridor and work has already reached an advanced stage.

We are hoping that by the second quarter of this year, rehabilitation would have been completed. It is being done in two phases. The first phase, which is Lagos to Jebba, has been completed. The second, Lagos to Kano, is on. It is almost about 85 per cent complete. So we hope that by the end of the second quarter of this year, the Western corridor would be completed. Then the Eastern corridor starts from Port Harcourt to Enugu to Makurdi to Lafia in Nassarawa State, Bukuru in Plateau State with two branches from Kuru to Jos, from Kuru to Kafanchan up to Kaduna and of course from Kuru to Bauchi Maiduguri, Bauchi Gombe, Gombe up to Maigduguri. That constitutes the Eastern corridor and rehabilitation has been going on and we hope that the Eastern corridor will

Nigerians are definitely assured that the railway system is going to be resuscitated. The dual approach we have adopted first is to ensure the rehabilitation of the existing narrow gauge, and secondly to reconstruct or to construct and develop what we call the modern rail lines...

‘

‘

W

HAT is the Ministry of Transport doing to provide succour to many Nigerians who continue to suffer the burden of inadequate and exploitative transport sector?

Generally, the fundamental goal of the subsector under the infrastructural components for the transformation agenda of the present administration of Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is to develop an adequate self–sustaining, environmentally sound, efficient and affordable preferred integrated transport. Given the various conditions of the sector, significant improvements will be subject to the realities of the resource availability, practical implementation constraints, careful planning, privatisation and analysis to ensure that the benefits are visible and, above all, are sustainable.

You will all agree with me that Nigeria needs massive investment which is, of course, beyond the means available to government in order to close the wide infrastructure gap. To this end, the Federal Government has adopted a policy frame work for the private sector to play significant role in providing some of these investments through private partnerships. This is a concept that is appealing to all. It is not limited to transport sector alone, all sectors of the economy have had to imbibe this because of lean resources as there are lots of competing needs.

The use of private investment will appropriately address the infrastructural deficit and improve public services in a sustainable way.

In order to actualise the above policy drive of the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of Transport has, over the years, conceptualised the following as vision: to evolve a world class transportation system in Nigeria and to position it as a hub in the West and Central Africa. Our mission is to es-

be completed by the end of next year.

Presently, intra city transit services are being carried out in Lagos, Kano and Kaduna. Under the modernisation programme, the Abuja-Kaduna modern railway line is under construction. We hope that by the end of 2014, it will be completed. Equally worthy of mention is the fact that government is going to award a contract for the reconstruction of Lagos-Ibadan modern line this year.

Is there any room for private sector participation in this?

A number of feasibility studies are going to be carried out and the intention is to partner with the private sector. Of course, we have already received a lot of interests from various prospective investors who have shown interest in coming to invest in our railways. Some of the lines that are billed for consultancy under the feasibility studies are Lagos to Abuja high speed rail which covers a distance of about 896 kilometers. There are interests being shown by private investors for other segments of the high speed design. We hope that we will conclude the feasibility studies this year or within the first and second quarter of next year so that we will have the raw materials with which to invite the private sector to come in and invest. It is very difficult for government to finance the project by itself alone.

You can imagine Lagos-Ibadan

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

INTERVIEW

51

‘We only concessioned expertise, not maritime security to private firm’

•Idris Umar

ment have plans to amend this Act? That was a good observation.

Presently, we are working on a bill, in collaboration with the Bureau of Publci Enterprises, seeking to repeal the Railway Act of 1955. The Act has given exclusive rights of ownership of railway to the Nigerian Railway Corporation. We believe we should amend the Act to enable states and private sector invest in railway development. We have already finished working on the bill but it is with the Attorney General of the Federation for vetting. I am sure that in the next couple of weeks, the Federal Executive Council will consider the bill before it is forwarded to the National Assembly.

What is the situation with inlands ports and the river ports your ministry is constructing at Onitsha?

A number of inland container depots are being constructed under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement. At the moment, six of them are under construction. They are Isiala Ngwa in Abia state, Burukutu in Borno, Plateau, Zaria in Kaduna, Ibadan in Oyo, Kano in Kano. These are a number of inland container depots that are being constructed under the PPP arrangement. The investors have suggested that we should approve that these depots be allowed to operate as the port of first destination and port of origin. The meaning of that is that they should be allowed to operate just like ports that people can get in their goods from this lnland container depot direct to where they want them to go, out of this country by way of export and then receive them by way of import. We are, of course, looking into that. We have given approval to this in principle.

We are just trying to conclude the documentation.

Also, in the area of marine transport, the country has about 300 kilometres of port land which has much natural harbour and sandy beaches.

Port operations and development have been the responsibility o f

‘

NIMASA only went into partnership with GWVSL and the function they are performing is to provide the platform and expertise to maintain the safety of the waters. ...People have been making a lot of insinuations that security of our waterways has been concessioned to militants. It is very irritating. It is absolutely wrong

‘

double track alone is going to cost $1.5billion. So if government has to put in money to construct the rail line under the modernisation programme, you can imagine what it will cost to modernise railway lines from Lagos to Abuja, Abuja to Maiduguri or from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri or from Lagos to Enugu. So it is of necessity that the private sector be partnered and that is why we have been going round the world looking for investors, discussing with them and trying to woo them to come and invest in critical infrastructures, particularly the railway.

Of course, people will argue that most countries in the world where the railway system has been successful are the ones the governments bear the cost of laying the tracks. Of course that is the plan.

But then, when you have a very serious challenge of funds, constraint of funds, then you have to look inward and invite the private sector and see those who will be prepared to put in their money.

What is important for us as a nation is to ensure that this major infrastructure is reintroduced and redeveloped. We also have the Central corridor under the modernisation programme. Under this, you have the Itakpe-AjaokutaWarri rail line which is equally being completed. We hope that by the first quarter of next year this line will equally be completed.

With the present Act setting up the Nigeria Railway Corporation, it is clear that private investors will find it difficult to build and operate rail transport. Does the govern-

the Nigerian Port Authority. The Nigerian Port Authority operates six major ports excluding oil terminals with the constructive holding capacity of 100m metric tons peranum. In 2006, the Federal Government carried out comprehensive reforms that made them to become a landlord and regulator and delineated the port in the terminal and concessioned them to private operators for the terminals to operate.

For the avoidance of doubt, the six existing ports are the Lagos port complex which is the popular Apapa Tin-can Island port complex, Rivers port complex in Port Harcourt, Bonny port complex, Calabar port, Delta port complex which comprises Warri, Koko Sapele, and Burutu ports. For some time Koko, Sapele and Burutu have not been operating but efforts have been put in place to attract investors for the reactivation of the Koko port.

Government has adopted a policy of partnership with the private sector to develop all these ports in this direction, a number of prospective investors have been lined up. Already government has reached advanced stage, almost all the negotiations have been concluded, the Akwa Ibom deep sea port is also in line. The governor of Akwa Ibom State has graciously granted the certificate of occupancy for the land.

Also in Ibadan, we desire to establish the Olubade district port, that is the deep sea port. So these are the prospective places for the investors to come and invest to partner with us. The partnership is on 60:20:20 basis. The investors will have 60 per cent of equity, the state will have 20 per cent while the NPA will have 20 percent. The idea is to encourage the private sector as much as possible because port development is capital intensive and government alone cannot bear it, therefore you need to give the private sector a lot of dividends. We will not compromise on the intention of government because, in the process of the operation of the port, a lot of revenue comes in to the government and a lot of effect where the port is being established in terms of revenue generation, in terms of job opportunities and many others.

What is the position of the inland water ways?

At the moment, the government has completed the dredging of the lower River Niger from

Warri in Delta State up to Barro in Niger State covering a distance of over 532 kilometres.

The idea is to

concentrate on the priority areas.

What is on now is the maintenance stage. We have already commenced discussions with a lot of private investors who are ready to come and patronise us. As a matter of fact, we have two or three meetings with companies that are interested in maintaining and managing the channel. We have the Lagos channel management, Warri channel management and so on.

We have received three applications from very serious companies that have shown interest in coming to partner with us, so that we allow them to manage and, of course, maintain the channel through which they would be on their own by attracting investors through the channel. It is also important to mention the fact that a number of River ports have been developed. The Oguta River Port is being constructed. Baro River Port is being developed and very soon we are going to have contract for the development of Lokoja River Port.

The Onitsha River port will be commissioned. We are hoping that, by the second quarter of this year, we will invite Mr. President to go and commission the Onitsha River port.

We are very proud of the contractors. They are indigenous contractors. Sometime last year, I had promised that, in about two months’ time, we should be able to bring the president to come and commission the port. But I identified certain places that I felt work must be done at the port as it were.

I discovered that the stacking area was not sufficient enough for a port of this magnitude and I asked the technical experts at the site whether it was not possible for a particular portion at the stacking area to be developed so as to increase the size of the stacking area. Secondly, when we went there, there was no light and probably there was no generator and a number of things.

So, after these observations, I asked them to go and do the costing and then they came out with the cost and then they said that it was not possible for them to complete this work within the time frame. So, we gave them more time.

Some

t h r e e weeks back I took a memo to council for the augmentation to approve the variation for these things to be put in place. In fact, more than 95 percent is completed from the report I have. But, before the commissioning, I will have to go there to really make sure that everything is taken care of. I wouldn’t want a situation where after a project had been com-

missioned, we still go there to commence amendment instead of commencing full activities as expected.

We want to commission a place that immediately after the commissioning, activities will begin. Also this year, we intend to award contract for the dredging of River Benue from Lokoja to Makurdi.

The Federal Executive Council has approved the fund for the feasibility study for the dredging of River Benue. Of course, we need to conduct general survey and environmental impact assessment. It is equally going to involve a facility survey to determine what needs to be done.

The controversy over the award of a contract for the security of the water ways to a private company owned by a former militant is still being discussed in business circles. What is the situation?

NIMASA only went into partnership with GWVSL and the function they are performing is to provide the platform and expertise to maintain the safety of the waters. This company will not bear arms. That is the responsibility of the Nigerian Navy. So, people should not make the mistake that the government has ceded out the security of our waters to private sectors. NIMASA is established by the law of the parliament, the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Act. Under that law, NIMASA is empowered to take charge of the administration and the safety of our waters and to carry out its functions and responsibilities either by itself or through an agency of government or in partnership with any institution of government or in partnership with any agency of government or in partnership with any natural or juristic person.

These are the operative words: Natural person will mean you and I as a person while juristic person will mean a limited liability company like the GWVSL, which has now entered into partnership with NIMASA. It can only provide expertise. It will provide platform to provide security for the port and equipment. They are on surveillance. So, people should not make the mistake that government has ceded out the security of our waters to private sector. No, government has concessioned out the security of our waters to private sector. The private sector is to provide platform, equipment, expertise, because of the enormity of the capital required.

Like I said earlier, government cannot finance everything. We need to partner with the private sector.

We have to make it clear that we operate no cure no pay basis. Companies will only be entitled to their fees when they are able to reach in collection of fees to NIMASA, the fee the NIMASA is collecting over a period of time. People have been making a lot of insinuations that security of our waterways has been concessioned to militants. It is very irritating. It is absolutely wrong.

This is the true position.

FAMIL Y HEAL TH AMILY HEALTH

52

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

Maintaining purity in courtship (4)

D

EAR Reader, Welcome to another time of encounter in God's presence. I have been teaching on Maintaining Purity In Courtship.

So far, I have discussed on the foundation you should lay for your home to be successful, ways to maintaining purity in courtship, and what to do to help you abstain from all appearances of evil in a bid to enjoy honour in marriage.

God is interested in your marriage being successful. Therefore, to have a successful marriage, the most important thing is to ensure that you follow God's principles, which He laid down when He designed marriage. The irony is, when we focus on His principles instead of our pleasure, we end up

having a very satisfying and pleasant marriage!

Courtship is about open and honest exploration of each other's lives and families, leading to engagement and marriage. Courtship is about preparation for marriage. You court in order to see if there is any reason why you shouldn't get married. There is no romantic interaction until after the commitment to marriage (wedding).

This does not mean that you don't love your spouse to be. Loving him or her could mean disciplining, correcting and exhorting each other, to change. Other times, it may be to quash a selfish desire in your heart in favour of their desires. Basically, it means taking the focus off yourself and looking

at what you can invest in the other person.

God's Word says: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

There is none other commandment greater than these (Mark 12:31). In the context of courtship therefore, there are two neighbours that you should love (i.e. keep their best interests at heart).

First is your future spouse. Keeping his or her best interests at heart would result in things like saving your sexual and emotional purity for her/ him, developing your character and preparing resources for a stable marriage with him/ her, etc.

Second is the future spouse of that person you are interested in.

Unless you are ready for marriage, you should not be having 'emotional exchanges' with any member of the opposite sex. You should treat every friend as though they will be someone else's spouse. Loving that spouse as a neighbour means treating him/her as a brother or sister in Christ, not defrauding their emotions or purity but investing in them without mo-

tive for selfish gain.

Some people wonder about a relationship where there is 'no romantic involvement before marriage' and the possibility that a couple could get married only to find out they have no sexual or romantic feelings for each other. To clarify, however, my conviction is that you shouldn't be romantically involved until after the commitment to marriage (wedding). Keep your romantic emotions for your husband or your wife.

If you allow the romance before the commitment, then there is the possibility of several romances, with all the pain and emotional baggage that it entails. The Word of God says: So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies (Ephesians 5:28). And verse 33 says: Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself. From the above passages you can see that the Bible admonishes that you should "love the one you married" rather than to "marry the one you love." That is why the above verses say, "men love your wives".

Romantic emotions should be reserved for marriage not for courtship. This is because when you get romantically involved and the courtship happens to break due to some things you have found out about the other person and you are not willing to continue, often times this results in hurt. Therefore, keep all romantic emotions till after the wedding to avoid heart-break and hurt.

From the foregoing, you need the help of God to maintain purity in your courtship so as to enjoy the honour in marriage afterward.

This help is obtainable by accepting Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour as you say this prayer: Dear Lord, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Now I know I am born again!

Congratulations! Till I come your way again next week, call or write, and share your testimonies with me through: E-mail: faithdavid@yahoo.com Tel. No: 2341-7747546-8; 07026385437, 07094254102 For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all the Living Faith Churches, and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work and Building a Successful Family.

Male menopause: Myth or reality?

Aging-related hormone changes in men — sometimes called male menopause — are different from those in women.

Hormone changes are a natural part of aging. Unlike the more dramatic reproductive hormone plunge that occurs in women during menopause, however, sex hormone changes in men occur gradually — over a period of many years. Here is what to expect, and what a man can do about it.

Debunking the male menopause myth The term “male menopause” is sometimes used to describe decreasing testosterone levels or a reduction in the bioavailability of testosterone related to aging.

Female menopause and socalled male menopause are two different situations, however. In women, ovulation ends and hormone production plummets during a relatively short period of time. In men, hormone production and testosterone bioavailability decline more gradually.

The effects — such as changes in sexual function, energy level or mood — tend to be subtle and might go unnoticed for years.

So what is the best way to refer to so-called male menopause?

Many doctors use the term “andropause” to describe agingrelated hormone changes in men. Other terms for so-called male menopause include testosterone deficiency, androgen deficiency of the aging male and late-onset hypogonadism.

Understanding male hormones over time Testosterone levels vary greatly among men. In general, however, older men tend to have lower testosterone levels than do younger men. Testosterone levels gradually decline throughout adulthood — about one per-

cent a year after age 30 on average. By about age 70, the decrease in a man’s testosterone level can be as much as 50 percent.

Male menopause: Myth or reality?

Recognizing low testosterone levels.

Some men have a lower than normal testosterone level without signs or symptoms. For others, low testosterone might cause: •Changes in sexual function.

This might include erectile dysfunction, reduced sexual desire, fewer spontaneous erections — such as during sleep — and infertility. The testes might become smaller as well.

•Changes in sleep patterns.

Sometimes low testosterone causes sleep disturbances, such as insomnia, or increased sleepiness.

•Physical changes.

Various physical changes are possible, including increased body fat; reduced muscle bulk, strength and endurance; and decreased bone density. Swollen or tender breasts (gynecomastia) and loss of body hair are possible.

Rarely, a man might experience hot flashes and have less energy.

•Emotional changes.

Low testosterone might contribute to a decrease in motivation or self-confidence. You might feel sad or depressed, or have trouble concentrating or remembering things.It’s important to note that some of these signs and symptoms are a normal part of aging. Others can be caused by various underlying factors, including medication side effects, thyroid problems, depression and excessive alcohol use. A blood test is the only way to diagnose a low testosterone level or a reduction in the bioavailability of testosterone.

Feeling best

If a man suspect that he has a low testosterone level, he should consult his doctor. The physician can evaluate possible causes for the signs and symptoms and explain treatment options. A man can not boost his natural testosterone production, but these steps might help: •He should be honest with his doctor.

Work with doctor to identify and treat any health issues that might be causing or contributing to the signs and symptoms — from medication side effects to erectile dysfunction and other sexual issues.

•He should make healthy lifestyle choices.

Eat a healthy diet and include physical activity in daily routine. Healthy lifestyle choices will help a man maintain his strength, energy and lean muscle mass.

•Regular physical activity can even improve the mood and promote better sleep.

•Help should be sought if a man feels down. Depression in men doesn’t always mean having the blues. He might have depression if he feels irritable, isolated and withdrawn.

Other signs of depression common in men include working excessively, drinking too much alcohol, using illicit drugs or seeking thrills from risky activities.

He needs to be wary of herbal supplements. Herbal supple-

Regular exercise and consultation with doctor and living a healthy lifestyle is the way out

ments have not been proved safe and effective for aging-related low testosterone.

Some supplements might even be dangerous. Long-term use of DHEA, for example, has no proven benefits and might increase the risk of prostate cancer.

Treating aging-related low testosterone with testosterone replacement therapy is controversial.

For some men, testosterone

therapy relieves bothersome signs and symptoms of testosterone deficiency. For others, however — particularly older men — the benefits are not clear.

The risks are a concern as well.

Testosterone replacement therapy might increase the risk of prostate cancer or other health problems. If a man wonder whether testosterone injections or other testosterone treatments might be right for him, he should work with his doctor to weigh the pros and cons.

Link between birth control pills and breast cancer?

Current evidence suggests that use of oral contraceptives does not increase the risk of breast cancer. While older research showed a slight increase in risk, those studies included pills with higher estrogen doses than what is available today. In addition, the older research showed that 10

or more years after stopping oral contraceptives, the risk of breast cancer returned to the same level as that of women who never used oral contraceptives.

What else can be done?

Be vigilant about breast cancer detection. If a woman notices any changes in her breasts, such as a new lump or skin changes, she

should consult her doctor for an evaluation. Also, ask the doctor when to begin mammograms and other screening procedures to detect breast cancer.

It is not always possible to prevent breast cancer. By practicing healthy habits, however, a woman is taking an active role in breast cancer prevention.

FAMIL Y HEAL TH AMILY HEALTH

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

Coping with mental tiredness

T

HE human mind is amaz ing. The brain can run numerous functions simultaneously. If you have every prayed the way some Moslems and some Christians do with prayer beads, you find that while reciting a prayer formula, you are reflecting on some deep spiritual matter, and you are also controlling the beads is your hands.

These are all conscious, voluntary acts. Alongside of these, the brain is also continually directing numerous involuntary acts such as the beating of the heart and maintenance of blood flow, breathing, digestion of food, production of hormones and many functions that scientists do not know about and may never get to know about.

At any time, the brain is capable of carrying out numerous compatible functions.

The brain unifies various aspects of life. If the brain is exhausted by some mental process such as prolonged intense accounting, intellectual work, or a learning exercise, this exhaustion might rub off on some other life processes controlled by the brain such as loving one's spouse, paying attention to the kids, relating well with colleagues, or treating a servant politely. Sometimes a person presents a shocking attitude, not deliberately, but as a reflection of mental exhaustion.

In a competitive, fast-paced

Staphylococcal infection usually takes different forms, most often, an infected person may not be aware of having the infection, because he or she may not have any serious symptoms initially.

Sometimes a victim may be having some common ailments, which he or she may just overlook as just an ordinary or common sickness. A very good example of this is someone having a recurrent malaria or typhoid fever, which always return after few weeks of treatment. The funny thing about this situation is that when such people go to the hospital or laboratory for test, all that will be revealed is that

world, we will always be faced with schedules, deadlines, emergencies, opportunities that must be snatched, problems that need solving, threats that make us unable to be at ease, and many processes that can precipitate mental exhaustion. We always need to be able to unwind otherwise other aspects of life can become casualties of the mental exhaustion.

Taking breaks, resting, sleeping, changing activities to more physical activities, avoiding stressors, and having hobbies are some ways in which we can counteract mental exhaustion.

General exhaustion including mental and bodily exhaustion or bodily exhaustion alone can result in stupor, a state of spent energies and unresponsiveness. However, unlike bodily exhaustion, over-activity of mental function can present in a state of hyperactivity of the nerves and hormones, restlessness, irritability, anxiety, and inability to sleep or insomnia. The human mind may get to a stage that it cannot recover calmness on its own. Peace can be acquired from outside of us, e.g. through prayer, from a supernatural source, or by the support of another person. Some persons have regained their balance by receiving counsel-

ling from appropriate experts.

Certain drugs can tranquilize (can cause calmness). Many of them are dangerous drugs that should not be used without prescription by a doctor.

They generally depress the brain.

Tranquilizers are used in psychiatry. Drugs that pharmacologists refer to as major tranquilizers are drugs that promote behavioural tranquillity (emotional calmness) without sedating effects. They are used in psychotic disorders and primarily affect the mental state or mental functioning of a person.

A person with chronic mental exhaustion can develop a mental disorder that may necessitate clinical attention. A psychiatrist would need to assess the mental state and treat the patient as needed or as possible.

Some people use drugs called sedatives, anxiolytics, and hypnotics. Sedatives and anxiolytics are drugs that produce drug-induced calmness by depressing brain and nerve functions and excitement.

Anxiolytics reverse anxiety and anti-anxiety drugs block anxiety build-up. Hypnotics enhance the initiation or maintenance of sleep. Persons that are often under high pressure to perform beyond the ordinary (celebrities, executives, etc.) tend to resort to these drugs to help them calm down or sleep after a period of stress. Overdose of such drugs leads to excessive depression of the brain and central nervous system.

Many drugs in these categories can easily be abused and have been involved in accidental coma and deaths from overdose, from drug interactions with other drugs or foods that the user takes simultaneously,

or simply from inadvertent risks taken in the use of these drugs.

Alcohol in a moderate amount can calm one down and help relaxation. Cannabis (marijuana) also produces this kind of effect in moderate amounts.

Nicotine (from tobacco) also has a calming effect. There are many over-the-counter drugs that do not require a doctor's prescription and are used to induce calmness or sleep, e.g., certain anithistamines. Many popularly used sedative and hypnotic drugs belong to the class of drugs called benzodiazepines which includes Valium®, Klonopin, Prosom®, Rohypnol®, Ativan®, Librium®, Restoril, and Xanax (all trade names). Some of them may be purchased without a prescription. One should not use these drugs chronically because one would become dependent (feeling one needs them to be normal) and would suffer from withdrawal symptoms if one lacks access to such drugs.

For people who have to routinely go through mental tiredness because of the nature of their occupation, the best remedies include taking breaks to rest, sandwiching mental work with physical activity (such as watching television, cooking, gardening, cleaning, sports or games, making phone calls), and sleeping well (routinely and adequately). Drugs are a last resort when things have gone out of control.

Dr. ’Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA. For any comments or questions on this column, please E m a i l bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 07028338910

Terminator called staph they are malaria parasite positive. Such people will continue wasting their hardearned money on treating malaria without any appreciable result.

In some cases a victim of staph may not have any defined symptom, but such a person will feel unwell, restless, and constant headache. When such person goes to hospital for medical check up, nothing will be revealed and such a person is said to be medically fit. But within themselves they know that they are not okay.

A good example is a patient after reading our article on staphylococcus infection and the symptoms, came to our office to complain that he has been to different hospitals for various tests which all revealed nothing. After carrying out some series of tests on him in our office, he was diagnosed to be having a heavy growth of staph. aureus and he was treated and today he is staph free and a happy man.

Staphylococcus is a very complex disease, apart from being contracted sexually or as a toilet infection; there are some other ways of getting infected. If you have contracted any form of disease in the past like, gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, candida (yeast infection), urinary tract infection (U.T.I), etc, which you may have treated but not totally cured, could lead to staph infection. So my candid advice to anyone that has any form of venereal disease or any disease at all should go for complete treatment and cure to avoid staph setting in.

When you wake up in the morning and you usually feel •Some kind of numbness in your joints, limbs or fingers or •You always have internal heat, •Rumbling within your stomach •Some worm like movement within your body then you need to go for serious body examination. All the above-mentioned situations are part of the normal symptoms of staph infections that don’t have any thing to do with other

diseases. Most of the other symptoms are one way or another related to one disease or another that is why in most cases of staph infections a victim may not be aware of what is really wrong with him.

Staph infection spreads through the blood stream, that is why the effect is felt on every part of the body system, when it spreads to the bones and joints particularly those of the arms, legs and spine it forms abscesses. This is usually what causes arthritis or oedema and if care is not taken it could lead to affected area becoming permanently stiff. If staph infection spreads to the lungs it can cause staphylococcal pneumonia, if it spreads to the inner lining of the heart it results into bacterium endocarditis (which is a serious condition that can cause permanent damage to the heart). Too much intake of antibiotics for other ailments can result into staphylococcus of the colon; if the infection spreads to the brain it could cause insomnia, which could lead to mental disorder. Not all cases of people with mental disorder or psychiatric problems are spiritual, because a situation where by a victim of staph of the brain could not sleep for days or weeks will automatically lead to a mental imbalance.

Another problem of the spread of staph to the brain is epilepsy (falling sickness) that is marked by disturbed electrical rhythms of the central nervous system and is typically manifested by convulsive attacks usually with the victim becoming unconscious.

53 Coping with diseases with Prof. Dayo Oyekole

Genital herpes

H

ERPES is a generic name for a group of viruses that cause a variety of diseases. The ailments people generally associate with herpes are those that produce small blisters on the skin, which open and are replaced by a crust before they heal completely. Genital herpes is caused by a virus called herpes simplex (HSV2), which causes crusted sores, commonly around the lips and mouth (“cold sores”) and the genitalia. The infectious condition itself is also known as herpes simplex.

The virus is intermittently present in the mouth of healthy carriers and is spread by personal contact; genital herpes is spread by sexual contact with an infected person and is a venereal disease. Although some forms can be transmitted through the air or by contact with infected articles (especially towels) used by someone with active herpes, infection usually occurs through direct physical contact.

An attack begins with itching of the skin in the affected area, quickly followed by redness and swelling. Within a few hours fragile blisters (vesicles) appear and rupture to exude a sticky serum like fluid which rapidly crusts. Unless secondary infection with bacteria occurs, the lesions heal without scarring within about a week.

Because herpes blisters individually are the size of a pinhead or smaller, they may not be easily visible. Generally, the affected area will be red, tender, and mildly to severely painful. Fever, headache, and general malaise may also be present.

Genital herpes infections may cause a painful cervicitis (inflammation of the cervix) in women, with ulceration and a vaginal discharge. The results of recent research studies have suggested that women who develop herpes cervicitis may have an increased risk of developing cancer of the cervix in later years. The condition is now seen as a reason for regular screening by Pap smears, which can detect early cancerous changes at a stage when treatment is simple and curative.

In men the genital infection is usually less severe.

However, those whose immune response is impaired (such as cancer patients, HIV/AIDS sufferers or organ transplant recipients) can be very susceptible to herpes infection.

Genital herpes may be passed from a pregnant woman to her baby during delivery. Babies infected during birth by their mothers’ active genital herpes are very likely to die or suffer severe brain damage because they have little or no resistance to the virus.

Once the virus enters the body, in stays there for the rest of the person’s life, unless a natural remedy is applied.

Recurrent attacks may occur, usually during periods when the person is feeling run down, anxious, or depressed, before menstruation, or after sexual intercourse.

In holistic lifecare, the best prospect of prevention and total cure of genital herpes is in going back to nature in terms of personal hygiene, protected sexual contact and use of potent herbal remedies. Also, a body kept healthy by proper nutrition and exercise has the best chance of keeping the virus under control.

The holistic remedy being suggested for total cure of Genital Herpes is a combination of natural extracts of Eugenia caryophylatta, Citrus lemonis, Euphorbia unispina, Hypericum perforatum and Echinacea augustifolia.

For further information and consultation on Holistic Lifecare research and services, especially on Blood Infections, Infertility, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Chronic Debilitating Conditions as well as mental and social problems, please call on: 0803-3303897 or visit: Mosebolatan Holistic Lifecare Centre, Adeyalo Layout, Ogbere-Tioya, Off Olorunsogo Express Bridge, Ibadan. Website: www.holisticlifecare.com. Distance is no barrier, we can send remedies by courier if need be. We also have facilities for accommodation, admission and hospitalization in a serene and homely environment.

54

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

‘

Our dream of developing a state beyond oil is coming through, and this is one of the projects that will not make us depend entirely on oil. I must emphasize that it is a private investment

’

•An artist impression of a section the theme resort

Bringing Disney World to Delta

T

HE traditional dancers of Udu swayed to the throbbing drum beats to welcome the August visitors gathered to flag off what would be the most ambitious investment project in Delta State.

Behind them was the 86 acres of vast swampy land

that had been cleared for the commencement of the building of a theme park.

For a community that had for long been underdeveloped, even before the construction work on the project kicked off, the place is already opening up with the construction of a modern bridge to link the king-

dom with the rest of the state.

Delta State has had its own share of industrialization success in the past with companies such as Asaba Textile Mill and Delta Steel Company, Aladja . It has also had its own share of disappointment seeing such billions

of Naira worth of companies go burst with its attendant loss of jobs.

Despite its rich natural resources , the state is moving away from total dependence on it regular to open up other lucrative investments that would help in speeding up the process of industrialization in the

Titbits Amachree decries carnival promotion

F

ATHER of tourism in Nigeria, Alabo Mike Amachree, has decried the promotion of street carnivals by governments at all levels in Nigeria.

He said it was the promotion of Brazilian culture.

He said: “ The craze for street carnivals by many states in the country is only the promotion of Brazilain culture to the detriment of our indigenous culture.”

Amachree said most of the organizers of the carnivals know next to nothing about tourism, but are only staging the carnivals to make money for themselves by assembling people to dance without creating employment for people.

He called on government at all levels to create an enabling environment for private sector investment in the tourism sector.

Amachree also commended the Rivers State government for its plan to acquire the Port Harcourt Beach Resort and upgrade it to a world-class standard. He

added that it was difficult for individuals to develop a tourist project to a world-class standard.

He said practitioners in the tourism industry are finding it difficult do their business due to lack of social infrastructure like electricity, poor road network and many others.

nomic benefits, the resort will employ thousands of people directly and indirectly. It will be a major boost for the economy of Delta State.

On the project, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State said: “Our dream of developing a state beyond oil is coming through, and this is one of the projects that will not make us depend entirely on oil. I must emphasize that it is a private investment.

There is an agreement with the government to provide basic infrastructure. The infrastructure we were to provide was the land. We provided the land and we thought that was it.

“There is no doubt that this project has had many challenges, and it will continue to have challenges, but I know our God will continue to give us the strength and the grace to continue to overcome every challenge that we will come across.”

Currently the state has embarked on the most audacious tourism since the Tinapa in Cross River State. Delta State, through a public-private partnership project, is to recreate a Disneyland-like theme park called Delta Leisure Resort. The project is about

Titbits NTDC introduces device to protect hotel owners

I

•Alabo Amachree

state in the area of tourism.

It is an ambitious tourism project that would have retail village, theme parks.

The theme park concept will be based on the magical children’s culture set in the land of myths and legends taken from popular children’s literature. It will be in a form that children would understand and stimulate their senses, imagination and learning through series of rides, experiences, roles and interactions to stimulate the children’s interests. There will be enchanted forest with dragon train, tree tower, mini carillion, dragon coaster and many more. There will also be dragon village, tower and maze, evil tower and many more.

Outside the children theme park, Delta Resort will have African cultural village where visitors would have the opportunity of testing African cuisines. Other facilities will include African cultural village, waterpark, waterfall, entertainment zone, sport village, hotels and villas and many others. It is a complete package.

Many tourism experts are of the opinion that apart from the huge tourism traffic with its attendant eco-

N its renewed drive to check the activities of fraudsters within the hospitality industry in Nigeria, the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation has perfected plans to introduce a biometric system of identification.

According to the Director General of the NTDC, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, the mechanism, which will soon be fully operational across the country, is being developed by a United States-based outfit and encompasses automated methods of recognizing staff working in hospitality outfits with a central database where such identities will be collated.

Otunba Runsewe gave the hint when addressing members of the Hotel Owners Forum Association (HOFA) in Abuja Tuesday, saying the technology, when introduced, is expected to outsmart fraudulent workers in the industry who have being having a field day operating to the detriment of genuine practitio-

ners in the industry.

Speaking further, Runsewe commended the HOFA for its vital role in employment generation, while advising the members to always put together tour packages as a product to advance the growth of the hospitality industry.

He noted that certain taxes levied on hotel owners by government agencies have been stopped to encourage them.

Apart from the security measure, the NTDC boss revealed that an internet database is being developed by the corporation, and hotels will be given unique individual passwords where they can display their facilities and services to the entire world.

Otunba Runsewe reiterated his promise to give out thousands of the Startimes digital decoder procured from the Nigerian Television Authority to every Nigerian-based hospitality outfit like hotels, tour operators, eateries, parks, travel agencies with a six-month free subscription package, observing that the aim remains to encourage and support the hotel owners, while promoting viewership of local content as well as the maximization of profit for all parties involved in the collaboration.

Reacting to Otunba Runsewe’s address, the Chairman of the HOFA, Engineer Onofiok Ekong, who was visibly ex-

55

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan with his deputy, Professor Amos Utuama, at the event

•Princess Oyefusi

five kilometres from Udu, just a stone throw from Delta Steel Company which currently not in op-

eration.

The chief executive officer of the private sector group undertaking the

project, Sarner PFM, is Princess Abiodun Oyefusi.

On the project, she said: “It is surprising that Nigeria with a population of 150 million does not have a world- cass tourism and entertainment centre. We are to complete the project in October 2014 because of the swampy land.

“It is going to take about eight months to reclaim the land. Most of what you see in that brochure is actually a construction masterplan.

It is not a concept anymore.

This is what it is going to look like; this what we are going to put in it and other different aspects of the plans.

“I believe it is an opportunity for Nigerians to own part of it because after constructing it, we are going to sell it to the public so that we have joint ownership.

This is a public limited liability company. We can and we will complete it because of the investment behind it.

“It is a private initiative.

The funds to build the park are coming from a few people like the governor explained. What the government gave us was land.

When we got here, there was no access. Now, the bridge has opened up the

Titbits

place for us and different communities out there. The government owns 10 per cent of the park because of the land that they gave us.“ Oyefusi was asked what they are putting in place to make sure the project does not end up not achieving the vision it was set up for like Tinapa in Cross River State.

She said: “I do not know what happened in Tinapa.

I do not know what their plans were. But we tell you, watch us. When we talk about the theme park, like most things, it is not the business of government to build a theme park. That is why here it is built and managed by a purely private organization, and when you are using the private sector’s money, you have to use it for what it is meant for. So the initiative is there and the drive is there. This theme park is not for the affluent; it is for everybody in Nigeria. Children under seven can be brought here. A family of five can come in with about N3,500.

“So, our own concept is different from the Tinapa concept. There is always the concept that you learn from other people’s mistakes. We will look at what exactly went wrong there.

A lot of factors could have affected it, like the socioeconomic factor. There is the political factor, there is the community factor, all sorts of factors that could have affected Tinapa, but we are not beating our own drum before we actually get there.

“Tinapa was all over the place. Everybody in Europe knew Tinapa. So we’ve learnt from that. We said we want people to see what we are doing before we shout. Let them actually see what is going on. Seeing is believing.”

Among those present at the event was the Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke,the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Professor Amos Utuama, the former manging director Duiness PLC, Chief Abel Ubeku, and many others

Ex-tourism director becomes Owatapa of Itapa Ekiti

ners cited, lauded the NTDC initiative reaffirming his confidence in the corporation, saying, “NTDC has done it before and is doing it again, but we cannot say the same thing about other government agencies” He further said that NTDC’s move had completely changed the perception of the private sector towards government agencies because of the NTDC/NTA partnership geared towards assisting the hotel owners.

He concluded by thanking Startimes Cable Service for the cooperation, noting that it was a new dimension in public private partnership.

HE presentation of T instrument and staff of office to Oba David

•Makanjuola

Makanjuola Ajaja, Ilufemiloye Ola III, Owatapa of Itapa Ekiti who was installed November 27 will be performed today by His Excellency, Dr Kayode Fayemi, Executive Governor, Ekiti State in Itapa – Ekiti at 10am prompt.

The monarch was born on April 11, 1952 to the famous families of the late Pa Micheal Mese Ajaja and the late Olori Madam Abigial Tinuola.

He attended St Philomena Catholic School, Itapa Ekiti and Methodist Primary School Orin Ekiti

for his early education.

He later proceeded to Methodist Secondary Modern School ,Itapa – Ekiti , Egbeoba High School and Ise Emure Grammar School for his secondary school education.

The new Owa Tapa of Itapa Ekiti enrolled at the then University of Ife, IleIfe where he bagged first and second degrees in History and PhD in International Relations from the University of Abuja.

Oba Ajaja worked with the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) where he just retired as Acting Director, Planning, Research and Statistics.

•Kenya’sVP in a warm handshake with Otunba Akinboboye

Kenya’s VP tours La Campagne Tropicana Resort

K

ENYA’S Vice President Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, during his recent visit to Nigeria, toured La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, Ikegun, Ibeju-Lekki Council Area, Lagos State recently.

The visit was aimed at having a first experience of the Africa-themed beach resort. He was received along with his son, Ken, by the President, La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye.

Musyoka, who said he was impressed by the resort, commended its management for its work.

He said: “I am highly fascinated by the three components of a tourism destination embedded in the resort, that is, freshwater lagoon tourism, beach tourism and mangrove forest tourism, all in one place and encapsulated in a highly cosmopolitan cultural presentation.”

He was conducted round the resort’s facilities where he inspected the Freshwater Lagoon Osho Bungalows, Mangrove Forest Anago Bungalows and the Ocean Front Obieze Bungalows. He later commended the resort for its distinct cleanliness.

In his closing remark, Otunba Akinboboye thanked the visiting statesman for taking time out of his very tight schedule to visit the resort and Lagos State, adding that “the state is blessed with over 180 km of beach front and that Lagos State is highly interested in tourism development.”

He posited that Africa must collaborate by teaching one another in their respective areas of expertise.

According to him, “I will like to see how Kenya can come to the aid of Nigeria to support her in tourism development in view of Kenya’s many years of experience and focus in tourism development.”

•From left: GM, Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel, Mr. Mark Loxley, Mrs Lola Adefope of HSG and Ubong Nseobot of Southern Sun at the hotel’s quarterly cocktail

‘Tourism can stimulate trade and development’

P

ARTICIPANTS at a major United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XIII) have underscored the role of tourism as a vital service sector, contributing to GDP and employment in developed and developing countries alike.

The theme of the conference: Towards Inclusive and Sustainable Growth and Development, focuses on how the global economy can spread its benefits more inclusively and sustainably, creating jobs and raising living standards for poor people and nations.

Currently ranking among the top three export sectors for nearly half of the world’s least developed countries (LDCs), tourism has emerged as one of the economic sectors best able to address these concerns. With tourism growth rates in developing countries currently outperforming those in developed countries, tourism today is one of the most promising and viable options for global development.

56 READER’S VIEW

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

May Day: Osun delegation’s trip to Cuba M

AY 1, every year all over the world, has always been a day for workers to celebrate their struggles and achievements in their various countries, but being a socialist country, the celebration of this day in Cuba goes beyond the mere parade by workers. Rather, it is a period of exchanging values in the area of politics, economy, health, culture, education and agriculture, among others.

Cuba has an agency. It is the Cuba Institute of Friendship with the People (ICAP) saddled with the responsibility of inviting persons and groups all over the world to participate in its May Day. From Nigeria, persons,groups and even states use to send delegates to Cuba every year to participate in the celebration and learn about their values which could assist in developing some of their programmes.

May Day in Cuba is the most spectacular in the world, and it is an event that brings everybody together to promote peace, progress and harmony to the extent that the citizens of countries would celebrate together like brothers.

The period of the celebration is when you meet the best of educators, unionists, community activists andworkers that debate reasonably on education, agriculture, health and many others, hence, giving the participants the advantages of training in the specified areas.

In fact, as at today, Cuba has been found to be the best all over the world in terms of primary health care delivery, in spite of the fact that there is no country that has ever witnessed the kind of harsh sanctions that America has placed on Cuba since 1965. With all the economic blockades and sanctions, they survive because of their initiatives that the whole world is now learning from.

Interestingly, a significant number of Cuban people has their origin in Africa, particularly in Yorubaland, hence the cultural affinity and historical similarity between Cuba generally and the Yoruba people. To this end, there is a Yoruba museum in Cuba where you can behold all the deities of Yoruba, including Sango, Ogun, Oya and many others

Oyintiloye OLATUNBOSUN in spectacular larger than life display.

After Ile-Ife, which is the source of Yoruba cultural heritage, and incidentally located in the state of Osun, Cuba is considered the next in the concentration of the Yoruba people historically and culturally. It is also considered as the natural place for any passionate leader in Yorubaland who loves to propagate the cultural essence of his people to interest its youths and attract investors to the tourism potential of his people.

Findings have shown that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, is a regular visitor to Cuba to cement the relationship and the link between the Yoruba people and the country.

This is the basis for the State Government of Osun under the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola to sponsor some delegates, drawn from political class, Ministry of Tourism, civil societies, medical practitioners, including the Chief Medical Director of the Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH), farmers from farm settlements in the state, student leaders of tertiary institutions across the state, volunteers of the Osun Youths Empowerment Scheme (OYES), labour leaders, market women and select relevant members of the state Executive Council to participate in the celebration in line with the Six-point Integral Action Plan of the administration.

The objective is for the participants to develop themselves, put their experience to use on their return and perhaps train others for the benefit of the people of the state. The delegates from the state are expected to have the opportunity of learning about tourism for economic scale, how to maximize the use of land for agriculture, as well as learning about the qualitative health care delivery, among other things.

Just like the Ooni of Ife, Aregbesola was said to have had a long-standing relationship with the leadership of the Caribbean country, even long before assuming the office as the governor of the state and he intends to use the opportunity of the relationship for the benefit of his

•Aregbesola

people.

Not minding the link and the targeted benefit of the planned trip, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-West has criticised the move by the administration of Aregbesola to take the state to high level, tagging it a plan by the government to train militants for the pursuance of its alleged secessionist agenda to have the Oduduwa Republic.

The simple logic that many have, however, raised is that, if indeed, the government of the State of Osun was planning to use the trip to train militants in Cuba, would the human rights activists, market women leaders, farmers and even the Chief Medical Director of LAUTECH who are benefitting from the gesture be among the militants?. Of course, the answer in no.

However, allegations raised by the opposition had elicited reactions and hits from the governments and human rights activists across the country, as the Nigeria Human Right Community (NHRC), the umbrella body of 65 civil society groups in Nigeria, in a statement signed

by its Deputy Coordinator, Mr Mathew Nwokocha, described the claim of the PDP as a disgraceful lie and a primitive way to play politics.

NHRC said: “For over half a century, the federal, state and local governments have been sending people to Cuba for training in the health sector and other areas of human endeavour, of which Cubans have the expertise. The claim portrays the PDP as hopeless, desperate, bewildered and anxious to do anything, including shooting itself in the feet, if only to draw attention and, at all cost, portrays its ACN foes in bad light”.

The group advised political parties to wage their campaigns on the truth and noble principles that would deepen democratic values and culture, instead of aiming to ride to power through cheap lies, deceit and unending deception.

Also, the state chapter of the ACN through its Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, wondered why the PDP could be blindly consumed by the murderous intention of the figment of its own imagination that all Aregbesola was doing was to send students and labour leaders to Cuba for secessionist purpose.

He said: “We can only deduce negative political intention from the PDP’s reasoning primarily because it is ignorant of our political history and, therefore, incapable of understanding why people go to Cuba. A party that prides itself on being the biggest in Africa, but has little sense of history of the link between African countries and Cuba, especially the Yoruba nation, is as good as worthless.

“However, it is the duty of any responsible government to exploit all the benefits it can derive for its citizens through diplomatic relationships with foreign countries in the areas of health care delivery, agriculture, education and culture which are the bedrock of governance and service to the people”.

•Mr. Oyintiloye is Assistant Director (Community Forum), Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, State of Osun.

Weep not for Femi Adekanye, he died a fulfilled man Continued from Page 49

The entire Gedegbe Family Compound and Offa Community are grateful to these associates and many others who showed concern to the deceased and the family during these critical hours and even beyond.

Considering his final battle with death and what he went through to survive, one can say that his death was to afford him an everlasting rest and peace of mind. One may say “God saw you getting tired when a cure was not to be so He wrapped His arms around you And whispered, ‘come to me’ you didn’t deserve what you went through, so he gave you rest. God’s garden must be beautiful, He only takes the best…”

Dr. Adekanye was clearly one of our best.

But who was he?

Dr. Femi Zakariyya Adeyemo Adekanye was born on 8th of August 1937 in Tema, Ghana. His dad’s name is Imam Yusuf Adelakun Adekanye while his mother’s name is Asmau Adeoti of Kolawolu Compound Offa.

He attended Oyan Grammar School from where he transferred to Offa Grammar School, Offa. He worked briefly as a Clerical Officer in Barclays Bank (now Union Bank Plc) before proceeding to the U. K. in 1961 to study. He came back to Nigeria in 1964 and worked with the CBN until 1976. Joined Savanna Bank in 1979 and in 1989 established Commerce Bank. He was also at a time President of Council Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) between 1989 – 1992.

Dr. Femi Adekanye was the Chairman/CEO of Commerce Bank Limited. He was a graduate of the University of Ibadan, as well as holding a Ph.D (Banking & Finance) from the City University, London. He was the author of several books on banking and a Fellow of a number of professional bodies, including the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), of which he was a past President/Chairman of Council (1989-92). He was also the founding President of the Association of Banking Institutes in West Africa (1991-93).

He had been actively involved in the promotion of high quality education for bankers in the entire West Africa sub-region. Dr. Adekanye was the founder of Zakariyya Islamic

‘

If truly we love Dr. Femi Adekanye, then we should not allow the Zakariyya Islamic Foundation and the college he set up to propagate Allah’s word to die. If we ensure this, then the struggle of this eminent Nigerian would not have been in vain...

’

Foundation (ZIF), Offa, a centre for the propagation of Islam and the glorification of Allah. He also served as Chairman of a property development company based in Abuja and a new family publishing business managed by his first son, Adekunle. He devoted most of his time in retirement to the development and promotion of ZIF, which he fondly calls ‘my pet project’.

Dr. Adekanye explained the objectives behind the establishment of Zakariyya Islamic Foundation this way: “Zakariyya Islamic Foundation (ZIF), which gave birth to Zakarriya Islamic College (ZIC), was founded in 1993 to serve the religious, educational, social and cultural needs of the large Muslim community in Offa, Oyun and Ifelodun local government areas, in particular, and Kwara, Osun, Oyo and Niger States of Nigeria, in general; and to engage in Dawa activities for the propagation of Islam.

ZIC is a multi-purpose Muslim College, whose main objective is to operate a combination of Islamic and secular education that will foster a balanced upbringing for our children by exposing them early in life to only the true teachings of Islam, the religion of peace. It was specifically set up to provide secondary education to products of Islamiyya/

Quaranic schools (otherwise known as Ile kewu). In Offa town alone, there are over 100 such schools run voluntarily by local Imams and Alfas. While I commend their efforts, it is pertinent to mention that most of their products simply do not fully utilize the knowledge acquired and so fail to reach their full potential in life. ZIC offers opportunity to those who are willing and capable of benefiting from higher Islamic and/or secular education and build a sound base for degree level study.

If truly we love Dr. Femi Adekanye, then we should not allow the Zakariyya Islamic Foundation and the college he set up to propagate Allah’s word to die. If we ensure this, then the struggle of this eminent Nigerian would not have been in vain.

I recall that during his final hours of his earthly sojourn, he sent me the latest revised edition of “The Elements of Banking in Nigeria’ 4th Edition and requested that I undertake a review of the effort in major newspapers in order to sensitize ‘students taking the professional examinations of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and for Banking and Finance Students in Polytechnics and Universities including the general reader.”

This was a challenge that he gave to me and for which I am yet to take up and which I assure that God willing, I intend to take up because I consider the responsibility ‘a commitment’. It is the least I can do for this extraordinary Nigerian.

Fare thee well Dr. Femi Adeyemo Zakariyya Adekanye, We will forever remain grateful to you for we are deeply saddened by your exit. You were an astute professional and revered intellect who contributed immensely to the growth of banking industry in Nigeria and beyond. As you were treasured in our lives you will also be treasured in our memories. By your exit our bright light dimmed.

Farewell, a warrior Banker, a Philosopher King, a generous spirit and a great man by all standards.

Dr. Femi Adekanye your time here has come to an end, but your inspiration and our dreams carry on. We can only pray that you be at peace with our maker.

•Shittu is a Lagos-based legal practitioner

NEWS 57

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28 , 2012

Fight against corruption has lost steam,says ACF T

HE Northern sociopolitical organization, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) ,is not impressed by the current level of the fight against corruption in the country.

The group says the crusade has lost steam and the judiciary and the agencies charged with investigating and prosecuting suspects appear to have compromised.

But it does not believe scrapping the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) is the answer to the problem.

The ACF Board of Trustees and the National Executive Council, rising from a meeting in Kaduna yesterday, said the Federal Government should merge the two agencies for an effective onslaught against corruption.

The ACF, in a communiqué signed by its

Explosion rocks Gombe State varsity Vincent EKHORAGBON, Gombe

T

HERE was pandemonium at the Gombe State University on Thursday night as the institution was rocked to its foundation explosion that erupted within the Senate Building.

The bombing occurred at 9:00pm and it was quickly accompanied by gunshots all of which lasted for about 30 minutes, but no death was recorded in the incident.

Lectures and other academic activities were not affected at the institution, said its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Idris Mahdi, while declaring yesterday that academic activities would continue.

Mahdi confirmed that some records were burnt in the offices affected by the bombing, but that they could still be recovered.

"Of course, we lost some records but we can get them back. The records we have lost were just photocopied from the Registrar's Office.

"We will go back to the Registrar's Office again and photocopy them", he said.

The Vice Chancellor said he had addressed the students and had appealed to them for calm.

He said they accepted the message in a very high spirit, adding that "this is nothing new; everybody knows that it is happening.

The most important thing is that we move forward."

The VC urged the people of the state not to be deterred by the development but be courageous and move ahead.

Tony AKOWE, Kaduna National Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani, hailed the House of Representatives for its investigation of fuel subsidy management in the country and asked government to step up the war on corruption and live up to its pledge of sparing no perpetrator of this

crime.

The meeting which also reviewedthe alleged scandal in the police pensions office, the conviction of former governor James Ibori by a British court and other bribery convictions relating to Halliburton, Daimler and Siemens in the USA and Germany said: “The campaign against corruption is in

danger of losing steam.

More distressing, some of the cases suggest that the nation’s judiciary and investigation and prosecution agencies have been compromised and may be a part of the problem; not much of the solution.

“While commending the House of Representatives for conducting this major investigation in the hor-

rendous scandal, the meeting called on the Federal Government to step up the war on corruption and live up to its pledge of sparing no perpetrators of this crime.

“The meeting also called on the nation’s judiciary to do more to restore public confidence in the integrity of its judgments. It must avoid giving technical but

strive always to deliver substantive justice.

“In order to revitalize the fight against corruption which has become urgent, it is the considered opinion of the Forum that any contemplation of scrapping the two anti-graft agencies, the EFCC and the ICPC, should be perished.

The two institutions could ,of course, be merged”.

The forum commended President Goodluck Jonathan for his efforts at providing Almajiri schools that would teach both western and Islamic education in the North.

The forum advised Northern State governments to follow up on the momentum President Jonathan is building to achieve a rapid improvement in the quality and volume of primary and secondary education in the North.

Ex-minister on Boko Haram Sanni ONOGU, Abuja •Vegetables traders at Ibi Market, Taraba State... yesterday

PHOTO: NAN

One killed, two injured in Fulani, Berom clash

V

IOLENCE between Fulani headsmen and Berom people escalated yesterday as armed Fulani herdsmen invaded Rim village to launch fresh attack in Rim. The attack was however repelled by the Special Task Force (STF) on Jos .

Before the arrival of the STF, two Berom youths were shot by the attackers. However, while trying to repel the Fulani invasion, a stray bullet hit and killed another Berom youth. It was not immediately known if the stray bullet was fired by men of the special task Force or the armed Fulanis.

Victim of the stray bullet, Mr. Bulus Dakumbi has been buried by her family while the two injured are receiving

T

Yusufu AMINU Idegu, Jos

treatment at the Christian Hospital,Vom. An eye witness said, “The Fulanis were angered by the arrest of their leaders by security agencies last Tuesday and vowed to continue to attack the Beroms until their leaders are released by the security agencies.”

The State commissioner for Information Yiljab Abraham who briefed newsmen after an emergency security meeting in Jos last Wednesday confirmed to newsmen that three community leaders in Riyom and Barkin Ladi were arrested by the STF for questioning in connection with violence in their domain.

It was learnt that one of the community leaders currently held at the STF headquarters Jos is a Fulanis in Riyom, which was why his subjects are fully angered.

National secretary of Miyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Alhaji Saleh Bayeri said, “I know two Fulani leaders Ardo Bachit and Ardo Riyom were arrested, they were charged to court and they have been released on bail. I know Fulani youths threatened to protest if their leaders were not released by Thursday, but now that those leaders have been released, I don’t expect them to protest any longer and I want to believe it is not true Fulani youths are on the rampage in Riyom.”

Meanwhile Berom women

in Rim have protested the frequent attacks on them by gunmen as well as the stray bullets that killed one youths.

The Nation learnt that the women confronted d men of the STF and asked them to leave their area.

One of the angry women told The Nation, “We don’t want any soldier in our area, they are not protecting us.

Many of our children and husbands have been attacked and killed in the presence of the soldiers.They should go since they are of no benefit to us. We are ready to handover our security to God in heaven.” Spokesman of the STF, Capt. Mdahyelyah Markus however said he had not knowledge of the incident.

Developmental roadmap for North will end Boko Haram attacks, says Kukah

HE Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Dr.Matthew Kukah believes an urgent developmental roadmap for the North is the solution to the menace of Boko Haram.

Kukah, in a paper ‘Power Without Authority: Leadership Crisis in Nigeria’ at a forum organised by the Nigerian Leadership Initiative on Thursday in Abuja, faulted the suggestions that a return of the presidency to the region would reduce the current wave of violence .

He said Northern leaders,instead of scheming for the return of power to the region, should be busy fashioning out a regional development plan as already done by the South West and the South –South leaders.

He said: “I hear the presi-

Augustine EHIKIOYA, Abuja dent say that Boko Haram will end in six months. Even if no bomb goes off tomorrow, we will need time to heal psychologically.Even at that, we cannot place a time frame on how long it will take. This is why I feel quite disappointed by some of the utterances I heard with someone like Alhaji Adamu Ciroma saying that we need a (Uthman) Dan Fodio to come back.

“Clearly, the message for my brothers and sisters in the North is to ask ourselves what is happening. The North must also appreciate that the return of government to the North will not solve our problems.”

He said it was wrong of

some people to assume that “We can just line up and say it is our turn to govern Nigeria but that is not the way the world is going”.

According to him, the Jonathan administration inherited majority of the problems bedeviling the country today, but said that it was his responsibility to deal divisively with cases of corruption occurring during his tenure.

“Watching what is going on in Asaba on television with the governors in the SouthSouth is also a sober lesson.

Clearly ,there are some people who have a vision that a new tomorrow is possible.”

“The South West has developed a roadmap of where they are heading to. The critical question I ask myself is about Northern Nigeria which is

perceived to be a liability to the rest of Nigeria.”

He called on President Jonathan to kick start his transformation agenda by taking action on the revelations emanating from the Fuel Subsidy Probe by the House of Representatives and the Pensions probe in the Senate “I also want us to appreciate the fact that the problems of this country weren’t caused by Jonathan but it is also interesting that rot that is been dug out in the National assembly was happening during his time. I have heard about the transformation agenda. Whatever shape or form it must take, all the things that we are finding from the probes in the National assembly should be enough material for that transformation to take place”, he said.

F

ORMER Minister of Aviation, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode wants the Federal Government to stop dealing with the Boko Haram sect with the kid glove and go tough with it.

This is because,according to him, the sect has declared war on Nigeria.

Reacting to the bomb attacks on three media offices in Abuja and Kaduna by the sect on Thursday,Mr.FaniKayode said it was time for government to “ rise up to this challenge once and for all.”

“As far as I am concerned we are at war and the sooner our government realises that and stops chasing shadows the better.

“I have said this from the start and I will say it again, the only answer to Boko Haram is to utterly crush them and those that are sponsoring them and to send them to their maker.

“It is a law enforcement problem that the security agencies and the military can solve if only those at the top of this government can cultivate the political will to allow them to do so and give them a free hand and their full backing.

He described the attacks on media houses as wicked and senseless.

He said: “What a wicked and senseless act this is and what a tragedy for Nigeria.

“I ask again, where are all those that have insisted on dialogue with Boko Haram and precisely what is our government doing to safeguard the lives and properties of the Nigerian people and to fight Boko Haram?

“Nigeria is at war and may the God of Heaven defend her and avenge all those that were brutally killed in yesterday’s (Thursday) attacks and that have been murdered by Boko Haram in the last two years.”

58 NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

Orji Kalu has case to answer — Appeal Court

T

HE Court of Appeal, Abuja, yesterday dis missed the appeal filed by former Abia State governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, against his prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In a unanimous judgment, the three-member panel resolved all the grounds of appeal in favour of the respondent and dismissed the appeal for lack of merit.

Kalu is facing a 107-count charge slammed against him and two others- Ude Jones Udeogu and Slok Nigeria Limited by the EFCC. He is accused of laundering about N5 billion belonging to the state while serving as a governor.

Kamarudeen OGUNDELE, Abuja Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High Court Abuja had ruled that the accused have a case to answer.

Dissatisfied, Kalu and Skok went to the court to challenge the ruling of the court.

They contended that they were arraigned on non-existent law and that the proof of evidence did not disclose a prima facie case against the appellants.

Kalu also challenged the jurisdiction of the court to prosecute him because he had earlier obtained an exparte order from an Abia State High Court which restrained the EFCC from arresting and prosecut-

ing him.

Besides, he argued that the proof of evidence did not disclose prima facie case against him.

Justice Eko Ejembi, in the judgment, discountenanced the claims of the apellants.

He noted that the proof of evidence attached to the 97count charge preferred against the appellants by the EFCC disclosed a prima facie case against them.

According to him, the facts raised in the proof of evidence established a prima facie case against the appellants. He further said that as far as there is a link which prima facie is all about, the appellants had an obligation to stand trial to defend themselves.

•The Executive Chairman of the Isolo Local Council Development Area, Alhaji Shamsudeen Abiodun Olaleye (middle), at the opening ceremony of a recent workshop for clerical and executive officers of the council. With him are the Council Manager, Alhaji Kehinde Yusuff (left), and the Director of Training, Local Government Services Commission, Mrs. M. O. Akin Aderibigbe, at the council hall.

He further ruled that the exparte order of May 31, 2007 by Abia State High Court, asking the Federal High Court to stay all proceedings against Orji was a racquet suit aimed at frustrating his arrest and subsequent prosecution.

“That order was an order at large, personal rather than definite. It was an order made as an ex-parte and not at the course of trial.” He described the ex-parte motion as an abuse of court process.

Justice Eko affirmed that the claim of breach of personal freedom by Orji was sentimental in nature. “This claim borders on the realm of conspiracy theory and is politically motivated. Right to personal liberty is not absolute,” the judge stated.

Citing Section 16 and 17 of the Money Laundering and Prohibition Act (MLPA), 2003 and 2004, and the EFCC Establishment Act, the court said it has the jurisdiction to hear the suit.

It added that “EFCC derives its competence to prosecute from section 6 and 7 of its Establishing Act. Equally, the definition of economic crime is quite wide,” the judge said.

Reacting, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, expressed satisfaction with the judgment. He noted that the Appeal Court ruling had vindicated his position that the Abia High Court order was intended to protect Kalu from prosecution and exposed the hollowness of the position of the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Andoakaa, that the order must be obeyed.

Justices Kayode Bada and Regina Nwodo agreed with the judgment.

A

RMED police arrested a man at the scene of a siege in central London yesterday after reports that a suspect had taken several office workers hostage and threatened to blow himself up.

Police had surrounded an office block and evacuated hundreds of people from one of the capital’s busiest roads after a man began throwing office equipment out of a fifth floor window.

Witnesses said the man, aged 49 or 50, had taken around four people hostage and had threatened to detonate gas canisters he was carrying. Police had no comment on those reports. A source said the incident was not terror-related and was thought to involve a man who had a grievance against a company.

Police in the capital are on alert as the city prepares to host the Olympic Games and celebrate the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s reign this summer.

“We have arrested a man, and a search of the building is

Armed police arrest man at London siege under way. We are not aware of any hostages at this stage,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

Police sent a negotiator to the office block and imposed a 300-metre cordon around the building after the man entered the building before lunchtime.

One office worker said she had been inside the building when the man arrived and threatened staff.

“He turned up, strapped up with gasoline cylinders and threatened to blow up the office,” Abby Baafi, 27, said in a video clip posted on the website of The Huffington Post, the U.S. news website that has offices in the area. Staff from the company were among those evacuated.

Oshiomhole and his royal endorsement

H

E adorned an immaculate white babanriga complete with heavy embroidery befitting of an accomplished man or one with an aristocratic background.

By dint of hard work, Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, is eminently qualified to lay claims to either or both, having taken Edo out of the woods and placing it on a higher pedestal.

Some will bet their lives that the comrade had never worn a complete 10-piece agbada. A well-tailored French suit khaki has been his trade mark since his days in the trade union movement. He has also popularized the khaki in Edo, especially among his numerous admirers.

But on this day, the comrade had every reason to celebrate by putting on his best attire with beaming smiles. What was he celebrating? One may be tempted to ask.

He has so much to celebrate in his three and a half years in office on the hot seat at Osadebey Avenue. He is celebrating the political demise of godfatherism in the state and the enthronement of people-driven democracy. He is celebrating the total turnaround of the state in the area of infrastructural development, celebration of the successful re-orientation of the mind of an average Edo man to believe in himself, his leaders and his state. It is also celebration of the fact that Edo is rich in all ramifications and the demystification of Edo as a poor state.

Yes, the day was Thursday, April 19, 2012, venue was the palace of the revered Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba Erediauwa Uku Apkolokpolo. On this wet day, the comrade had gone to the palace accompanied by his hoard of aides and well-wishers to present his scorecard to the oba and seek his support for another four-year mandate.

The downpour earlier in the day was in total agreement with the shower of blessings that awaited the adopted Bini son at the palace. Metaphorically, nature and indeed the gods of our land have also endorsed the second term mandate of the comrade.

Will an ordinary mortal want to query that. The oba was not too sure it was the comrade governor who was before him live in his palace, the babanriga was a problem.

When the royal father saw the comrade in an entirely different form, he felt the visit must be something special about it. The comrade readily comfirmed this when he said Christmas was not everyday, but comes once in a year. Being a special day, he had to appear in his best. He did a quick rundown of what he had done in the last three and a half years in office, especially in response to the plea of the oba sometime in 2008, describing it as ‘marching orders’.

Ebomhiana MUSA

He reminded the oba that “after the election and the ensuing court ruling which returned me as governor on November 12, I came to thank you and I remember the first thing you asked of me was that I repair Bini roads and fix its drainage.

To me, that was the marching orders .We have done something and we are still doing something about erosion problem in Benin.”

On his thank you visit to the palace following the revalidation of his stolen mandate November 2008, the oba had charged the comrade “to do something” about the eroding image of Benin City, especially the bad roads and the ravaging erosion. On this day, the comrade said that the marching order had been carried and it is still being carried out even beyond the brief. This elicited a loud applause from the audience who took over every available space in the palace.

The comrade boldly told the oba that the era of learning curve was over and that if given the second term mandate, he would be accelerating in full throttle, firing from both cylinders.

Done with his brief, the Iyase, Prime Minister of Bini Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe, was given the microphone to pray for the comrade and his running mate, Dr. Pius Odubu, for a resounding success at the forthcoming polls.

Hear the Iyase as he blessed the traditional kolanut: “The Binis will not be blinded not to appreciate what you have done. As we are going for election, people are already talking of what you have done. You have just little to say during your campaign because what you are doing is already campaigning for you. The Binis will not be blind to the good work you are doing”.

The high-ranking palace chiefs all spoke in turn, praying and eulogizing the efforts of the comrade to return the state to its old glory. What seemed to be the icing on the cake was the speech and prayers of the Esogban of Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri, who rounded off the session thus: “Whatever the oba has to say he has said it many times. You don’t hear the oba speak often. Whatever the Iyase has said he has said it for the oba. Adams Oshiomhole as a politician is the candidate of the Binis because he knows the problems of the Binis and he is solving them.

“As the Odionwere of Benin Kingdom, with the authority of the oba, “I say we will vote for Oshiomhole. We have many Mr. Fix It here, but they could not fix anything. Today, Oshiomhole is fixing everywhere. We want to appreciate Oshiomhole by voting him back to government house. The oracle has spoken.”

In all these, the oba was nodding his head repeatedly, waving his traditional white handkerchief in apparent approval with his chiefs. Not done, Edebiri who is also head of the witches in the kingdom said: “They said the palace is playing politics.

What is politics? The oba himself is the embodiment of politics.

He supervises everything”.

Not given to many words, the royal father simply said: “My chiefs have prayed, good luck to you and we await the result of what they have prayed”.

Like the Esogban rightly said, the oracle has spoken, the Thomases who doubt it should wait till July 14. As the campaign formally kicks off today, the ruling ACN will be showcasing its brand called Adams Aliu Oshiomhole and the development strides in the state, while the rival PDP markets its product called Charles Airhiavbere and the underdevelopment occasioned by godfatherism.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

•Lawan

•Tambuwal

•Ogbeh

•Aturu

•Fasehun

•Osita

Fuel subsidy probe: Prosecute culprits now, Ogbeh, CNPP, Fasehun, others tell Jonathan P

ROMINENT Nigerians yesterday spoke with one voice, calling on President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to immediately commence the process of thorough investigation and prosecution of all those indicted by the oil subsidy probe by the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee headed by Hon. Farouk Lawan.

Speaking to The Nation on phone, chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN), Chief Audu Ogbeh, said this is not the time for the president to show any sentiment but a time to do his duty both to Nigeria and the law. He warned that the country stands on the verge of economic collapse if he allows the mind-bogging discoveries to go “uninvestigated and unprosecuted”.

The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) equally maintained that President Jonathan should without delay order the investigation and prosecution of the likes of Ahmadu Ali and others so indicted.

National Publicity Secretary, Osita Okechukwu, said: “He must go deeper than what the House of Representatives has done.

He must take action by ordering the investigation of anyone that has been indicted, no matter how highly placed.

“And let me also say that if he fails to diligently prosecute them, he can be prosecuted for criminal negligence because the money in question can conveniently

Augustine AVWODE build three refineries of which if they were in place, there wouldn’t be any need to import fuel in the first place. So it is not a joking matter.

“It is a big paradox. So, we expect him to sack and prosecute all those in power. I will say it is mandatory for him to recover all the looted monies involved in this subsidy scam.

It is mandatory because if he fails, it will automatically be a referendum on his ability to fight corruption and his disposition to corrupt practices,” he said.

Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) founder, Dr Fredrick Fasehun, urged the application of the law of the land in such a time as this. He insisted that the law should be made to take its course as far as all those indicted in the probe are concerned.

In his words: “There are laws in the land and I expect that at a time such as this, they must be complied with. Once there are laws, there are bound to be crimes and once there is a crime, the person who commits the crime must face the law. And so all indicted persons should face the law and when that is done whatever is the prescription of the law must be applied”.

He feared that the probe report could be killed, urging Nigerians not to allow it to be killed. According to him, all Nigerians are

involved and they must confront it together.

“I have my fear that the report would be the target of people who don’t want it to see the light of day. But Nigerians should not allow it. We are all involved in the war on corruption, let us all confront it together”, he admonished.

Constitutional lawyer and human rights activist, Chief Fred Agbaje, posited that the fuel subsidy report is an albatross in the neck of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He argued that this is a singular case that will test the resolve and preparedness or commitment of the Jonathan administration to fighting corruption in the country.

“The government by now knows that this is a testy case both for the Jonathan administration and the PDP. It will show the sincerity of the administration and its commitment to fighting corruption; it would show whether he is ready and able to step on the toes of those who have shared our commonwealth and oil deposit among them and their children unborn.

“If Jonathan fails to implement to the letter, the report of the House committee, then good night to the fight against corruption in Nigeria; nobody should be spared among those indicted, whether they sponsored his election or campaign or not. Nigeria is bigger than any individual. There should be

•Agbaje no parochial or political consideration.

“Though, I have my fear that they would want to kill it, but if they do, any attempt to do that will amount to shooting both the Jonathan administration and the PDP on the foot,” he declared.

Also yesterday, Lagos lawyer, Bamidele Aturu, said the government is not serious about the fight against corruption.

Nevertheless, he urged Nigerians to brace up and ensure that this particular fight is seen to a logical end by all means necessary because a group of people cannot hold them to ransom. He urged the media not to relent on its investigative work, saying attention should be focused on all segments of the society, the lawyers who just go to court to ask for adjournment and the judges who are soiling their hands.

“And if nothing is done, there should be massive protests. If Nigeria doesn’t win the war, the country is finished; we can’t allow this to continue, the rot is too much”, he declared.

THE NATION SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

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EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 27-04-12

Key indicators close flat with 0.001%

A

T the close of business yesterday, the key market indicators both closed flat with a marginal drop of 0.001 per cent each. The market capitalisation reduced by N102 million to close at N7.051 trillion while the Index shed 0.32 points to close at 22,109.44 points.

Specifically, market operators said the market oscillated on sideways all through trade session on Friday. At the early hours (10am-12noon), it hovered between +0.04 per cent and +0.06 per cent as traders intensified accumulation on GT Bank, Cadbury, UBA and First Bank.

Thereafter, the early gains dissipated as fund managers appeared to have assessed their accounts for possible balancing towards the month ending. This led the market to tread through the later hours on the downside between -0.02 per cent and -0.05 per cent as profit bookings were centered on Zenith Bank, Nigerian Breweries, FCMB

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

and Access Bank.

It eventually settled at a flat position after adjusting for accumulated losses recorded by small capitalized stocks. This was typified by smothered market breadth that consists of 24 losers and 17 gainers.

United Bank for Africa led actively traded stocks' log with 161.9 million shares, valued at N559.05 million in 577 deals. Diamond Bank, Stanbic-IBTC, First Bank and Access Bank were other active volume pullers in the top five yesterday.

However, the rally on UBA continued yesterday, bagging maximum points after early profit taking attempted to halt the rally. GTBank also closed with a 2.4 per cent markup, fairly matched bids and offers may however ensure the banks price hovers around its current level next week.

On the flip side, FCMB

lost full points with sentiments skewed to the sell side, closing offers could lead to further losses next week.

In the food and beverages sector, Cadbury gained 5.0 per cent at the close of the day's session with sentiments still skewed to the buy side, however, profit taking is possible early next week.

Flour Mills was also on the up-tick with a 2.5 per cent mark-up.

On the flip side, profit taking trimmed off 1.4 per cent from Nascon but current demand is likely to prevent further slides in coming sessions.

A three million crossed trade early in the session at N110.00 set the pace for NB yesterday, as it shed 0.8 per cent with current demand at the N110.00 range and buyers unwilling to bid significantly above that price. Guinness on the other hand inched up slightly.

In all, the market traded 413.752 million shares worth N3.110 billion. Others on the gainers table were NCR, Conoil, Cadbury, Ashaka Cement, Presco, RT Briscoe, Neimeth, Custodian and Allied Insurance and WAPIC. Also on the flip side were Cutix, Continental Reinsurance, Champion Breweries, Livestock Eterna Oil, Bagco and UAC-Property.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 27-04-12

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

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THE NATION SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

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SPORT EXTRA CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

AFTERMATH OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FLOP

Sunshine expecting a tough clash

Guardiola quits Barcelona N

B

ARCELONA have confirmed that Tito Vilanova will take over as manager from Pep Guardiola at the end of the season.

The 42-year-old has been assistant boss at Camp Nou since Guardiola took the top job in 2008, and has helped to guide Barca to 13 trophies in four years.

In a press conference on Friday afternoon, club president Sandro Rosell thanked Guardiola for the successes that he has brought the Catalonian side.

He told reporters: "Thank you, Pep, for all the happiness you have brought us and for bringing a model of football that can never be questioned."

The naming of Vilanova so quickly after the Spaniard's resignation on Friday afternoon was unexpected, with Laurent Blanc, Marcelo Bielsa and Ernesto Valverde among those thought to have been in contention.

Guardiola's last match in charge of the Blaugrana will be on May 25, when Barcelona take on Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final.

The move to step down as Barca boss occurs mere days after being knocked out the Champions League by the 10 men of Chelsea.

Prior to that semi-final second leg, the current La Liga champions were all but

eliminated from the topflight title race by losing 2-1 to Real Madrid at Camp Nou.

• Barcelona's coach Pep Guardiola, center, is flanked by the president of the club Sandro Rosell, left, and the sport director Andoni Zubizarreta, right, during a press conference where he announced his resignation in Barcelona, Spain yesterday.

Reading targets Yakubu swoop

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EADING are preparing a summer swoop for Blackburn Rovers striker Yakubu, Goal.com can reveal.

The Championship winners have placed the Nigerian at the top of their summer shopping list and want him to lead their line when they return to the

NFF concerned about Keshi’s non-arrival HE Nigeria Football

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Federation (NFF) yesterday expressed concern over the non-arrival of Super Eagles head coach Stephen Keshi from the United States of America where he is holidaying with his family.

Keshi was expected to arrive in Nigeria on Thursday, but as at the time of filing in this report, his backroom staff were still making efforts to reach him, but his lines were not reachable.

NationSport’s source at the GlassHouse however expressed optimism that the former international will arrive before the weekend runs out

•Vilanova to take over

From Patrick Ngwaogu, Abuja "Our concern is that we have a jam-packed period ahead, and many of the things need his presence. His backroom staff and assistance are working, but he should be around to coordinate some of the things. Although they are resuming on the 6th May, his presence would facilitate some of the things," the source said.

The gaffer has been on holidays since playing Rwanda in Kigali and travelled to Dubai from his USA base to lead Nigeria in the 3-2 loss to Egypt.

Premier League next season.

However, Goal.com has learned that Reading will only make a move if Rovers are relegated from the top flight.

The Berkshire club have won the Championship despite scoring a relatively paltry 69 goals in 45 games, with their top scorers Adam Le Fondre with 12 goals, Noel Hunt (eight) and Simon Church (seven).

Yakubu, 29, has two years remaining on his Blackburn contract after moving from Everton for £1.5 million last summer.

But he is unlikely to be willing to drop down a division following a prolific season in which his Premier League haul of 16 goals from 27 matches is bettered only by Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero.

Yakubu, who is playing for his fifth English club since moving to Portsmouth in 2003, revealed in February that he rejected interest from QPR in the January window.

"I said 'I don’t want to go'," he explained. "Blackburn gave me the opportunity to play in the Premier League again so

ZENITH BANK WOMEN’S BASKETBALL LEAGUE

First Deepwater beat First Bank 69-63

W

ITH one phase left to be decided in the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League, title holders First Deepwater basketball club have already set the pace to annex the league title for a third straight season with a 69-63 points victory over former champions First Bank basketball club in the second phase Thursday in Ilorin.

The Oil & Gas Ladies have kept a clean slate from the first phase having defeated the Elephant Girls during the first phase by 88-81 points in Kaduna.

First Deepwater basketball club stormed the Nigerian domestic scene four seasons ago after taking the place of defunct Dodan Amazon basketball club before the commencement of the 2008/2009 season and have succeeded in effect-

ing significant changes in the Nigerian women’s league where they finished second behind the bankers in their first season, thus pushing the likes of Dolphins, Sunshine Angels and Delta Force basketball clubs to struggle for the third spot.

The Coaches Lateef Erinfolami and Shola Ogunade-tutored First Deepwater side recorded a feat in their first outing in the league when they stopped First Bank’s unbeaten run in ten years at the final phase of the 2008/2009 season in Lagos.

Inspired by the Babatunde Babalola-led management team, First Deepwater went on to become the first club to stop First Bank’s dominance in the local league when they wrestled the league title from the Adewumi Aderemi-coached First Bank in the 2009/2010 sea-

son and have not looked back ever since, thus relegating First Bank to the second position in the league.

The club made appreciable impact in 2011 when they hosted and finished third in the FIBA Africa Champions Cup in Lagos.

Club chairman, Babalola disclosed that the players and their handlers have done the organisation proud and justified the essence of giving back to the society through basketball.

The soft-spoken Oil & Gas mogul implored the players to remain focused and finish what they started during the first phase in Kaduna when the last phase dunks-off in Lagos.

First Deepwater will round off their second phase campaign with a game against Delta Force basketball club of Asaba on Sunday in Ilorin, Kwara.

for me to just go and want to leave, I don’t want to do that.

"I’m lucky to be here, they gave me the opportunity to prove myself so why do I have to leave? I had made the decision I didn’t want to leave, I wanted to stay here and help the team stay in the Premier League."

IGERIA’S Sunshine Stars have admitted they will be up against the heat in Mali ahead of today’s CAF Champions League tie versus Djoliba.

Skipper Godfrey Oboabona said the tropical heat has been unsettling, but they are still focused on getting a result on the road.

"The weather here is very hot, even hotter than what we experience in Northern Nigeria, but we are here for business and ready to battle Djoliba for a favourable result,” said the versatile Oboabona, who has been capped at full international level by Nigeria.

Striker Dele Olorundare has been the Sunshine striker on form in the Champions League with three goals and he told MTNFootball.com the harsh weather notwithstanding, the team will win in Bamako.

"We expect a good game. I

will do my best to lift my team in this game. We have to forget about the weather, we are going to beat them,” declared the hard-running front man, who has also netted four times in the NPL. "It is not going to be an easy game as Djoliba used to be one of the top teams in Africa, but we are lifted by the spirit that made us to scale through the previous round even after most people wrote us off.”

Goalkeeper Moses Ocheje has promised a clean sheet in Mali.

He said: “I am prepared to do my best not to allow the Malians score and I am sure my defenders will make that easy for me, so that our strikers and midfielders will get the goals for us to conquer in Mali."

Djoliba enjoyed a walkover victory over Uganda Revenue Authority in the second leg after they won the first game 2-0 in Kampala.

Falconets to play DR Congo in HE Nigeria U-20 WomAbeokuta en's team; Falconets will

T

trade tackles with their counterparts from the Democratic Republic of Congo at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta, Ogun State on Saturday 5th May, 2012 in the first leg final round of the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup Qualifier.

The Director of Competitions in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr Sanusi Mohammed confirmed this to NationSport.

He also added that the coach Edwin Okon-tutored ladies will

•Storm the Rock City on Monday

From Tunde Liadi, Owerri arrive in Abeokuta on Monday for the final part of preparation for the all-important encounter.

Dr Mohammed said: "Falconets will be playing in Abeokuta and they are expected to leave for the venue of the next qualifier on Monday. They are going there to start the preparation to round off what they started in Abuja before the May 5 match."

Abuja Stadium’s rot • Continued from back page after PHCN restored power in the place. This flaw raises the question about the level of security in the place. We only hope that the owner of the abandoned vehicle is unveiled while the culprits should be taken to court to face the music. This theft case shouldn’t be swept under the carpet. It is the only way that this dastardly act doesn’t repeat itself.

If the Sports ministry’s budget is too meager to keep the stadia in shape, such projects can be given to ministries, such as the Ministry of Works.

It is shameful that a stadium which hosted the 8th All Africa Games and the 2009 U-17 World Cup can be said to be in a state of disrepair.

Nigeria’s absence from the Germany 2006 World Cup began when the Super Eagles played their matches in unfamiliar stadiums around the country.

Such setting diluted the home advantage that playing venue offers to host teams. Nigerians lost billions from that misadventure. We haven’t recovered from that misfortune, with our ranking now 60th in the world and 10th in Africa, 18 years after our remarkable World Cup debut in the USA’94.

Right to play I’m proud to be a Nigerian. I can watch the UEFA Champions League final in Munich on May 19, with one aim in mind - John Mikel Obi should be decorated with the winners’ medal. It’s been quite a while since a Nigerian was decorated. Nwankwo Kanu and George Finidi achieved this feat with Ajax in 1995.

I hope to shout the roof top off because other Africans (Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Salmon Kalou) may celebrate with Mikel at dusk.

I took a close look at the words written behind Chelsea’s shirts before the Barca game and felt that they should win the tie. The wording read: “Right to play.” It’s good to note that playing in the final should also be Chelsea’s right to claim the diadem. Can somebody shout Amen?

Watching Mikel against Barca at Camp Nou gave me hope that he could lead a new dawn for Nigeria, now that it appears he’s in form. Not a few dislike Mikel over his attitude towards Super Eagles matches. I shudder on it because I know that the quality of coaching has been appalling.

Eagles’ coaches have repeatedly fielded Mikel as an attacking midfielder, even after seeing him play for Chelsea in defensive positions. In such innocuous positions, we have watched Mikel widen his hands, pass the ball sideways or backwards and this clumsy style makes the Eagles vulnerable to defeat.

Stephen Keshi must watch Chelsea’s games since Roberto De Matteo took charge to understand how to effectively use Mikel. Playing Mikel in front of the central defensive pair is his best position.

On May 9, I expect Chelsea to lift the trophy. But inside me, it looks like a tall order because John Terry’s absence will provide the leeward for the Germans to roll over the English side.

Playing in Munich before their home fans will put pressure on Bayern Munich, yet Chelsea is depleted with the exit of Terry, Ramires, Ivanovic and their man-marker Meireless. It is true that Bayern will miss David Alaba and Kroos, but their absence will not be as significant as the Chelsea quartet’s.

Mourinho’s humble pie Jose Mourinho is an enigma. Mourinho doesn’t disappoint soccer lovers with his antics. He isn’t a friend of the media, yet he enjoys the most commentaries for the good and bad of the game.

As the game began on Wednesday, I kept vigil on the Special One. I wanted to see what he would do, if victory or defeat stared him in the face.

Wise man. Mourinho hid his emotions when Real Madrid secured a two-goal lead. He shrugged his shoulders when Bayern scored, as if to say that he would fix them in the second half.

He was calm in the second half. But when the game ended, I smiled when he walked towards Bayern’s bench to salute their coach. It was a mind game. The Bayern coach knew especially as it appeared that Mourinho spent the second extra time writing his penalty-takers’ names.

I pitied him when he slumped on his knees in supplication when it became clear that defeat was sure.

Mourinho, after all, is human. What a reality check for a boastful coach. That is the beauty of football; its unpredictable outcome. Better luck next time, Mourinho. You’re truly the Special One.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

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Tomorrow in THE NATION PUNCHLINE

SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL.7, NO. 3009

A more rational way to solve the problem of transporting goods and services in the country in general and in the southern states in particular is for the president to send a bill to the National Assembly to move rail transportation from the exclusive to the concurrent list.

—Ropo Sekoni

E

VER since his exceedingly suspicious alleged role in the murder of the late Attorney General of the Federation and Yoruba icon, Chief Bola Ige, the name of Senator Iyiola Omisore in the South West has been synonymous with all that is vile, evil, sinister, poisonous, corrosive, destructive, foul, offensive and demeaning. Since he has apparently learnt nothing from the past and still harbours a distinct distaste for all forms of decency, this columnist takes off his gloves this week and will tackle this mentally vacuous character bare knuckled.

It is unfortunate that Omisore claims to be an indigene of Ile-Ife, the proud origin of Yoruba civilization and the chief custodian of the virtues of ‘Omoluabi’ – the well bred citizen. There is simply nothing well bred about this man who appears to be almost in a permanent state of mental vacation. But for his vast wealth amassed in questionable circumstances under military lootocracy, Omisore would be no better than a common motor park tout.

Exhibiting his characteristic hallucinatory impulses, Omisore, a private citizen, threatened during the week to stop and search the convoy of Ogbeni Raufu Aregbesola, Governor of the State of Osun. This was coming shortly on the heels of a widely publicised security report accusing the Governor of plotting the secession of his state from the country. This purported security report is so inane, jejune and unintelligent that I will not bother commenting on its details. But there is a strange convergence of minds between Omisore and the conjurers of the so called security report when they both decried the Governor’s alleged jettisoning of men of the State Security Services (SSS) and relying on his private, allegedly Islamic, security operatives.

“It is unethical to use thugs as security”, Omisore thundered, “Aregbesola should explain why he goes about with thugs. During the last election, he rigged with the aid of thugs but this time round we are ready for him…If Aregbesola does not trust the SSS, let him resign. We are going to stop his convoy and search him”. Now, is this a private citizen talking? What gives him this kind of confidence that he can violently confront a sitting governor? Does Omisore still have men of the Mobile Police Force attached to him as is reportedly the case with most PDP top shots?

We will recall that shortly before Bola Ige’s murder, Omisore was one of those who reportedly removed the Justice Minister’s cap when on an official visit to the Ooni of Ife. In a widely publicised magazine interview at the time, Omisore did not deny his involvement. He indeed boasted that the Minister was lucky that it was only his cap that was removed. The insinuation was obvious. In a matter of weeks, Ige had lost not only his

A killer on the prowl?

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•Omisore cap but his life. Omisore was temporarily incarcerated for his suspected involvement in the murder. But like all matters of alleged high crime involving its members, this tragedy was settled as a “PDP family affair”.

Omisore was ‘elected’ to the Senate from prison, even winning in Bola Ige’s home town, Esa Oke. Isn’t there a familiar refrain here? Bola Ige completely trusted men of the Nigeria Police Force assigned to guarantee his security just the way Omisore wants Aregbesola to invest complete trust and faith in men of the SSS assigned to protect him by the Federal Government! This is the same PDP influenced agency that has concocted a brazenly false security report against the Governor.

Now, how did the police repay Bola Ige’s trust in their capacity to protect him? Five of them on duty left their principal at the same time claiming they went to have dinner. The famous Cicero of Esa Oke was mince meat

This implies that President Goodluck Jonathan was being dishonest and dishonourable when he claimed that his action in suspending Salami was based solely on the advice of the NJC. He was merely pandering to the unprincipled hawks in his party like Omisore.

Jonathan lacks the character befitting the exalted office he occupies.

What a great pity

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for his killers. As Awo declared when General Murtala Mohammed was assassinated, “a community in which a dog kills a tiger is not a safe one to live in”! There is certainly more than meets the eye to Omisore’s strange concern for Aregbesola’s security to the extent of insisting that the Governor must be protected only by men of the SSS. Federalism is a system of dual sovereigns with the component parts ‘equal and coordinate’ in their respective spheres. Given the oft-demonstrated lack of independence of the centralized security agencies, we must move towards a system in which each state provides and pays for the security needs of its elected officials.

Let us not forget again, that when the courageous Appeal Court judges sent that elec-

toral armed bandit, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, packing from an Osun State Government House he illegally occupied, Omisore published an advertorial that could only have emanated from a completely deranged mind making the most baseless and unsubstantiated allegations, including physical threats, against the jurists. Confirming that the travails of the suspended President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, is a function of the PDP’S dirty and unethical politics, Omisore said “If not for Justice Ayo Salami, whose judgement favoured Aregbesola and he is now paying for it by being at home wasting away, who knew Aregbesola?”. This implies that President Goodluck Jonathan was being dishonest and dishonourable when he claimed that his action in suspending Salami was based solely on the advice of the NJC. He was merely pandering to the unprincipled hawks in his party like Omisore. Jonathan lacks the character befitting the exalted office he occupies. What a great pity.

Reminding us that violence is his second nature and raising fresh questions on his alleged role in Bola Ige’s death, Omisore vowed “to crush any OYES member found in any voting centre in the next election”. To the best of my knowledge, it is the duty of INEC to conduct free and fair elections and the police and other security agencies to maintain peace and order. Now, can’t an OYES member vote in a voting centre? But Omisore has threatened that he will “crush any OYES member found in any voting centre in the next election”. What does this mean? To crush is to kill, destroy, annihilate, eliminate, exterminate, obliterate, devastate and totally snuff life out of a victim. A self professed killer is clearly on the prowl in our midst and the security agencies are doing nothing about it. Let all Nigerians take note.

Apparently realizing his folly, Omisore on Tuesday beat a hasty retreat, eating his words and vowing he never threatened to attack Aregbesola’s convoy. His denial was unconvincing and lacking in credibility. “I have no problem with Aregbesola or any other politician whatsoever. Why should I attack his convoy?” Omisore asked feigning innocence. This is a bare faced lie. Omisore has plenty of problems with Aregbesola.

With the Ogbeni’s sterling performance within such a short term in office, Omisore’s undisguised and unbridled ambition to govern Osun State through free and fair elections is fast vanishing irretrievably in thin air. There is hot anger boiling within Omisore and he is capable of imploding at any moment, which would not necessarily be a bad idea. But my warning remains: a self professed killer is on the prowl in our midst and the security agencies have remained mute. Let all Nigerians take note.

Ade Ojeikere on Saturday talk2adeojeikere@yahoo.com

Abuja Stadium’s rot

A

RE we cursed? How possible is it for us to build gigantic edifices, such as the National Stadium, Lagos, and now the Abuja Stadium with billions, yet the two complexes are in pitch darkness. Some people are even suggesting that we wait for the rainy season for the grass on the playing turf to be green again. Please, don’t laugh.

What happened to the grounds men in the two complexes? Don’t we have horticulturists to nurture the grass? Who ensures that PHCN bills are paid? If there is no power, what of the generating sets? Are they also faulty?

What happened to the hiring fees charges for use of the two stadia? Don’t they have surcharges for breakages after every game?

Who is in-charge of ensuring that the stadium is in perfect condition? Is someone trying to flex muscles?

The National Stadium, Lagos used to be the Mecca of our footballers and fans, until

the khaki boys took our capital to Abuja. One garrulous former minister insisted on taking sports to the federal capital, perhaps to curry the favour of his master. We shouted, until our voices cracked, but he had his way.

Today, even with another monument in Abuja, we are told that the country’s soccer matches cannot be played there for such spurious issues as bad playing turf. Pitch darkness resulting from debts owed PHCN, besmirched toilets arising from dry taps in the premises and no one talked about these until this week because the NFF is perceived as a plaque.

Globally, when such sporting edifices are built, the contractors usually sign maintenance deals with the owners to train people who will replace them at the expiration of such pacts.

My worry is not whether we have such an arrangement. It rests with the fact that money is budgeted annually for facilities, this leaves us with one question-was the Abuja Stadium part of the repair said to have been done all

these years?

We are being told that the Abuja Stadium contractors walked out on the N1.3 billion maintenance deal and that it costs government N300 million monthly to maintain Park A. Did we assign people to understudy them? If we did, who are they? If we didn’t, is this not a failure of leadership at the NSC? The House Representatives’ Sports Committee Chairman Godfrey Gaiya was quoted to have said that Abuja National Stadium cost N179,867,155, the repairs of all the stadia (six) amounted to N179,867,155 whilst the maintenance of 6 stadia gulped up N81,021,241.

But the truth is that the problem with the Abuja Stadium arose from the failure to pay PHCN bills. The engineers have stated categorically that the complex had light water would be flowing from the taps to wet the pitch. So, what is the difficulty in paying PHCN bills upfront? Or, in the alternative, build water tanks that would serve as reservoir whenever PHCN bills aren’t paid.

Of the N179,867,155 spent on the Abuja National Stadium, how much was paid for PHCN bills? We may need to ask how much they pay PHCN for power at the Abuja Stadium annually. This should set the framework for projecting into the future, such that basic needs as having water in the premises to make the grass lush green without qualms.

In other climes, such complexes are financed through leases or loans or from initiatives from sports-loving firms. These arrangements run into years such that the financers can leverage on their products and services, until perhaps the real owners take over.

The government had the best opportunity to get the corporate world to finance the building of the Abuja Stadium since it was targeted at hosting the All Africa Games in 2003. But government officials played politics with it. They are now currying blue-chip firms’ support when the facilities are decaying and wouldn’t attract any marketing mileage to their target audience- the masses.

It hurts that vandals could easily drive into the Abuja Stadium to destroy cables, days

•Continued on Page 62

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