THE NATION ,August 03, 2014 by The Nation

Newspaper of the Year

Ex-GovOyinlolawrites Jonathan,settodumpPDP Says President doesn’t want me

Ebola: Liberia, Dora Akunyili's S/Leone, Guinea last wish, by seal-off virus-hit husband areas Says ex-minister Infected doctor arrives US –Pages 5 & 73

–Page 5

died of endometrial carcinoma –Page 75

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Vol.09, No. 2929

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

SUNDAY

N200.00

AUGUST 3, 2014

NNPC:HowsackedGMDclashedwithDiezani Yakubu opposed minister’s suit against Reps over chartered flights

–Page 78

PDP, APC in verbal war over Osun polls –Pages 4 & 6

We’ll police election USAID debunks Omisore Presidency operates like like Ekiti, Jonathan vows opinion survey claims political robber, says Akande

•US doctor, Kent Brantly, who was infected with the Ebola virus in Liberia stepping out of the ambulance after arriving in Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia for treatment yesterday.

ADAMAWA PDP: WE DON’T NEED RIBADU

–Page 4

WHERE ARE THE CHIBOK GIRLS KIDNAPPED ON APRIL 15?

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2014

ISTORY is what hurts. In the end, perhaps nothing can beat the profound wisdom of that pithy observation .The impersonal and unfathomable forces of history are such that they often mock our bravest and boldest attempts to alter the course and trajectory of events. What eventually confronts us may well be the very opposite of our wish and what we have willed into existence. Yet despots and dictators persist, thus accelerating the process that will end in the mutual ruination of the contending classes. When we rig elections, we alter the wishes and collective aspirations of the people. It is not only democracy and development that suffer collateral damage. The principal casualty is the insight we deny ourselves into the intriguing and perplexing dynamics of a fraught postcolonial society, the demographic shifts, the political turns and twist, and the emergent sociology of contending nationalities in a multi-national society. Of all the hostile take-over bids that we have witnessed in the history of the country, and in the history of overbearing federal administrations, none is as chilling and hair raising as the one currently unfurling in the South West of the nation. Despite the obvious friendliness and affability of the Yoruba people, there must be something about their political society which induces federal panic and irrational fright. Once again, it is the South West that is the target of this hostile take over bid. The omens are dire indeed. The paradox is baffling, and it speaks to the core contradiction of a bitterly polarised nation. In order to have elections, the entire region must be placed on a war footing. But we must take due historical cognisance of the grave import and the collective danger this rampart militarisation represents for the nation. In 1979 as soon as it became obvious even to the blind that the NPN roller coaster was unstoppable , Professor Sam Aluko issued a statement which cut quickly to the chase. “In the unlikely event that the UPN does not win at the centre”, Aluko began and we now paraphrase, “the already elected UPN governors must henceforth concentrate their energies and talent on the states they had won in order to turn them into models of good governance which the rest of the country would find irresistible when the next election would be called in four years”. It was like dressing the likely in an unlikely garb. Aluko might have been indulging his streak of plucky and eccentric irreverence. The elections so far declared at that point showed the NPN in an unassailable lead. But the statement was also an ironic tribute to Aluko’s faith in the democratic destiny of the nation and in the rationality of the electoral process. With Awo firmly in charge, leadership by example became the credo and mantra of the UPN governors. Without an exception, they rolled up their sleeves and went to work. From the dashing and workaholic LKJ in Lagos State to the scholarly and methodical Ambrose Alli in the old Bendel, the UPN states rapidly seized the imagination of the nation as models of purposeful governance. Working with the same master plan and vision, they were a study in coherence and party cohesiveness. But rather than learning from this local model, the ruling NPN had other ideas. The very notion of purposeful governance in any

COLUMN

Let the people be

nooping around With

Tatalo Alamu

•Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa

enclave of the country showed them up as irresponsible buccaneers. And since they cannot build, they must disrupt and disorganise those who can. Two years into the return of democratic rule, they organised a banishment through impeachment for Balarabe Musa, the implacably radical governor of the old Kaduna State, who had been a thorn in their flesh. This turned out to be a mere dress rehearsal for something more potent and destabilising. By the time the 1983 elections came up, the NPN had perfected its hostile take-over bid of opposition stronghold. When the smoke cleared, they had made away with both Oyo and Ondo States in the very heartland of opposition supremacy. The violent upheaval and its poisonous effluence eventually led to a military take over. The country was back to square one. It may be useful to go further back in history. In 1954, the ruling Action Group lost the federal

election in the region to the opposition NCNC party. The people of the region, particularly the urban denizens, fell for the hostile propaganda that the Action Group was there to deprive them of the proceeds of their punitive toil even as it imposed on the populace a taxation regimen of abundant misery and harsh exploitation. The anarchist credo was that no tax was the best taxation and the people fell for the seductive lore. The defeat turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it accurately mirrored the feeling of the people, whether justified or not. But rather than collapse in crushing defeat and rejection, the Action Group rolled up its sleeves and went back to explain itself and its programme in a more effective manner. Luckily for the party, the gains of its massive modernisation and transformational project had begun to trickle in. The West had never had it so good. The doubts evaporated and the party recorded a resounding

victory in the next general election. But the ruling coalition could not abide the social engineering feats of its progressive rival. In what was to become a tested template for future counter-progressive operations, it engineered a fracturing of the Action Group early in 1962 and subsequently followed this up with a parliamentary putsch that saw the ruling party become an opposition in its own redoubt. The nature of political crime is such that you have to keep committing even more egregious crimes in order to cover up the original crime. Both the 1964 federal election and the 1965 regional election were so violently and intolerably rigged that it became obvious that the federal authorities had abandoned all pretences to electoral sanity. The sovereignty of the electorate became a sick joke; a solidarity of the disenfranchised. Unlike the refined vaporisations we are witnessing, the methods employed were so crude and primitive that the ritual of voting became a desecrated farce. The West descended into an orgy of violence and anarchy. A violent military take over became virtually inevitable The result is the complete decapitation of all political institutions in the nation whose telling effects can still be felt till date. Yet, it can be seen in retrospect that apart from institutionalising political corruption and imposing the selectorate on the electorate, the ultimate outcome of this culture of colossal rigging has been the enthronement of what was feared in a more potent and insidious manner. The annulment of the 1993 presidential election which was the hallmark of supersonic rigging led directly to the emergence of an Obasanjo who has proved more fatal to the old northern establishment in a way an Abiola presidency could never have, and circuitously to a Jonathan who may well provide the coup de grace. It has also removed from political contention the north’s ultimate political joker: the military party. Had an Abiola or an Awolowo in particular been allowed to rule, their rational humanism would have al-

Okon submits application for paternity leave I

T has been raining cats and dogs in Lagos. The sky looks like a bereaved old woman who has wept herself into a wrinkled sunken mass. Whether this is a divine metaphor for the state of the nation or some apocalyptic forewarning, Snooper cannot say. Nature can also be profligate in its bounties. The rains are part of some ancient fertility rites, a boon for baby boomers, in a manner of speaking. But you can trust the indefatigable Okon to cotton in on the act. On Saturday morning, instead of preparing early breakfast, the rogue Romeo barged in with a bulging file brimming with dog-eared receipts and assorted counterfeit bills. Before one could ask what he was up to, the crazy chap erupted. “Oga, since dem Fashola people don see reason, I wan apply for dem multiple paternity leave. I get dem four women who dey carry pikin

for Okon”, the mad boy snorted. “Meaning what?” Snooper snapped. “Na dem papa born dem and na me give dem belle”, Okon retorted with a fiendish grin of selfsatisfaction. “Okon, go away, you are a fool. The law recognises only monogamy”, snooper explained, suppressing his mirth. “Oga dat one na burukutu law. I no dey do dem mahogany. Mahogany na hard wood. Okon dey fire only dem rubber bullet.” Okon sneered. “But still, four women in a row!! Okon, since when have you become a baby factory?” snooper asked in jest. “Ah oga, dat one I sabi well well”, Okon began with a satanic wink, “he get time like dat when I dey do night shift for dem baby

factory for Oko Oba. One night dem come bring eleven girls from Abakaliki like dat and dem say make man start work. As I come dey drink paraga for manpower, dem mad ibo girl come seize dem bottle and come hammer Okon him head. Naim I come pick race like dem antelope for Itigidi. Dem ibo crooks still dey owe me for overtime, but I no fit go near dem place lailai”. “Case closed”, snooper crowed with a measure of satisfaction. “Ha, oga I hope dis dem paternity thin no be dem offside trap. You know dem Fashola boy na good footballer.”, Oko noted fearfully. “Why?” snooper demanded. “Becos dem never give me dem Certificate of Occupation for Shikira. I don waka sotey for Alausa, and na so so promise. If only I fit take dem Abakaliki girls there make dem teach dem sense”, Okon lamented. On that note, snooper quietly pushed out the crazy boy.

lowed a feudal North to deal with the consequences of deliberate underdevelopment in a more humane manner than the radical anarchy we are currently witnessing. Electoral irrationality produces political irrationality which in turn leads to a completely irrational society. Now the North is trapped between a Jonathan presidency with its legendary cultural insensitivities and a Buhari presidency which will put the fear of the lord into the North’s surviving feudal dinosaurs. Any wonder then that we still do not know our presidential flag bearers six months before a nation-defining presidential election? In 2003, the South West gave Obasanjo the tacit nod and acquiescence to do the needful in the region to retain the presidency but to leave the region alone to pursue its independent political fortunes. It was a sophisticated political message. But Obasanjo blatantly misread the small print to mean an endorsement of the electoral subjugation of the entire region. The irony was that had Obasanjo left the AD severely alone, it would have imploded from its own internal contradictions, being a motley assemblage of outpatient ideological schizophrenics and progressive reactionaries. But by biting more than he was asked to chew, Obasanjo gave fillip to the more organised elements of a dying organisation and a causus belli. With the obvious failure of his mainstream mantra, the region was up in arms against Obasanjo by the time of the 2007 election. This was ostentatiously rigged. It was Obasanjo’s parting shot of defiant contempt for his own people. But by the 2011 election, the entire region went after Obasanjo’s political jugular. Thus the fate that the proud and tenacious Owu warlord was trying to avoid, that of a two time leader of Nigeria without any political constituency, overtook him with iron severity even in his own backyard. What Shakespeare calls the whirligig of time has brought its own revenge. Let Jonathan ponder on the turbulent history of the country. Nigeria may be an impossible colonial contraption, but there are certain imponderable equations insinuated into its grand architecture which makes it impossible for a despot of any hue to hold sway for long. The ethnic alliances of today are not what they were in 1999, not in 1979 and certainly not in 1959. In January 1966, the entire Western Region lay blitzed and cowering under the onslaught of the federal might. But by October of that very year, it was the same West that was adjudicating between the North and its former collaborators and hatchet men. The president should learn from history if he does not want to imperil his own fortunes as well as the political fortunes of his people in a post-Jonathan polity. As we can see from the foregoing, rigging and hostile take over bids which amount to forcibly tampering with the destiny of a people have a way of returning the compliments in an even more devastating manner.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JULY 27, 2014

NEWS

HE former interim national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC),Chief Adebisi Akande, yesterday likened the mode of operation of the presidency and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to that of armed robbers. He said both the presidency and the PDP in their lust for power have been busy destroying the opposition and “fraudulently manipulating the wishes of Nigerians at the polls with absolute impunity.” Akande spoke in his home town, Ila Orangun, Osun State, during a reception in his honour by the APC in the area. In a speech, entitled ‘Political armed robbers at our gates’, the former Osun State Governor said that despite the immense natural resources that make Nigeria one of the wealthiest and most naturally

Presidency, PDP operate like robbers, says Akande •Blames international community for not appreciating of problem endowed nations in the world, “deliberate incidence of corruption and consequent misrule by the military administrations and the PDP over the years,” have resulted in breeding the poorest and most deprived citizens. “It is increasingly becoming embarrassing that the PDP, in its own fashion of democracy, tolerates no opposition. Any democracy without opposition is fascism, prone to corruption and repressive rule,” he said. He was shocked that the international community

from where democracy was introduced to Nigeria can watch the country continue to degenerate. His words: “Unfortunately, the credulous international communities, from whose places democracy was introduced to Nigeria and to whom we can expect to intervene, seem naive in appreciating the enormity of Nigeria’s democracy bastardisation system. It is definitely fascism that is being re-christened as democracy in Nigeria.” Citing the recent gover-

norship election in Ekiti State, Chief Akande said: “Hundreds of APC party supporters and leaders were hounded into detention on the eve of the election, only for the federal government to hoodwink the global community to believe that the election was free and fair when in truth the process had been skewed in favour of the PDP in the pre-election processes. “How can an election be said to be free and fair where a majority of APC opposition members were detained for no

just cause; where elected governors from other APC states were prevented from attending APC rally; while serving federal ministers and other appointees of the PDP-controlled federal government, who were equally not indigenes of Ekiti State, were allowed free movement in and out of the state?” He said the same scenario is playing out again in Osun State with “massive militarisation of the state by men of the state security services who are shooting sporadically everywhere in order

to scare away voters and intimidate our people before the elections.” He asked well meaning Nigerians and the international community to “immediately prevail on the ruling PDP to call its dogs of war to order and ensure that these acts of intimidation as a prelude to the massive rigging of the August 9, 2014 governorship election in Osun be stopped forthwith.” “We are veterans in the struggle for the progress of our father land and we want to assure Nigerians that this plot will be resisted firmly and courageously by the people of Osun State. We are armed with the truth that we are all freeborn of our nation and that no one will be allowed to imprison or enslave us using our commonwealth for which they ought to be faithful trustees,” he added.

Impeachment: Don’t disband panel, Al-Makura urges CJ •Panel resumes sitting Monday

OVERNOR Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State wants the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Suleiman Dikko, to ignore the request of members of the House of Assembly to disband the panel set up to investigate him. The pro-impeachment lawmakers had, last week through their counsel, Mr. Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SANý), written to the Chief Judge to disband the panel on the ground that it was likely to be biased. But Al-Makura, responding through his lawyer, Chief Nnoruka Udechukwu (SAN), said that the position of the lawmakers was untenable and should be disregarded by the Chief Judge. Udechukwu queried the powers of the CJ to disband a panel he constituted and inaugurated. His words:”Your Lordship is functus officio and lacks the authority under the constitution to disband a panel which you have set up under Section 188(5) of the Constitution. “All ministers in the temple of justice should well advise themselves to abide by the letters and spirit of the 1999 constitution. “The point we are making is that whoever is seriously aggrieved by any step taken by your Lordship under Section 188(5) of the constitution should follow constitutional

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

stipulations in pursuit of that grievances and not to politicise a serious constitutional matter without minding the damage such negative action would do to the constitution and to organs of government which draw their legitimacy therefore.” The panel, which is headed by Yusuf Shehu Usman, will resume sitting tomorrow in Lafia, the state capital. It will consider allegations of gross misconduct and misappropriation of funds levied against AlMakura by the House of Assembly. Al-Makura has denied any wrongdoing, claiming that the lawmakers were motivated by politics in pushing for his removal. The panel has three months to investigate the allegations, and submit its report in accordance with the provisions of the constitution. The governor was served an impeachment notice bordering on 16count charges and signed by 20 of the 24 members of the House about two weeks ago. Other members of the panel are: Mohammed Sabo Keana; a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Reverend Joel Galadima, Alhaji Abdul Usman, Samuel Chaku, Mohammed Sani Usman and Pastor Daniel Chaga.

• Gov.Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto (L), receiving a souvenir from Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar 111, for attending the Nigerian Defence Academy Alumni 18th Regular Course re-union in sokoto on yesterday PHOTO: NAN

Adamawa PDP: We don’t need Ribadu •Acting Gov begins Nyako’s probe tomorrow

HAIRMAN, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Adamawa State, Chief Joel Madaki, says his party is not interested in wooing or begging any one to fly its flag in the election to replace impeached Governor Murtala Nyako. The PDP, according to him, has many qualified people in its ranks to win the governorship poll. As Madaki, addressed party’s stakeholders at Government House, Yola on Friday, Acting Governor Umaru Fintiri vowed to recover every kobo paid by the Nyako Administration for contracts not executed. The party chairman said PDP’s door is open to all in-

FROM: Yusuf Alli and Barnabas Manyam

digenes of the state interested in joining it. He promised equal treatment for all. He dismissed reports that the PDP was shopping for a governorship candidate. Madaki said: “PDP is a fully loaded party with experienced politicians who have held many laudable national positions in different capacities and who have been tried and tested to occupy any office hierarchy in the country. “Adamawa State PDP is blessed with an array of qualified politicians; there is no need to bring somebody from outside the party to run on its

‘Ribadu unlikely to fly PDP’s ticket in Adamawa’

ORMER presidential adviser on political affairs, Mr Ahmed Gulak, has declared that former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, is unlikely to abandon the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the purpose of contesting

Barnabas Manyam, Yola

the forthcoming governorship election in the state. Ribadu, according to newspaper reports, is being wooed by PDP chieftains to switch over from the APC and take the PDP ticket for the election. But Gulak who is also inter-

ested in the race told reporters in Yola that there is no proof yet that Ribadu will accept to contest on the platform of the PDP. He said “Ribadu is a highly respected person who happened to be my classmate and I have tremendous respect for him. I know that he will not run

on the PDP platform. “Having established his tentacles in the All Progressives Congress (APC), he will not abandon the party midstream.” Gulak said some youths that are asking Ribadu to seek PDP’s ticket were on their own and not on the errand of Ribadu.

ticket for the 2015 race. “We are not wooing or begging anyone to be our governorship candidate. Are there no qualified candidates among all of you sitting here? It is an insult to all of us to say that we are wooing any person to be PDP governorship candidate. “I want to make it clear that our doors are open for people to come in. We will give those coming equal treatment and a sense of belonging.” He commended the acting governor and members of the state assembly for restoring what he described as “PDP’s stolen mandate” by removing former governor, Murtala Nyako. Also speaking, Acting Governor Fintiri said he would go ahead with the plan to probe the alleged squandering of N82billion by the administration of Nyako. He said a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the former governor’s tenure will be inaugurated tomorrow to handle the assignment.

Fintiri said: “On Monday, I will inaugurate a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the financial conduct of the administration of ex-Governor Murtala Nyako “We are going to ensure that all Adamawa funds in private accounts are retrieved into the state coffers. We shall also ensure that all properties acquired with Adamawa resources are also retrieved so that their values can be channelled into Adamawa State resources. “We have taken this action to serve as a deterrent to leaders with lust to tamper with public funds while in office.” The session was attended by ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources, Prof. Jibril Aminu; a former NADECO chieftain, Air Commodore Dan Suleiman(rtd); a former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Maj-Gen. Halidu Hananiya (rtd); exMinister Dauda Birma; National Assembly members; PDP members of the State House of Assembly; and the 21 local government chairmen in the state among others.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014 ORMER governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and his party, Peoples Democratic |Party (PDP), are about parting ways…for good. The retired general believes President Goodluck Jonathan does not want him in the party even after going the extra mile to prove his loyalty. Oyinlola in a July 30, 2014 letter to the President said he would not be doing himself any good "if I don't think seriously about my political journey and take a firm decision." The former PDP National Secretary enumerated the various efforts he and others including his friend and former colleague in the army, Senate President David Mark, made to reconcile with the party and said: "I may, at this point, need to look beyond the party and take my destiny in my hands." The letter, 00/PDP/5,

NEWS

Oyinlola writes Jonathan, offers to quit PDP • Says "I am not wanted by the National Leader (Jonathan) of the party." • Enumerates how President 'frustrated my return' FROM: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

reads in part: "Your Excellency, you are very conversant of all efforts made by me and very importantly, by respected leaders of the party to get this matter resolved and truly reconcile all aggrieved parties. "I, however, learnt that you were not sure of my support for you, given my closeness to former President Olusegun Obasanjo hence the decision to disallow me from returning to my legally recognized position

as the National secretary of the PDP. "I have met you on several occasions on this matter to pledge my loyalty. At my last meeting with you, which was at the instance of the party's National chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu'azu, you requested that I be part of the ongoing Osun State governorship campaigns. Mr. President would remember that I stated that the minimum the party leadership could do to get me to campaign was to instruct the Ogun State chapter of the party to with-

draw its appeal at the Supreme Court; or alternatively, obey the Appeal Court order, and allow me to resume duty, the same way the party obeyed the faulty Federal High Court verdict that ousted me. "To the foregoing, I wish to state that I was promised some positive response which never came, up till this moment. The Chairman of the party's Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih CFR, has also on several occasions, after discussing me, met with Your Excellency on this matter assuring

you of my loyalty to you and to the cause of the party. "I am also aware that the Senate President, Senator David Mark, GCON, has similarly met with you and made a case for my return to office. Senator Mark went to the extent of asking you to hold him responsible for all actions I might take as National Secretary. "Mr. President, allow me to state with emphasis that what joins Senator Mark and my humble-self is more than politics. The military family that binds us does not know double-dealing or disloyalty. A part of our training, we keep our words, hence we are called "Gentlemen Officers." That precisely was why the Senate President could most frontally vouch for me. "Your Excellency, allow me to also recall that on three occasions, Senator Mark informed that I had agreed to submit to you a pre-signed resignation letter, if that would allay all fears of insincerity; and all, in a bid to ensure that the injustice of my illegal removal from office is redressed. "I wish to respectfully state that I do not go back on my words, just like I don't abandon my friends, associates and leaders, no matter how hard the situation might be. "That explains why as a State Governor, I remained very loyal to my boss, former President Ibrahim Babangida, GCFR, even when he had some issues with the government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, I wish to respect-

•NEMA officials distributing relief materials to internally displaced persons at a camp in Jalingo ... yesterday.

fully recall very respectfully, that Chief Obasanjo never made any attempt to move against me on account of these differences. "The same spirit today drives me as I maintain my loyalty to former President Obasanjo, who may, or who may not have any relationship with your government. It was that same spirit that made me insist on your approval of my candidature, in your capacity as national leader of the party and president, before I agreed with my brother-governors request in 2012, to contest for the position of PDP National Secretary. I should like to state that I am not a fair-weather fellow. To my friends, the spirit is very similar to marital vow." Oyinlola said it was unfortunate that President Jonathan was unprepared to listen to entreaties by party leaders on his behalf. He added: "Mr. President, I wish to observe that with all these efforts by me and other credible leaders of our party, it appears clearly to me that you are not totally convinced that I am who I have always been in my journey through life. "I have, therefore, come to the conclusion that it is this mindset that is at the root of my challenges in PDP. It seems to me that I am not wanted by the national leader of the party; and I know that. "Therefore, I will certainly not be doing myself justice and good, despite everything, if I don't think seriously about my political journey and take a firm decision. "Mr. President, I may at this point, need to look beyond the party and take my destiny in my hands. I sincerely hope that this will solve the problem. "Conclusively, Your Excellency, if I am doing the above and take further steps without telling you, I would be negating the pledge of loyalty which I had earlier made to you; hence this correspondence to Mr. President."

PHOTO: NAN

Ebola: Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone seal off hit-regions E BOLA-hit Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone have agreed to impose a cross-border isolation zone at the epicentre of the world's worst-ever outbreak, amid warnings that the deadly epidemic is spiralling out of control. The announcement came at an emergency summit in the Guinean capital on Friday to discuss the outbreak, which has killed more than 700 people, with the World Health Organisation warning Ebola could cause "catastrophic" loss of life and severe economic disruption if it continued to spread. "We have agreed to take important and extraordinary actions at the inter-country level to focus on cross-border regions that have more than 70 percent of the epidemic," said Hadja Saran Darab, the secretary-general of the Mano River Union bloc grouping the nations. "These areas will be isolated by police and military. The people in these areas being isolated will be provided with material support," she said at the meeting in Conakry. Opening the summit, WHO chief Margaret Chan told leaders that the response

of the three countries to the epidemic had been "woefully inadequate", revealing that the outbreak was "moving faster than our efforts to control it". "If the situation continues to deteriorate, the consequences can be catastrophic in terms of lost lives but also severe socio-economic disruption and a high risk of spread to other countries," Chan said. She described the outbreak as "by far the largest ever in the nearly four-decade history of this disease". "It is taking place in areas with fluid population movements over porous borders, and it has demonstrated its ability to spread via air travel, contrary to what has been seen in past outbreaks," she told the summit. "Cases are occurring in rural areas which are difficult to access, but also in densely populated capital cities. This meeting must mark a turning point in the outbreak response." The leaders of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea used the summit to launch a $100 million action plan that will see several hundred more medical staff deployed to battle the epidemic.

The three countries will also bolster efforts to prevent and detect suspected cases, urge better border surveillance, and reinforce the WHO's sub-regional outbreak coordination centre in Guinea. Darab did not outline the exact area to be part of the isolation zone, but the epicentre of the outbreak has a diameter of almost 300 kilometres spreading from Kenema in eastern Sierra Leone to Macenta in southern Guinea, and taking in most of Liberia's extreme northern forests. "The healthcare services in these zones will be strengthened for treatment, testing and contact tracing to be carried out effectively," she said. The meeting came after Dubai's Emirates became the first global airline to announce it was suspending flights to the stricken area, while the United States, Germany, France and Italy have issued warnings against travel to the three African countries. US President Barack Obama announced on Friday that the United States would screen delegates travelling from Ebola-hit countries to Washington for a three-day Africa summit next week.

Two Americans infected with Ebola in West Africa have been evacuated back to the United States in the coming days to be cared for in strict isolation, US officials said. Kent Brantly, a doctor who was treating Ebola patients in Liberia, and Christian missionary worker Nancy Writebol, were flown home to US. Meanwhile, Nigeria quarantined two people who had "primary contact" with a man who died of Ebola in Lagos last week. The WHO raised the death toll by 57 to 729 on Thursday, announcing that 122 new cases had been detected between Thursday and Sunday last week, bringing the total to more than 1,300. "Current numbers of national and international response staff are woefully inadequate," Chan said, revealing that 60 health workers had died treating patients in the outbreak. Sierra Leone's leader Ernest Bai Koroma has announced a state of emergency, quarantining Ebola-hit areas and cancelling foreign trips by ministers, while Liberia has closed all of its schools and put government workers on leave.

Ebola: Abuja residents urged to report suspicious cases

HE authorities of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday told residents of the territory to be vigilant in the face of the Ebola disease threat, and report any suspicious case to the health facility nearest to them. The Secretary, Health and Human Services of the FCT, Dr Demola Onakomaiya who told the Management Staff of the Secretariat at an emergency meeting on the preparedness of the FCT to tackle the threat of the disease, said personal hygiene like washing the hands with soap is crucial in warding it off. Ebola virus has an incubation period of 2- 21days before the onset of symptoms. Dr Onakomaiya added that infection in humans occurs when they come in contact with body fluids from an infected person, other contaminated objects/articles from infected persons, consumption of "bushmeat" infected with the virus and which has not been properly cooked or the handling of dead animals. The secretary further added that those at higher risk of the infection are health workers, family members and others in close contact

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

with sick people and deceased persons. He listed symptoms of the Ebola as: intense weakness, sudden fever, aches, diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach ache. Additionally, people may experience rashes, red eyes, chest pain, throat soreness, difficulty in breathing or swallowing, impaired kidney/liver function and bleeding (internal and external. Dr Onakomaiya said that the FCT Administration through its Health and Human Services Secretariat has already embarked on an enlightenment drive in the area councils to educate residents on the symptoms and dangers of the disease and how they can prevent the infection. He further stated it is also stepping up implementation of key outbreak containment strategies including community engagement and involvement, tracing of contacts, sensitisation of health workers at all levels both public and private, provision of personal protective equipment, distribution of information leaflets and ensuring effective coordination of all response activities

NEWS

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

OSUN DECIDES

PDP, APC in verbal war over Osun poll •We’ll police Osun like Ekiti, Jonathan vows F

IVE days to the August 9 governorship election in Osun State, a fiery war of words has been ignited between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. The verbal exchange coincided with the visit yesterday of President Goodluck Jonathan to the state. Jonathan said Osun State residents should expect heavy presence of security agents during the August 9 governorship poll. The situation, he stated, will be reminiscent of the just-concluded Ekiti State governorship election won by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Jonathan spoke at the mega rally of the PDP in the main bowl of the Osogbo City Stadium where the national leadership handed over the party’s flag to its Osun State governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore. He said the election would be well policed to prevent a breakdown of law and order, warning that the security agents would deal with whoever causes trouble before, during and after the poll according to the law. The president, who assured that nobody would be allowed to snatch the box and get away with it, maintained that every vote must count. He said no party can rival PDP’s transparency in picking their candidates, urging the people to vote Omisore in the forthcoming election because he (Jonathan) was ready to support Omisore develop the

From: Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

state. According to him: “All we need is your vote for Omisore and leave the rest for us to support him develop Osun State. “Omisore is a grassroots man and someone who does not look down on people. He also respects the traditional rulers.” Jonathan apologised for arriving at the rally behind schedule, saying he went to pay courtesy calls on some

HE All Progressives Congress has dismissed the crowd at yesterday’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally in Osogbo, capital of Osun State as rented. It said the PDP lied by stating that the rally was massive. A statement by the APC’s Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy in Osun State, Barrister Kunle Oyatomi, said: “The PDP’s rally in Osogbo yesterday that boasted of a mammoth crowd is yet an-

traditional rulers in the state. He said some of the projects he had done for Osun State were in the flyers being distributed to the people who attended the rally, saying he won’t want to waste time by listing them one by one. Speaking after receiving the permission of the party’s leadership to flag its flag, Omisore asked the people to show their cards which they would use to vote him into office in the August 9 poll. Many stalwarts of the party in attendance in-

cluded Vice President Namadi Sambo, the party’s Board of Trustees chairman, Chief Tony Anenih; the national chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu; former Oyo State Governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala; the Ekiti State governor-elect, Ayo Fayose; the chairman, Mobilisation Committee for PDP in South West, Buruji Kasamu, former deputy governor in Osun State and former Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada. Others were the Deputy Speaker, House of Represen-

tatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha; former Speaker, Dimeji Bankole and Akwa Ibom state governor, Godswill Akpabio; the caretaker chairman, South West, Isola Filani; former national Deputy chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Shuab Oyedokun; former Board chairman of the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation, Chief Yemi Farombi; former Lagos State deputy governor, Akerele-Bucknor; former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; Senator Bode Olajumoke, Chief Ebenezer Babatope and Hon. Wole Oke.

… Rally crowd rented, says APC other lie. “We know that 50% of that crowd was PDP supporters from other South West states while 30% came from other PDP states whose governors came to the rally with a minimum of 1000 supporters each. “What’s left - and that’s about 20% representing curious Osun citizens and PDP supporters across the state. “So, for President

Jonathan and the rest of them to be deceiving themselves that the crowd they were speaking to were citizens of Osun is the hallmark of a leadership in denial of its inadequacy, and who is shameless about their failure and total grounding of Nigeria which they pretend daily to be making progress with. “Omisore was a pathetic figure at that rally as usual. He had nothing to

say or offer and was a classical example of human emptiness.” Oyatomi added: “The APC is not bothered about the PDP’s dreaming on Aug 9 elections because we know they won’t win, but, at least, they have a right to dream. “As far as we are concerned, the whole rally was a jamboree and nothing significant came out of it.”

USAID faults PDP’s poll claim

HE United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has contradicted claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that a poll it conducted on next weekend’s governorship election showed that the PDP’s candidate would win. USAID said that at no time did it conduct any such poll. “No USAID poll was taken in Osun,” the Acting Public Affairs Officer of the US Consulate General, Lagos, Rhonda Watson, stated in response to clarification sought by the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the matter. He said: “None of USAID Peace and Democracy Governance Implementing Partners (P/DG IPs) support or plan to support any election related opinion polls in Osun.” The APC described the PDP in Osun as a band of liars who cannot be trusted with the fortunes of the state. “The greatest weapon of a thief is an incredible ability to lie without scruples. If such people as PDP liars have access to the state treasury, they will loot it empty,” the Director of Publicity of APC in Osun, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, said. “The good people of Osun know that the PDP cannot win on August 9, because liars and looters form its core leadership.”

•L-R: President Goodluck Jonathan; PDP governorship candidate for Osun State, Sen. Iyiola Omisore; PDP National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu; Vice President Namadi Sambo and PDP chieftains during the party’s rally in Oshogbo… yesterday. PHOTO NAN

Akande frowns at militarisation

ORMER Interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, has condemned the militarisation of Osun State ahead of the August 9 governorship poll. He spoke last Friday at a reception organised for him by the Ila-Ifedayo Boluwaduro Federal Constituency. While alleging that heavy deployment of security operatives to the State was to intimidate and scare supporters of the APC, Akande added: “In the last governorship election in Ekiti State, hundreds of APC supporters and leaders were hounded into detention on the eve of the election, only for the federal government

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

to hoodwink the global community to believe that the election was free and fair when in truth the process had been skewed in favour of the PDP in the pre- election processes. “The same scenario is playing out again in Osun with the militarisation of the state by men of the SSS who are shooting sporadically everywhere in order to scare away voters and intimidate our people before the election.” Akande said the military has no business in civil activities like election and the electorate, lamenting that the set back of Nigeria was as a result of the misrule of the

military regime. According to the APC leader, the PDP and the presidency have begun moves to destroy opposition parties in a desperate bid to hold onto power. The former governor of Osun state added: “History does not change; it is the people who fail to learn the lessons of history. “It was this type of actions by the then ruling parties that led to the collapse of the First and Second Republics of Nigeria due to the reckless use of brutal force by the ruling parties against the opposition. “The present ruling PDP is already toeing this line at the risk of our hard-earned democracy for which some

of our compatriots paid the supreme sacrifice. “With PDP in power, votes do not count and, therefore, the electorate is not important in PDP’s culture. “That is why Nigeria has been sinking and failing under PDP governments. the current regime is the worst. Surely, this Jonathan’s presidency is a political armed robber.” Reiterating his opposition to the PDP-led government, Akande said: “This present regime is the worst in the history of Nigeria. No peace, no infrastructure, no electricity, no employment, no industry, no prosperity, no orderliness and no peace of mind. Instead, there is panic everywhere.”

APC exposes PDP rigging plan

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday alleged “a devilish plan” involving an unscrupulous INEC official and PDP stalwarts to rig the August 9th governorship election in Osun State. Under the alleged plan, according to the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, some INEC IT staff have handed over the entire electoral register for the state to a Special Assistant to a top PDP national official with a view to manipulating it to disenfranchise many voters. ‘’For those who may see this as outlandish, they should recall that an INEC official tampered with the voters register used during the last gubernatorial election in Anambra State to remove the names of many voters,’’ the APC said. It added that the plan to tamper with the electoral register for Osun and INEC’s delay in issuing Permanent Voters Register to registered voters, especially those who are APC members in the state, were pointers to the desperation of the PDP to win the forthcoming governorship election at all cost. It said: ‘’The truth is that the PDP knows it cannot win a free and fair election in Osun State. Everything so far points to the fact that our party will win by a landslide if the election is free, fair, credible and transparent. “In fact, a highly-credible opinion poll carried out by the globallyrecognised TNS-RMS shows that the APC leads among voters in the state by 73%, compared to a paltry 19% for the PDP. ‘’Apparently stunned by the reality on the ground, as against the propaganda by the PDP, the party’s candidate, Iyiola Omisore, quickly conjured his own opinion poll, purportedly carried out by USAID, showing that he is leading the APC candidate and incumbent Governor Rauf Aregbesola. ‘’Fortunately, USAID has denied carrying out any opinion poll in Osun State, thus putting a lie to the PDP’s claim. There is no better indication of desperation than this,’’ the party said. It called on all the good people of Osun state in general and APC members and supporters in particular to be very vigilant in other to thwart the evil machinations of those who are averse to credible and violence-free elections.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

NOSCEF frowns at skewed religious demographics By Sunday Oguntola

HE Chairman of Christian Elders Forum of Northern States (NOSCEF), Mr. Olaiya Phillips, has cautioned against the use of inadequate statistics to create more tensions between Muslims and Christians. Phillips, who was reacting to an article titled ”U.S.: Nigeria ineffective in quelling violence” in some online publications last week, faulted the attribution of 50% of the nation’s population to Muslims and 40% to Christians. He described the statistics purportedly generated from the latest United States’ Department of State Report on Religious Freedom as “false and insulting to the Nigerian Christian community.” Page 67 of the 2014 annual report, Phillips pointed out, stated that “Nigeria’s population of 170 million people is equally divided between Muslims and Christians.” He also cited the official webpage of the Federal Republic of Nigeria stating that “45% of the population is Christian, 45% Muslim and the rest 10% is a mixture of quite a few indigenous religions.” The Christian leader said “Accurate Calculations of our exact population - never mind the religious beliefs of our people are hard enough to come by. “Research by the Pew Research Centre Forum on Religion and Public Life in 2011 estimated the number of Nigerian Christians to be 80.5m – roughly 50% of the population, which with the 50% of Muslims would not leave any room for the millions of Nigerians who believe in indigenous religions.” He said citing religious demographic at a time the country is fighting the terror war is a great disservice to national unity. “Nigerians do give a great importance to religion. Publishing incorrect - or at the very least inaccurate - statistics regarding the country’s demographics at a time when the Boko Haram insurgency in the North is attempting to raise tensions between Christian and Muslim communities, is both insensitive and irresponsible - especially to the communities on the front line of the insurgency in the North,” he stressed. Phillips stated that Muslims and Christians in Nigeria are evenly populated, saying any attempt to paint one as more populous than the other should be discouraged. According to him: “We all know that the two largest religious groups in the country are Muslims and Christians – each with their many denominations. Both groups are roughly the same size. This we know and should remember. “But the reporting of incorrect or inaccurate information only helps to drive wedges between our communities. This is exactly what Boko Haram wants.”

NEWS

FG reduces 2014 power supply target to 5,000MW T

HE federal government yesterday reduced its power supply target for 2014 to 5,000Mega Watts (MW) in the next four to five months. There had been a pending target of 4,500MW for June this year which never came to fruition and a projection to supply 6,000MW by December 2014. But speaking in an interministerial press briefing in Abuja the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Madueke, noted that “had there been sufficient gas supply, the current generation capacity would have crossed the 6,000mega watts target today.” Also at the briefing were the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo; Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emiefele; Chairman, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Sam Amadi. She explained that collec-

•CBN to pay 25b owed to gas suppliers From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

tively the ministries and agencies were working to find a lasting solution to the challenge. The minister announced that NERC has approved a new benchmark price of $2.50/mcf of gas supply, and $0. 80/mcf as transportation costs for new capacity, from 2014. “This benchmark will rise with US inflation annually,” she added. This increase will be captured in the next Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO), which is due in December this year. Madueke, however, explained that the federal government has developed additional interventions that will address outstanding issues around gas supply pricing, fast-track additional gas supply development,

particularly in the short term. “It is expected that barring unforeseen developments these interventions will add at least 370mmcf/d of gas and assure a generation capacity of at least 5,000MW within 4-5 months,” she assured. Highlighting the interventions which the ministries and agencies jointly planned, she said that a review of gas pricing is now being implemented to further reflect market value. Madueke pointed out that in addition to the new price, NERC will require firm commitments from gas suppliers on the agreed quantities of gas to generation companies as long as payment terms are met. The NERC, said the minister, is presently concluding the review of the Aggregate Technical Commercial and Collec-

tion (ATC&C) losses studies submitted by the distribution companies. She said that the review will be followed by a review of the revenue requirement for the power sector that is to be covered by a revised Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO) path. Madueke said to inspire confidence in the gas sector, regarding the willingness of the power sector to settle its outstanding debts for gas, “the CBN will support initiatives to clear up the most recent gas related debts of the power sector. “Specifically, the CBN is looking at banking sector led measures to pay off N25billion of debts owed to gas suppliers. “The Central Bank will also play a key role in financial arrangements that guarantee payment for gas supply by the

power sector.” Emiefele noted that the Bankers’ Committee had some engagements where the CBN governor was asked to liaise with the ministries. According to the apex bank boss, it was agreed at the meeting that there is an outstanding legacy debt of N25 billion that the existing gas supplier should be given some confidence by ensuring that the debt is paid off. He added: “CBN and deposit money banks have been seeking ways to set up an SPV where this N25billion will be paid to the gas suppliers giving them confidence to continue to produce gas which is badly needed to continue to power generators plants.” The present initiative, according to the governor, is to unlock the potentials of the Nigerian economy by considering the bottleneck militating against power production. Explaining how the change in gas price affects the MYTO, Sam Amadi said: “Both the new price for gas and the support that the CBN is going to make are part of the cost that the new review of the existing MYTO will address.” Nebo said following plans from the sector, the federal government will ensure that it hits 20,000MW by year 2020. He also said that Nigeria is expecting to generate 10,000MW from coal. Nebo revealed that the ministry is seeking the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) support to carry out the survey to ascertain the quantity of coal deposit in the country.

FG canvasses support for desertification measures Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

T •Ogun State Governor,Senator Ibikunle Amosun (2nd left), his wife,Olufunso (right), wife of Lagos State Governor, Dame Abimbola Fashola (3rd left), her Ekiti State counterpart, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi (middle), groom’s mother and former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Sarah Sosan (left), groom, Olugbenga Sosan (3rd right), and bride, former, Miss Olubukola Adesuwa Osazuwa (2nd right), during Olugbenga and Olubukola’s wedding in Lagos yesterday. PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

SKY Airlines is set to resume daily flight operations into Nigeria. The resumption of flight operations is predicated on the satisfactory report the airline submitted to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The report contained documentary evidence indicating a clear road map on all measures taken to prevent the spread of Ebola. The airline yesterday held series of meetings with health experts and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on how to prevent the spread of Ebola. The letter from NCAA clearing ASKY Airlines to resume operations reads in

Ebola: ASKY Airlines resumes flight operations By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

part: “ Having carefully examined these measures put in place by your airline especially the suspension of flights into Ebola infected countries, the Management of NCAA has lifted the temporary suspension placed on your flight into and out of Nigeria.” The Commercial Director of ASKY Airlines, Mr. Nowel Ngala, who was present in Lagos, expressed delight that the airlines was finally handed

the right to continue flying into Nigeria. He stated that the Nigerian market is critical to the airlines’ daily services and ensures Nigeria is well connected to West and Central African markets and the rest of the world from Lome - Togo together with its strategic partner Ethiopian Airlines. He said:” We are very much aware of all the inconvenience this has caused to our dear customers and the travel public at large, especially those

who had commenced their journey before the suspension was imposed. “We continue to hold our numerous customers within and outside Nigeria in high esteem with products and services that are targeted to make their travel experience a memorable one.” He urged customers to quickly get in touch with their local travel agencies and ASKY offices to reconfirm their tickets and/or get further information to reschedule their trips.

National Conference loses another delegate

ELEGATES at the National Conference have lost another member. Professor Muhammad Nur Alkali, who was one of the six delegates on the platform of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (SCIA), died in Maiduguri, Borno last Friday at 68. His demise brings to four the number of delegates that passed on in the course of the almost five- month Conference

From: Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Dele Anofi, Abuja

expected to be concluded on August 11. The Conference that was initially planned for three months has been on break since July 14 having concluded considerations and adoption of its 20 Committee reports. The Conference was inaugurated on 17th March 2014 by

President Goodluck Jonathan. A statement by the Assistant Secretary, Media and Comm u n i c a t i o n s , Akpandem James, said the Conference Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi was devastated by the sad news. It reads: ‘The Secretariat of the National Conference on Saturday morning received with great grief the sad news of the demise of Professor Muhammad Nur Alkali, who

was one of the six delegates representing the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (SCIA) at the 2014 National Conference in Abuja. “Professor Alkali died in his residence in Maiduguri on the night of Friday, August 1, 2014. He was 68 years old. A Professor of History and two-term Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri (1985 – 1992), the late Alkali was Director General of the

Nigeria Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) and Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee under the administration of General Sani Abacha. “More recently, he was a member of the Committee on Insecurity in the North East (The Boko Haram Committee) “Justice Kutigi prays the Almighty receives his spirit and grants his soul sweet repose.”

HE federal government has urged northern states to sustain the Great Green Wall programme initiated to save the region from desert encroachment. It asked northern governors to plant trees frequently to fight desertification. The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Lawrentia Mallam, stated these during the launch of the Great Green Wall (GGW) Tree Planting at Daje Baure local government area of Katsina state. Mallam, who was represented by the Afforestation and Capacity Building Officer, Saminu Ado, assured that the GGW programme will address degradation of the environment. She hinted that the initiative will also provide jobs to the teeming population of the communities. President Goodluck Jonathan, she emphasised, is committed to saving the north from desertification through the programme. She expressed appreciation to Katsina State Government for sustained contributions towards the realisation of GGW’s objectives through sensitisation, field activities and management of the planted stock. Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema, who was represented by his Deputy, Barrister Abdullahi Faskari, said his administration has provided 2.5 million seedlings for the realisation of the programme. The governor said he had released N7m to complement the N30m provided by the federal government to actualise the programme.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

NEWS

Osun 2014: PFN warns politicians against name dropping

Osun set to transform agriculture

From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

ITH just six days to the governorship election in Osun State, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has cautioned politicians in the state against using religious names of leaders of the body to canvass for votes. In a press statement issued by its National President, Rev. Felix Omobude, through his media aide, Deacon Raphael Okhiria, PFN called on politicians to stop dragging the body and its members into politics, noting that as a religious group, the PFN would remain neutral and non-partisan in its activities. "The PFN and its members have no reason to support one political party or candidates of political parties, because we have a duty to remain neutral in all political activities whether at local, state or federal levels. "The PFN and its members are non-partisan and as such, should not be dragged into politics directly or indirectly," the statement said. While noting that PFN members appreciate the courtesies received in the past from well-meaning Nigerians and organisations, the statement reiterated the bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resolve to remain neutral on all political issues and activities in the country. While urging Nigerian politicians to engage on issue-based campaign that is free of blackmail, destruction, crisis and violence, the PFN President, however, called on Christians to ignore attempts by some politicians to confuse them about their choice of candidate in the forthcoming election.

Young Achievers Nigeria Awards holds Sept. 28

HE biggest and most celebrated youth event in Nigeria, Young Achievers Nigeria Awards, will hold on 28th September, 2014. This year's event will commence with a lecture to be delivered by the Head of Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Tunde Fowler. The event, which is packaged to mark the fifth anniversary of the Young Achievers magazine, according to its the Publisher/CEO, Mr. Ibrahim Adeduntan, will be honouring 50 young entrepreneurs who have carved a niche and made impact in the economic development of the country. "The awardees include the youngest PhD holder in Africa; Kwara State governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed and other individuals, who have inspired, influenced, created and pioneered companies, edifices, empires, industries amongst others," Adeduntan said.

â&#x20AC;˘Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (centre) displaying the Point of Sales (POS) terminal to be used by farmers for Farming Input Purchase during the official launch of the Farmers Input and Credit Support Programme at the Central Distribution Centre, Ede. With him are: Timi of Edeland, Oba Munirudeen Lawal (left); Coordinator, Osun Rural Enterprise and Agricultural Programme (OREAP), Dr Charles Akinola (2nd right); Zonal Manager, Wema Bank Plc, Osun Zone, Mrs Bisi Williams (right) and Head, Card Business and Services, Wema Bank Plc Lagos, Mr Demola Bolodeoku

2015 governorship: Oyo PDP crisis deepens over zoning

LDERS and leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo Federal Constituency have kicked against the 'purported' zoning of the party's 2015 governorship ticket to Ibadan zone. Describing the decision as " Ibadan ruling class mentality against popular wishes of other components parts of Oyo State", the PDP stakeholders said the position which was arrived at by governorship aspirants from Ibadan is "selfish, unrealistic and a ploy towards perpetual

From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo

enslavement of other segments of the State." It would be recalled that at a meeting held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital some days ago, some governorship aspirants from Ibadan including a former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin; former Sports Minister, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, Dr. Soji Adejumo, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan, Elder Wole Oyelese, Mr. Seyi Makinde and a former Deputy Governor of the State,

Hazeem Gbolarumi, had called on the party leadership to give an Ibadan indigene the ticket based on what they called "the reality on ground." But at a press conference held by party leaders, elders, chairmen, secretaries, treasurers, women and youth leaders and thousands of supporters from the four local governments consisting of Afijio, Atiba, Oyo-East and Oyo-West), they faulted the rationale behind the zoning policy. Spokesman of the constituency who is also a PDP

chieftain, Chief Folaranmi Owolabi, asked, "What is the reality on ground that justifies Ibadan's egoistic claim to the ticket? Are other parts of the state, namely Oyo, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa, pre-destined to be continually subservient to Ibadan ruling class mentality? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Who is a bonafide Ibadan indigene? Are they saying no indigene from other parts of the state is competent, qualified and reliable to be picked as governorship candidate?"

Lawmaker faults Obanikoro on holding bay for Apapa

PLEA by the federal government calling on the Lagos State Government to build a permanent holding bay for trucks and tankers that park indiscriminately on roads and bridges in Apapa has been faulted by the lawmaker representing Apapa 1 Constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mufutau Egberongbe. In his reaction to a recent report credited to the Minister of State for Defense, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, urging the state government to build permanent holding bay for the trucks and tankers in the Apapa area, the lawmaker noted that it is the responsibility of the

HE Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, has urged the governments of Nigeria and Brazil to promote African religion in the two countries. The paramount traditional ruler gave this advice in his speech at the first Brazil/Nigeria international seminar for the preservation of shared cultural heritage holding at Bahia in Brazil. In the speech titled, 'Perpetuating Sango Oyo heritage continuity in Oyo and the Diaspora,' Oba Adeyemi said the categorisation of African religion as being fetish and akin to worshipping idols as unfortunate.

By Oziegbe Okoeki

federal government to provide the holding bay, since according to him, the state government does not earn revenue from the activities in the port, "while the FG earned a revenue of over N1.4trillion in the first six months of this year." Claiming that Obanikoro is not acquainted with the peculiarity of the Apapa environment, Egberongbe added that a permanent solution to the problem in Apapa is the rejuvenation of the rail line. He said, "These rail lines lead right into the port from the North and they (rail lines) are

still there. The rail lines are owned by the federal government and if rejuvenated, it will in a single stride ease the menace in the area." Egberongbe, who claimed that he has been agitating for the relocation of the Tank Farms to the Lekki Free Trade zone, said that any temporary solution in form of constructing a holding bay would be counter-productive thereby causing a distortion of the state master plan. "This position has been advanced not only by myself, but also the state

Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa and re-emphasised by Governor Babatunde Fashola during one of his recent visits to the area," the lawmaker said. While commending the Navy authorities for ensuring security and free flow of traffic on the road, Egberongbe however said, "This is only an interim measure; it cannot be permanent." He advised Obanikoro to concentrate on his core duties since the issue at hand falls within the purview of the Ministers of Transport and Works, adding, "If the minister must show concern as a Lagosian, he should seek information from the Lagos State government."

Alaafin charges Nigeria, Brazil to promote African religions From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo.

He posited: "Every culture has an explanation for the creation of the Universe. The Yoruba traditional beliefs see the world as a product of two connected worlds; the visible world of material life and the invisible spiritual world. The connection of these two worlds produces power that is called 'Ase' in Yoruba cosmology. "For the Yoruba, the Creator rules over the entire

universe manifesting the elements of nature. These indigenous beliefs and practices are a life philosophy and natural science; we see the relationship of man with nature and universe revealing the ways in which humans can be in harmony with the energies of nature and the universe. It is the basis for understanding the beginning and end of life." Oba Adeyemi, who is also the Permanent Chairman, Oyo State Council of Obas and

South West

Chiefs, also called for unity among Yoruba communities across the globe in order to reclaim every lost ground. "The important agenda before this gathering is to join forces, resist the demonisation of our faith and consider offence against one as offence against all of us. The solidarity of Sango-Oyo community is paramount so as to ensure that the legacies of our forefathers are not condemned to the dustbin of history", Oba Adeyemi declared.

SUN State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has stated the resolve of his administration to transform the agricultural sector in the state. The objective of the policy, the governor noted, is to turn the state into a veritable agricultural state, while also revolutionising the status of farmers. Speaking in Ede during the official launch of the Farmers Input and Credit Support Program, the governor disclosed that plans have been finalised to help each farmer in the state with farm inputs to the tune of one N150, 000 annually. He remarked that the process of transforming the agricultural sector started with the identification of farmers and evaluation of the farmland through the Geographic Information System (GIS), an xxx which arrangement enumerated 50,000 farmers in the state and detailed their form of farming and what their requirements are. According to the governor, after the identification, evaluation and registration processes, each of the farmers would be given a Wema Bank Credit Card, which would enable them go to any Farmers' Input Supply and Service Company (FISCO) centre, which are available at every farm settlement in the state and collect their inputs for free. He charged the farmers to be prudent in the management of farm inputs collected, as they will not be able to collect more than their farmland size, the governor added that at the end of each farming year, the farmers would either sell their farm produce to designated buyers or dispense with their farm produce .

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Footbridges launched in Ondo riverine communities From Damisi Ojo, Akure

ROUBLED residents of the riverine communities of Ondo State that are finding it difficult to assess their homes would soon heave a sigh of relief. To tackle this challenge, a number of footbridges will be constructed by the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) which sources say would cover a distance of over 10 kilometres in 157 communities. The construction of the bridges was launched at the Ayetoro Community Hall at a programme attended by various stakeholders comprising officials of the OSOPADEC, traditional rulers, youth and women groups and government officials. Chairman of OSOPADEC, Mr. Johnson Ogunyemi, said the project is being embarked on to improve the lives of the people in the riverine areas. He disclosed that the construction of the second phase of the pedestrian bridges would commence soon, adding that the first phase would be completed within 12 weeks.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

Mike Odiegwu in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, reports on the war on oil thieves by the Joint Task Force (JTF).

EHICLES of the Joint Task force (JTF) screeched to a halt as fully armed combatant soldiers hopped down clinching their rifles. An average-height senior officer hurriedly disembarked from a Hilux vehicle and went straight to the entrance of the Wongono area of the Onne Port, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The soldiers followed him like bees flying around a honeycomb. The senior officer later identified as Col. Hilary Nzan went straight to a group of persons embroiled in an argument. Two intelligent officers of the JTF were locked in a heated argument with a Naval officer who apparently felt slighted that an area under the NNS Pathfinder which he referred to as his jurisdiction had been invaded by soldiers. Passers-by took different positions to watch the unfolding drama. In fact, for over two hours, the section of the Onne Port was held spellbound. The Wongono area, beside the busy port, was temporarily seized on Tuesday by a special team of the JTF, Operation Pulo Shield. The task force met some resistance from the naval personnel especially from a slim Lt. Commander identified as AB. Mamud. Before Nzan arrived, Mamud put up some fight and attempted to arrest civilian informants who led JTF intelligence officers to the area. He insisted that the action of the soldiers was an intrusion. But the JTF intelligence officers stood their ground and frustrated Mamud's plans. "You can't arrest informants who brought us here for the good of Nigeria", one of the officers was reported to have told the disturbed Mamud. Sensing trouble, the officers called the Commander, JTF, Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Atewe, who had earlier been briefed about the alleged illegal bunkering at the port. Atewe was firm and decisive. He asked his men to remain there pending his arrival. The infantry general immediately hit the road to Port Harcourt from JTF Headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. He drove straight to the Army Second Division, Bori Camp and immediately ordered Nzan who is also JTF's Chief of Staff to lead an operation to Onne. Spanner in the works "Go straight to Onne. Act according to the information we received. Don't listen to anybody because this is our mandate and this madness of illegal bunkering and oil theft must stop", he told Col. Nzan. Nzan's arrival threw spanner in the works of Mamud. The naval officer abandoned the JTF's intelligence officers and began pestering Nzan. He told him that the area was within the responsibility of NNS Pathfinder.

On the trail of oil thieves

â&#x20AC;˘ Some of the suspects being paraded

â&#x20AC;˘ Nzan (left) inspecting samples taken from one of the barges

He insisted that the Pathfinder maintained a permanent base at the port adding that the navy was yet to discover illegal bunkering in the area. He insisted that all the vessels and barges operating in the area had received bunkering permit. But Nzan warded off the verbal hiccups of the Lt. Commander. He reminded Mamud of the operational mandate of the JTF to protect the oil wealth of the nation by rooting out oil thieves and all forms of economic sabotage. He said in the spirit of synergy, the navy and the JTF were one and the same and must work together to protect the common-

wealth of the nation. Besides, Nzan insisted that the JTF was at the Onne Port based on a tip-off that illegal bunkering activities were being perpetrated by oil thieves under the cover of the port. He said the JTF had established a monitoring team at its headquarters to supervise the activities of its anti-bunkering team in the field. "We have a report through our monitoring team that illegal bunkering activities are going on here. We are simply here to verify the veracity of the information. We will investigate it. We are not here for a witch-haunt," he said. With those words, Nzan and

the JTF intelligence officers dashed into the gunboat of the JTF, sailed through the Onne river and began their preliminary investigations. He was immediately followed by Mamud who rode in the gunboat of the navy and insisted on being part of the on-the-spot investigation to enable him report back to his Pathfinder Commander. It was a curious ride and there was an indication that all was not well at the port. There were many barges anchored in the area and their missions were questionable. A long barge christened, MT Santos, was loaded with Automated Gas Oil (AGO).

The barge has a capacity of carrying 5000 metric tons or 582,000 litres of petroleum products. About 32 barges were suspected and they were seized by the JTF. Sources claimed the barges were hiding under the guise of buying genuine products from approved ships to patronize illegally refined products. "Most of the barges anchor here for many days and gradually fill their compartments with products sourced from illegal refineries located in the creeks close to the port. Sometimes, they buy some good products and mixed them with illegally refined ones. The operators of illegal refineries feed the barges with Cotonou boats," a source said. True to his words, JTF intelligence officers intercepted two Cotonou boats with one of them fully laden with product. The large loaded Cotonou boat was being led to a barge by a speedboat when the driver of the boat was caught by JTF operatives. The wooden boat and the speedboat were seized. A member of a task force set up by the Rivers State Ministry of Energy also alleged that only five genuine importers operate in the area. He said many others were operating illegally adding that the task force was always hindered from patrolling some sections of the river. Suspiciously, many of the owners of the barges on sighting the operatives of the JTF fled their barges. Some of them even dived into the water and swam to safety to escape arrest. During the raid, JTF also arrested a man who was ferrying 55 jerry cans of petroleum product in two boats. "He was conveying in two boats. We don't know how he managed to control the two boats alone. But he was arrested," one of the intelligence officers said. In fact, there were remarks by persons living and doing business at the port suggesting that illegal bunkering was going on at the port. "This is strange. We wonder what is happening today because these people being arrested always settle", one of them who refused to mention his name said. At the end of the raid, the JTF special team arrested 32 barges and eight suspects and took samples of the products for further investigations and possible prosecution. Nzan said: "Based on a tip, we had an operation in Onne port general area. The tip suspected that there were some illegal activities concerning bunkering in that general area. We decided to send a team to the place. "The team arrested some Cotonou boats and saw many barges suspected to be used for the purpose of bunkering. Based on the zero-tolerance for oil theft, we did some arrest and the JTF is going to investigate further the mission of the barges lined up in the general area. "Some of the barges were filled with products and we collected samples of the product and subjected to test to determine the quality of the product. Most of the suspects ran away when they saw our troops." Turn to Page 10

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

NEWS REVIEW

Benue workers fight Suswam over pay cut

RESH from almost eight months old strike by primary school teachers, civil servants in Benue State have gone on indefinite strike again. The workers are demanding among other things that the state government rescinds its decision to cut their salaries for payment of primary school teachers who went on strike over non implementation of the National Minimum Wage. But government would not shift ground, after what began like a rumour turned out to be a reality as workers in public service complained that their June salaries were deducted from. The joint session of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NUC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) met on July 30 and took decision to embark on an indefinite strike action. The strike has since commenced on July 31. All workers in public service in the state have again down tools, coming just two weeks after primary schools return to class room after a prolonged strike action . The strike has paralysed government activities, including business outfits like Okada riders, market women and transporters as they complain of low patronage. Stalemate Government on its side is not ready to shift grounds and is fighting back. The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Justin Amase told The Nation that workers in the state should understand with

Civil servants in benue State are up in arms against the state government over its decision to cut their salaries to pay teachers who recently resumes from strike. Uja Emmanuel reports. the workers are saying the leadership of government and get back to work. According to him, when Governor Suswam assumed office the salary of workers was meager and that he willingly without pressure or strike action increased their salaries by 100 percent. Now those who hitherto took home N12, 000 now earn N80,000 while permanent secretaries who were paid less than N120,000 now take N400,000 per month. The commissioner stated further that now that there is drop in federal allocation from Abuja, government could no longer meet its obligations, including the implementation of National Minimum Wage for teachers, who have gone on strike for almost eight months. He said the deduction is to enable government pay teachers their minimum wage, which other workers already enjoy in the state. “It is no deduction at all, it is to pay teachers, so if the government increased salary of someone who had been paid N12,000 to N80,000, a month, and now said give me just N6,000 out of your N80,000 so that I may add to teachers. Then you said you want to go on strike, it means you are being unfair to your fellow workers, “ said Amase. He also stressed further that government weighed two options, pay cut

•Suswam

or downsize, but observed that the latter is the better option, instead of sending people packing. However, workers in the state are divided over the strike action. Majority of

NLC is politically motivated to take up arms against Governor Gabriel Suswam led government. Terna Agema, a staff of Ministry of Information said the chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Simon Anchaver is a governorship candidate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and realizing that he can’t get the ticket, he decided to call out workers on strike. According to him, since 2007 when Suswam assumed duty, many issues that affected workers which the NLC under Achaver would have gone on strike were ignored so why now that the governor had willingly increased salaries and wanted just a little to pay other workers? To Miss Agnes Okpe, a staff of the Ministry of Finance, the said strike action called by NLC/ TUC leadership is unpopular and uncalled for, because what the government is demanding is nothing and that workers should show gratitude to the government and return to work. The Nation investigation, however, revealed that 80 percent of workers are against the strike and want NLC to call it off. But whether NLC/ TUC would listen to advice and call off the strike remained to be seen.

On the trail of oil thieves Continued from page 9

After the raid, people are waiting to see the outcome of JTF investigations. They believe that the JTF should not be intimidated in exposing all persons despite their positions if found culpable of oil theft. In another event, two foreign vessels MV HANAN L and MV ALEZAH LILAH were arrested by the Central Naval Command (CNC) of the Nigerian Navy. After weeks of painstaking investigations, the navy concluded that the vessels allegedly undertook a voyage of economic sabotage. MV HANAN L was rounded up by a naval patrol boat, NNS Obula at 23 nautical miles, within the Areas of Responsibility (AoR) of CNC at the SouthWest of Pennington River, Bayelsa State. She was apprehended by the operatives of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) FORMOSO in Brass Island area of the state. Her actions gave her away. After she was intercepted, the operatives searched all her compartments and discovered large volume of black substance suspected to be an illegally refined petroleum product. Further investigations revealed that the substance being transported by the ship was Automated Gas Oil (AGO) believed to have been bought from operators of illegal refineries. Nine Nigerian crew members were on board the vessel when it was intercepted. They were rounded up by the dragnet of the navy. The Commanding Officer, FOB FORMOSO, Capt. Noel Madugu named the suspected oil thieves as Bewaji O.O, captain; Obamuwagin A; Ayenamelo Sunday; Joseph Omope; John Ezen; Emmanuel Bassey; Uwem Francis; Kingsley Ayobi and Fred Amabebe. According to him, the vessel had six tanks fully loaded with AGO without bunkering approval at the time of arrest. The crew members claimed that they lost the required certification to pirates who attacked them. However, “Upon investigation it was discovered that the vessel was operating on behalf of Danyomile Marine Services Limited of Suite 1, LSDPC Shopping Complex, Agege, Lagos State. “The document claims MV HANAN L was granted approval to load 70 metric tonnes of AGO. However, when questioned, the captain of the vessel,

•Some abandoned bunkerer’s vessels.

•JTF operatives with an apprehended vessel.

Bewaji Olayinka, said he loaded about 100 metric tonnes.” But the arrest of MV ALEZZA LILAH further raised curiosity over international dimension to oil theft. An Indian and a Cameroonian were on board the ship. The patrol team from the base nabbed her with 16 crew members on board. She was laden with 100,000 litres of AGO. LILAH was also apprehended by the operatives of FOB FORMOSO along the Brass river. She was heading for the sea to begin her voyage after loading the product when intercepted. Madugu accused the vessel of loading 100,000 litres of illegally refined AGO from a wooden boat in a creek along the Brass river. He named the suspects as Egbayelo Charles, Lawrence Sosoo, Iboho Alen, Obiora Sunday, Isaac Essen, Kingsley Anikoro, Simeon Ohinomado and Ime Ubong. Others were Joseph Thomas, Nseh Oboy, Secondi Philip, Uwuobiri Prebai, Emmanuel Abel, Edmomd Okoye and Baba Matthew. Perhaps, another proof that the ravaging oil theft is being fueled by the international involvement and participation is the recent arrest of 11 Indian nationals, three Ghanaians and two Nigerians by the CNC. The Nigerians on board the vessel are believed to be the local collaborators of the foreign nationals. The team of the navy sighted and cornered them while attempting to lift substances suspected to be crude oil from an offshore loading terminal in Brass area of the state. They were said to have anchored their vessels and waited patiently for illegal bunkerers to fill them with stolen crude oil. But luck ran out on them when the naval patrol team swooped on them. The commander said the suspects would be handed over to the relevant prosecuting agency after preliminary investigation. Saying that oil criminals had no hiding place in the waterways, he urged those involved in the illicit activities to desist from them in their own interest. For now, the navy is determined to prosecute the 25 suspects arrested on board MV HANAN L and MV ALEZAH LILAH. Already it had transferred the suspects to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in a brief handover ceremony that was held in FORMOSO.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

Ropo Sekoni

Page 14

Femi Orebe Page 16

SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2014

Let Aregbe do it again Osun August 9 election on my mind tunjade@yahoo.co.uk 08054503906 (sms only)

NLY the uninitiated will attempt to compare the state of affairs in Ekiti with that of Osun State, particularly with regard to the June 21 governorship election in the former, and the fast approaching August 9 gubernatorial election in the latter. One undeniable fact about Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State is that he is a grassroots man to the core. Indeed, the impressive crowds that have been attending his rallies since his campaign for reelection started have been confounding the opposition, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) whose members have been alleging that the crowds are rented. But they know deep down their hearts that they are lying. Such is the allure of the man, Rauf Aregbesola: downright factual; no pretence. Aregbe, as he is fondly called, understands the language of the grassroots as he knows the lines on his palms. He knows his people just as his people know him. This is one major hurdle that those who might want to repeat what they see as the ‘Ekiti feat’ in Osun State have to contend with, come August 9. Aregbesola’s mission statement is encapsulated in the six-point integral action plan of his administration. One is ‘Promotion of functional education’, under which the decayed educational infrastructure in the state is being gradually replaced while at the same time ensuring quality control. His government has reclassified schools into elementary school (five years); middle school (four years) and high school (three years), against the national policy of 6-3-3. This radical departure was informed by the government’s belief that pupils need more time at the middle school so as to prepare them for maturity into high school. The state has had to build 25 mega schools in order to bring children from diverse backgrounds together to learn in a conducive atmosphere. However, political jobbers have criticised this policy on the alleged ground that it constitutes an erasure of religious lines, especially in schools with bias for religion. Mercifully, the tension that initially attended this policy has since given way, with the government’s explanation of how it came about, i.e. that it was the idea of Prof Wole Soyinka’s team, designed as a way out of the education decay that the state was in when Aregbe took over. Of course, other aspects of the Aregbesola government’s educational programme include the one nutritious meal given free to 254,000 primary school kids daily under the state’s O-MEAL Programme. This is to help develop their brains as well as serve as incentive for them to go to school. In addition, it is a way of getting ready markets for farmers in the state to sell their farm produce that is used in preparing the meals. Then the Opon Imo or ‘tablets of knowledge’ that have been distributed to about 150,000 secondary school pupils in the state. The tablet has 56 e-books, 10 years of past West African Examinations Council (WAEC), National Examinations Council (NECO) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) questions, as well as the Holy Bible, Holy Quran and

•Aregbesola

traditional religion content. This is saving the government huge sums of money under its free education programme. The other legs of Aregbesola’s action plan are banishment of hunger/unemployment, enhanced security/welfare, restoration of healthy living and promotion of communal peace, etc. Aregbesola knows the importance of the agricultural sector and has done so much in so short a time that farmers would not forget him in a hurry. He has liberalised access by farmers to soft loans to improve their yield and lessen their burden; he has also complemented this with good roads to enable the farmers transport their produce with ease to the market. Indeed, it is in the area of road network that the governor, an engineer, has brought professionalism and ingenuity to bear. All over the state, the administration is building durable roads and rehabilitating dilapidated ones. And, in order to ensure that the state gets value for its money from the contractors, some of whom are notorious for disappearing after collecting mobilisation fees, the Aregbesola administration insists on delivery of the roads before paying the contractors. The benefit here is that roads are constructed to specification since the contractors know that they would not be paid if they deviated from the terms of the contract. In like manner, new hospitals are being built all over the state even as old ones are being renovated and all equipped to enhance the free health treatment for a section of the people. The government has also taken away from the streets a lot of youths who otherwise would have been jobless and thus constitute social menace to law-abiding citizens. Although there is still work to be done in this regard as it is impossible to mop up the huge number of jobless youths that the government inherited, the fact is that through its O-YES Scheme, the government has reduced their numbers significantly by about 40,000. The security agencies could not have had it better as the Aregbesola government has done a lot for them by way of empowerment, to ensure peace and reduce criminality in the state. The government has assisted the

“A good turn”, they say, “deserves another” … What the state deserves now is the continuation of the streak of successes that it has been witnessing since Aregbe’s coming to power. It is only unfortunate that people who should be in jail in decent climes are some of those now seeking to rule a progressive and pace-setter region like Nigeria’s south-west. That tells us something about the depth to which the country has sunk, especially under the PDP”

security agencies with some 125 patrol vans, among other things. Of course, like most other performers and change agents, Aregbesola has had his own unfair share of criticisms. Like the typical woman who, for lack of what to say, says it is in her husband’s house that she would sleep tonight! Where else could she have slept? Even if she would sleep in a place where she is not supposed to, could she have made that a public service announcement? For lack of what to say, the few but vocal critics of the Aregbesola administration say he is a religious bigot. One would ordinarily have ignored such idle criticism but for the fact that those who want to succeed the governor are so desperate that they can cook up anything. In a situation where people celebrate the replacement of an administration, not for non-performance, but on the flimsiest of excuses, it is good to put all the cards on the table to enable the electorate, who should be the ultimate deciders in the August 9 governorship election in the state sift the wheat from the chaff. The truth is, the composition of Aregbesola’s cabinet does not support this claim. In the 34-member cabinet, only 12 are Muslims just as we have only 12 Muslim permanent secretaries of the 32 in the state. With regard to the state house of assembly with 26 members, only nine are Muslims. Through his robust management of the economy, the state internally generated revenue (IGR) has grown from N300million that the administration inherited in 2010 to about N1.5 billion monthly. Thus, the government has been able to steer the economy from its nearbankruptcy in 2010 and is still doing the ‘balancing act’ in a predominantly civil servant state despite the drop of its revenue from the federation account from N5billion to about N2.5billion monthly. The oversubscription of the Sukuk Bond from its envisaged N10billion to N11billion is a measure of investors’ confidence in the state economy; so is the other N60billion bond out of which N30billion had been drawn. This is only a fraction of what the man, Rauf Aregbesola, has done in Osun in less than four years. He has literally breathed life into virtually all sectors of the state that were dead when he took over the reins of government after a protracted legal battle to reclaim his mandate from the PDP usurpers. What makes these achievements particularly praiseworthy is the fact that Osun is not a rich state. It is a predominantly civil servant state, one in which few resources are being chased by overwhelming demands. Yet, Aregbe has been making sense in spite of the financial limitations. Positive developments that hitherto were thought to be unimaginable have become possible in the state. So, “a good turn”, as they say, “deserves another”. It is time for Osun people to tell those who have nothing to offer to steer clear of governance in the state. What the state deserves now is the continuation of the streak of successes that it has been witnessing since Aregbe’s administration took over. It is only unfortunate that people who should be in jail in decent climes are some of those now seeking to rule a progressive and pace-setter region like Nigeria’s south-west. That tells us something about the depth to which the country has sunk, especially under the PDP.

Boko Haram: Time is running out

DON’T envy President Goodluck Jonathan and his officials when they have to respond to the continuous attacks by the Boko Haram insurgents and other terrorist groups in the country. Their reactions have become so predictable that there seems to be a template for such statements that what is required is for the name of the state where the latest incident is recorded to be inserted and some paragraphs moved around. I imagine that if the presidency has its way, it would prefer not to keep issuing the embarrassing statements which contain promises it has found hard to fulfill. If the promises so far made by the federal government of being on top of the security problems in the country are anything to go by, terrorist attacks should at least have subsided by now. Unfortunately instead of being checkmated, the terrorists from all indications are gaining more grounds by killing so many people that it is hard to compute how many innocent Nigerians have died in suicide bomb blasts. Despite the joint security cover provided by the military and the police, the terrorists have become so sophisticated that they have recently unleashed female suicide bombers on some states. No one is sure when the next suicide bomber will strike. Last week, some graduates checking their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) postings in Kano were killed when a female suicide bomber ran into their midst and diffused the bomb on her. That is how bad the security situation in the country has degenerated that it is difficult to believe that the federal government knows what next to do. Like the president noted in one of his anti-Boko Haram pronouncements last week, years ago, it is difficult to imagine that any Nigerian will agree to be a suicide bomber like we used to read about. However, this is the sordid situation we have found ourselves and there is an urgent need to do everything possible to stop the terrorists from further endangering the fragile peace and stability in the country. The president said the country would have been in turmoil if former Head of State, General Muhamad Buhari, had been killed in the recent attack in Kaduna. He was right as it would have been difficult to stop the spontaneous reaction by Buhari’s supporters who despite all denials still believe that the attack was sponsored. At the launching of the Victims Support Fund in Abuja last week, President Jonathan made a firm promise that he will lead the battle to defeat Boko Haram. He has no choice but to fulfill this promise in accordance with the oath of office he swore to. More than ever before, Nigerians are worried about their safety in various parts of the country and the needed confidence has to be restored as quickly as possible. It used to be that graduates were usually excited about being posted to any part of the country, but that is no longer the case. To be posted to some states now is almost equated to a death sentence. Nigerians are tired of reading condolence messages from Aso Rock. They want permanent solutions to the security challenges in the country and federal government cannot afford to fail in this matter if it wants to be taken seriously.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

COMMENT

Decoding Chibok monetisation narratives Nigerian politicians and their aides use president and presidency as synonyms when it suits them and as antonyms when they prefer

HE Premium Times first broke the news of 100 million naira gift to the mothers of kidnapped Chibok girls. In the first story on this initiative on the part of the presidency, a representative of one arm of government - the legislature - confirmed that he was at the meeting of selected Chibok mothers at which envelopes (probably brown ones in a country where brown is the colour code for corruption) were distributed to participants at the important meeting that came months after it should have, had the president not been otherwise too busy fighting other aspects of the Boko Haram menace. But the presidency has been quick to deny that any envelopes were distributed at the end of the meeting and that no money (let alone 100 million naira) was given to anybody. The two men behind branding and rebranding of the president: Doyin Okupe and Reuben Abati quickly came to throw light on the story before the president’s political enemies blow it out of proportion. Doyin Okupe characterised the story about the president giving money to Chibok delegates “as absolute falsehood that is unknown to the president.” One has to be a critical reader to make sense of anything said by or about politicians in our country, especially in relation to money. It is not just a Jonathan presidency’s problem; it has been with us for some time. When some money was found in Barkin Zuwo’s official residence at the end of the second republic, nobody in the country knew exactly how much was found in the politician’s house until Barkin Zuwo himself cried out to tell the nation that the money in his house was much more than what was reported, adding courageously that nothing was illegal about finding government’s money in government’s house. Much later in the country’s political life, General Sani Abacha called traditional rulers to have a meeting with him when he was preparing to transform from a military dictator to a civilian ruler.

Abacha and his advisers felt that he needed to meet with traditional rulers to persuade traditional rulers to talk to their subjects (in a supposed republic) about the need to accept Abacha’s metamorphosis. At the end of the meeting, there was a news report to the effect that envelopes exchanged hands with handshakes. Many people at the meeting and those who were not in any way near the venue of the meeting denied that anything of the sort happened. It took the Osemawe of Ondo Kingdom then, the late Itiade Adekolurejo, to announce to the media that he was given a big brown envelope containing naira notes and that he was not the only person to receive such gift at the end of the meeting. Now that we are in an ethos of monetisation, it is not clear why anybody would deny that his principal gave money to less privileged citizens. After all, monetisation, a concept popularised during the presidency of Obasanjo, had acquired multiple meanings since its outing by the Obasanjo presidency. In its formal sense, it means giving money to cover job-related benefits that the government or any employer is contractually under obligation to give to employees. In its popular usage, Nigerians have come to see monetisation as a literal word to serve as synonym for its metaphoric version: stomach infrastructure. Chibok mothers who have complained about not getting enough or anything out of the largesse supposedly distributed by the presidency have no reason to feel ashamed for crying out loud about being cheated. Such mothers, despite their remoteness from Abuja, must have heard of the folklore of ‘money losing weight’ from one government agency to another. The folklore in the past was that even statutory allocations lost weight between Abuja and state capitals. What is surprising about the country’s latest monetisation narrative is that the presidency appears afraid of being linked to monetisation in this instance. Abati’s variant of the story is that the president would not offer anybody bribe. His status forbids that? The presidential media aide also added that there was no time for any-

body to distribute envelopes at the end of the meeting and that no envelopes were distributed during the meeting while the president was in attendance. Those who admire the president are likely to accept the presidency’s statement hook, line, and sinker. But those who do not are likely to wonder how long it would have taken to pass out envelopes to participants at meetings. But whether Chibok mothers and girls were gifted money at the meeting should not be a matter to encourage anyone to cast aspersion on the president’s character. It is safer for the peace and unity of our country to assume that our president would not do a thing like that. If he had wanted to do such a thing, he would not have waited for 100 days or the coming of young Malala to do that. It is the presidency that needs to throw more light on this issue. Citizens are already confused about too many things. Some of the women at the meeting have affirmed that they received money ranging from 200,000 to 7,000 naira while others complained of being left out of the Santa Claus rounds. Worse still, a member of the federal House of Representatives, Pobu Bitrus, also a member of the Chibok legislative constituency, confirmed to the media that Chibok mothers received envelopes: “After we met with the presidency,(not necessarily with the president, my emphasis) the parents were given some money in envelopes. That’s all. All other things they are saying about N100 million, I don’t know about that.” Nigerian politicians and their aides use president and presidency as synonyms when it suits them and as antonyms when they prefer. Reporters need to probe the legislator further to confirm which one: the person or the institution, if this story is to be decodable. The lawmaker was clear about parents receiving envelopes containing money at the end of the meeting. What he was not sure of is how much was involved. How important is the information about the exact amount given to Chibok mothers? In most countries, the issue would not be about how much was given to assist women

whose daughters have been in captivity for over 100 days. The point that calls for public scrutiny or discussion is why any envelope was given to parents whose daughters the whole world is trying to help liberate from the claws of terrorists, whilst those whose children had been killed by Boko Haram terrorists have not been compensated in any noticeable way. Had the presidency decided that the Chibok mothers needed some financial assistance to help tide them over this period of pain and inordinate waiting for their daughters, there would have been nothing illegal about such decision. All that would have been required in other climes would be for the government to take a decision and raise vouchers to cover such expenditures. After that, the envelopes would have been given out in front of the camera. This would have earned the presidency and even the president (regardless of whether he took part in taking such decision) some political mileage among citizens. Individuals who are sensitive to the needs of the parents of the abducted girls must have been assisting the parents in cash or in kind since the innocent girls were abducted. There should be nothing wrong with reinforcing the generosity of individuals with that of the government. All humane governments across the world have ways of assisting citizens in distress, especially when such citizens have no contribution—direct or indirect—to their predicament. Is the presidency afraid of being seen as generous and soft, even when the occasion demands softness, especially after showing hard and raw power in Ekiti last month? But if the lawmaker who told the nation in a straightforward language that Chibok mothers, who are members of his constituency, were given envelopes by government officials turns out to have created a fictive tale, then there is need for a probe to determine any trace of malice in Honourable Bitrus’ eye-witness assessment of what happened at the end of the meeting between the president and Chibok mothers. Allowing two representatives of the federal government, one from the executive branch and the other from the legislative wing to get away with saying two diametrically opposed things about the same event of significance to the public is dangerous to nurturing a culture of transparency. Certainly, the two sides cannot be right if they choose to hold on to their views of what Chibok mothers received from their hosts a few weeks ago.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

COMMENT

Close shave Buhari assassination miss saved Nigeria from catastrophe. So, it’s time to unite against terrorism

T is a season of high insanity. That is emblematised by the claim by former Niger Delta warlord, Asari Dokubo, that Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, former military head of state and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, might have staged his own botched assassination. Another rogue supposition, this time from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) camp, suggested the assassination bid was a fall-out of an APC in-fighting. A Buhari elimination, it hinted, would have rid Buhari’s APC rivals, perhaps for the party’s presidential ticket, of their nemesis, once and for all. Yet, another rogue conspiracy theory suggested the Buhari elimination plot could have arisen from the Jonathan Presidency. Child’s-death-after-a-witch’s-cry version, these theorists wondered why the Buhari attack came a few days after the former head of state’s widely reported criticism of the president. Still, a voice of reason has come from Col. Dangiwa Abubakar Umar, the highly principled and respected former military officer: any supposition that the suicide bomber could have had government’s prompting was pure nonsense, since it was the same Federal Government that had upgraded Gen. Buhari’s security infrastructure, after his famous lampoon of Boko Haram. It is also reassuring that the Presidency has distanced itself from the theory of Olisa Metuh, the PDP national publicity secretary, though it has stayed loudly silent on Dokubo’s rather reckless claim. But whatever claims, warped and reasoned, and responses to them, a chilly reality is here: terrorism, with its mass slaughter of innocent citizens, is getting out of hand — if it has not already done so. That should awaken everyone from their partisan stupor; and force a united front against a menace that would eliminate everyone if it is not first eliminated. That is the stark reality facing Nigeria today. However it is tackled will determine if, for us, there would be a tomorrow as a country. Still, while aiming at that tomorrow, it is good to look back at yesterday; and trace how this hideous menace has crept on us. That would help us adjust our today, in order to secure our future. Nigeria at independence had a near-zero record of

1.6million Nigerian applicants vie for limNNUALLY, well over ited admission slots in the nation’s tertiary institutions. At the time President Goodluck Jonathan took over the reins of governance, the carrying capacity of the tertiary institutions was below 500,000. This has been increased to about one million slots. Despite the improvement, Nigeria still has the challenge of access to quality tertiary education for her qualified candidates. The federal government has been working hard to resolve this challenge through expansion of learning facilities in schools and training of academic and non academic staff. To further ensure that Nigerians who seek tertiary education abroad are not short-changed, the federal government has opened up direct linkages with key new foreign destinations of Nigerian students to ensure they are of standard and meet the security requirements. One of such destinations is Hungary where the Minister of State for Education, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike on July 21 and 22 concluded negotiations for the award of 50 post graduate and undergraduate scholarships to deserving Nigerian students under the sponsorship of the Hungarian government. The process which was initiated by the minister, and Nigerian Ambassador to Hungary, Chief Eddy Onuoha, started months ago.

political assassination. But then came the long spell of military rule, with its mass violence, widespread impunity, devil-may-care injustices, and militarisation of the Nigerian psyche. All these had built the fundaments of Boko Haram, with its mass disorientation and hopelessness; not to talk of pervading youth joblessness that gives Boko Haram’s murderous philosophy such fillip. All these have not been helped by the advent of military-minded politicians in democratic garb, proud and eager to project power, even if that power brazenly subverts the law and murders due process. That is what has got us to this sorry pass. By their anarchic philosophy, Boko Haram terrorists would seek to hit high profile targets, set the country ablaze and set afoot the confusion, anomie and eventual anarchy they need so badly to thrive. That was as close to peril the country got in the botched bombing of Gen. Buhari and Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, the leader of the Tijjaniyyat in Nigeria, one of the sects in the mainstream Sunni Islam, as distinct from the Shia. The death of both could have set the country on fire, both on religious and political fronts — and only God knows if Nigeria could have emerged from it unscathed as a united country. That narrow escape notwithstanding, it still puts Nigeria at a very grave juncture, in the gallop to terror-induced anarchy. Can this gallop to doom be halted? No doubt, even if it would take some doing; for the country has reached a dangerous phase in terror killing. Still, the first step to halting this catastrophe is for the Jonathan Presi-

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

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dency to start — and fast — its promised probe into the attacks on Gen. Buhari and Sheikh Bauchi. A very dangerous mindset is to assume that only Boko Haram could have done it. Yes, Boko Haram has logged fearsome notoriety these past few years, such that any bombing is automatically adduced to its unending capacity for evil. But it is also true that, as Boko Haram is a good cover, there might well be other small but no less vicious players in this unfortunate era of equal-opportunity terrorism and anarchy. The earlier the government gets to the root of this bombing, the better it is for everybody; and for its own confidence level, as an effective bastion against terrorism and needless slaughter of innocent souls. But beyond getting to the root of this twin-bombing, the Jonathan Presidency needs to pick itself up and demonstrate to Nigerians that it does, indeed, have the capacity to checkmate the terrorists. After all, before the audacious attempt on the duo, there had been near-countless bomb attacks — and there is no guarantee that there would not be more in the future. Unfortunately, the sound bites from inside the government are less than reassuring. Lt-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, the Chief of Army Staff, practically said the other day that his troops were ill-trained to face Boko Haram. By requesting for a US $1 billion foreign loan, President Goodluck Jonathan himself would appear to be at the end of his own tether. More unfortunately, the president has not demonstrated how the crippling corruption in the system, that had spectacularly undid past spends on the military, would not undo his proposed loan. However, one thing is sure. Beyond immediate sentiments and excuses (no matter how genuine or sincere), President Jonathan has the ultimate duty to checkmate Boko Haram; and secure Nigerians under his charge. That is why he must tap into as many minds as possible — including the opposition APC’s, which has often accused him of unwise insularity — to save our country from destruction and disintegration. This is the time to unite and live; than divide and die. It is time to unite against terrorism.

LETTER

Expanding the frontiers of educational advancement in Nigeria The highpoint of the process was the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Nigerian and Hungarian governments on the promotion of educational cooperation between both nations. Wike signed the memorandum of understanding (M.O.U.) on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, while Dr Lazlo Palkovics, Hungarian Minister of State for Higher Education in the Ministry of Human Resources, signed on behalf of the Hungarian Government. The Memorandum of Understanding is between the Nigerian Federal of Education and the Hungarian Ministry of Human Resources on Educational Cooperation for 2014, 2015 and 2016. Speaking at the M.O.U. signing ceremony, Wike declared that the bilateral relationship on the sponsorship of 50 Nigerian students in Hungarian universities is an indication of the progress the Jonathan administration has attained as regards the sustained development of education, which foreign governments are now appreciating.

He said that the Jonathan administration is happy with the new scholarship window provided by the Hungarian government for Nigerian students, stressing that the administration would ensure that only students who are academically sound are short listed for the Hungarian Scholarship Scheme. The Minister informed the Hungarian government that President Jonathan has made access to quality education from basic to the tertiary education level as the cornerstone of his educational development policy, hence the new scholarship from Hungary is a welcome development. Wike expressed satisfaction that the new relationship between Hungary and Nigeria has led to the reopening of the Hungarian Embassy in Nigeria, which will benefit Nigerian students seeking visa to further their education. He said: “The Federal Ministry of Education is happy for the scholarship which your government has extended to Nigeria and we commend you. For us as Nigerians, we pledge our commitment to the implementation of this

M.O.U”. The Hungarian Minister of State for Higher Education, Dr Lazlo Palkovics, declared that the Hungarian government extended the scholarships to Nigeria as a platform for the promotion for positive educational bilateral relations. He said that with the signing of the MOU, both countries would advance their educational cooperation to higher levels that would benefit their citizens. Dr Palkovics urged more Nigerians to take advantage of the high quality Hungarian educational programme to empower themselves professionally. With more Nigerian students expected to train in different professional areas in Hungary, the minister of state for education held a bilateral meeting with officials of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to facilitate the security of Nigerian students and get concessionary fees for students on private sponsorship. The Hungarian team was led by the Hungarian State Secretary of the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Laszlo Szabo. The deliberations were fruitful and touched on key areas of access to quality education. The minister at the meeting requested for the protection of Nigerian students who reside off campus in view of the fact that over 800 Nigerian students are already studying in Hungary, most of them on private sponsorship and residing off their respective campuses. He also called on the Hungarian government to formally consider promoting concessionary fees for prospective Nigerian students who intend to seek higher education in Hungary. He said: “Because of the number of Nigerian students already studying in Hungary and those who intend to study in the country, we are asking that you implement concessionary fees for our students. We are also reiterate our commitment to fully implementing all the aspects of the memorandum of understanding signed with your Ministry of Human Resources on the award of free scholarship to our students.

“We are pleased with the re-opening of the Hungarian Embassy in Abuja to ensure that prospective students get their visas in Abuja rather than moving over to Kenya or Egypt. This relationship will develop on all fronts and our Ambassador has assured that all applicants for business visa from your country will get favourable response. We believe this bilateral relationship will lead to investments in other key areas of the Nigerian economy.” Speaking at the meeting, Mr Laszlo Szabo, State Secretary of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, declared that the country was desirous of furthering the cooperation with the Nigeria in the areas of higher education and economic development. Advancing the frontiers of quality education has been one of the cornerstones of the Jonathan administration. This is another clear example that no stakeholder of the nation’s education sector would be left without due attention. The administration has incrementally achieved the goal of access to quality basic and tertiary education on all fronts. The fundamental objective being to use education as a tool for the empowerment of less privileged Nigerians. By Simeon Nwakaudu Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of State for Education Abuja.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2014

COMMENT

Femi Fowode (1948 -2014): We lost a friend, brother and gem Femi was, forever, a gentleman; picked quarrels with nobody and lived for others

HAT you are about to read below are testimonies by two friends of our dear departed brother, Joseph Olufemi Fowode, who was born into the family of Rev. Michael Fowode and Taiwo Odeniyi in Ijebu Igbo on May 28, 1948 and whose heartwrenching translation to join the saints triumphant happened a few days ago in faraway Houston, Texas, USA. He attended St. Joseph’s College, Ondo, from 19631967, and the University of Ife, IleIfe, graduating in ‘75 with a combined Honours degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Femi would later be elected a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria. How exactly do Muyiwa and I, or any of his many friends, begin to write or talk about Femi in the past tense? When some six months or so ago we all, in the glittering company of his family, friends and well-wishers, gathered at his son’s wedding in Lagos, little did we know Femi was doing all those delightful dance steps for us as a final good bye. Except that he never stopped agonising over the inevitable absence at the event of his bosom friend, the late Deji of Akure, HRH Oba Adebiyi Adesida Afunbiowo II, who was to have been the Royal Father of the day, but had a little earlier joined his ancestors, there was no single dull moment. His Uncles, Professor Ayodele Ogunye,

the industrialist Oba Otudeko and his brother Sanu, Chief & Mrs Kola Daisi, who Femi proudly told me years back were his ‘in loco parentis’, the way they doted over him, and others too numerous to mention, were like a cocoon wrapping him around just as the distinguished family of his spouse, friend, sister and confidant of many years, Hajia Fausat Olayide Fowode, was there in full glamour to honour the Fowode family. It was a class act and there could have been no asking for more except that we now know Femi must have insisted on that wedding taking place in Nigeria in order to signpost his last hurray because our friend was everything like a meteor; igniting everywhere you find him with warmth, love and impeccable camaraderie. Femi was simply awesome. What he lost in size he more than made up for in bonhomie, conviviality, kindness and above all, empathy. No wonder, my wife was ever so fond of humorous ‘Daddy Fowode’. Mention your problem to Femi and it instantly becomes his, never sparing a moment, an effort, even resources to ensure you come out good. Each time I was in Houston, Femi instantly became –what I called him – ‘my driver’ - because my children, who I was visiting, saw me only when Femi decided to return me to them as he would have taken me round town all day. The minute I arrived Houston, Femi

virtually went on his vacation. We never stopped talking about his absolutely smart children all of who graduated from college ‘magna cum laude’, and it was in Mummy Fowode’s beautiful Day Care Centre two of my grandchildren had their first taste of school life. Wrote Olumuyiwa Runsewe: Femi Fowode Goes Home – To Heaven. “Contrition Twines Me Like A Snake……” “MAU” – J. P. Clark. “One of the most famous lines and contributions of Professor J P Clarke to poetry readily came to mind a week ago when the shocking news of Femi Fowode’s passage in faraway Houston, Texas hit me through one of his children. I was tempted to replicate the deep sorrow felt by J P Clarke as he saw cows being led to their predictable slaughter at Sango, Ibadan in the early 60s. After those initial shouts of “Oh, my God, Oh my God, Femi is Gone” something in me suddenly woke me up to the reality on ground. Come to think of it, Femi Fowode was a good man, a fantastic human spirit, a complete gentleman, a humour merchant and a man who would never pick up a quarrel with anyone. My close friendship with him started about 45 years ago when he was at the University of Ife and I at the University of Ibadan. Through

him, I got to know almost everybody that was somebody at “Ife”. It was through him I met Femi Orebe, Sunmade Akin–Olugbade, Ishola Filani and many others whose friendships endure till today. On graduation, fate smiled on him as he landed a very lucrative job at Lever Brothers Ltd. Lagos, under the direct supervision of the celebrated management guru, Dr Michael Omolayole. Within a short time, he became a Senior Manager and feeling sufficiently equipped with the Unilever experience, he opted for greener pastures. With his brilliance and dedication to work he would later work at the West African Batteries Ltd, Prime Merchant Bank, where he headed the Human Resources department, Credit Commercial Bank LTD and as Deputy Managing Director, Famad Shoe Manufacturing Co Ltd (formerly Bata Nig. Ltd). It was the last post, he relocated with his family to the U.S in 2001. Femi’s marriage to Fausat Olayide from the famous Animashaun Family of Lagos is made from heaven. She was to him, like Don Williams’ words “Bread when he was hungry, a shelter from trouble winds, his anchor in life’s ocean, gave life to his children, and most of all, was his Best Friend”. Adieu, my bosom and loyal friend, Femi Fowode. You lived a good life but God loves you more. Good news is, you left for your children a bountiful cheque of honour

and goodwill, from where they, and generations yet unborn, will tap. You saw all of them beyond the point of fear. Yours was a life well spent. May you continue to rest in the bosom of the Creator.” I am certain that as they read this, many of our friends, especially those back from our Ife days will not only be shell-shocked but might even drop a tear or two. Femi was absolutely unique the ready way he made friends. I felt the sorrow in Prince Eddy Adeniran, aka Dodonzo’s voice, when I told him on phone just as Bayo Williams was lost for words. I just hope the other Prince, Sunmade Akin Olugbade, is not just getting to know of this through this medium. He will miss a heartbeat. He and Femi were that close. However, to all Femi’s friends I can say with all certainty that our friend, and brother, by the grace of God, has gone to be at the feet of Jesus to rest eternally because he lived a Christ-like life. As Muyiwa noted above, Femi was, forever, a gentleman; picked quarrels with nobody and lived for others. He was as witty and generous as he was considerate. To the family he left behind we need not remind them who Femi was as his life was an open book. He was as devoted to the wife as he doted on his children. And without a doubt he left them happy memories to last nine lives. May the good Lord rest his soul. Amen. Last note: Interested friends can send commendations and testimonies for onward transmission to Mrs Fowode @zurielle2009@gmail.com

Between the President’s Superman cape and Sherlock Holmes’ hat… While Mr. President was undecided on whether or not to don that cape, another enemy has gone and camped round about his territory, and that is the dreaded Ebola virus

ONESTLY, a man should not have too many enemies. The tendency is that he would either have to spread his resources thin to cover his exposed flanks or he would overreact in fear by lashing out recklessly. Believe me, I know about reckless. I see it every day on the road when I see a young ‘un behind the wheel. They are the ones whose speedometers never read ‘I just want to get home to my family’ speeds. For your reckless youth, however, the meter is constantly reading between ‘It is great to be young, stupid and mad!!! and ‘Hell, hell, heeeeell, here I come!!! When you see such people along your route, you just better pull by and let them get on. It is best not to go down with them. Reckless, however, is another name for this country right now. I know this point has been flogged again and again by so many writers but it obviously cannot be overstressed. What we have coming from the north is nothing short of recklessness meeting recklessness. Successive government officers have tended over the decades to focus more ardently on the things most beneficial to them such as how much they can stash away from funds meant to ensure that people do not become excluded through excessive poverty or political marginalisation. The result is what we have all been witnessing in the form of the reckless killing

and bombing of fellow citizens by boko haram terrorists, and the destruction of future generations of human resources. Unfortunately, the target group of this anger has been fellow innocent people who are victims of the same poverty and exclusion, and are possible future human work forces. Vicious circle, I’ll say, from which relief seemed a mirage until the president gleefully announced during the week that he would lead the country to win that war. Now, don’t ask me how the president intends to lead the country ‘cause I honestly don’t know. I say, suppose he dons a military uniform, untrained and peace-loving as he is? Would he hold the bayonet and grenade? Suppose he dons a mufti and goes in as just another undercover agent, gathering information about the lay of the land, the enemy’s armoury, army number, etc.? Suppose, eh, just suppose he dons Superman’s cape and literally flies in and routs the enemy before you can say boko haram? Now, that would be a story worth telling my grandchildren. Honestly, as I read that piece of news about the president’s declaration, I immediately felt pride swelling in my heart. Luckily, I was able to quell the tide of swelling before it got to dangerous proportions. I felt that the president was telling the country for the first time that, hey, you people, you do have a president you

know, and look, it’s me! Then I thought, just as I’m sure he also thought, what the heck had he been doing all this while? Why wait for thousands of people to lose their lives before making that kind of heartening pronouncement? Why wait till nearly all was lost through bombings, shootings, sackings of villages before donning this Superman’s cape? The president needs to explain that first. I’m sure, dear reader, you would want to say let him even win the battle first and leave explanations till later. The trouble is that, you know, there are some among us who like to ask intelligent questions in the heat of the moment. Once, a grandmother had told her grandchild that whenever she was afraid, a good song would drive the fear away. Imagine the consternation of the grandmother when the child wanted to sing in the middle of an attack on the house by armed robbers! Well, while Mr. President was undecided on whether or not to don that cape, another enemy has gone and camped round about his territory, and that is the dreaded Ebola virus. This enemy, we understand, takes no prisoners and leaves no quarters. It is so dreaded every country in the world wants to lock their doors against it. It is therefore understandable that everyone in the country is literally up in arms against it.

First, everyone seems to have agreed that venison, which has been appropriated as ‘the Nigerian delicacy’ and renamed ‘bush-meat’, is no longer as innocent as it looks. It is now a suspect in the efforts to track down the killer disease. Imagine that: some people are going to starve. Beer is no longer going to flow down the red lane as effortlessly as it used to do when accompanied by dried game. Now, beer has to travel down all by its lonesome self. Not funny. There are more suspects. There is the handshake, the universal signal of brotherhood and friendship. We understand that the virus can be transmitted via handshakes. To give someone a handshake is now indeed an enemy action as it is a clear sign of a desire to spread the virus to one’s enemy. Henceforth, at least until further notice, it has been advised that handshakes be forbidden to forestall unintentional adoption of the virus from a host. Now, everyone has to go around greeting with the teeth literally gritted while shaking hands mentally, and everyone literally has to keep his/her hands by his side. A no-handshake policy, indeed, is going to make the world a harder place to live in; as if things were not bad enough. Worse, people are now even scared to visit their sick friends and relatives, and I think that is the unkindest cut of all. Just try and think

what that is going to do to families. Wives will no longer trust their husbands’ fevers; husbands will not trust their wives’ fevers. For one thing, where did she or he get it from and why should they have to maybe die for the carelessness of the other? That is when we realize the truth: no one wants to die. Then the questions begin: if you were not prepared to die with me, says the offended one, why swear ‘for better, for worse? Then another truth dawns: all that proclamation was just part of the rhetoric of marriage – to persuade. Worse, sick relatives are going to take endless umbrages for other relatives who fail to visit them on their beds of languishing. The culmination of it all is that everyone is going to go around suspecting each other’s sickness now. We can however take courage in the fact that there are other ways we can still rely on each other. There is the… and then the… Oh you! I bet you were already imagining something unsavory when all I am talking about is the phone. Yes, the phone will now become the all-important focus for family gatherings. This is why I started this essay by saying that a man should not have too many enemies to fight. The president has his own personal battles which no one can help him with, what with 2015 and all. However, there is no doubt that he needs to don more than one uniform to fight ours. Just as soon as he is through leading the country against the terror war in Superman’s cape, he needs to put on his Sherlock Holmes coat, hat and smoking pipe and track down this dreaded disease.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2014

COMMENT

(76) Taking risks to enhance life, justice and human dignity; taking risks that waste human potential, create suffering and perpetuate insecurity [Being an expanded version of remarks at a banquet for Wole Soyinka, Government House, Port Harcourt, July 30, 2014]

S we gather here tonight in celebration of Wole Soyinka’s 80th birthday, his first major play written when he was in his mid-twenties, A Dance of the Forests, is being rehearsed for performance in Tel Aviv in a Hebrew translation. About two weeks ago, the U.S.-based Nigerian theatre director who is in charge of the production, Segun Ojewuyi, sent an email to Soyinka and myself in which he gave a gripping account of life in Tel Aviv at the present moment and equally important, how this very early play of Soyinka had found a new and unbelievable relevance to the unfolding human tragedy in the struggle between the Palestinians in the Gaza strip and the state of Israel. A Dance of the Forests is a complex play whose theme or “message” cannot be rendered in one sentence, one paragraph even. But it is safe to say that at the heart of the drama of the play is a visionary projection of the tragedies and the suffering that a people - any people in the world – can expect that choose to ignore the lessons of their history. Soyinka wrote and staged this play over half a century ago and now in Gaza and Tel Aviv, in the West Bank and Jerusalem, it turns out that the play might have much to teach the Jewish and Palestinian peoples as they grapple with the disregarded lessons of their history. It is likely, tragically very likely, that another fifty years from now, in another part of the world, this same play will be performed under similar circumstances. Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Nigerians, that is the quality of the artistic vision in many of the works of the man whose 80th birthday anniversary we are marking at this state banquet tonight. As excited as I am that A Dance of the Forests has found a new if poignant relevance in Tel Aviv and Gaza, that is not the primary reason why I use this fact to highlight the power of Soyinka’s artistic vision in this tribute. On the contrary, I cite the play and its current production experience in the Middle East for a completely different reason. Let me state this simply: almost more than any other literary work of Soyinka, A Dance of the Forests marks perhaps the most outstanding thing about WS as a dramatist, thinker and activist and this is the fact that he has a propensity for taking great risks, artistic and political. All his greatest works in drama, poetry and fictional prose are nothing if not works of considerable experimentation with form, ideas and modes of expression. With regard to political activism, we know that he was charged, tried and acquitted for the radio

•Amaechi

incident of 1965 and so we cannot try him all over again, but we know he was the gunman! Compared to other risks he has since taken, that was indeed, only the beginning and rather small compared with other risks he went on to take. Anyone who has read the last three out of his five books of memoires, The Man Died; Ibadan, the ‘Penklemes’ Years; and You Must Set Forth at Dawn, knows what I am talking about here. Indeed, if Soyinka is one of the greatest avant-garde writers of African and world literature in the second half of the 20th century, this is largely because of the artistic risks he was always willing to take. Similarly, the risks he took as one of our continent’s great political activists and human rights campaigners have been nothing short of legendary. But if WS was always naturally predisposed to taking artistic risks and making political gambles, the most important thing to note is that he took risks and made gambles for justice, equality of opportunity for all, and human dignity. This is the heart of my short tribute tonight. And so let me repeat it: the great artistic and political risks that Soyinka has taken in his 80 years have been in the cause of and for the advancement of justice, equality and human dignity. I say this, indeed I emphasize it deliberately and strongly, because human beings and communities take risks all the time. As a species, we are fundamentally predisposed to take risks all the time, small risks and huge risks. However, unfortunately, most of the risks that we take as individuals, groups and collectively as the human species are taken in the pur-

•Soyinka

suit of selfish or petty interests that place us above others, siblings, relatives, friends, and co-workers. More grandiosely, within the nations of the world, the rich and the powerful take risks in order to secure and consolidate their domination or even enslavement of their fellow men and women. In all these myriad cases of taking risks to secure unfair and immoral advantage or power over others that is a big part of human individual and collective life, the risks always come back to haunt the risk-takers. That is the big irony between taking risks for human progress and taking risks to perpetuate human suffering. Very few countries in the world show ample and graphic illustration of this point as does Nigeria. It is not usual in the analysis of the terrible crises that bedevil our country at the present time to see these crises as the products of taking risks, not for justice, equality and human dignity but for entrenching suffering, insecurity and injustice. But we must start to see and fight these evils as the products of risk-taking of the most alarming and calamitous kind. Trillions of naira are looted with total impunity – what is that if not taking the risk of generating suffering for the generality of Nigerians? Billions of petrodollars are squandered – what is that if not taking the risk of a dire and bleak future for our youths and those yet unborn? In place of rational, enlightened and civilised discourse, what we get from both the official and unofficial megaphones of the powers that be is the tendency to rationalize and explain away the retrograde policies and actions of our

rulers – what is that if not taking the risk of creating and maintaining bitter, self-destructive divisions between the ethnic and regional communities that make up this country? Nobody is safe, nobody is protected from the suffering, injustice and insecurity that such negative and foolish risk taking creates, not even the wealthy and the powerful themselves. The Boko Haram insurgency is perhaps the ultimate proof of this. But there are legions of other “proofs” confronting us in this country. Don’t we all, rich and poor, face the same hazards of roads that are death-traps? Don’t we all face the shame and disgrace before the international community and the world caused by what foreign visitors in our midst see of the quality of life for the vast majority of the people in our country? Who is protected from the belief that Nigeria is one of the most corrupt and unregenerate countries in the world in spite of its oil wealth, indeed because of its oil wealth? And yet this country has not been without women and men willing to take risks to make things better for their communities and all of us. In this very state where this banquet is being held tonight we have the supreme examples of Isaac Adaka Boro and Ken Saro Wiwa. In the colonial era, many radical politicians, labour leaders and intellectuals took risks to win our freedom from foreign rule. This tradition is even truer of the postindependence period. Gani Fawehinmi went to jail innumerable times in defense of the rights of the masses of ordinary

Nigerians to a decent life and a secure future. I have mentioned the examples of Isaac Boro and Saro Wiwa. Bala Mohammed gave his life in the fight against the forces of reaction and misrule in our country, especially in the North. To the end, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was unrelenting in his war against military autocracy and its civilian collaborators. This profile is consistent with what obtains in other parts of the world and throughout human social and political history. I state this fact in order to underscore the need not to isolate the extraordinary case of WS, the need not to idolize him. He is part of a great tradition in our country and our world. At the heart of his turbulent life and career is the fact that he has always taken risks, as an artist, thinker and activist, for justice, equality and human dignity. He has been extraordinarily lucky to have survived the dire possibilities of many of those risks, so much so that one colleague, Professor Itse Sagay, has said that death is afraid of him. Well, I hope so. And I hope that 10 years from now, death will still be afraid of him and when we gather to celebrate his 90th birthday, the risks that WS has taken in his life and career for human progress and human dignity will be far more evident in the lives of most Nigerians, Africans and human beings all over the world than the risks that our rulers continue to make in the perpetuation of suffering, injustice and insecurity. Biodun Jeyifo Port Harcourt, July 30, 2014 bjeyifo@fas.harvard.edu

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2014

COMMENT

OSUN DECIDES

RIDAY, May 24, 2013. 35 governors gathered to vote for the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF). With the initial postponement and intrigues that surrounded it, it was going to be a night of long knives. With the Presidency interested in the outcome and with Governor Rotimi Amaechi determined to give it another shot in spite of his open confrontation with the President, it was going to take more than ordinary determination to navigate the treacherous waters. It would take grit, uncommon courage and the ability to outfox the henchmen of the Presidency. At the entrance of the venue of the election, all the governors were mandated to submit all their mobile phones. But one man particularly suspected there was going to be foul play so he sneaked in a pen camera. He recorded the vote counting surreptitiously until when Governor Godswill Akpabio noticed they were being secretly recorded. When controversy sprang up on the actual winner of the contest, he released the video to the public. The man who exposed the lie was Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Governor of Osun State. Controversy is his middle name. For nine months, he operated solely without commissioners. He renamed Osun State and gave it a new nomenclature called ‘State of Osun.’ He fashioned a new educational policy and called it reclassification of schools. In one fell swoop, schools were merged and bedlam ensued. In spite of the unending controversies and despite the appointment of an Osun State indigene Jelili Adesiyan as the Minister of Police Affairs, it is my carefully considered opinion that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola will win the August 9 election. Here’s why I think he will trump Otunba Iyiola Omisore, the PDP’s candidate. Omisore’s poor candidature. Iyiola Omisore is not Peter Ayodele Fayose. He lacks the charisma of Fayose. He is not a Jimi Agbaje. He lacks the character of Agbaje. He doesn’t have the mass appeal even though he has the notoriety. While you cannot deny that he has a semblance of structure having been the Deputy Governor of the state and also a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, his major Achilles heel is that he has been successfully tainted by the

HE Osun election is about to commence in the next few days. The preparation has long been undertaken by various political parties and various interest groups. Attention is now shifted to Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) a body assigned to conduct elections in the country. But the disturbing news coming out of the last month gubernatorial election in Ekiti State about the alleged electronic rigging of the said election make for proper investigation by independent bodies and media men in order to avoid future occurrence if the allegation is true. Rigging of election in Nigeria has been a recurrent decimal, but the scientific aspect is new to some of us. However, there was this study titled “System Integrity Problem” where allegations by Bev Harris said that Debold Software was designed to facilitate fraud. The software is said to keep two Microsoft Access data tables of voting results. The two tables are identical copies of votes collated from all polling stations and one could be hacked and altered to produce fake election result without affecting spot check reports derived from the first result. Some of these malpractices have raised its ugly heads in some states in the United States of America. Other reports have it that with new technology, ballot papers can be sexed in a way that the result, regardless of actual voting, can be predetermined. It is further revealed that “through a combination of invisible and disappearing inks, “such fraud is feasible. The new Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun in a radio interview by Unique Radio, dismissed such scientific rigging by saying that all old ink in their stores have been thrown away. Nevertheless, one can recall a Zimbabwe newspaper story by Nasini CEO, Lucia Mordi that wrote “From our findings so far, we are 99.9 percent convinced the election was rigged via ballot paper. A special watermarked ballot paper was used to give President Mugabe a resounding victory. The ballot paper had a water X against Mugabe’s name such that if ink is placed on the paper, the substance on the paper will react and remove the ink and activate the watermarked X into print”. We must therefore not dismiss the allegation that there is a scientific rigging device in existence in Nigeria. Our business as the conscience of the nation is to ask the question; is this true and if it is true, we must also find out the company and country that produces such ballot papers. There is also the need to raise the question on the culpability of INEC in the allegation. The battle against scientific election rigging must be fought with totality, for if we neglect to fight, we are simply sit-

Why Aregbesola will win

•Aregbesola By Bayo Adeyinka

accusation of involvement in Bola Ige’s murder. This is one accusation that has refused to go in spite of his protestations. In addition, his campaign is a poor caricature of Ayodele Fayose’s. Whoever is his campaign director needs to get fired as he has run one of the most bizarre and lacklustre campaigns ever. His efforts to align with the masses fell flat - his handling of two roasted corn cobs in both hands, his ride to a campaign venue on an ‘okada’ and his absurd combination of two different ‘Ankara’ materials as cloth are images that have defined his campaign. He has not successfully exploited Rauf Aregbesola’s obvious weaknesses. When it was time to debate Ogbeni, he didn’t show up. That was an opportunity to

redeem himself but he failed to utilise it. Ayo Fayose challenged Kayode Fayemi for a walk on the streets of Ado-Ekiti but Iyiola Omisore claimed he didn’t come for the debate because he didn’t want Ogbeni to beat him up. Is it any wonder that the President has not attended any rally in Osun State even up till now? The President must have read the handwriting on the wall and there was no point dissipating energy in the wrong direction. PDP lost it when the ticket was given to Omisore because he is irredeemable. If he’s banking on federal might, he got it wrong this time because you can only rig successfully where you are popular. In fact, Ogbeni will be gifted this election not because of his superlative performance but primarily because of Omisore’s poor candidature. Disunity in the PDP house. No situation exacerbated the looming disunity in Osun State PDP than the statement credited to the Minister for Police Affairs that he will beat Senator Isiaka Adeleke when he leaves office. Adeleke claimed he was assaulted during a party meeting and he subsequently defected to APC. Fatai Akinbade, a former Chairman of the State PDP and a man who served three different times as commissioner under three different military regimes also defected to the Labour Party. Former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola has not come out openly in support of Iyiola Omisore despite belonging to the same party. In fact, he was even courted by the top echelon of the APC. As a former National Secretary of the party and also a former governor of the state, his body language speaks volumes. Oyinlola is a prince of Okuku, the capital of Odo-Otin Local Government Area, one of the 30 local government areas in Osun State. It is instructive to note that Odo-Otin is one of the three local government council areas with the highest number of 15 wards in the state after Osogbo and Iwo. Ogbeni Aregbesola’s above-average performance. In spite of his controversies, only a blind man will ignore Ogbeni’s performance. He has built mega schools, many of them super

infrastructures with commendable appurtenances. He has constructed over 20 inter-city roads and more than 15 intra-city roads. This is apart from some very ambitious dualisation projects embarked upon. The free festive intercity train ride from Lagos to Osogbo has become a constant feature of his administration. I was informed that he has built 74 primary health centres all over Osun State. He has increased IGR in Osun from N300m to N1.6b and has not been known to borrow from any financial institution, save for the Islamic bond he took. His O’Meals project is laudable. Love him or hate him, there’s no denying the fact that he has improved the face of governance in the state. Ogbeni’s massive campaign network. Ogbeni has embarked on a blitzkrieg of a campaign. Maybe due to the lessons learnt from Ekiti’s recent election, he has left no stone untouched. This is the first time I’m seeing an incumbent campaign as if he’s the under-dog. He has run a very good campaign so far- both terrestrially and on social media. Going by his student unionism antecedents, one is not too surprised that he has at least two former student leaders in his cabinet and they are both active in running his campaign. Most of the controversial issues raised have been either effectively addressed or well mitigated by this team. When the issue of religious fundamentalism came up, they released the video of Bishop David Oyedepo’s visit. Ogbeni has been photographed genuflecting to Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye. He attended a major night vigil organised by a white garment church. He has been dancing ‘skelewu’ at all rallies to show he can connect with the populace. He has run his campaign without Bola Tinubu being visible, so the issue of the overbearing influence of the APC leader has been largely well managed. Ogbeni runs the best propaganda machinery in the South-West and the effect can be seen in how he has successfully diverted attention from his controversies while making Omisore seem to be the controversial one. I therefore have no doubt that he is going to win the governorship election of August 9 in a landslide. •Adeyinka writes from Lagos

Towards free and fair election in Osun By Yomi Obaditan

ting on the keg of gunpowder and the implication on Nigeria’s future is that we shall not be able to change our leader through constitutional means, that is through the ballot boxes and the danger is that while other African countries are making progress in democratic process, we are likely to be descending into the state of anarchy and consequent upon this is political instability and the effect on the economy that may make life worse for the citizens to live normal lives. It is the responsibility of everyone of us to gear towards the means by which we can ensure that the people’s vote count and we can only succeed if we express our opinion now that the election is about to come. Section 120 of the Electoral Act 2010 enunciated that it is an offence for anybody to sell, buy or have more than one Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC). The provision of this Electoral Act can only be meaningful if every one of us maintain vigilance and report any culprits to the law enforcement agents and to follow it up and see that law take its effect on the violators. The opposition party in the state is so desperate that some of them have been arrested for buying voters cards, not only that, a form was designed and given out to would-be beneficiaries of financial assistance for members who must give their voter’s card, pin number and swear an oath to keep mute over the arrangement. Thus far, the case has become an open secret in the state but the law enforcement agents are yet to apprehend those behind the pin number collectors even though the Electoral Act, section 120, sub section c and d make it an offence. It is hoped that INEC must ensure that those who are caught with PVC must be prosecuted so as to serve as deterrent to others. However, where the umpire is seen to be compromising its position, we must not keep quiet but raise our voice over such occurrence. The State of Osun is ready for the coming gubernatorial election but we need to ask if the INEC is fully prepared for the election? INEC’s readiness in terms of voters’ card distribution in recent time has led to brick back between the body and the political party in power in the state. The good news is that the umpire has come out denying the allegation of discriminative distribution of PVC in the state. It is important to serve warning to INEC on the Osun election. The people know who they want in power, if by omission or commission the election is manipu-

lated to favour a wrong candidate, the people will react, no matter the number of soldiers and policemen that may be brought for the election. We must remember that President Goodluck Jonathan has declared that no one’s blood is worth his political ambition, we must not just take the statement literally but take the words into our hearts; bearing in mind that those who shed the blood of the innocent in order to prosper in this life if they ever succeed, it is temporarily, as posterity will one day catch up with such people On the using of soldiers for election monitoring, only those that are benefitting from the usage are praising INEC and the president over it. However, we must not tolerate illegality for the sake of political exploitation. It is the police that are constitutionally assigned to be involved in election process as they are the body that are to see to the security of lives and properties in the country. The military can only be involved when there is an internal crisis that is beyond the control of the police or where there is external attack. But a situation where the Presidency laid a siege over a state such as it was in Ekiti during the 21st June election is highly condemnable. What I saw in Ekiti before and during the election, where nearly 40,000 military men were deployed to monitor election is dangerous for the survival of our democracy. We must get it right by now so that we would not continue to use the soldiers for elections in the foreseeable future. To do otherwise would amount to riding on the tiger’s tail and will certainly end up in its stomach. The Second Republic was truncated by the foolishness of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) under Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Shagari’s administration that muscled the oppositions to the extent that both the police and the soldiers were freely used to rig the 1983 General Election; at the end of the day, they claimed that their popularity and acceptability had earned them “landslide victory”. But the puerile victory was shortlived. Within three months after the so called landslide victory, the very soldiers they used chased them out of office and for the next 16 years, the military did not only send the politicians to jail, some of them ran to exile; others died in the prison and some became bankrupt till date. Now, our politicians are yet to learn from history and from the look of things, it appears that history may repeat itself if care is not

taken. Stomach infrastructure has become a new political terminology in Nigeria. It used to be called egunje before but every day we, as a people, descend in value and we ridicule our ourselves before the comity of nations. In our 1999 constitution, bribery and corruption is an offence. The Electoral Act, section 130 states as follows; (a) A person who corrupt by himself or by any other person at any time after the dates of an election has been announced, directly or indirectly gives or provides or pays money to or for any person for the purpose of corruptly influencing that person or any other person to vote or refrain from voting at such election, or on account of such person or any other person having voted or refrained from voting at such election, or (b) being a voter, corruptly accepts or takes money or any other inducement during any of the period stated in paragraph (a) of this section, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of #100, 000 or 12 months imprisonment or both. Laudable as the law provides but the impunity at which politicians go about influencing voters as if there is no law that frown at such practices, leaves much to be desired. Just few days ago, the newspapers reported that the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, said that as they gave the Ekiti electorate rice and N10, 000 to secure their votes the same practice will be repeated at Osun to secure their party or candidate’s victory come 9th of August. We ought to be thoughtful about the desecration of our value system, as we threw caution to the wind each time we are aspiring for political office, the tendency will be there that we may eventually be robbing the people to build self empire. Nigeria is rated as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, and yet our leaders never give a thought to the future implication and we are today worse for it. Perhaps, that explains why we live by the River Niger and yet we are washing our hands with spittle, but it cannot continue like this. It is either we change through persuasion or we snowball into revolution. We must let our vote count and stop unnecessary “stomach infrastructure syndromes”. Let’s build a future where our children will be proud of, through honest and fair engagement in the course our nation building. •Obaditan is a political analyst and legal practitioner

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

My election gives hope to women Ebonyi Speaker

Osun 2014: Who will the people choose?

Kwara 2015: Odds against Ahmed’s second term

PAGE 24

PAGES 20

PAGE 25

2015: Pro-Jonathan groups scramble for funds, relevance Mindful of the dire needs to mobilise votes for President Goodluck Jonathan’s reelection next year, many groups are engaged in a battle of wits to get funds and visibility in the campaign train, reports Sunday Oguntola

•Jonathan

EW weeks to the formal declaration of President Goodluck Jonathan for second term, groups working for his reelection have been hit by a fierce scramble for funds and relevance. Investigations revealed that the groups drawn from across the federation are at loggerheads over which of them will anchor the President’s 2015 reelection bid and serve as the arrowhead for the project. Some of the groups that have openly declared support for Jonathan include: Youths for Ebele Jonathan (YEJ); South-South Community (SSC); Patron of Jonathan Youth Vanguard; Ibom Continuous Transformation Movement (ICTM) and GEJites Volunteers. Others are Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN); Neigbhours to Neigbhours (N2N); Yes for Ebele Jonathan (YEJ); Coalition of Nigeria Youths for Goodluck Jonathan (CNYGJ); North-Central Youth Group and Save Sapele Youth Group. Many more of the groups, investigations revealed, are working fiercely undergrounds to realise the second term ambition of the President. Though Jonathan has not formally indicated he would be seeking reelection, presidency officials and aides believe that the declaration is only a matter of time. Many of them are convinced the second term bid is a done deal, only waiting for fruition. The President’s body language and actions, they believe, already give away his mind. Powered by presidential aides It was gathered that most of the groups were floated by presidential aides and officials. Two factors account for this. One, they are the closest to the seat of power with inner knowledge of the project’s scope and viability. Sources said most of these aides floated the groups after realising the enormous millions of dollars devoted to the cause. Two, most proposals for the

reelection bid end up on their tables for vetting and approvals, a development that puts them in the best position to present the best of the submitted ideas. To cover their tracks, it was learnt that most of them operate by proxies. This does not only protect their identities but also deceives the President into falling for their admittedly brilliant plans. A source, who is privy to the arrangement, confided that the aides simply look for trusted hands and friends to come up with ideas on how to sell the President to the electorates. The next step is the vetting of their proposals by a powerful figure in the administration. Because of the insider’s knowledge of the real owners, the proposals, it was gathered, scale through without much ado after which the groups are told to proceed to prove their mettles in the political space. Inside the groups’ working plans Most of the groups have been engaged in a battle of wits in the past few weeks to outdo each other and get the official endorsement to anchor the President’s reelection bid. Transformation Ambassadors for Nigeria (TAN), according to findings, is leading the way in this wise. The group has been involved in highly-captivating TV advertorials spotlighting the ‘achievements’ and suitability of President Jonathan for reelection without direct campaign. It was learnt the proposal received instant approval based on its ingenuity. The preponderance of the groups is expected to intensify in the coming weeks following the massive funds already reserved for the project. As soon as the declaration is done, many more of the groups will emerge to give the campaign more bite and visibility, some of the groups involved informed. The groups are mainly from the President’s Niger Delta region and Northern states where it is believed his reelection will face stiff opposition.

The ones from the north are working on whittling down the northern opposition to the project, while also dividing votes in key states such as Kano, Kaduna and Sokoto. The northern groups are also said to be targeting key opposition figures for possible rapprochement and support ahead of the presidential election. It is expected that they will be the most funded to break down the wall of opposition and win swing votes. The groups from the SouthSouth certainly have the easiest job. They are to simply point to the President as “one of our own”, according to an arrowhead, who spoke with our correspondent last week on phone. For them, funding will be as minimal as possible since it is taken for granted that the region remains the strongest base of the President. The few ones in the SouthEast are expected to only sustain the narrative that the President is a Christian under attack because of planned Islamisation of the country. This narrative, it was learnt, has worked wonders among the Igbos, who are predominantly Christians. The region has also suffered the most from the Boko Haram attacks with many of its churches and kinsmen destroyed. A vote for Jonathan, it is gathered, will be interpreted as a vote against alleged Islamisation agenda and the Boko Haram insurgency. The fight for funds, relevance But as the groups finetune their strategies, investigations revealed that most of their promoters are engaged in serious contention for funds and relevance. A source in the thick of the battle said a leading

•Continued on Page 25

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

POLITICS

OSUN DECIDES

Who will the people choose?

•Aregbesola

IX days to the August 9, 2014 governorship election in Osun State observers are saying that so much have been promised the people at the tumultuous election rallies that most of the electorates are poised to look beyond idle pledges while casting their votes. The Nation investigation reveals that most electorates in the state may have therefore resolved to take into consideration the plausibility of the electoral promises made by the candidates, the antecedent of the said candidates and their political parties and other critical socio-economic and political realities before casting their votes for any party or candidate. Given this sentiment, latest opinion polls conducted in Osogbo and other major cities in the state show that although the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) actually cleared 20 candidates (for 20 different political parties) for the governorship election, the electoral battle for Bola Ige Government House may be ultimately narrowed down to a straight fight between All Progressives Congress’ candidate, Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, a former deputy governor in the state. However, this does not completely rule out the possibility that a minority party may still spring up a surprise, given the robust campaign and growing popularity of candidates like Labour Party’s Alhaji Fatai Akinade Akinbade, who served as the powerful Secretary to the State Government in the government of former Governor Oyinlola and was the State Chairman of PDP in 2003. Beyond the personality of the candidates and the promises they have made, most observers say the achievement of the current APC government of Ogbeni Aregbesola makes it near impossible to deny him a second term. In his electoral campaigns the governor, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, convinced he would be reelected repeatedly assured the people of the state that his government will not relent in delivering more goodies during his second tenure apart from those ones being enjoyed since he assumed office. For example, at the re-election campaign rally held in Coker Memorial

•Akinbade

Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, reports on the final issues before the Osun governorship election

Secondary School, Ikirun, the headquarter of Ifelodun/Boripe/Odo-Otin Federal Constituency, Aregbesola who was visibly elated at the massive turn out of party supporters and warm reception accorded him by people in the Federal Constituency said there has never been bandwagon effect in South-West when it comes to election as what happened in Ekiti can never happen in Osun. “Those of us who are conversant with history would remember that in 2011, it was only Osun State that voted for the presidential candidate of defunct ACN, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu in the whole Federation and are ready to repeat same August 9 gubernatorial election in the state”, he added. Another major promise Aregbesola made to Osun people is to make the state Nigeria’s technology hub. Recently, he took a giant step towards fulfillment of this promise with the opening of a multi-million naira RLG/ Adulawo Technology City in Ilesha. While performing the official opening of the company alongside his deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Group Chairman of RLG, Mr. Roland Agambire, Aregbesola noted that the city was part of his administration’s effort to create job, wealth and improve the living standards of the state through the technology industry, adding that he has no doubt that the city will be the hub of ICT in Nigeria and beyond. Aregbesola stated that the technology city would be producing mobile phones, tablets, television sets and computer systems and both desktops and laptops computers. “While in full production capacity, it will directly employ 800 people while over 15,000 indirect jobs will be created round the state through the enterprise from sales and repair points. “It will positively impact on the state economy through taxes, rates and levies and in addition to the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it will create wealth and bring development to the community where it operates,” he said. Based on what his party described as his grassroots presence and commendable achievement so far, they insist he will easily

win the election. But his rivals have openly criticized many of his policies, threatening to displace him because of what they described as his shortcomings. For example, candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP and Labour Party LP, Senator Iyiola Omisore and Alhaji Fatai Akinbade respectively have faulted the Rauf Aregbesola administration reclassification education policy in the state. They contended that the new policy has taken the state backward, describing it as counter-productive to the advancement of education development in the state. Akinbade, through his spokesperson to the LP candidate, Mr. Kayode Oladeji, faulted the re-classification policy, alleging lack of tangible plans for the state-owned tertiary institutions by Aregbesola’s government as the basis for the dwindling fortunes of the state in the sector. Similarly, Omisore, who promised to restore the dignity of education if voted into power on August 9, 2014, said at the interactive section with the state chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria at its secretariat in Owode, Ede, that education is accorded top priority in his 8 point agenda of his Rescue Mission. But a national ex-officio of All Progressive Congress (APC) and former Chairman, Osun State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Hon. Abdulrasak Ayobami Salensile, commenting on the situation in a recent interview said APC’s Aregbesola will win the election, notwithstanding the criticisms. According to him, “the governor would be reelected because the electorates are the best to decide who they want. Secondly, many things will also inform the choice of electorates’ candidature, like performance or otherwise of every contestant. “Some of the contestants, not all of them, have had the opportunity to serve in one government or the other, and whatever they contributed while they were in office would count. This may also be some of the yardsticks to be use in judging them. “For instance, the incumbent governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, will be questioned on his achievements in the last three and half years. People will look at the record of Iyiola Omisore as a two-term

•Omisore

Senator representing Osun East Senatorial District, and also as Deputy Governor between 1999 and 2002. “There will also be questions on his achievement and contributions to the government of Chief Bisi Akande. These are some of the issue that may inform the decision of the electorate and decide who among them deserves their votes.” “Then Chief Bisi Akande came, his track record is there for anybody to see. He performed excellently well and Yoruba will say a child will definitely take after his mother. Now, the incumbent governor has given us a different line of political development that is unsurpassed, not only in Osun State, but in Nigeria in general. His sixpoint Integral Action Plans that was rolled out in 2006 has been implemented to a letter.” “Talk of education, social infrastructural development, health sector, security, social welfare, name them. There is no sector that he has not done wonderfully well in, and to cap it all, in education, the introduction of Opon Imo into the system, which is the first of its kind in the whole black continent. “I stand to be corrected; in fact the technology has been adopted by UNESCO and recommended to other part of the world. In the history of the state, this is the first time the student will be given uniforms, food, free of charge; teachers are getting better treatment. It is during the time Aregbesola that teachers can now aspire to the status of a Permanent Secretary in their career, which is first of its kind in the country. This was made possible with the creation of Senatorial Inspectorate Division. Ordinarily, this will motivate the teachers to offer their best.” He also listed other areas that Aregbesola’s government, in his view, has performed well enough to warrant his reelection. As he puts it, the same feat the current government has achieved in education, “is replicated in the health sector. I was once a House Committee Chairman on Health. I knew the condition of our hospitals before 2011 and now you can see the development. One is very close to me here, the State Hospital Iwo. Before Aregbesola’s intervention, you could kill

•Continued on Page 24

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

POLITICS

OSUN DECIDES

HE governorship election in Osun State is here. Do you fear a repeat of what happened in Ekiti? The real issue is not about you as a candidate but the quality of the electoral process. Once the quality is good and high, whatever the people say because they are the ultimate decider of who represents or govern them. A democratic choice is expected to be correct, good and right but it is not always that the choice is good, correct and right. But to answer the question properly, I have prepared so well for the office in a way that going by the normal run, I should not be working as hard as I am working now for reelection. Why we are different from them is that we have always been with the people from day one of our administration. How many governors walk the streets with their citizens? I have been doing that since the first month in office. How many governors created interactive forum in Nigeria before me? There is none. I was the first governor that devoted close to ten hours of continuous engagement on a quarterly basis with the citizens. The people ask any question in no- holds-barred atmosphere. ‘Ogbeni Till Daybreak’ is a worldwide engagement because we take feedback from social media. The Gbangba dekun is a monthly community interactive forum where the governor sits with all stakeholders in the community to ask or make inquiries on any issue. This is the picture of direct engagements that we are doing with the people that no government in Nigeria has ever attempted to do. We also have a carnival-like procession in ‘Walk to Live’ where we just walk round the communities and it is too engaging and popular because everybody wants to be with the governor. Hardly is there any community in this state that I have not touched personally. In terms of physical and social services, this is the first government that will say that there is no household, be it PDP, APC and others, that our programme has not reached. I feed 300,000 pupils every school day at the cost of N3.6 billion a year, I have been doing it since 2012 and I have spent N7.2 billion on that. You can go to the school by yourself and access what the children are eating to be sure whether it worth what we are saying or not. I can tell you that nobody touches the money except those in charge. Long before we commenced the feeding arrangement, we empowered poultry farmers to produce poultry products so that the chicken and eggs the children consumes are all sourced from them. We gave close to N600 million to the poultry farmers and also the fish farmers. The only people we buy from now are the cattle rearers. We have the second batch of O’Yes cadets, the first batch of 20,000 had gone, the 2nd batch of 20,000 is on and they are from homes. They work two or three days a week and they have the entire days of week left for them to see what they can do with their hands and earn a living because they are taught entrepreneurial training but they earn N10,000 monthly as cadets. On this scheme alone, this administration has spent N9 billion. I tell people what this type of scheme means for national government. You have in that scheme a directly injected N9 billion to the economy that has no means of going out because a man earning N10,000, unless you promised to double his investment, he has no business travelling to Ibadan with that N10,000. If it’s not going to yield anything more, he won’t go to Ibadan. Every bit of the money is better spent here. Every O ‘Yes cadet has a smart card and the issue of anyone handling or tampering with their money does not arise. We are one of the few governments that develop a meaningful programme for elderly citizen’s care. We are not into a blanket social welfare scheme for the elderly, we have a package that did an extensive survey of citizens that are 65 years and above, we have them in our database. We now identified those among them that are without any support that is the first time any government will so do in Nigeria. We identified 1,800 of such people state wide. The selection was purely based on their conditions, no primordial sentiment. We didn’t do the selection anyway, Professor Ogunbameru of OAU administered everything, gave us the list and the addresses. We have been giving them N10, 000 monthly

‘Our opponents sustain their campaigns with falsehood’ Osun State is in the focus of the nation as the people go to the poll next Saturday, August 9, 2014. The tension in the state is palpable. Last Wednesday, July 29th, gun-wielding men of the Directorate of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies paraded through major streets of the state capital, Osogbo, shooting sporadically into the air. If it was meant to be a show of force, it was largely met with consternation by the residents. It was against this backdrop that Governor Rauf Aregbesola, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the election sat down with a select group of journalists – among who was Festus Eriye – to discuss issues in this coming weekend’s election. Excerpts:

•Aregbesola

since 2012. Still along that line, before now the only usage of ambulances here is to carry dead bodies, whereas it is not meant only to carry dead bodies but the conception of it is simply as a morgue vehicle. We have ambulance points everywhere in the state now working 24 hours. We just launched debit card with cash between N100, 000 to N150, 000 with which they buy their farm inputs by their doorsteps. They will buy on guaranteed credit and will pay back with either their commodity or they sell and pay back.

I look at my engagement with the people, the products of my government which has not left any home unaffected positively, and I said if election is about acceptance, popularity and impact you have made on the people, we are waiting for what the dictate of democracy would be. In a credible, transparent, free and fair election, Rauf Aregbesola does not have any worry at all about what people will say about his administration. What is your reaction to the heavy security presence in the state?

It is not just voting that is democracy. Everything pertaining to the capacity of the people to vote or not to vote and to freely decide what they want must be of interest to all of us. Whenever that right is abrogated, it is a total assault on democracy. And we cannot call that democracy. The fact that they disallow air of freedom greatly affects the quality of the democracy we are talking about. Rejecting the militarisation of the state is not one man’s job. We owe it a duty to let the whole world know what is happening here. This is against the right of the Nigerian people. We’ve all forgotten that we pay the salaries of the security agencies. We don’t pay for them to wear mask in our towns. They should only wear masks when they engage terrorist and if they have to operate in a region where seeing them will might compromise their own safety and security. What would they say is the reason for what they are doing now other than threat, shock and awe? So, what this means is that they want to conquer and cow our people, which is a direct assault on democracy. Yes, you ask for what I am doing. I won’t take gun against them but I will not be quiet. I believe that your supporting us to highlight this horrendous bent of the Nigerian federal authority to use all means at its disposal to cow how people must be condemn. We should all talk and condemn it because this is not about Aregbesola alone. You people may not have any press office to work with if this continues. Don’t think it will stop there. By the time they finish with the press, they can say you should not even go and buy yam to eat somewhere. Everything will be affected. Is your administration in good terms with four critical sectors, namely, teachers, civil servants, okada riders and students who can vote? I will answer in this form: most people don’t even know how to assess relationships. They assess it from the complaint they get from dissatisfied section of a critical lot. It cannot be. It is impossible for human to exist without conflict. The Yoruba has an idiomatic way of expressing it, they said teeth and tongue fights but they are always still together. A sociologist in human scientists would not therefore base his assessment of any sector on when there is disagreement. Let us look at what we have done and then situate our relationship within it, though some people for whatever reason does not just like you. I was telling someone that what should concern you is not those who are opposed to you especially as it gets to the run-up to the election. When you are still far from it, you may be bothered so that you can make it up. But when no matter what you do, that is their attitude, you just stay put. From the newspapers, there are not less than 20 parties seeking power, democratically. If you have 60 per cent, which does not mean you don’t have opposition. The 40 per cent who doesn’t want to see you and may cut your head if you are careless not only vote against you. If you have 60 per cent, you are home and dry. In a struggle with other stakeholders, six is a good number. What we are doing is to ensure that each of these critical sectors don’t have any basis at all to be opposed to us. Let us start with the students: we met a condition when we came in that students were given a bursary of N3, 000 and they won’t even get the bursary on time and it was full of scam. They brought it to me to sign and I said why do I have to sign N3, 000 for anybody? It’s best if we don’t give this bursary or we give it meaningfully. We raised the bursary to N10, 000 flat. For medical and law students N20, 000 while our indigenes in Law school get N100, 000. The school authorities give the money to students in their system. I don’t see how such students will hate us in the majority, I can’t see it. Whoever now hates us has something else against us not for the fact that we have not done the needful. The increase wasn’t solicited; we did it out of our own understanding of the reality of what the students are going through. There was clamour for reduction of fees; we reduced the fees from a huge amount to something that is comparably affordable. Also, we have been investing in developing the institutions much more than any admin

•Continued on Page 76

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

POLITICS

HAT informs your decision to join the governorship race in Imo State? It is because of bad leadership and lack of accountability to the people. Frankly speaking, in Imo State those at the helm of affairs lack the requisite capacity to take Imo to the promise land. Imo is the only state where little or nothing has been done in the area of unemployment. It was only during the time of Governor Ikedi Ohakim that Imo unemployed youths were given opportunity but the present administration has failed to recognise their appointment letters. Another governor that we have commended his effort is Achike Udenwa and since then it has been from pillar to post politics. So, I am coming to correct bad leadership in Imo State. My major concern is the cry of our helpless youths and the inability to tap the potentials of these youths who are willing and ready to partake in the development of the state if opportunity is given to them. An Igbo man is talented; he can produce anything and turn around the economy of Imo State. All that Ndigbo require is enabling environment to drive. Considering the way Rochas Okorocha came to power, don’t you think he still has the support of the people of the state? That was then, Rochas has no supporters presently; most of the supports he had were people like us who wanted to bring sanity and good governance in the state and we decided in our own environment and constituencies to support and mobilise for him. But most of us are regretting now because Rochas has failed us, he has failed the people of the state; when you come to Imo State now, you will understand that the support and love we demonstrated for him three and half years ago is no longer there. The sacrifices we made then were on the basis that he will correct the anomalies through policies that will reposition the state. Those who are following him now are those who want their stomach and not for the interest of Imo people. Let me tell you, Rochas has just succeeded in empowering his immediate families and political allies. The policy of giving stipends to school children has not impacted positively on our people. I think you need to visit Imo State to see things for yourself; there is no road in Imo State, the only place you can see road is at the headquarters of the state so, what happens to other local governments in the state? We lack industries in Imo which is vital to attract investments and employment generation. What would be your focus, especially in tackling the issue of corruption? As a lawyer, I will work with credible people, especially those who may work closely with me as commissioners, board of directors and others. Let me say I may be the only governor if elected that will jail my cabinet members because my government will place zero tolerance on corruption and apathy. Anybody that wants to ride with me on the bus of change in the governance of Imo State must be ready and willing to serve the people. The person must not see him or herself as a leader but as a servant, that means, as a governor, I will start with my team to show zero tolerance. I will put adequate machinery in place that will checkmate all the government institutions and establishments for good governance in Imo. This is because if the government must provide for the people that government must be honest in their policies and operation. Go to Rivers State today, you will see what Governor Rotimi Amaechi has done. The man is serious about the plight and yearnings of the people. Of course, you cannot compare Amaechi and Rochas when it comes to seriousness to development. Amaechi has vision Rochas is visionless, the worst thing is that anywhere he goes, he carries Imo tax payers money, distributing it for cheap

Imo 2015: I’ll not step down for anybody- Ibekwe Philip Nnakolam Ibekwe, the Managing Director, Sphines Nigeria Limited and National President of Imo Integrity Group, is an aspirant for Imo State’s governorship seat on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In this interview with Precious Dikewoha, Ibekwe says he will not step down for any of the Abuja ‘big men.’ He also spoke of Imo State politics, governance and other issues. Excerpts

•Ibekwe

political gain, there is no accountability. The question we should ask is that if Rochas is doing well why should over 30 aspirants be battling to take over his job? That means the people are disenchanted about him and his policies. Yet, there are still some of his policies that the people are praising him today for? Rochas’ polices are built on lies and deceit; look at Imo State Newspaper, he has killed it and even singlehandedly removed the signboard of the newspaper. But if you come to Port Harcourt today, The Tide, which is state owned newspaper, is still there doing well. Do you know how many people that are feeding their families by working at The Tide Newspaper but come to Imo State, the state newspaper is dead. No industry or company owned by the state is functioning, the only thing functional today in Owerri are hostels. That is why we are saying that Rochas should not think of contesting again, he should go and rest because if he recontests, he will lose even in his own ward. Because the people of Imo State are seriously in need of good leadership, a government that will deliver basic amenities to the door steps of the people. You are the leader of Imo Integrity Group, an organisation that is pushing for your candidacy; how strong is this group? It is a formidable platform that has its branches in all the 27 local governments in Imo State; the group is doing wonderfully well in the area of social welfare services, especially at grassroots where the lives of the sick and the vulnerable have been touched. About 40 youths each in various local government of the state have been empowered. Though politicians today are insinuating that I formed the organisation because of my

political interest, the answer is no, because Imo Integrity is already in existence before I joined the race to rescue Imo. What happened was that youths who were rejected after receiving appointment letters from Ohakim government became frustrated. So, with the outcry of the frustration, we decided to say if the present government could not consider these helpless youths who had already got their employment letters that means this government lacks integrity. And that was what led to the establishment of integrity group. We are all over Imo State and frankly speaking our population in integrity group has become a threat. During one of your press briefings you said you will make Imo an industrial state, how do you intend to do that? All I need to do is to create an enabling environment that will open a channel for industrialisation. There are some industries that were established by Sam Mbakwe’s government, what my government will do is to embark on massive revitalisation of those companies and put them into use by injecting money into them to absorb our youths. We will also create industrial centre at Owerri, and there must be passable roads in Owerri. I am where I am today as a son of a bicycle repairer because the state then gave us the opportunity to excel, teachers were properly paid and they gave us sound education. But the environment created today by the present administration cannot encourage a poor man to survive because of inept leadership. Because I benefited from the state scholarship, when I am elected, many Imo youths will be placed on scholarship. Today if you go to Imo State University many of them cannot speak good English, that is not because

we don’t have all it takes to revive our school system but the government is lacking the principle of good policy on education. The best way to create township, is to build good roads, it is not by making legislation or telling people that Owerri is a township. After building good roads, hospitals, education and providing security then you have created an environment that will facilitate township. Since you want to run under the platform of PDP, how do you intend to struggle with the Abuja big men for your party ticket? I am a member of PDP. It is God that can make a man a leader. I have a political leader who told me that when he contested during his time there were big names from Abuja and the rest of them. He said nobody knew him but when the time came, he was selected by his party to fly the flag and he won during the general election. So, I know I am not a big name but I am a grassroots man and I believe I will be the one to fly the PDP flag when the time comes. When Obama wanted to run as the President of United States, he had no money to execute that expensive project but people who love him made a lot of contributions to ensure that he succeeded. So, when the time comes, people will support me. Don’t forget I have personally managed and financed Imo Integrity Group without begging for funds from anybody. I am not a poor man, yet I am not richer than those who want to battle PDP ticket with me. I am not going to step down for anybody. I am not a political trader. They don’t have more experience than me. To step down for somebody will mean that I want to accept money; I have examined all of them and discovered that I am better than them. While watching Rochas Rescue Mission in Imo State, I saw good projects and policies he has initiated; are you not seeing them? That is television politics. Those who are working in their various states, people talk about them not that they see it on television. Concord Hotel was among the projects he advertised on television but it was built by Sam Mbakwe. Even the hotel he is parading is not making enough profit because it has become a permanent home of the government officials and their girl friends. If Rochas comes back to recontest I will win him any day and any time. In Imo, we are republican; we have never liked a big man. When Rochas came we showed him love but today he has betrayed that love. Those big names you are seeing today that want to represent our people by taking Rochas’ job are all looters, you can call me greenhorn when it comes to politics but I am genuine. Will your government consider insecurity as a serious issue if you are elected? Insecurity in our society today is because of unemployment; youths are graduating every year doing nothing, some of them have looked for job for more than 10 years. Of course, a hungry man can do anything to survive. If I become governor today, the first decision I will take is to recall those who the present administration refused to accept their employment letters. They were given appointment letters but the present administration refused to accept them. That is why I said people go into politics to serve themselves. If I win election today, my children will school in Nigeria. The poverty in Nigeria is deliberate, it is caused by the elite, the more people that are poor the easier they are to control. That is the reason of Ghana-must-go bag to induce the people to vote for them but our people have grown beyond where they can compromise their conscience. Rochas is my governor, we are just friends and not enemies but one thing I cannot compromise is my conscience. He has approached me, but I told him that I can’t serve under his government; I have turned his offer down for several occasions.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

POLITICS

2015: UNDP, other institutes prepare legislative officers Despite the fact that the Nigerian state assumed a new governance status in 1999 following the demise of authoritarian regime in the country, 15 years after, the legislature is yet to grapple with the intricacies of its functions in checking excesses in government. Dele Anofi takes a look on the need to equip federal legislators for the execution of their functions as contained in a project between the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS) and the Democratic Governance for Development (DGD) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

EMOCRACY was highly embraced by all with expected hope that it will deliver good dividends and socio-economic development. At the centre of Nigeria’s representative democracy is the legislature which constitutes a cardinal part of the major pillars of the governance process in Nigeria’s democratic political system. In Nigeria, the legislature is an important institution of government constitutionally empowered to have elected representatives. Thus, the legislature is the embodiment of popular power. By virtue of its constitutional responsibilities, the legislature in Nigeria is also the principal institution of accountability and probity. The lawmaking, representative, oversight and appropriation functions of the legislature are crucial to enhancing accountability, transparency, and due process in the polity. Even with the prevalence of democratic institutions, plural society, vibrant Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and critical mass media, among others, Nigeria’s democracy continues to grow amidst challenges caused by ethno-religious factors, the challenges of true federalism, poverty, corruption, insecurity and multiple electoral challenges, among others. The National Assembly itself has faced significant challenges that include allegations of corruption, high turnover, instability, and lack of capacity among others. The challenges confronting the legislature, following the restoration of democracy in Nigeria are better understood within the context of protracted military rule and the nature of Nigerian politics. Notwithstanding, there have been some positive sides to legislative functions and outputs of the nation’s legislatures over this period. Such legislative outputs include the ongoing constitutional review, the passing of important legislations, like the FOI Bill, inputs on national security, increased oversight of the executive and growing stability and focus. Parliament is one of the key state institutions in a democratic system of governance. It has a critical role to play in promoting democracy and good governance. The Nigerian National Assembly continues to grow as an institution that represents the will and aspirations of the people. As the democratically elected representatives of the people, Nigerian lawmakers continue to strive to create a representative government. In the performance of their key functions of legislation, representation and oversight, parliaments can actively engage in the development and implementation of laws, policies and practices that promote democracy and good governance. There can be no democratic system of government without transparency and accountability. Through its core oversight function, parliament holds the government to account on behalf of the people, ensuring that government policy and action are both efficient and commensurate with the needs of the public. However, the establishment of the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS) is another positive development as the institution is meant to develop the capacities of the legislatures as well as the staff. NILS therefore is an organ of the National Assembly, established by an Act of Parliament in 2011. It promotes and reinforces the constitutionally assigned roles and functions of parliamentary institutions through research, advocacy, teaching, networking and other related activities. Over the last couple of years, NILS has become an important capacity building institute for legislators at both federal and

islative staff; lack of high quality technical/professional support; poor oversight capability and poor public perception and lack of understanding of the work of NASS. The high turnover rate of legislators following every election since 1999 has tended to exacerbate the question of The Needs Assessment, conducted in November 2011. Interventions directed towards addressing these challenges through focus on developing systems could contribute to the ongoing effort of the country in promoting democratic governance. The DGD II project document has underlined the project’s intention to support specific committees in an effort to improve their lawmaking and oversight responsibilities and build their technical capacities to deepen democratic norms and practices. Besides, the Roadmap to the 2015 Nigerian Elections has outlined the priority areas of engagement with the NASS such as parliamentary oversight system; parliamentary ethics and conduct regime; and parliamentary information sharing mechanisms. The identified key committees of the NASS for the project include Rules and Business; Ethics and Privileges; CSOs and Donor Relations; Constitutional Re•NILS Director General, Dr Ladi Hamalai at a view; Women in Parliament/ gender advocacy roundtable held at NILS, Women Affairs; and Electoral AfAbuja...recently fairs. state levels with a growing influence and In order to implement the project acreach on the region and the continent as a tivities and generate expected outputs efwhole. It uses training as a core strategy to fectively, the intervention will involve parbuild the capacities of the different catego- liamentarians from the Senate and the ries of personnel working in the legisla- House of Representatives, legislative supture -members of parliament, management port staff, committee clerks, other parliastaff, committee staff, and other categories mentary organisations and CSO. The of personnel - all of whom contribute in project focuses on system based intervendifferent ways to the effectiveness of the tions at the National Assembly which can legislature. It was in view of the not-so- easily be replicated at the level of State impressive performance of the federal leg- Assemblies. In implementing the activiislatures since the return of democracy in ties, international best practices and na1999 that the NILS and the DGD had to put tional success stories will be factored in. up the capacity building project that also The project that involves the review targeted specific and critical committees of the Rules and Business of the National Asthe two chambers. sembly based on international best pracJustifying the need for the capacity tices would also lead to the development building of key committees in the Na- of a model oversight guide with necessary tional Assembly, the Director-General of templates for the two chambers of the Nathe Institute, Dr. Ladi Hamalai, noted that tional Assembly. Parliamentary ethics and sustainable democratic development does conduct regime would be developed, as not end in successfully completed free and well as a review of existing parliamentary fair elections. Such elections, according to information sharing mechanism (internal her, are rather the beginning, a critical none- and external) while proffering solution for theless preliminary step on the road to- better communication and outreach. While wards democratic maturity. “It requires embers of the 8th Assembly would be prolong-term and comprehensive efforts to vided with necessary work kits, an update build up and consolidate representative of NASS Needs Assessment Survey of 2011 and well-functioning parliaments able to and the development of a book on resource ensure sound implementation of its law- needs of NASS and assessment of the acmaking and oversight powers. As rightly tivities of committees in NASS would also stated by the Speakers of the EU Parlia- be undertaken. ment at the Copenhagen Conference on If the lawmakers are well equipped, June 30, 2006, the development of parlia- like this project is trying to do, they should mentary institutions is synonymous with be able to stand their ground and turn down democratisation, and their sound function- undue overtures from the executive while ing is a fundamental requirement of de- carrying out their oversight functions. We mocracy,” she added. have seen situations where NASS commitThe need for the project to be imple- tees go on over sight functions only to go mented between March and June 15th 2015 into executive meetings that exclude the also stemmed from the fact that in Nige- media. The committee would come out ria, the National Assembly is the young- and everybody would be back-slapping est arm of government, established in 1999 each other in sharp contrast to the earlier following the restoration of democratic fire-spitting by the members. rule. According to The Needs Assessment Unfortunately, not much has been 1, conducted by Policy Analysis and Re- achieved with the enormous powers of the search Project (PARP) 2, through the sup- National Assembly that can put things right port of the DGD Project I, the Nigerian in this country; it is hoped that they will legislature was faced with challenges, in- seize the opportunity of this project for the cluding lack of experience on the part of betterment of our democracy,” he said. the legislators; Inadequately trained leg-

Letter to Ogbeni

ETTER to Ogbeni My dear governor, It is only about one week for the electorate of our dear state to decide whether to stay at Canaan or return to Egypt. The policies and programmes introduced by your government since you mounted the saddle almost four years ago might have appeared strange to many; controversial by known and existing standards, but they are, indeed, the only way to bail out the sinking state. I have had the opportunity of watching the moves and movements from a distance; I must confess that, like other compatriots, I could not easily understand the way things were working. I wondered how you could seem to be cultivating controversies so much and feared that they could provide the tools for mischief makers to distract your administration. However, I must confess that, years after, I now understand that jigsaw puzzles are best appreciated at the very end. Next week, it will be time for the only people who have the right to return their verdict. Acting collectively, the Osun voters have been asked make a choice between Iyiola Omisore of the Peoples Democratic Party and your good self flying the flag of the All Progressives Congress. As a political activist of note, I need not tell you that there should be no room for loopholes. I have heard so much about some form of abracadabra that resulted in your party’s dismal showing during the June 21 Ekiti governorship election. I am probably not clever enough to understand what the mainly partisan crowd has been saying on how it was done, but I am convinced that even if something sinister was done in Ekiti, there should be no excuse for allowing defeat in any form next week. The people of Osun have seen both parties in action. Even your worst political enemies would concede that you have a passion for the development of our state. You have worked; you have toiled. Sometimes, I have wondered where, at 56, you got the energy from. Roads have been delivered; you started a very controversial policy of effecting reforms in the school system and introduced schemes to reduce the population of the unemployed. Mr. Governor, all things considered, I believe you deserve a second term. It is my conviction that performance should be a key consideration in determining if an incumbent deserves a second term. The only reason I have always campaigned against a single tenure is that a quest for renewal of term is a plebiscite of sort on how well the first mandate was handled. While one good turn deserves another, one poor turn deserves expulsion. But, as we have seen in Ekiti, good performance may not be enough to decide who wins an election in this clime now. Despite the sterling work done by Dr. Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti, he lost the bid to continue in office. As if that was not enough, the voters opted for someone who had earlier performed below par; one who had been disgraced out of the same office. So, while a lot is going on in all parts of Osun state. It is insufficient to assure victory at the poll. A survey of the political scene, public opinion and knowledge of the governor’s sagacity suggest that he would be back to call the shots at Abere. What Osun deserves now is a governor who genuinely loves the people and would do anything for them; one who has managed the finances well in the first term. Omisore, too, is not unknown to the people. While your government’s style of administration may be truly controversial, Omisore’s political involvement has not been less so. Many still remember that he was once linked with the murder of the late Chief Bola Ige even though eventually acquitted. The circumstance of his discharge from the Akande government was no less cloudy. He was fingered in a scandal involving supply of chemicals for the Ejigbo water scheme. He was deputy to Chief Adebisi Akande in the first dispensation of this Republic. The scandals surrounding his election to the Senate, and his performance in that hallowed chamber have continued to attract comments. Character is quite important if we sincerely, as a people, want to sanitise government by recruiting men of probity to handle public affairs. The full verdict on your administration can only be returned after two terms. The bid to reform the education system is on-going; halting the rural-urban drift is a going concern and turning the state to the commercial hub of the West is still long way in coming. And, the PDP candidate has already served notice that he would discontinue all projects, however laudable. This, in my opinion would be a tragedy as governance is a continuum. Although, my governor, I would be far away from home on election-day, I have no hesitation in adopting this mode in casting my vote. Osun is too important to the quest for progress in the West to be left for a tossup. All men of goodwill are invited to join this progressive train. I wish you well. Your compatriot, BOLADE

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

POLITICS

My election gives hope to women - Ebonyi Speaker

OW do you feel about your election as speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly? Well, I give all glory to God and thank my colleagues for this assignment. When I was elected into the State Assembly, I never dreamed of becoming Speaker because we were only four women in the House. Even in the previous House of Assembly of which I was a member, there were only two of us with the other person, Hon. Dorothy Obasi, serving as Deputy Speaker. So my election as Speaker came to me as a surprise but it provides hope to women in politics that the future is bright. Also my election as Speaker in an Assembly dominated by men, shows that the campaigns by the wife of Mr. President, Dame Patience Jonathan and Chief Josephine Elechi; for women participation in politics is bearing fruits. I think the men are beginning to see that women are not coming to compete but to complement their efforts in nation building. That is how I see my election as Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly. What do you have to say about the process that threw you up? The beauty of democracy is that it gives room for change. We were all elected in the first place to represent various constituencies in the state. That is to mean that all members are equal. The election of one person among us to serve as speaker or leader is just an administrative necessity for moderation and direction of debates and discussions in the plenary. The point I want to make is that the position of Speaker is by the grace and judgment of all members. Therefore, if for any reason the members feel that the speaker or their leader is not behaving according to their expectations or begins to act as Lord, they exercise the right to change him or her. This is what happened. People should not forget this fact that it is the responsibility of members of the House of Assembly to choose who represents them as Speaker.

In her maiden formal interaction with journalists in Abakaliki, the first female Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. (Mrs.) Helen Nwaobashi, talks about her elevation and plans to stabilise the Assembly. Ogochukwu Anioke was there and reports You must have read the resolution of the House for the impeachment of the former Speaker. May be I should take your mind back to some of the reasons that prompted the removal of Hon. Chukwuma Nwazunku from office as Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly. Majority of the members resolved that the former Speaker was conducting himself in a manner likely to cause a breach of the constitution by not ensuring that sittings were as frequent as to satisfy the demands of the Constitution. You can see with me that this is a grievous issue. The members saw this error and felt that the Speaker was leading us into temptation such that at the end of the day, we may be invited to sign for sittings we never had. The impeachment of Nwazunku therefore was the best way for the members to avoid a situation where we may be compelled by him to fill the sitting Attendance Register so as to escape the censure of the Constitution and the wrath of those who elected us. So you can see that if after seven months of the year we were able to sit for just seventeen times, there was no way we could fulfill the 181 days stipulated in section 104 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So the members studied the situation and felt that the former Speaker was being distracted by his estate business and decided to change him. His impeachment followed the laid down procedures. The other reasons; including incompetence, corrupt enrichment and violation of the code of conduct as spelt out in the constitution are also very weighty allegations. I think that is the much I can say for the process that brought about my election as Speaker. Like I said, the members of the House of Assembly reserve the right to elect any one among them to serve as first among equals! Some people are afraid that you may not cope as Speaker because the Assembly is dominated

by men… I don’t think I understand what you mean by that. But let me say this, we have gone past the stage of gender. You heard when I said that Nigerian men have come to appreciate women in politics as partners in progress. The agenda is development and providing good governance to Nigerians. So we are focused on the agenda and not the divisive sentiment of gender. Doing what is right does not depend on whether you are man or woman. If these men you say dominate the House of Assembly have come together to say that a small woman like Mrs. Helen Nwaobashi should be their Speaker at this point in time, why do you want to fault their judgment? That fear does not have any real foundation; I have been called to serve as first among equals. I must always remember that I owe my allegiance to the members and my constituents. If I do things the way the constitution and rules of the House prescribe, there can be no problems. At least you should also know that I have been called to play the role of mother. The welfare of children is the major interest of mothers. You don’t have to be a bully to make a good mother. It is also said that you always consult other members before taking decisions, why? What is wrong about that? Have I not said that I was chosen to serve as first among equals? You want me to become a dictator? We represent various constituencies of the state, so the decision of how to move Ebonyi State House of Assembly forward should not depend on the opinion of just one man or woman. I don’t have a personal agenda; we have a common agenda, as such every member counts. If you count that as weakness, you are free to hold your opinion. You are a ranking member of Ebonyi State House of Assembly but not much was heard about you before now?

The business of law making does not include noise making. I represent the interest of Abakaliki South State constituency. I do what they sent me to do and nobody is complaining that I have not been shouting all over the place as if the mandate I hold is by my power. What matters is result and you need focus to achieve that. What would define your tenure as Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly? I will insist on collective approach to tackling the business of t h e Assembly; focusing more on the yearnings a n d aspirations of Ebonyi people. I will like to see m o r e constituency consultations by members so we can take

feedback to the executive branch of government. I want to see real representation of the people and less concern for political progression. In a word, peace! Is there any guarantee that those who chose you as Speaker would not come after you? Yes. If I don’t do what would make them review their feelings about me or begin to act selfishly, they cannot move against me. Moreover, I have seen the charges against the former Speaker; if I avoid doing the same things; my colleagues would not come after me. If I am transparent in dealing with them and not going to represent myself before the executive, I will retain their c o n f i d e n c e , especially if I do not lead them astray.

•Nwaobashi

Osun 2014: Who will the people choose? •Continued from Page 20 a bush rat there. Today, apart from the beautification and renovation, there is nothing they need that you cannot find in that hospital. “Besides, government also supplies drugs regularly and the personnel are adequately motivated. People now have confidence in the public health sector. Go and cross-check the level of increment in their patronage; it is unprecedented. Also on Agriculture, the over 5000 eggs that the pupils are consuming on weekly basis are being provided within Osun here. The same thing for fish, they are also producing it in this Osun, which means the economy is improving day by day. Before Aregbesola came on board, the state’s IGR was just N300 million. By special grace of God, Osun IGR is N1.6 Billion now. These are some of the performances that will aid the victory of the governor. If you also take the statistics of

•Jega

the people drifting from the rural to urban centres, it has drastically reduced as against the former practice. Many people in the past belief that if you don’t get to Lagos you cannot be successful, people are now residing in Osun. I am one of

them; I am based in Ibadan. Since there are investment opportunities, we are all here, despite the fact that Ibadan is very close. The drifting for greener pasture outside the state has reduced, people can get profitable job in the state now. When we are also talking about security, you can now sleep with your two eyes closed. In the past, rubbers were everywhere. In Iwo here, hardly would you hear people shouting thief. You can travel round the state at any time without fear. This was difficult before Aregbesola. You could not move from Iwo to Osogbo by 6pm; they were even robbing in the broad daylight. The road was was a deadly road but since Aregbesola came to power, it has stopped.” Reminded that performance per se did not win the election for Kayoed Fayemi ‘s APC in Ekiti in May this year, Salensile said, “Aregbesola’s styles is different from Fayemi. You know they are different individuals, but it is also important to say that it was not PDP that defeated Fayemi in Ekiti

State. They have been exposed. It was a high profile rigging, scientific rigging, first of its kind in this nation. In due course, the details would be released; it was INEC in collusion with PDP that voted Fayemi out not the good people of Ekiti. Fayemi also performed wonderfully well, but in spite of that you can also notice one or two differences between Aregbesola and Fayemi in terms of mobilisation and terms of grassroots politicking. You know Aregbesola started politics, God knows when, as an activist, as a canvasser for other candidates and he has brought that to Osun politics. Osun politics could not be in anyway compared to other state because of various system Aregbesola has introduced. I don’t think there is any election we can lose as far as God leaves, I mean progressive party, unless we depart from the induction that improves the lives of the people. Another challenge we had in Ekiti was the unfortunate crack within our party with the defection of Opeyemi Bamidele. Bamidele’s defection also contributed

seriously to coordinated rigging in Ekiti but in Osun we have no crack. Instead, we are receiving more members from PDP and other parties.” For Sen. Iyiola Omisore, the gubernatorial candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP), who among others promised to promote good governance if elected, observers say his strength is his party’s desperation to re-enact what it now describes as Ekiti miracle. While campaigning in his home Ile-Ife, Omisore had besides good governance also promised that if elected, pensioners, teachers and civil servants would receive their salary and emoluments as at when due. The PDP candidate also said youths would be employed and that market men and women, artisans and others groups would also benefit from his administration if elected. Already, the die is cast. Just six days away, the electorates will decide who will occupy the Bola Ige Government House in Osogbo.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

POLITICS

EADER of the Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Bukola Saraki, is currently in a dilemma of sort. In the last few months, Saraki, who is also the immediate past governor of Kwara State, has been under intense pressure by some members of the party not to throw his weight behind the second term aspiration of the state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed. Though Ahmed has not formally signified his intention to run for another term in 2015, there are indeed strong indications that he has commenced discreet consultations with party members in this regard. His alleged ambition is, however, not sitting well with a large section of APC members in the state, it was gathered. A pointer to the dissatisfaction of party stalwarts came to the fore some weeks ago after an invitation allegedly extended by the governor to members of the House of Assembly was allegedly shunned by 15 out of the 23-member House. More worrisome to the governor’s camp was the controversy that trailed the outcome of his parley with the lawmakers. As the story goes, the governor was said to have doled out a sum of N1m to his guests as ‘parting gift’, but while some of the beneficiaries questioned the rationale for the meeting which they said was belated, others described the sum doled out as insulting to their person and status. It was further gathered that not a few of the lawmakers have allegedly vowed not to support the governor to win a second term in the 2015 general elections. One of the aggrieved lawmakers, it was learnt, who incidentally hails from the South-Central Senatorial District like the governor had, a few days after the meeting with the governor, proceeded to the Maitama, Abuja residence of the APC leader in the State, Bukola Saraki, to intimate him of what transpired at the parley. The lawmaker was also alleged to have told Saraki of the consequences of fielding Ahmed, whom he accused of alienating himself from party members as the APC governorship candidate in the next election. A source, who was privy to what transpired between Saraki and the lawmaker revealed that the former governor, who was though shocked by his guest’s outburst against the incumbent governor, was non-committal and diplomatic in his response. Ahmed’s alleged many ‘sins’ Within the rank and file of the ruling party in the North-Central state, there is a growing disaffection against the governor over

•Saraki

•Ahmed

Kwara 2015: Odds against Ahmed’s second term Kwara State governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, has an uphill task in his alleged quest to win a second term, reports Assistant Editor, Remi Adelowo what many perceive as his alleged failure to build on the policies and programmes of his predecessor, arrogant disposition, tightfistedness, amongst other sundry allegations. A source disclosed that what has kept the APC going strong in the state are the untiring efforts of Saraki and other party leaders, including the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Razak Atunwa, who it was gathered has, in the last three years, calmed the frayed nerves of his colleagues spoiling for a showdown with the governor over certain alleged ‘infractions’. The governor, it was gathered, though aware of the development in the party, allegedly refused to make moves to douse the tension until his recent invitation to the state lawmakers, which reportedly recorded poor attendance. Options before the party It has been alleged that several permutations are being considered by APC leaders on the way forward for the party, most particularly on the

party’s choice of its 2015 governorship candidate. One of the options being considered, but which many party members are not buying into yet, is to nominate the incumbent governor for another term. The second option is to persuade the governor to step aside and allow an election of a fresh candidate from either the central or northern senatorial zones of the state as the governorship flag bearer. Shedding more light on this option, the source added, “If the governor agrees to this proposal, he will be handed the party’s Southern Senatorial ticket without sweat.” Aspirants in the picture As at today, four aspirants are being strongly considered for the governorship seat in Kwara State, a party source has volunteered. Besides the governor, who in spite of the challenges he is battling with, is still seen as the front runner in the race, names of the Speaker of the State

House of Assembly, Razak Atunwa; former Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi and a member of the House of Representatives, Zakari Mohammed, who hails from the Northern Senatorial Zone are also being mentioned. The 45 years old Atunwa, a Master’s degree holder in Law from the University of East London in the United Kingdom, enjoys a high rating among Kwara APC faithful, respected stakeholders and opinion holders in the state even if he has not shown any interest in the race. On his return to Nigeria from the UK where he ran a successful law firm on the prompting of the late strongman of Kwara politics, Dr. Olusola Saraki, to participate in active politics some time in 2002, Atunwa’s ambition was to run for a seat in the House of Representatives on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But that was not to be, as his political mentor, the elder Saraki, backed someone else.

Until he won election into the House from Owode/Onire Constituency in Asa Local Government Area and subsequent emerged as Speaker in 2011, Atunwa had served as Commissioner in various ministries, including Lands, Information and Home Affairs, Works and Transport and Finance. Also in contention is Abdullahi, who until he was appointed as minister, served in Kwara state, first as a Special Assistant to the then governor Saraki and later as the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology. A few days ago, the former minister formally declared for the APC in a move that did not come as a surprise to many people in Kwara State. But it is not clear yet if his declaration for the APC is an indication of his interest in the 2015 governorship race. Abdullahi’s far-reaching reforms in the ministries he presided over, both at the state and national levels, analysts contend, is not lost on many APC members in his home state. On the governorship radar too is the spokesperson of the lower House of the National Assembly, Zakari Mohammed. Like the other three probable aspirants, Mohammed also served in Saraki’s cabinet as the Commissioner for Sports. Saraki in dilemma The Nation gathered that the APC leader is currently torn between backing Ahmed for a second term and throwing his weight behind another candidate. The former governor is said to be weighing the pros and cons of each of these two options before arriving at a decision, sources have revealed. One issue that is said to be in contention is the zone that will produce Ahmed’s successor if the governor is eventually asked to step down. While some party members argue that the governorship should be ceded to the Central Senatorial District, another school of thought is clamouring for the Northern Senatorial Zone for the seat. For the latter, the argument is that having produced the last two predecessors of the incumbent governor in the persons of Bukola Saraki and late Mohammed Lawal, it is now the turn of the Northern zone, which last produced the governor (Mohammed Shaaba Lafiagi) in 1993 to take a shot at the exalted seat. However, what may finally determine APC’s choice of candidate, a source noted, will largely depend on who and which zone the rival PDP picks its flag bearer. But until then, the waiting game continues.

2015: Pro-Jonathan groups scramble for funds, relevance The former minister, it was gathered, is still the nod of the President to lead his reelection’s waiting in the wings to reenact the same feat, bid. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the especially now that she is out of the cabinet. She The President is said to be in a fix over which South-South is enmeshed in an intense lobby and the chief are the major promoters awaiting of the leading persons will get his final nod for to play the most prominent role in the scheme of things. GROUP MAIN PROMOTER While the President is said to be disposed — Chief Robert Opara to granting his wish, it is believed that many •Youths for Ebele Jonathan (YEJ) chieftains are bent on frustrating the chief’s plot. •South-South Community (SSC) — Chief Goddy Idaminabo This, it was learnt, is because of his tight-fisted — Mr. George Turnah attitude and winner-take-it-all mentality. So, •Patron of Jonathan Youth Vanguard if he becomes the focal point for the second •Ibom Continuous Transformation Movement (ICTM)—Prince Ekpuk Jumbo term’s campaign, it is assumed that most of the foot soldiers will suffer. To convince the •GEJites Volunteers — Chief Anthony Tosan Prest President, it is believed that he is being told •Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) —Professor Joe Okanlawon that having the chief on board to coordinate the groups could affect his chances on the •Neigbhours to Neigbhours — Ms. Stella Oduah account of his tight-fisted mentality. •Yes for Ebele Jonathan (YEJ) — Hajiya Hajara Isiaku In 2011, N2N coordinated the President’s election with massive grassroots mobilisation •Coalition of Nigeria Youths for Goodluck Jonathan—Collins Clarke as well as presentation of cash and gift items to — Yakubu Ede garner votes. It was reportedly coordinated by •North-Central Youth Group former Aviation Minister, Ms. Stella Oduah. •Save Sapele Youth Group (SSYG) — Omasan Mabiaku

•Continued from Page 19

the onerous task of coordinating the groups. Some believe the chief is too old for such rigorous assignment while others say experience is never a disadvantage but a plus. Oduah’s supporters, however, pointed to her successful stint with N2N in 2011. They wonder why it is necessary to change a winning team that is willing to do it again. Stakeholders are worried the battle might affect the overall campaign when it eventually kicks off, considering the enormous influence both promoters wield in the party. But others are convinced the battle is indeed a plus that will only further shore up the campaign. Some are even insinuating that the President might just create parallel platforms to both campaigners to maximise their reach and spread. But for now, the groups are busy with underground mobilisation, awaiting the Dday when their activities will receive official seal and the attendant windfall of dollars.

26 POLITICS

ripples

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2014

Presidency’s silent power broker

The battle of two Mohammeds

•Tukur

Jonathan solicits Ladoja's support •Abacha

Anyanwu joins Imo governorship race •Ladoja

Okowa intensifies consultations

•Okowa

•Anyanwu

Ewa’s third term bid under fire

•Ewa

Second term blues for Akande -Adeola

•Adeola

38 MAGAZINE

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

MAGAZINE 39

ENTERTAINMENT

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

Single, Married and Complicated hits cinemas

56 GLAMOUR/OUT & ABOUT

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2014

-- Page 53

'Nigerian shippers are being shortchanged'

Inside Nigeria’s counterfeit market Page 58, 59

•Jolapamo

Page 60

Easy mortgage for Nigerians in diaspora

ARRING any last minute change in plans, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) will soon commence the Diaspora mortgage model to serve the needs of Nigerians abroad who want to own homes in the country. Managing Director of the Bank, Gimba Ya'u Kumo, who disclosed that the Nigeria Diaspora Loan Scheme was developed in order to broaden the delivery channels for mass housing through the National Housing Fund Scheme (NHF) as provided by its core

•As FMBN rolls out guidelines From Nduka Chiejina (Assistant Editor), Abuja mandate. Kumo disclosed that the FMBN is currently concluding arrangements on securing an international payment gateway through which the funds will be channelled. He said, "We want to carry everybody along once it becomes operational and that is why we are seeking to secure an international gateway payment means through Visa and MasterCard. "Already, we have had two

meetings with them and also liaising with the Central Bank of Nigeria for necessary assistance and approvals." The FMBN boss said that the money from the product will be domiciled in the CBN because it is foreign currency and also to give the bank the opportunity to use it as security to borrow internationally to fund the project. Part of the guidelines for accessing the product, Kumo disclosed, is that prospective homeowners would be required to make monthly

contributions of the equivalent sum of US $100 over a minimum period of three years. The cumulative monthly contributions, he said, is meant to contribute savings to the contributor which is refundable with interest upon exit from the NHF scheme in accordance with the NHF Act. The product is offered to Nigerians in the Diaspora who satisfy conditions of being above the age of 18 years, who earn regular income and have evidence of the right to reside in their country of residence.

•From left: Manager, Health and Safety, Jamiu Badmos, Director, Leadership and Organisational Development, Etisalat Nigeria, Rabi Isma, Senior Project Officer, Lagos Empowerment And Resource Network, LEARN, Mrs Tonne Saheed and Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility, Etisalat Nigeria, Oyetola Oduyemi at the 11th edition of the Etisalat Career Counselling Initiative held in Lagos... recently PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

Default at your own risk, CAC threatens companies

OMPANIES and businesses defaulting in compliance with the provision of the companies and Allied Matters Act, CAMA, will soon face severe sanctions. In a statement by the Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Churchill Williams, the CAC has set up a special enforcement committee which had commenced crack down on the operation of some companies. He said: "The special enforcement committee had completed the first phase of on-site examination exercise

From Franca Ochigbo, Abuja in the Federal Capital Territory and had visited various markets, shopping malls and held collaborative meeting with relevant organisations to sensitise the public on the post incorporation obligation of registered companies and the consequences of operating unregistered businesses. "A total of 474 were penalised for non compliance during the exercise in the FCT. The next phase of the enforcement will be carried

out in the 36 states of the federation. "Under the provision of the companies and Allied Matters Act, CAMA, every company, business name and incorporated association, nongovernmental organisation (NGO), are required to file annual returns every year which informs the commission of the status of a registered entity." Williams said, under section 548 of CAMA, all companies are required to display their registered names and registration

number at their offices. Under section 553 of CAMA, every banking or insurance company or deposit, provident or benefit society is required to prepare and display in a conspicuous manner their statement of affairs twice in a year. Companies complying with the provision of CAMA stand the benefit of enjoying unhindered treatment of their post registration filling with the commission whereas filings from defaulting companies are rejected out rightly until they update their record.

'We don't joke with details' Page 62 •Adio

Experts stress financial inclusion

INANCIAL inclusion is key to achieving sustainable socioeconomic development in the country. This was the submission of a cross section of experts at this year's edition of the annual Business Day Mobile Money Roundtable held in Lagos. The event, which had in attendance mobile money operators, regulators, consumers, among other stakeholders, also hosted Mr. Valentine Obi, CEO of eTranzact International PLC, Mr Sim Shagaya, CEO of Konga.com, Mr Niyi Ajao, Executive Director (Technology & Operations), NIBSS, Mr Olaoluwa Awojoodu, CEO, CashEnvoy and Mr Emmanuel Okoegwale, Principal Associate, Mobile Money Africa, amongst others. Firing the first salvo, Obi, whose company owns PocketMoni, a Central Bank licensed mobile money service which enables users create an e-wallet on their mobile phones for making payments, fund transfer, as well as for receiving money), shared lessons that eTranzact has learnt so far in its financial inclusion efforts across the country He said, "Financial inclusion without value addition will not work, and every day at eTranzact we are working on unique solutions that continue to add value to the end consumer. "Over the years, we have worked hard to understand and deploy strategies that have truly helped mobile money grow, and though we have been hit with challenges along the way, we continued to invest financial, educational and other resources to ensure we can reach both the banked and unbanked.” Echoing similar sentiments, Shagaya, CEO of Konga.com, stressed how China is a good example of how financial inclusion can truly be achieved in an economy that is largely rural. He said, "Human beings are economic animals, and they want value and convenience. We need to rethink mobile experience even on the hard ware basis, and the power of mobile money will truly come alive. Today 70% of Nigerians will rather pay on delivery, and even though we do not have a problem with this, most of these people still insist on paying cash, but until we can solve some of these underlying issues, we will not be able to truly unlock the potential of mobile payments." In his own assertion, Alao said: "Mobile is a critical technology needed to achieve inclusiveness. Some of the challenges I see are in the way the mobile money solution is communicated to the average man on the street. We at NIBSS are committed to ensuring the success of mobile payments in Nigeria, and we have been working closely with providers like eTranzact and the banks to ensure that we truly achieve the set out goals for mobile money." Mr Emmanuel Okoegwale, Principal Associate, Mobile Money Africa, spoke about the importance of collaboration among the players if the true potential of mobile payments is to be achieved.

Nigeria, Angola fuelling global growth, says DHL boss

HILE Oil and Gas activity in West Africa is nothing new, it is the activity in East Africa which is creating a stir amongst exploration companies and of course, their suppliers. This is according to Steve Harley, President, DHL Energy Sector, who says that while Angola and Nigeria have always been the most notable producers within the Sub-Saharan region, more recently, significant gas discoveries in Tanzania and Mozambique, has led to East Africa now receiving its share of attention from global oil companies and potential investors. "Oil discoveries in Uganda and Kenya have also added to the excitement in the sector as new players look to enter these markets, including some of the largest independent and international oil companies, otherwise known as the super majors, who are now also witnessing the potential in this region." He says that in addition to the developments in East Africa, both Namibia and South Africa are also on the radar of investors within the sector. "South Africa in particular is receiving much attention, mostly because of the potential of shale gas in the Karoo, but also because it has a long and largely unexplored coastline, off which many believe large hydrocarbon fields may exist. As a result of the region's potential, there are several offshore drilling exploration expeditions currently being planned in South Africa by the major oil companies."

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

BUSINESS

N life, everything is a matter of choice. Whether you're taking a decision of what to eat, drink, wear, or where to live, it all boils down to one thing: choice. Little wonder in most markets across the country, the price of any product depends largely on the disposable income of the prospective buyer. And the reason for this is not far to seek: inferior goods come cheap while superior goods come with a huge price tag. In the assertion of analysts, pricing is sadly the major economic consideration that has come to define the quality of products that can be readily available to whomever, wherever and whenever! Naturally, playing on the psyche of the rest of the society, especially those on the lower rung of the ladder, people have had to succumb to the nefarious activities of unscrupulous businessmen who deal on substandard products, all to the detriment of the unsuspecting consumers. A peep into Nigeria's counterfeit market From Oluwole, Balogun, Ladipo, Jankara, Ikeja, Alaba International Market, Westminister in Apapa to Aba New Market, Ariara Market, Nnewi Market, Onitsha Main Market, Sabon Gari in Kano, to mention just a few, it is common knowledge that in those places you find genuine brand of any product side by side with their imitations. Here, you will find products of the original equipment manufacturers as well as those that have been cloned in such a way that their fakes are only visible to the trained eye. Why fake product persists In the view of some experts, the main reason for the proliferation of fake products is because of the complicity of some greedy Nigerian importers in saturating the markets with cheap, fake and substandard goods; and the ugly situation is exacerbated by some local manufacturers of products that fall short of international or national set standards. Stanley Amaechi holds the view and very strongly too that the weakest spot is the fact that the purchase of fake or substandard products could be linked to the poor status of the purchasers, because poverty cannot be separated from environment management. One way to stem the problem of fake and adulterated products, Amaechi said, is that "the government must show a lot of will in assisting in the development of technology to manufacture most of the goods imported which are also vulnerable to adulteration and counterfeiting." Expert mirrors Nigeria's counterfeit market Mr. Anthony Offor, a freight forwarder in Apapa Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, in an interview with The Nation, gave a bird's eye view of the products which are being faked and the modus operandi of counterfeiters. "The most commonly counterfeited electrical products in the country as at today are wires, bulbs, especially the newly introduced energy-saving bright but hotless brands and appliances such as heaters and switches. It is always difficult to identify them without the necessary gadgets for electrical standardisations," he said. Continuing, he said: "In terms of volume or the likely quantity of substandard electrical products being dumped into the country for local consumption, I must say that the quantity is gradually decreasing, to be honest, due to awareness and the relentless fights by the relevant agencies here in Nigeria and those of the countries where the fake products emanated from. If I may estimate the likely volume, I will put it at 13.7% and most of it comes in through the land routes and border. On the likely cost estimation, one can tentatively put it at 4.6billion naira annually." As to how to find out when electrical goods are being counterfeited, Offor said: "As I said

Inside Nigeria's counterfeit market A huge industry has been built around the sales and marketing of inferior goods, especially fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), including everything from household appliances, electrical and electronics equipment, mobile phones, computer hardware and software and other related accessories. In this report, Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf takes a look at concerted efforts by constituted authorities to address the menace

â&#x20AC;˘Aerial view of Computer village, Ikeja

earlier, most of these counterfeited electrical goods enter the country through the land borders, not the sea or air ports. Of course, the local business communities work like a cartel. They are distributed through the usual distributions and sold in the open shops from where they get to the end users. "The actual percentage varies and depends on the type of products, but I can rightly say that out of 100%, about 35% is being utilised locally, with less than 300 per cent re-exported: 65% is also re-exported to various countries. "Remember, the above electrical products are under the regulatory purview of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, and they have the necessary equipment and gadgets to detect them. This is why some of us still want both SON and NAFDAC back at the ports because some of the

importers of those substandard products play smart with the producers, especially from China. "The responsibilities are being shared by the Nigeria Customs Services, SON and NAFDAC in ridding the Nigerian markets of counterfeited and substandard products by conducting surveillance checks and also carrying out market survey to detect the influx of fake goods in the country. "The main actions taken by the authorities are raiding the markets where the counterfeited products are sold, seizures are made and the goods are confiscated or burnt. But all these come through enforcement exercise which rises through surveillance and intelligence report to pursue resolutely government's zerotolerance against product counterfeiters because they are

committed to the war against product counterfeiting." Besides, he said, "The main obstacles faced by law enforcement is lack of adequate facilities and at times the investigation is hampered by the so called corrupt officials because the suspects usually try to manoeuvre their way to get out of the loopholes when they get caught in the act. I believe there should be change in the modus operandi, and government should endeavour to reduce the quantum of sub-standard products into the country." A victim's sad tale Mr. Adekunle Mattew (not real name) is not usually happy to recount his not-so-pleasant experience at Computer Village. Located within the Ikeja axis, Computer Village houses thousands of technology companies and phone shops and is acclaimed as

the largest IT market in sub-Saharan Africa. Still seething with rage, Matthew who spoke with The Nation over the weekend recalled that sometime in 2008, he had gone to purchase some mobile phones, desktop computers and other related accessories for his wife, who had just accessed a small loan from her company's cooperative, in order to set up a business centre. "We committed over half a million into the transaction. But unknown to us, most of the products we bought were inferior. From the desktop to the software, all were adulterated products. Barely one week after we set up shop, the computers crashed and the Microsoft software we purchased was also not genuine," he recalled. Expatiating, he said, "Apparently convinced that we had a warranty for

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

BUSINESS

Firm unveils range of products By Adetutu Audu

â&#x20AC;˘ Odumodu

most of the products, I visited the shops we made those purchases from, but to my greatest surprise they said I had to pay extra if I was desirous of getting new products. But I insisted on a refund and that was when the trouble started. I instituted a criminal case against them but the law enforcement agencies compromised. And after two years of foot-dragging, I had to withdraw the case at the end. It's a sad experience I don't usually want to recall." Naturally, when news filtered in three years ago that the Lagos State government was set to relocate the popular Computer Village in order to decongest Ikeja, and ensure urban renewal, Matthew was one of those who heaved a sigh of relief. "The whole place is rowdy and unorganised, especially the manner in which various activities go on in the place, as touts have a free reign in the market and sometimes harbour criminal s too. So, it's best if the market is relocated," he said. But it never came to pass. No longer at ease with Nigeria's counterfeit market From available statistics made available to The Nation, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, has so far arrested more than 80% of individuals who have been involved in the illicit trade of counterfeiting. Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigeria Customs Services, and other sister agencies have been at the forefront of campaign to stem the tide of inferior goods in the system. Interestingly, their concerted effort is beginning to yield some dividends. As part of this campaign, the SON in company of heavily armed policemen clamped down on suspected fake phone dealers at the Computer Village market recently. Justifying the need for the raid, SON's Head of Intelligence and Compliance Directorate, Mr. Bede Obayi, who briefed journalists after the raid, said the exercise was diligently carried out, following the surveillance team's reports which indicated the influx of substandard phones into the market. He added that a handset dealer at Otigba Road, in the Lagos computer village, called Trinity Technologies and Communication Limited, came to SON and registered a brand called 'HMobile' phone, only for SON to discover thereafter that the company had embarked on the importation of different brands of handset other than the H-Mobile it registered with SON. "The company also imported a large quantity of unbranded handsets into the country and kept itself busy labelling them with marks of popular brands in the market, thereby deceiving the unsuspecting innocent buyers."

â&#x20AC;˘Juwah

The Managing Director of the company, who apparently got wind of SON's presence at his shop, took to his heels. However, two members of his staff are now helping SON and the police in locating his warehouse, where it is believed that he has a stockpile of the fake handsets, being a big time distributor of the product. However, Obayi expressed shock at the unholy attitude of the market leaders who instigated their boys to assault SON officials and the police with dangerous weapons during which the agency's vehicles were destroyed. He said: "Our operation in the market was very smooth as our target was only the Trinity Technologies and Communication Limited shop and we requested other traders who converged around us to go about their businesses. Nobody was molested or insulted by our men and policemen attached to us, as we consulted with the police in charge of the market and they provided us with a place to park our vehicles. "Even their market leaders were informed about our operation in the market as SON and market associations in major markets across the country have been collaborating to rid markets of fake and substandard goods. "So, if Lagos computer village market association leaders are now collaborating with dealers in fake and substandard goods in their market, that will be the next thing the SON management has to decide on how to handle," he concluded. NCC raises voice over the din Apparently miffed by the incidence of adulterated IT products in the country, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has urged men of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to tackle the influx of fake and substandard mobile phones into the country. Speaking in Lagos recently, its Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Eugene Juwah, said the duties of the regulator do not extend to monitoring the importation of mobile phones, but type-approving and placing the list of the type-approved mobile phones on its website and availing the NCS of a copy too. According to him, the issue of fake/substandard mobile phones is complex as the phones find their way into the country through the various entry points. Experts have argued that aside factors, such as base transmission station (BTS) and metropolitan optic fibre cable (OFC) vandalism, the quality of service (QoS) problem in the country has been associated with interference arising from low and substandard mobile phones. He said: "Well, on the issue of phones, it is very difficult. We don't

control the import of phones. All sorts of phones come into the country. "NCC has always been in talks, discussion and information-sharing with the Customs Service and it is really their duty (to stop unbridled importation of mobile phones). They have our list of approved phones but phones come through smuggling and other means. You have to bear that in mind. A lot of the cheaper phones come through smuggling. The bigger phones such as Apple phones come through specific distributors and they come to the customs too. The small phones can contribute to the issue of QoS because they are not approved, they are not well manufactured and they come from the grey markets into Nigeria." A rebuttal from a Chinese firm Meanwhile, a Chinese telecom equipment vendor, Huawei Technologies Limited, has extricated his home country from allegations of product counterfeiting. Rather, he blamed the erratic power supply from the national grid for the poor telecoms services in the country. Speaking during a courtesy visit to the headquarters of Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation newspaper titles and Sporting Life, in Lagos, recently, the Managing Director, Huawei Technologies Limited, Nigeria, Mr. Pang Jimin, said as telecoms equipment vendors with network optimisation agreements with all the operators in the country, the recurrent issue of poor quality of service (QoS) has nothing to do with its equipment but more of the challenges the nation is having with the power sector. Jimin dispelled the insinuation that Chinese firms were manufacturing substandard equipment and shipping them to Nigeria and other third world countries, adding that its products are universal in quality and in every ramification. He said: "I think one of the major issues that you cannot compare this country with China or Europe is power. In China, there is no power failure. Here, there is always power failure and you know when one base transmission station (BTS) goes off, service quality will go down." According to him, its range of mobile phones and other products are manufactured with no region or continent in mind, insisting that Huawei, as a global brand, does not collude with unscrupulous elements to mass-produce substandard products and ship to the local market for gains. As standard regulatory bodies, SON, NAFDAC et al, take the battle to product counterfeiters in the country, we wait with bated breath to see if they succeed.

CBRIDE Research Labs (MRL), Inc., the globally renowned manufacturer of leading hair care brand, Design Essentials, in conjunction with Nigerian partners, Compass Consulting and PTF Orchards, has launched its range of products in Nigeria during a business activation event tagged "Design Essentials Launch & Consumer Awareness Day" at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. The brand also played host to reporters at a media launch as well as professional hair stylists and barbers to a technical challenge with MRL master trainers passing on skills and engaging leading salons, hairdressers, barbers and hairstylists in a nationwide cutting edge training programme. Speaking at the media launch, President of McBride Research Labs (MRL), Mr. Cornell McBride Jnr., explained the specific function of Design Essentials hair products which is "to infuse hair with a natural balance of vitamins and protein that promote movement and manageability". He said further: "The intent is to penetrate the Nigerian market and make it a known brand in the country, thereby providing the quality of products needed by professional stylists to deliver the level of service clients demand today." Mr. McBride Jnr. emphasised on the brand's philosophy of maintaining the integrity of the professional industry by only selling its professional range through salons, which in turn generates additional profits for the salon to build on other important things that will help with rapid growth and expansion of the business. In her address, CEO, Compass Consulting, Mrs. Tokunbo Chiedu, reiterated the objectives of MRL, adding that their major concern as a consultancy in the trade and investment promotion space has been to facilitate the entry of brands that add value and those that serve the interests of the Nigerian market and the people's aspirations to do better and compete with their counterparts on the global stage. "Nigerian stylists should be able to compete and also provide the same or even better quality of service as their counterparts in other countries where they have very good stylists," Mrs. Chiedu stated.

â&#x20AC;˘From left: Mr. Patrick Marinho, Mrs. Tokunbo Chiedu, Mr. Cornell McBride Jnr and Mr. Femi Niyi after the Design Essentials media launch in Lagos

Samsung, firm partner on smart homes for consumers

N line with its vision of creating the ideal home environment where innovative technology meets cutting-edge design, Samsung Electronics West Africa has partnered with Home and You Interiors to showcase the future of interior decoration. The initiative is the first of its kind in Nigeria and underscores the partners' commitment to delivering products that meet consumers' needs while enhancing their passion for entertainment, cooking and maintaining beautiful homes. Similar partnerships between Samsung and other interior design companies across the country are slated for the months ahead. According to Samsung Electronics' Director of Consumer Electronics, Mr. Sunil Kumar, the initiative aims to provide Nigerians with the opportunity of experiencing the integration of Samsung's newest consumer appliances, including its curved ultra-high-definition televisions and digital appliances such as the newly launched WW9000 washing machine, with everyday lifestyles. "Our partnership with Home and You Interiors reinforces our continued commitment to offering homeowners the very best in innovative and stylish design. Through this channel, Nigerians can experience the elegant design and interoperability of Samsung's latest consumer appliances in a tastefully-furnished home setting. The initiative will also enable our consumers elevate the look and design of their homes with a blend of quality furniture and consumer appliances towards making their living spaces more stylish, energy efficient and sustainable," he said. Kumar urged Nigerians to visit Home and You Interiors' showroom in Lekki, Lagos in order to interact firsthand with the companies' lifestyle and technology innovations as well as obtain a deeper understanding of the partnering organisations' commitment to creating a smarter life through quality design and innovative eco-friendly solutions. He added that Samsung will be furthering its commitment to promoting smart living by partnering with other interior designers in Nigeria's residential market. On her part, Chief Executive Officer of Home and You Interiors, Mrs. Feyisola Abiru, said "Since inception, our company has delivered top quality furniture, accessories and designs that create interiors that wow. Through this partnership with Samsung, our clients will get to see how effortlessly integrated technology solutions blend into our creative designs and ultimately enable them to enjoy style and optimal convenience at all times." Samsung Electronics Co. Limited is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, the company is transforming the worlds of televisions, home appliances, LTE systems, smartphones, personal computers, printers, cameras, semiconductors and LED solutions. The group employs 236,000 people across 79 countries with annual sales of US$187.8 billion.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

BUSINESS

RE the fears real or unfounded in some quarters that local vessels and ship operators are losing businesses to foreign counterparts due to adverse working environment, a development many argue may soon force them into extinction? The fears are right, let me put it succinctly. It is so in the sense that we had a law which came into force about thirteen years ago or so called Inland Shipping Cabotage Law. It says you have the exclusive preserve to your cargo within your country. That was the intention. It followed after the Jones Act in America and all other areas that are practicing it. But our major problem in this country is that our contemporaries are usually ahead of us. Let me first pause on shipping and paint the more practical scenario for you. We are currently importing refined petroleum products into this country. And we have sufficient oil in the country that we are exporting on the average of about two or more million barrels a day because we cannot refine by ourselves. So, we are compelled to import. Some smart foreign people have made sure that that is the way things must be done whether by hook or crook. And all these are for their own interest. They run down our refineries and leave them in a comatose because they want to continue holding on to the ace. It also follows too with the cabotage law that we say we have that they want to control our local shipping. So, the whole game is about controlling local shipping. Some of us have been in this business for the last three decades before the law. And we were doing well because we were cooperating with the foreigners to do it. But when the law came, we thought that at last, we would stop taking crumbs from the tables. Unfortunately however, the people are quite ahead of us. Because they are ahead of us and have control of the cargo and shipping activities in our own water space, how then will the law that we have work? That is how we have been blaming ourselves, throwing brickbats, shouting that the flag administration is supposed to do this and that; whereas the people we are dealing with are always a step ahead of us. What is the Flag Administration supposed to do in all these? The Flag Administration is the NIMASSA. The agency is supposed to make sure that this law works by enforcing it. But how can they enforce it? But I have a different view from that of others. In the sense that is it only NIMASSA that is involved? What about the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), that owns the oil, that imports the refined products, which does not believe in Nigerians doing the job? How then can NIMASSA be able to enforce? The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), that brings

'Nigerian shippers are being shortchanged' Isaac M. Jolapamo is Chairman/Chief Executive, MORLAP Shipping Company. He doubles as Chairman, Indigenous Ship Owners Association (ISOA), which is on the verge of being renamed Nigerian Ship Owners Association (NISOAN) by stakeholders. In this interview with Joke Kujenya, he speaks on the obstacles and prospects of shipping business in Nigeria and other salient issues. Excerpts: the vessel in, does not bother to find out whether this vessel that has brought a particular cargo is complying with the rules. The Navy that says it has given the vessel clearance does not find out the traders that are Nigerians or wants to get near a Nigerian vessel because of the peculiar Nigerian factor. The problems that we have in the country of course, goes to every Nigerian whether you are in the air, water or land. And this is a very big challenge. But of course, if there is synergy, which hopefully, we expect to be, because it is in the process, things might begin to work. Do you share the perception that the non implementation of the Cabotage Act has been blamed for the parlous state of the nation's marine sub sector? Did you say implementation? I ask you, who is going to implement what? If we say it is NIMASSA that should do that, I put it on record today that, the agency is constrained. But it is not the only agency that controls the movement of the ship or knows about how things operate. If you say you are practicing a law and want every ship to comply with such, but the authorities tasked with the duty to ensure that such is done, don't believe that our own people can do that job. So, how will the law work? That's the point we are making. I am now saying that there is a synergy that NIMASSA is putting in place that every other people involved can key into. It is after everyone has locked into this that we can begin to have some positive result. Already, a lot of people have burnt their fingers before that. Business associations are often seen as pressure groups to demand proper working of things in their sectors. What is NISOAN doing? We have done a lot. I say this because we have drawn the attention of government to what the country stands to gain in terms of employment generation and

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•Jolapamo

empowering Nigerians. We didn't paint only the challenges. This also called for a retreat that the President had to set up a committee to look at the entire issues that were raised. On top of the agenda is, if you can create so much jobs, then, let us try and make it work. These recommendations are already with the government. However, it is also the willpower of the government to implement some of these recommendations because so many factors that I am not able to tell you for the pages of the newspapers, must be reversed. But there are forces contending against the willpower that, if care is not taken, could truncate the vital points in the recommendations. All of these stem out of nothing else, but selfish-interests, which is more of a Nigerian factor. But we know all this is

PHOTO: OMOLOLA ORIOGUN

tough. And if we look at the history of shipping in the country, we are just resolute that we will make a success of what we are doing. There hasn't been any success story in shipping in Nigeria thus far. And that is why the formation of our association is based on the doggedness that Nigerian shipping business will scale the hurdles and record commendable success in our businesses. It's an open secret that shipping business is very capital intensive. So, what are the steps to take for a prospective investor? Clearly, you can't buy a ship with your own money. But of course, they do it in Nigeria because there are some with so much easy funds around. But in other climes, you go to the bank or financiers to get a ship. However, you don't get a ship first without business to do with the ship. It is actually the business

you have to do with the ship that the bank will look at to know that your initiative will be profitable or not. But our own situation has been that we put the horse before the cart. They ask you to go and bring the ship before they give you the job, which is not appropriate. The way shipping business runs is that you have a job first. Now, a job, in shipping is, the cargo you will be carrying with the vessel. You must know what you want to use the liner for, how much you are going to make monthly and the amount you will expend on it. When the bank looks at all these, they will know how much money is involved, how long do you have the contract, will you be able to pay for the ship? These are all the very important aspects to consider. Sadly, in our own clime, what we see is the reverse. The current trend is so hard to explain, I must confess. Do you think the FG's recent idea of insurance for local vessels can work? Insurance for local vessels has always been an issue. And there are two types of insurance for every vessel, both local and international. There is haul and machinery. This is for the haul of the ship as it is, its engines and everything. And then, there is the Protection & Indemnity (P & I), which is a third party liability insurance that in case, a vessel hits another vessel. But just as we are clamouring to have the chunk of the businesses here, so also is the insurance group hollering to have their own. But of course, there are forces at play that has not allowed them to get what they want. However, the chunk of most insurances of Nigerian flag vessels today i.e. haul and machinery, is being done by domestic insurance companies. It may not be a hundred percent, but it is up to a level. They share it with a foreign group. But today, the P & I is not being done anywhere in Africa. Our association has been on the drawing board to set up one called ‘African P & I’. Till date, it is yet to see sunshine because of our

If we look at the history of shipping in the country, we are just resolute that we will make a success of what we are doing. There hasn't been any success story in shipping in Nigeria thus far. And that is why the formation of our association is based on the doggedness that Nigerian shipping business will scale the hurdles and record commendable success in our businesses.

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insurance law which does not allow such. But it is being looked into by the Presidential Committee set up by the FG. But we are trying to do a few things that will make the business better because of those coming in the nearest future. That is why we are not going to leave it as it is but make sure there is a turn-around for the better for the younger ones to build on. What could make a ship not have jobs? Here in Nigeria, what happens is that you can be given a job to come and do for one year, but that cannot sustain you or your loan in the bank. You are supposed to be given that job for about five years. Those are some of the reasons that brings about a ship not having a job. You can even lose a contract because they don't want you. There is so much espionage and Mafia sort of pranks in shipping. I believe that some of our people are just being frustrated. If they think your crew is not good, and you have Indian crew that are smart and know their onions on a Greek vessel; and a trader needs to charter a vessel, he would go for the Greek vessel. He would rather patronise the Indian crew than a vessel with Nigerian crew. The operator of such a vessel has it at the back of his head that these Nigerians want to be like him. And that is so because we ourselves have thrown our profession to the dust. But in those other places, they still maintain high ethical standards. These are the hard facts that we must admit but which in some quarters, they don't want said. We must seriously look for a way out of this. I recently had a discussion with some NIMASSA topnotch. Our talks bothered on their importance of training people that are under them. If they don't do that, those under them would just think that all about shipping is ‘waivers’ because that is something in the cabotage law that says if you can't find a Nigerian vessel, then, take a foreign vessel and issue it a waiver. We have kicked against the idea from day one, sadly, it is still there. Now, it was something meant to be in place for just about five years. But from what we are seeing, it could survive the next 100years if it is not taken out. The people that run the place would just be concerned about collecting their own two percent just for the foreign vessels to work. If it however gets to the point we say, this is our own, then, somebody should ask, why can't you take a Nigerian vessel. If they say there is none, you direct them to where they can find one or two. That is how it is done in other places. If the Navy want to give approval for any ship, they would ask why it is a foreign one being sent; don't we have our own? So, there is need to educate everybody. If a ship wants to come in, it involves so many organs such as Customs, Navy and others. So, if all of them demand that they want things to work around the shipping business; it would work. Again, that's where the synergy comes into play.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2014

OW did your journey into business start? My journey into business started from an early age, without really realising it. I was groomed to be a business woman by my grandmother who herself was a trader and a farmer. Every holiday when we went to the village to visit her, she would make me sell her farm produce and she let me sell it as I pleased and she would sing my praise to all who cared to listen. I did it then just for the praise, I enjoyed the drama and attention I got as she would use my name to sing different songs. She would dance and she was loud about it, so selling and doing chores, for me, became my goal every holiday, even though my dad who was a pilot and my mum a contractor with shell. My other siblings hated the idea but I did it as if my life depended on it. I did it with so much joy, and today I am that girl; that happy, hardworking grandma's girl, now a woman. Which was your first job? When I graduated, the first job I got was with a construction company. They built mostly churches, universities and did big projects only. I was the site clerk. I resigned as the site clerk, registered a company name and called my mum and my brother and I started this supply business of building materials. I relocated to Lagos and ventured into other line of businesses, and realised there is so much potential in Africa; there is so much to learn and so much to do. I have always had an independent mindset. I have too many ideas running through my mind and I know that doing a white collar job would limit me to a certain extent and I would be required to work within my job description, job group and the company scope. I do white collar jobs only to gain knowledge and the technical knowhow of certain operations and to add to my CV. But once the knowledge is tested and proved, I like to expand and maximise it in my business world. How do you compete with others in the market? Ideas and opportunities kept presenting themselves to me. I just don't know how to be idle; I like to work, even if it is for charity. I just like to be productive and multiply in productivity. I am the kind of person who would sell water to fish. If I find myself in a bad place, I like to think of what good can be sold there. So, basically, ideas present themselves to me and I take a chance on them. What do you consider as inspiration on the job? The very first people I share my business ideas with, the ones who support and give approval. Those I need the most are the first to say no, don't do it, you can't do it, forget about it or some just go silent on you. Without

'Nigeria needs more startups to grow economy' Ibifuro Tatua, CEO, Boss Pan Africa Limited, a company involved in packaging and sourcing building materials is helping others to take their business to the next level and connecting with their contemporaries in other parts of the world. In this interview with Rita Enosegbe, she shares her passion for business and other related issues. Excerpts: moral support, it becomes four times more difficult to proceed, but now I have decided to try things out on my own or with like minds that may not necessarily be close to you but who believe it can be done. That is no longer a challenge for me, however. Every business has its own challenges; for some it is cash, for me it is to understand the business, the nitty-gritty of the business. It takes time to grasp the basics of a business, we see the beautiful aspect of a finished product, we project in our mind and calculate the expected turn out of the business, but most times those tiny factors we overlook can set us back and frustrate a well planned and heavily funded venture. As much as it is good to hire professionals to handle every area of your business, there is need for you to have an idea of what to do to save your business until help surfaces. I call it business first aid; there is also need to have an understudy for every professional. What inspires what you do? I learn from those who have gone through the mile I want to go. I read books, watch documentaries on the businesses I am interested in. I keep an open mind, I take risk, and I make friends and find mentors or role models in the chosen line of business. I don't mind running errands for them just to stay close. I tell them my mission and most often than not, they are happy and willing to put you through, but you must always remember to give them due credit at every chance you get, and you must be

â&#x20AC;˘Tatua focused. What challenge did you face at the beginning? I trust easily. I give people benefit of doubt and I like to give room to my workers to create. I do not box them and they do excellently well, but not checking on them, not checking on their final delivery has cost

me time, money and a few opportunities. So, now, no matter how brilliant an idea, I see to it that it is reviewed critically. I still make mistakes; I am still a work in progress, but I try to see how best to improve on production and services. I am inspired by a lot of

factors pending on what angle I look at it. I like change, I like to make a difference, I like to feel secured, I like to just go out there and come back with favourable results or at least make an attempt. If you don't utilise your full potential in your youth, when you are strong and active, is it when you are old weak and feeble that you will begin to think and work? In my first year at the university I came across a phrase: procrastination is the thief of time. I liked it so much and used it often, as so as I knew what it meant, if you don't do it now, you might as well forget it because every second that clicks is time being spent, burnt, lost, and it is you getting older by the seconds. Some people tell me they don't have the platform or opportunity to prove themselves. Some say they have ideas but don't have the resources, well how long will you wait? What if the platform or resources you are waiting for never comes; will you just wait and do nothing? Why not get busy while you expect that big break. Trust me, nothing is too small, it was one Otunba in Lagos who said: 'shit business is big business'. What can be low as that if you look at it from a layman view? How did you raise your start-up capital? No matter how quietly you make it, your responsibility increases, the demand on you is high and there is the need to give back to the society. You just have to set your priorities straight; you must set aside money for business, money for

Canada drives youth entrepreneurship in Nigeria

ANADA has announced support for a new project to help increase job opportunities and promote entrepreneurship among young people in Nigeria. Senator Don Meredith, on behalf of the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, made this disclosure during the inaugural national convention of the Akwa Cross Association of Canada. Akwa Cross is a

non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the preservation of the cultures in the Nigerian states of Akwa Ibom and Cross River. "The need for meaningful, sustainable employment, especially for youth, is a critical issue in Nigeria. Creating sustainable economic growth is the best way to break the cycle of poverty and create shared prosperity," said Senator Meredith. "Canada is proud to help increase employment,

support small entrepreneurs and secure livelihoods for young women and men in areas such as agriculture and forestry." Canada's support will help stimulate private-sectorled growth in Nigeria's Cross River State by creating the conditions to responsibly manage its forestry, agriculture and fisheries sectors. Efforts will focus on providing skills and entrepreneurship training for young people so they are

better equipped to secure jobs and start and grow businesses in the country's resourcebased economy. Today's announcement builds on Canada's work with Nigerian organisations and government bodies to improve how the country manages its natural resources. "Canada, under the leadership of Prime Minister Harper, is recognised as a global champion for improving maternal, newborn and child health.â&#x20AC;?

pleasure and money for emergencies. You must learn to be financially disciplined or else you end up worse than where you started. I have made several financial mistakes. I love to shop and I love to help people, but I realised that moderation is the key word. In everything you do, set a limit. It was Mahatma Gandhi who said: "Never test the depth of a river with both feet," so I make sure I don't get carried away with expenditures. As for human resources, some people see me and their first reaction is, this small girl? Well, by the time they sit down to discuss business with me and realise that I know what I am doing, they begin to say, 'yes ma', 'ok madam' or 'yes boss.' What do you hope to gain from the international summit? When I got an award as the young performing personality of the year at the Niger Delta Achievers Merit award in 2012, I was surprised to see many young entrepreneurs like myself at the event. I was really impressed to see that the young people have decided to take control of the economic situation around them. Then at the African Achievers Award held in Ghana, I met much more youths across Africa taking giant strides; some of us came together and decided that there was need for us to meet, inspire, empower and support the next generation of emerging global business leaders who are committed to use the power of business to change some of Africa's most challenging economic, social and environmental problems. The summit will feature the top business leaders like Mrs. Divine Ndhlukula, Forbes most successful business woman in Africa 2012. Others include Maha k.Al-Ghunaim Chairperson & Group Chief Executive Officer of the Global Investment House, Justina Mutale (Founder Positive Runway), with presence across 54 countries globally and Richard Branson, founder and Chairman of Virgin Group. The summit is designed to support young people on their ongoing journey of business excellence as renowned business leaders, industry giants and entrepreneur expects have been lined up to give them extensive training, while stimulating real life business challenges in the 21st century with pragmatic solutions for society benefit and business success. It would also help to match individuals with the best in the industries or sector will be our own strategic mechanism to guarantee value. What are the other benefits? Participants would gain perspective on their own current leadership challenges, looking both at their personal styles and global strategic context of their industries. The business sessions, trade collaborations, seminars, expert business tour, networking opportunities and political exposure will surely define the crescendo of the summit and make it an experience unforgettable for all participants.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2014

N1996, Adeleke Onanuga, one of the few people who had taken to dance as a profession in Nigeria, gathered a few artistes together to form the Dugombas Dance Company. Onanuga, a former member of the National Troupe of Nigeria, had deemed it necessary to form this group so as to expand the frontiers of traditional dance in Nigeria. Beyond that, his primary aim was to provide opportunities for young Nigerian artistes who wanted to go into the dance profession full time. Then it was only very few people who believed in him; thinking that this was a tough terrain where no same person should venture into. But he proved cynics wrong. However, that did not deter him. Promptly, he left the National Troupe of Nigeria in order to have enough time for his pet dream. To make this a reality, Onanuga decided to create his own dance style, launching into traditional music and local dances that would appeal to the people. Since the formation of Dugombas, they have been involved in many dance competitions and outings both in Nigeria and abroad where they have been able to entrench those sensational elements of local dances for which the society is widely known. Speaking to The Nation on the exploits of the group and why they have kept the flag flying ever since, Adepeju Oguntade, the spokesperson of the group said: “Even though Onanuga, the founder now lives in America, he comes home from time to time to see how we are doing. What is more important to us is that we have been able to let the world know that dance is now a serious business. And as it is today, we have been able to create our own niche, our own dance patterns and methods.” Particularly by looking inwards in terms of the sort of dances they engage in, they have equally evolved new styles and ways of beating the dundun drums. She said, “In our own type of dundun drumming we try to be very solemn in all our beatings and dances. If we are doing it for a festival, we try to create our own unique songs, songs that usually suit that very occasion. There have been occasions where we were asked or rather invited to perform in a funeral, it was our duty to compose the songs that suited the ceremony,” Oguntade decided. To her and her group, the real essence of Dugombas is to ensure that traditional dance patterns in Nigeria are given deserving attention.” This is why,” she explained, “We have adopted some songs and dances from other parts of Nigeria. What we have at every outing are complete dances representing each tribe in Nigeria. From Ijaw land, we have copied Aganenboh, a dance that is peculiar to the people. Also we have learnt Egwu Odu which is Igbo and which also showcases the type of maiden dance peculiar to the women. Not only that all these dances are traditional to the people, they are wellknown and such bring out the whole beauty and essence of what the people stand for.” In other areas of the dance pattern like Akoto which is taken from Badagry, the Dugombas have found solace and real satisfaction in using the solemnity of the traditions of the people to extend the frontiers of the dance. “The people of Badagry love this dance a lot and wherever we take it to, people usually take a liking to it. It is just because we have learnt it so well that it is now seen as being unique and special”, Oguntade said. The group has also adapted to the sango bata dance, a pattern that has always been common to Yoruba traditions. “This is one of those very striking movements that give a typical Yoruba traditional dance setting its uniqueness. To us at Dugombas, sango bata has the best sound in known history. And whenever it is sounded or beaten, you’d notice how pierc-

‘How we dazzled The Gambia’ Adeleke Onanuga became a professional dancer at an early age. A former dancer with the National Troupe of Nigeria, in 1996, he formed the Dugombas Dance Company. Even though he has since relocated to the United States of America, the troupe is still intact. Its spokesperson, Adepeju Oguntade tells Edozie Udeze how they once used dance to dazzle guests in the Gambia, the uniqueness of their own dance patterns and what it takes to be a strong voice in the dance trade and lots more

•Dugombas drummers at work

•Idowu Kamoru, Adepeju Oguntade and Ife Lawal

ing the sound becomes. You know sango is a very powerful deity so is its sound in form of music,” she pointed out. Oguntade whose father, Ahmed Oguntade produced and directed Ajeniyami, the first Yoruba home video in Nigeria and who also directed Ken Nnebue’s Living in Bondage in 1990s said that for her group to perform in any social function the least amount they can accept for a ten to twelve minutes performance is

N300, 000. “Dance is beginning to prove tough. More prominent Nigerians have indeed begun to buy into it. Most often we are asked to travel outside Lagos to perform for big people. Even though we wouldn’t say the money is big enough now, our joy is that at least if you are good as a dance company, people who matter are out there to show appreciation.” A few years ago, the troupe travelled to the Gambia on behalf of Nigeria to par-

ticipate in that country’s national dance festival. It was an occasion to showcase the traditional dances of Nigeria during which also other countries of the world came to appreciate Nigeria’s numerous dances. “The festival in the Gambia proved to be an eye-opener,” Oguntade professed. “This was so because we decided to travel with the best dancers we had. The drums we took there were unique and our costumes proved to be the most colourful”. To date, she explained, they have been involved in other very important local dances like those of Gulder Ultimate Search, Maltina Dance Hall, Star at 50 and lots more. “During the Maltina Dance Hall, we had to travel to Enugu to be part of the closing ceremonies. Maltina cannot invite you if you are not considered good enough to be part of it. The show was so good that is indeed opened more new doors for us” When you talk of one of the most consistent dance companies in Nigeria today, Dugombas stands out because even in the absence of their proprietor, they have been able to hold forth. Oguntade noted that this is due to their tenacity of purpose. For instance, in the past years they have been consistent with their weekly rehearsals which run thrice weekly. “But whenever we have a serious assignment to face, we rehearse every day. With this, we have been excelling in all our shows. You cannot call yourself a serious dancer when you cannot be committed to rehearsals and occasional exercises to put your body in proper shape. Part of what keeps you up there is your ability to prove that you are physically strong.” With a sound and symbiotic relationship with the National troupe of Nigeria since its inception, Dugombas has come to occupy a very prominent position among all the privatelyowned dance companies in the country. As it is now, each time the National troupe wants a freelance artiste it usually goes to Dugombas for such service. “It is a long standing relationship,” Oguntade enthused. “It has been so because we understand what they need and they too know that we can satisfy their requirements. Over the years most of us have benefited from such arrangements”. One of the most impressive qualities of an outstanding theatre or dance troupe is its ability to create its own brand in all aspects. In terms of costuming, the Dugombas have been able to achieve that. All their costumes are designed by their own artistes. “We do that to create the kind of designs that suit our purpose,” she said. “We know that or would be a bit difficult for an outsider to really understand our taste s when it comes to costumes and that is why we’ve chosen to do it our own way”. Currently, they have two female artistes (costumiers) whose sole responsibility is to design and create the style that suits each of their outings. “Above all, the fabrics are sourced locally. They need to be in conformity with our local need,” she further stated. “And that is why anywhere we appear on stage, the sparkle is different because the colours of your costumes add a lot to your displays”.

ARTS

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2014

Making a case for regional growth Book: Regional Integration: Strategy for Nation Development Pages: 162 Publishers: Vintage Press, Lagos and CEEDEE resources, Ibadan Year of publication: 2014 Reviewer: Joe Agbro Jr

HOEVER thought about forming economic blocs must have known that combining two ‘good’ heads to form one is better than ploughing ahead solo at achieving success. Hence, it does not come as a surprise when various professional bodies, community, and nationalities gather together to gain from the powers of synergy. Such liaisons have galvanised into the formidable associations like the United Nations (UN), North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), and the Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Closer home to Nigeria, the Africa Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have been established. The gains of such unions can never underestimated, hence, some jostling to belong have occurred. It was these gains that brought about the formation of the European Union (EU) by 12 countries in 1993. And in the country, the call for regional economic bloc has also been screamed. In the early years before Nigeria’s independence and shortly after, regions such as the southwest pioneered integration. The region championed development causes such as farming and industry and it quickly became an economic force to reckon with. Well, that was before the discovery of oil in Title: Tourism Destination Management; A Guide for Policy Makers and Destination Management Author: Ashamu Sewanu Fadipe Reviewer: Nneka Nwaneri Publishers: Prince of Prints, Lagos

OURISM is now a major engine of growth and development contributing significantly to Gross Domestic Product of many nations. Arising from the Earth Summit in 1992 organised by World Commission on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, sustainability has become a major ingredient for development. This book takes a cue from the publication of the World Tourism Organisation ( Indicators of Sustainable Development of Tourism Destination a Guidebook) to further help and inform Policy Makers and Destination Managers to obtain as much information as possible to guide their decision making process. To further articulate and interpret the subject matter, a set of component issues are provided including its performance indicators and verification to allow deeper knowledge. Sustainable development of tourism is applicable to all forms of tourism without exception. Tourism destination cannot exist without tourism product. Tourism products are the assets of the local community. They include complimentary attractions such as natural resources (beaches, waterfalls, mountains, ecosystems and landscapes) cultural and historical resources (festivals, historic sites, museums, local food) infrastructural facilities (roads, marinas, airport terminals) and support services ( tour operations, courier services, insurance, tourist information office etc). These attractions are planned in an integrated manner with the community aspiration and their active participation. The planning also involves creating partnership with other stakeholders such as travel agents, the tour operators, the hotel owners, the transporters and owners of the heritage sites to mention but a few. These attractions are planned in an integrated manner with the community aspiration and their active participation. The planning also involves creating partnership with other stakeholders such as the travel agents, the tour operators, the hotel owners, the transporters and owners of the heritage sites to mention but a few. There should be fundamental principles of creating tourism products, its development guidelines, planning process and marketing strategy. Planners are encouraged to

the Niger Delta and the country’s dependence on the black gold. But in recent times, the southwest comprising Yorubas, have come up with Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), a regional success road map. And complementary to that, two companies – Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation newspaper, and CEEDEE Resources, - organised in 2012 and 2013, a Legislative Summit in Ibadan and a southwest Expo in Osogbo respectively. It was a product of that synergy that resulted in the book, Regional Integration; Strategy for National Development. The 162-page book is a compendium of papers from politicians, technocrats, academics, as well as traditional leaders, all pursuing the goal of regional integration. The Osun State governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, posited that the time for the idea of regional integration has come. He also advocated that the policy thrust should focus on some critical areas such as employment, education, transportation, healthcare and agriculture. And looking at the future to expand the

tentacles of DAWN beyond the current states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo States, Dipo Famakinwa, the director-general of the DAWN Commission stated: ‘DAWN is a challenge of leadership. The whole world is leaving us behind and we cannot continue to put the lives and well-being of about 40 million in jeopardy.’ To this end, the region would synergise efforts, especially concerning trade and industry, and setting up target landmark projects in road and rail construction, healthcare and provision of a ‘Regional Technology City). He also canvassed extending DAWN’s gains to include people in Kwara, Kogi, Edo and Delta States. A former governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba considers the drive for regional integration as a return to the region’s early success. ‘The regions enjoyed measurable autonomy from the centre,’ he stated. ‘They enjoyed fiscal federalism, retaining at least 50% of revenues derived within their terri-

tories. They had their own separate constitution as well as regional police to ensure security.’ According to him, had the arrangement progressed, Nigeria could have currently been at par with the Asian Tigers. And while most presenters spoke glowingly of regional integration, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, observed that ‘regional integration is very imperative in Nigeria today because the federalism practiced today is not only lopsided, but it is also counter-productive.’ She also skimmed on some demerits of regional integration to include rivalry for donor funds, contradictory obligations and loyalty for member states, fragmented economic spaces and inconsistent objectives and conflicting operational mandates. The contributors also include Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, Hon. Olawale Oshun, the chairman of Afenifere Renewal Group, and Hon. Adeyinka Ajayi, chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Aids, Loan, and Debt Management. Others were Professor Akin Oyebode, Professor Adebayo Williams, and High Chief Omowale Kuye, Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland. Overall, the book comes across as a distillation of a peoples’ idea and their efforts toward achieving socio-political and economic strength, the ‘bringing back’ if you may, of something they had enjoyed in the past.

Doing it better through tourism develop as many as what to see and what to do because tourism products are amalgamation of attractions, because the more of what to do and what to see; the more the visitors are attracted to the destination. The author made reference to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and the United Nations Environmental Programme, which set out twelve aims towards achieving sustainable development through tourism. From the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Human Development Report of 2003 reviewed in 2011 and 2013 respectively, it was reported that these aims are set to reduce poverty in the world. Already over 1.2 billion people are in extreme poverty level. More than two-third of them live in Asia, half of them are in South Asia while one fourth reside in Sub-Sahara Africa. The larger majority of the poor live in medium and large size countries. More than sixty percent of the event world’s poor reside in just five countries and other less developed nations live in hunger and malnutrition, lack access to good health, water, housing, education and basic skills. The book tourism development is recommended to some of these countries as a means of combating poverty thereby reducing their poverty level and improving their quality of life. The overall objective of the concluding part of the book is to identify specific policy areas for which policy implementation can be formulated to reduce poverty and improve the well-being of the people. The policy area articulated include conservation of physical integrity, visitor’s fulfilment, economic viability of tourism enterprises, its local prosperity, employment opportunities and the impact on the wellbeing of the local population. Visitors appeals are the attractions of the destination which could be natural, cultural,

historical and manmade. Maintenance and conservation of the attractions with respect to local circumstance are subject to policy formation. Government is encouraged to develop appropriate policies that will bring about deliberate actions towards sustainable development. Sustainable development of tourism requires sound planning as well as protection and management of key elements such as destination assets, involvement of the local community and other stakeholders. Where no plan exists in a locality, it becomes imperative to identify possible assets and collate data on all elements associated with tourism potentials and threats. Where a plan exists, then evaluate current tourism plan, issues and objectives to improve upon the existing system and initiate plans in consonance with sustainable development of tourism. The chapter is designed to provide indepth study on destination planning and development by throwing more lights on tourism and planning, destination elements and characteristics, types of planning approach, destination development and control including parties that make tourism work at a destination. Policy Makers and Destination Managers are encouraged to understand the planning process in tourism and what makes tourism work sustainably in a destination. Who has the mandate to plan and manage tourism destination?, the author asks. He went further in the publication to describe tourism as multi-sectorial and multidiscipline where no single entity (stakeholder) can lay absolute acknowledge to its management. It bore on the importance of destination managers to understand the policy behind sustainability. The highlight of the success of the any destination is based on the following: •Emphasis on poverty reduction and increase on the quality of life of the local resi-

dents; •Protection of unique ecosystem, heritage sites and places of memory. •Establishment of the role of private sector in the planning, financing, implementation and ownership of the tourism operations; •Ensuring that the poor play active role in the supply of goods and services including management of destinations; •Development of effective marketing and promotion strategies; •Co-ordination of essential government services; •Creating awareness among the stakeholders and the local community; •Ensuring implementation of regulation and control throughout the destination area. Tourism Destination Management; A Guide for Policy Makers and Destination Management gives an insight into the roles of various stakeholders and the Destination Management Organisation in the overall management of the destinations. Tourism destination is a place where visitors spend atleast one night. It covers a geographical and administrative boundary where products and services are offered to the visitors. Visitors in turn absorb complimentary and experiences, and share same with other (friends, families, colleagues and group). These complimentary and experiences are expectations. They could either be interesting or unpleasant. It is a place where several actors and stakeholders nest, network and offer their services. They are not limited to the following; public authorities, destination management organizations, transport operators, accommodation providers, heritage conservators, travel agent, tour operators, tour guide, financial institutions, other ancillaries and service providers including the host community. Destinations vary depending on their assets and unique attractions. While issues affecting one destination may be similar to the other but several destinations are distinct in their attractiveness. This chapter is designed for tourism professionals and managers of destinations to understand and appreciate the complexity, flexibility, similarity and uniqueness of destinations. It is certainly possible that issues affecting cultural heritage sites in the areas of protection and conservations are likely to have similar issues of ecosystem and biodiversity with beaches and coastal zones.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

With Adeola Ogunlade 08083127847

Hello kids,

How was your week? Hope it was splendid. The long vacation is here again. Please make the best use of the holiday by reading good books, engaging in recreational activities, having fun and engaging in other productive activities.

ORLDWIDE, Nigeria has the second highest number of new infections reported each year, and an estimated 3.7 percent of the population are living with Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV). The number of people living with HIV is 3, 400,000 in Nigeria. Young people are the mostly affected by the AIDS epidemic. According to UNAIDS, every day an estimated 2 500 people aged 1524 are infected with HIV and this accounts for more than 40 percent of new infections of all people aged 15 and over. HIV (Human Immune

An HIV-free generation Deficiency Virus ) is the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). The virus damages or destroys the cells of the immune system, leaving them unable to fight infections and certain cancers. Causes of HIV in children Most HIV infections in children are passed from mother to child during pregnancy, labour and delivery, or breastfeeding.

It begins with you However, thanks to preventive treatment regimens, the incidence of mother-to-child HIV transmission is decreasing. In 2009, an estimated 370,000 children contracted HIV during the prenatal and breastfeeding period, down from 500,000 in 2001, according to UNAIDS report. Other causes of child HIV include:

•Blood transfusions. •Illicit drug use. •Sexual transmission. Symptoms of HIV among children •Failure to thrive, which is the failure to gain weight or grow according to standardised growth charts used by pediatricians. •Failure to reach developmental milestones during

the expected time frame. •Brain or nervous system problems, characterised by seizures; difficulty with walking, or poor performance in school. •Frequent childhood illnesses such as ear infections, colds, upset stomach, and diarrhea. How to lead the change 1) Live a positive life 2) Create awareness in your school, home, market places about HIV and how children can protect them-

selves from the virus. 3) Volunteer your time, skills with a community based organisation, children and youth friendly initiatives that address behavioural change among children and teens. 4) Lead the change with your ideas, voice, and demand for a more pragmatic intervention programmes from government and other stakeholders on HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment among young people. Remember that the future belongs to you and the only way you can make a change is to stand up and be counted for what is right.

POEM

Above the bright blue sky

HERE’S a Friend for little children Above the bright blue sky, A Friend who never changes Whose love will never die; Our earthly friends may fail us, And change with changing years, This Friend is always worthy Of that dear name he

bears. There’s a home for little children Above the bright blue sky, Where Jesus reigns in glory, A home of peace and joy; No home on earth is like it, Nor can with it compare; And everyone is happy, Nor could be happier there. •Albert Midlane

Free summer camp for teens

NSIPRING Aspiration Media invites children for the 2014 Summer of Dream Camp tagged the Talented and the Intellectuals. It is a mentorship class programme for teenagers in Nigeria. The programme is aimed at encouraging learning, expression and play. According to the Director Inspiring Aspiration Media, Marcellina Ehidiamen, said that we are looking at online reading and we will be given

free books as well as certificates to teenagers. The summer camp will hold on 21st July-25th July, 2014 and 4th Auguts-8th August, 2014 at SMILE Resource Centre, 3, Titi Esho Close, Ramat, Ogudu, GRA, Lagos. The programme will feature •Craft with Ankara •Tech coding for kids •Mathematics •Financial literacy •Empathy for kids •Creative writing and story telling

•Students of RS Comprehensive College all dressed in their respective traditional attires...pose with the School Banner during their Cultural Day event held on Wednesday, July 9th, 2013 at the college premises on 8B, Balogun Crescent, Oke-Odo PHOTO: MODUPE AKINNAGBE in Abule-Egba on the outskirt of Lagos.

Q: Why did the teacher wear sunglasses? A: Because his class was so bright! Q: Why were the teacher’s eyes crossed? A: She couldn’t control her pupils! Q: Teacher: Didn’t I tell

Back-to-school jokes you to stand at the end of the line? A: Student: I tried but there was someone already there! Q: How is an English teacher like a judge? A: They both give out sen-

tences. Q: Teacher: You missed school yesterday, didn’t you? A: Student: Not really. Q: Why did the teacher go to the beach?

A: To test the water. Q: Teacher: If I had 6 oranges in one hand and 7 apples in the other, what would I have? A: Student: Big hands! Q: Teacher: If you got $20 from 5 people, what would you get? A: Student: A new bike.

SHORT STORY

Bed in summer

N winter I get up at night And dress by yellow candle-light. In summer quite the other way, I have to go to bed by day. see

Send in your stories, poems, articles, games, puzzles, riddles and jokes to sundaynation@yahoo.com

I have to go to bed and

The birds still hopping on the tree, Or hear the grown-up people’s feet Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you, When all the sky is clear and blue, And I should like so much to play, To have to go to bed by day?

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

Celebrating an icon, Anenih at 81

EBERE WABARA

WORDSWORTH I 08055001948

ewabara@yahoo.com

PDP Reps’ illiteracy ATIONAL MIRROR Front Page grammatical insurgency of July 31 welcomes us to this new month: “This was the fourth in the series of attack (attacks) by the deadly Boko Haram sect using women.” “LASU senior staff bars (bar) pre-convocation conference” “The gale of impeachment has heightened into (to) an alarming proportion….” “The impeachment moves (move) against Governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura of the APC (another comma) is now on the bill (cards).” “Other impeachment plots under (in the) incubator” “Fifteen years of democracy in Nigeria have seen a litany of removal (removals) of governors.” Still on National Mirror under review: “Proprietress admonishes parents on children (children’s) performance” “Airtel hits 300 million subscribers mark” Information Technology: 300- million-subscribermark (Press releases should not be slammed as sent by companies) “Inaccurate laboratory results also contribute to the spate of diagnosis (diagnoses) being recorded….” THE NATION ON SUNDAY of July 27 circulated gloomy lines beginning with this presidential perfunctory admonition: “Jonathan to Nigerians: Don’t despair over terrorists attacks” From me to you: either terrorist attacks or terrorists’ (note the apostrophe) attacks “Besides, for miscreants seeking opportunity (an opportunity) to cause mayhem, that could lead to looting and plundering of the properties (property) and investments of southerners in the North.” (THE NATION ON SUNDAY COMMENT (EDITORIAL), July 27) There is a consistently contextual misapplication of ‘properties’ in the media, especially by people who should know! Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary comes to the rescue in the following elucidation: PROPERTY (noun)—plural: properties. 1. (Uncountable): A thing or things that are owned by somebody, a possession or possessions. Examples: The building is government

property. Be careful not to damage other people’s property. 2. (Uncountable) Land and buildings: The price of property has risen enormously. 3. (Countable): A building or buildings and the surrounding land. There are a lot of empty properties in the area. 4. (Countable, usually plural) (formal): A quality or characteristic that something has. Compare the physical properties of the two substances. A plant with medicinal properties. I have done this long extraction, for the first time, because of the frequent misuse of the plurality of ‘property’. “…reports on the political battles currently being fought by….” What is the function of ‘currently’ here in the lexical magistracy of ‘being’? Still on THE NATION ON SUNDAY: “The Nigerian (Nigeria) Union of Journalists last week celebrated Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande, a man whose contributions to the profession arguably (sic) transcends (why?) that of any other Nigerian….” Except if the reporter was not sure of his declaration, I cannot fathom the contradictory relevance of ‘arguably’ here. Did the reporter intend to use ‘unarguably’, which is also grossly abused in similar environments? “You are a special friend and brother whose life has been an amazing influence to (on/over/ upon) me.” The following press statement issued by Akwa Ibom State PDP Caucus, House of Representatives, National Assembly, Abuja, is replete with kindergarten blunders: “We also call on you to declare your intention to run for a second term under (on) the platform of PDP.” We, the undersigned (another comma) also this day do pass a vote of confidence on (in) our amiable State Governor (needless capitalization)...for taking Akwa Ibom State to an Olympian height developmentally, to the admiration of Nigeria (Nigerians) and the Diaspora (sic)” Long live Akwa Ibom State: Olympian heights (not height!). “You have changed the aesthetics of our state which has robbed (rubbed) off positively on the people’s pride and we stand tall anywhere in this Country (functionless capitalization) today.” “…the umbrella of un-

common transformation with life changing (lifechanging) projects spread across every nook and crannies of the State (another useless capitalization).” Either every nook and cranny or all nooks and crannies Lastly from Akwa Ibom PDP Legislative Caucus adoration, praise and worship of Obong Godswill Obot Akpabio (CON): “By this singular act, the spirit of fair play, equity and brotherliness has been entrenched into (in) Akwa Ibom State Politics (sic).” This scandalously pedestrian statement was signed by six honourable members of the House of Representatives: Dr. Akpan Micah Umoh, Barrister Saviour Udoh, Emmanuel Ukoete, Barrister Bassey Dan Abia Jnr., Emmanuel Ekon and Kenneth Archibong. FEEDBACK CLINTON was impeached by the lower house but the upper house did not follow suit. (08037058775) I dislike anonymous feedback. I am surprised to learn (from one of the contributions) in your July 27 column that Bill Clinton was not impeached. Haba! The search machines, including Google, are there for all. ‘Impeachment’ (guilt established) and ‘removal’ are not the same, like ‘acquittal’ and ‘discharge’. Let us learn. Clinton was guilty. (Kola Danisa, 08028233277) THANK you for the good work you have been doing. I just want you to know that some of these blunders you correct as mistakes are indeed ignorance. Good examples are the ones involving the socalled Ph.D holders and our governors. Even those in my profession speak rubbish in courts. May God bless you! (08055217580) ‘My learned friend’, why write incognito? You are blessed, too. MONIES and moneys are both plurals of money. (08037026109) What is your name? FROM the columnist: Please let responses come with real names—not pseudonyms. This is an interactive forum with identities for the exchange of robust ideas. Otherwise, do not bother to contribute. Readers and I are proud of Bayo Oguntunase, Kola Danisa and Sunny Agbontaen, among other numerous respondents. You do not disguise in cerebral matters because of intellectual rights.

T is without a doubt that leadership is the ability to transform vision into reality; it is also not contestable that before anyone becomes a leader, being successful will be about growing oneself, however, when you become a leader, success will then be about growing others. This is where Chief Tony Anenih (CFR), Iyasele of Esanland, PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) Chairman fits in. The man has been able to build so many people some of whom have become leader over the years. The man everyone likes to refer to as the solid rock of the Nigerian politics has been able to achieve a lot in his life that he has become a sort of reference and model to the younger ones. Chief got the sobriquet ‘Mr. Fix It’ because of his outstanding skills in the political field. Yet, many others believe that it is by dint of hard work and perseverance that shot him to the apex of his career as a high-flying Police officer and also a political success. To put it straight, he has become a living legend to our present generation; and when he eventually bows out, his name will definitely be etched in the nation’s hall of fame. One area Chief Anenih has also excelled is the area of philanthropy; he is blessed with jumbo heart and robust giving spirit. The great man of inestimable worth and remarkable achievement is better defined by his quiet philanthropic disposition, large heart, giving spirit, boundless energy and endless desire to serve and help the poor and needy irrespective of tribe or state. Of great note is his insightful passion for the aged. In Ibadan, for instance, the Uromi High Chief singlehandedly erected a home for the old people. Not just a house but one that is fully equipped. Besides, he also spares a thought for religion. Of course, he is a devote Christian and he has done more for the Christian faith, yet he does not bypass others. Chief Anenih unlike most successful men will not allow himself to be locked in his house like a prisoner because of security; hence he makes sure that he attends to anyone notwithstanding the tribe and tongue of those who wish to gain his attention. A typical example was given, when he was going out of his gate and he saw a certain man by the gate who was looking dejected, he quickly ordered his driver to stop and inquired the mission of the man who has been denied access to him. As soon as the man relayed whatever message he brought, Chief Anenih ‘blessed’ him and the sad face instantly began shinning again. This is vintage Anenih which makes him different

•Anenih By Odi Okojie

from the rest. It may also explain his large followership across the country and why his abode has remained a Mecca of sorts. His extralarge heart and untiring giving spirits are the allure. Chief Anenih’s philanthropic interest has always moved beyond wanting to impress anyone; to him it is a part of him that nature has blessed him with. His leadership persona and extraordinary political dexterity had always assured him of the leadership position anywhere he found himself Truly his calm ways, simplicity of life, sincerity of purpose, robust giving spirit, religious commitment to human capital development, willing assistance to the poor and needy and readiness to serve humanity are rare in our clime. They are vital to understanding his choice of career and foray into politics after retirement. Those who know him during his early life have testified to the fact that he has always exhibited the trait of quality leadership right from day one. This unique quality saw him climbing the ladder of his career in a short while after the white men discovered his leadership qualities. The man they call “Leader” is certainly a cat of many lives, and under Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency, has reclaimed the one space he cherishes, in the dark, smoke-filled inner recesses of the cloak-and-dagger world of politics, where he wields effective powers of influence and control. In July 2005, the erudite politician was invited to his hometown in Uromi where the powers that be of Esanland jointly conferred on him the title, Iyasele of Esanland, thereby making him a High Chief and pioneer Prime Minister and Chief Spokesman of the Esan Community comprising the entire Edo Central Senatorial District in Edo State. But therein Chief Anenih is an enigma and one of the greatest survi-

vors in the Nigerian slippery political scene. The man has an excellent ability to survive, stay relevant and protect those under his wings. His rare thinktank and strategic planning and mobilization prowess keeps endearing him to high and mighty on the political scene. Unlike many of other elite in his class who love taking advantage of their position to impose people into positions of authority, you’ll be shocked to know that he has neither presented himself nor any of his children or ward for any elective office. He has always shown disdain for such style of politics. Those who do not know him tried hard in 2011 when some people besieged him with so much demands that he should support any of his kids for Edo governorship election, he turned the offer down and opted to support another candidate that is in nowhere close to his linage. That act alone won him respect the more from many people. Hate him or love him, Chief Anenih is a political mega force you cannot shove aside in strategies; he has been giving enormous support to the government of President Jonathan whom he believe will take us to that Eldorado state he has been craving for. If there is anything Chief Anenih loves the most, it is the singular act of loyalty; it is an open secret that if you are 100% loyal to him, he’ll do everything in his powers to pay back the loyalty; a reason he has had many loyalists at his at his beck and call. His pastimes include jogging, reading, music and philanthropy. He loves Lucky Dube’s music a great deal. He can also be very humourous when he decides to be. This is a birthday wish to a great but quiet giver and helper of the poor and needy and committed developer of men and women and communities. Sir, May you always have as much strength and courage to lead us and, more importantly, a truly happy life. Happy birthday to the priceless gem of our time. -Okojie, wrote in from Lagos.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2014

HE PRESIDENT of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has called on all Muslims, including religious, traditional and political leaders in the north to counter the destructive ideology of the radical Islamic sect, Boko Haram. He said only Muslims can come up with a better ideology that will demobilise the one promoted by Boko Haram, which has led to loss of lives and property. Oritsejafor gave the charge at the 11th anniversary\prize-giving day and the 6th valedic-

How to stop Boko Haram, by Oritsejafor By Adeola Ogunlade

tory service of Stephen Centre International Group of Schools in Ogun State. He said that Boko Haram is propelled by a religious ideology and must be countered with a superior ideology through massive awareness by Muslims across the country. The CAN’s helmsman noted that Islam is a good religion but lamented that Boko Haram insurgents are

painting it in bad light, urging Muslims to redress the development. He dismissed the notion that the terror war unleashed by the insurgents was borne out of poverty. Boko Haram’s late leader, Mohammed Yusuf, and Farouk Abdulmutalab who attempted blowing up

a KLM flight heading to the United States of America in 2009, according to him, were not poor. He explained that pumping millions of dollars to the north in an attempt to fight poverty will not stop the rising terror war since it is ideological. He said that prayer re-

mains the only way out of the insurgency, stating, “The unwarranted attacks, the destructions of properties, have created distress for every Nigerian. “The solution to the insurgency we are facing in the country is for all Nigerians to continue to pray

for Nigeria.” The Executive Director of Stephen Centre International Group of Schools, Mr. Isaac Newton-Wusu, stated that the home is for displaced victims of the insurgency in the north. No fewer than 424 children orphaned by Boko Haram and 84 others from riots in the north are in the home, he stated. “We do not give children away for adoption. We just try to give them hope in everything,” he stated.

Nigeria will rise again, says cleric

•Some of the graduating students at the valedictory service

Summit seeks revival of family values

HE family is a place to mentor real leaders. It is the place where a father shows himself as an example to his children, where mothers help the kids to become the leaders they should be. This is a picture of a typical home painted at a gathering of hundreds of men and women from across the country during the July edition of Awesome Treasures Summit with the theme where are the real men II? The Chief Executive Officer of Gemstone Group, Fela Durotoye; the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Homebase Mortgage Bank, Dr Paul Johnson and the Africa Marketing Director, Family Nutrition at GlaxoSmithKilne, Mr. Lampe Omoleye, among others, spoke at the summit.

By Nneka Nwaneri

It considered the vital roles of parents in the upbringing and mentoring of their children. To the convener, Mrs. Olajumoke Adenowo, the examples parents present their children make a huge difference because children easily relate more with what they see. This, she said, has changed because men no longer have a personal walk with God and fail to take up their responsibilities at homes. She told fathers: “Your children will become who you are and not what you say.” She said men in the country have failed in their duty to bring back the abducted Chibok girls. “The Bring BacktheGirls campaign is for all to know that we have not forgotten.

Real men protect and are there for their children. “Each woman’s child is a Chibok child and we cannot forget. Time or the length of day will not make us forget. “The fact that the noise has gone down will not make us forget because we are mothers who do not for-

get their children,” Adenowo, an architect, said. Johnson was of the opinion that couples have been getting married for the wrong reasons, leading to massive divorces. Lasting marriages, according to him, are built on friendship, understanding, forgiveness and kindness.

Church celebrates at two

EMBERS of Saint John The Evangelist Anglican Church Akowonjo Lagos will celebrate the second anniversary of the church today. The anniversary will also witness the dedication and naming of the church. The Lord Bishop of the Diocese of Lagos West Anglican Communion, the Rt Reverend James Odedeji, will perform the laying of hands on candidates from the Idimu Archdeaconry during the

confirmation service. The Vicar, Venerable, Ebenezer Adewole, according to a statement, will also present the newly formed five societies in the church to the Lord Bishop for inauguration. The societies are: the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA), the Young Women Christian Association (YWCA), Apostles of Peace (AoP), Fountain of Hope (FoH) and The Busy Bees (BB).

HE General Overseer of God’s Mercy Revival Ministries (GOMERM) Idimu Lagos, Dr James Akanbi, has assured that Nigeria will rise again. The nation, he stressed, will not go down despite the socio-economic challenges bedeviling it. He urged Nigerians to stand firm and patiently wait on God to fix the seemingly intractable problems in the country. Akanbi spoke on Thursday with reporters ahead of the 15th anniversary of the church with the theme “Arise and glow.” He noted that the country is bleeding but assured that the phases will come and pass because “the sons of Baals cannot hand-on for life.” According to him, all the terror attacks and insecurity in several parts of the nation will soon disappear. “Nigeria,” he reiterated, “will arise again and glow. All the things we are witnessing now will drop down and go away.”

xxx

By Sunday Oguntola

On why no man of God has been able to make a prophetic declaration that will lead to demise of Boko Haram, Akanbi explained such declarations will create chaos. He said: “If you expect a Thou Saith the Lord on Boko Haram issue, you will be creating an Armageddonic situation. “The maximum a man of God can do is to speak to the conscience of those in power. None of us can speak and expect government to listen. “The most we can do is to pray and hope our leaders listen to the voice of God”. The anniversary, which starts tomorrow, holds at the church’s headquarters. The grand finale holds at Mercy Camp ground KM 4 Papalanto-Shagamu road, Ofada Ogun state, next Sunday by 10am. The prophetic impartation service will also witness the ordination of over 200 pastors, assistant pastors, elders, deacons and deaconesses.

Ex- commissioner vows to draw closer to God

HE former Rivers Commissioner for Budget and Economic Affair during the Peter Odili-led administration, Sir Ejims Ewukwe, has pledged to improve his relationship with God. He made the declaration at the weekend in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, shortly after his installation as the Knight of Saint Christopher at the Diocese of Evo Anglican Communion Woji Community. Ejims noted that the investiture of the knighthood is “for selected members of the church who have been singled out for their outstanding performances in the vineyard of God.”

From Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

The honour, he said, has humbled him to put the best of him in serving humanity and God. “Today, the church has honoured me and my wife and others who they think have made enough contribution to the development of the church. “I give God all the glory; this means I will intensify my relationship with God as a soldier of Christ,” Ejims stated. The Bishop, Rt. Rev Innocent Uchechukwu Ordu, said the knighthood should not be regarded only as a reward for job done but also as a new call for greater responsibility in the church.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2014

WORSHIP

COLUMN

Remain godly, educationist advises students

HE Principal of Christ The Redeemers College, Pastor Antoinette Omo-Osagie, has advised graduating students of the institution to maintain the values and moral standards the school inculcated into them. Omo-Osagie, who spoke at the valedictory ceremony of the school last week, noted that the graduating students have been equipped with intellectual, spiritual and physical skills to stand out in the journey of life. She described them as assets exceptionally favoured for higher academic attainment. “The students have been

By Sunday Oguntola

trained to acquire different vocational and educational skills such that they don’t have to wait for government before they are fully employed,” she stated. She explained that the school’s mandate is to provide education of international standard with strong biblical foundation, giving students the basis for holy and useful living in the society. She congratulated the parents for investing so much time and money on the children in the last six years. The educationist charged them to continue mentoring

and encouraging their wards to be steadfast in their faith. The Chairman, Board of Governors CRC, Pastor Adebayo Adeyemo, encouraged the students to be hardworking. According to him: “To sustain God’s favour and grace as you step forward in your career, you need to be hardworking through life’s challenges and trusting God to always help you through.” He advised them to face life after school with courage and patience while standing for integrity, impeccable character and godly standards. One of the graduating students, Ugboduma Oghenetega, said that the school has shaped her life spiritually and academically.

•Ewukwe with his wife shortly after installation as a Knight in Port Harcourt... recently

Akin-John advises northern churches to close down

HURCHES in the troubled northern parts of the country should shut down to avoid the unabated attacks against them, the President of International Church Growth Ministries, Dr Francis Bola Akin-John, has stated. He said it is suicidal for churches to continue operating in locations where they are not wanted and subjected to unwarranted attacks. According to him, shutting down does not amount to cowardice but simply acting in strict adherence to the Biblical injunction. Akin-John spoke last week with reporters ahead of the 20th anniversary of the premier African church growth institute. ‘’There is no sense in doing church where you are not wanted. We have suffered too many deaths and destructions already in the north. ‘’Churches in that part of the country should just close down.

By Sunday Oguntola

A living dog is better than a dead lion. ‘’Even Jesus said when you preach to a community and you are rejected, you should dust your shoes and leave.’’ He added: ‘’If they kill everyone there, who will remain? Why kill yourself to preach the gospel? I believe the wisest and the most biblical step to take is to leave until there is an opening again.’’ The church growth consultant pointed out that the blood of a martyr is a seed, noting that in other climes where Christian where killed, the faith experienced leaps in no sooner time. To illustrate, he recalled once reading about a community in Algeria where over 400 people saw Jesus in a dream in one night. ‘’All of them had the same dream and Jesus appeared to them. They saw him asking them to serve Him. When they

woke up, they narrated the same. ‘’Without preaching or a missionary, the entire community surrendered to Christ. It was later discovered that one missionary was killed in the same place over 400 years ago.’’ Churches in the north, he advised, should take a cue from the story and leave to strategise until where there would an opening for mission work. He reminded missionaries in the north that the gospel is not by force, saying only God can save people. ‘’When an area says they don’t want the gospel, we should leave until God has done His own works for our mission activities. ‘’I know we want to save lives but we shouldn’t do it at the expense of our lives. We should leave until calm returns so that Christians are not wiped out,’’ he explained.

Nigeria needs prayers, cleric declares

HE District Superintendent of the Apostolic Faith Church in West Africa, Rev. Emmanuel Adeniran, has called for intense prayers to save the nation. Nigerians, he stated, need prayers that move the hands of God and flow from pure hearts. He spoke at the West and Central (WECA) District Headquarters of the church in Anthony Village Lagos with reporters on the camp meeting that commences today.

By Medinat Kanabe

The meeting ends on August 24, according to him. Adeniran said: “At the, moment, the stability of our nation is greatly threatened and the future will forever remain lost in oblivion, should we fail to heed the call of our creator. “For every fabric of our society to experience true salvation and transformation, we must all resolve to experience the true transformation and cleansing from within through the shed

blood of our lord and saviour, Jesus Christ.” This year’s meeting, according to Adeniran, commemorates the 70th anniversary of the church. On what to expect at the camp, he said: “It is a period of spiritual rejuvenation wherein we converge with great expectation to hear, receive and be blessed of God. “It is a time set aside and ordained by God through His divine purpose to bless, heal and deliver both the spiritually and physically oppressed.”

Living Faith By Dr. David Oyedepo

Experiencing the wonders must be Spiritual: It is in God’s word! one•We thing to be filled with the

WELCOME you to the month of August. It shall be a month of new beginnings for you! Whatever you missed last month, you will, this August, collect them in many folds! This is why the teaching this month is uniqueThe Wonders in God’s Word! Recognize that God’s Word is loaded with wonders. Until your eyes are opened, you cannot access them. No wonder, God’s Word says: Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law (Psalm 119:18). Revelation has the power to change the story of any man supernaturally (Isaiah 60:1-3,8,22). God’s Word is pregnant with wonders and this is why all miracles, signs and wonders are direct confirmations of the Word (Mark 16:20). But what does it take to Access the Wonders in the Word? •One must be born again: Wonders here connote mysteries. But mysteries are God’s secrets behind biblical stories. Everyone can understand the stories of scriptures, but only the redeemed can access the mysteries thereof. The stories are made up of letters, but the mysteries are made up of Spirit and life (Mark 4:11/ John 6: 63). •We must be filled with the Holy Ghost: The Holy Ghost is our access to the mysteries in the Word, and we are limited in access without Him. The Holy Spirit brings us into realms of unlimited access to the deep things of God (John 16:12-13; John 14:26; 1Corinthians 2:10).

Holy Ghost, but it is yet another to be spiritual. We can be filled with the Holy Spirit and still be carnal. For instance, the Corinthians church was not behind in the gifts of the spirit, yet they were carnal. It is therefore important to be spiritual, because a natural man cannot understand the things of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. The more spiritual we are, the greater our access to the deep things of God (1Corinthians 1:7; 1Corinthians 3:1-3; 1Corinthians 2:14). •We must walk in the Spirit: It is written, “I was in the spirit on the Lord’s Day and I heard...” It takes a man of the spirit to hear from heaven. It is not enough to be born again, filled with the Holy Spirit and be spiritual, we must be men and women that walk in the spirit. This is because God can choose to speak to us at any time. If we are not in the spirit, we are sure to miss His directives and thereby continue with our struggles in life. Therefore, we must mind the associations we keep, because carnal men are sure to corrupt our spirituality (Revelation 1:10; Romans 8:6; 1Corinthians 15:23). •We must desire more Revelation: More often than not, when things are not working, it is because our insight is inadequate. As we are all aware, we don’t fail exams because we don’t know anything; we fail because we don’t know enough. However, we know that God hates waste and that is why He only unveils treasures to those

who are truly thirsty for revelation. As it is written, “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry land.” Revelation answers only to the thirsty; it is therefore our crave to know, that opens the door to revelation – Isaiah 44:3/ 1Corinthians 8:2. •We must engage in the study of the Word: We must get addicted to the study of the Word and make it our lifestyle, by feeding on the Word daily in order to stay alive and well. The Bible admonishes that we meditate on the Word day and night; then, we will make our way prosperous and have good success (2Timothy 2:15; Jeremiah 15:16; Joshua 1:8). Friend, the power and grace to access the wonders in the Word of God, are the preserve of those who are children of God. Are you a child of God? You become a child of God, by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. You can be God’s child now, if you haven’t been, by saying this prayer: “Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. I cannot help myself. Forgive me of my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan, to serve the Living God. Today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You, for saving me! Now, I know I am born again!” I will continue with this teaching next week. Exceeding Grace and the Unspeakable Gifts of God are your portion this month! Every exploit in life is a product of knowledge. For further reading, please get my books: The Force Of Freedom, Walking In Dominion and All You Need To Have All Your Needs Met. I invite you to come and fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. We have four services on Sundays, holding at 6:00 a.m., 7:50 a.m., 9:40 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. respectively. I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; or call 7747546-8; or E-mail: feedback@lfcww.org

NEWS

Cleric seeks unity against terror

HE General Overseer of Shiloh Word Chapel (aka Faith Nations), Prophet Ikechukwu Samuel, has urged Nigerians to unite against the Boko Haram terror ravaging the nation. Samuel, who spoke with reporters in Abuja ahead of the forthcoming third anniversary of the church, appealed to members of the Boko Haram sect to have a change of heart and stop bloodshed to avoid the wrath

From Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

of God. He said: “If members of Boko Haram want to release the Chibok girls, it is a change of heart that will make them do so. “Let Nigerians pray because this country is a nation with faith. Every citizen of Nigeria has faith; let us use our own faith, irrespective of our religious beliefs to ask our God to change their hearts.” He added: “Boko Haram

insurgents are still in the dark because they will still do more and we will keep exchanging. Yet, it will not solve the problem. “Let our leaders and every citizen show love. Releasing people in places of evil will in turn increase the problem. It is not the solution; we should kneel down and pray for a change of heart.” The church, he assured, has been raising a generation that will change the nation.

Children pray for release of Chibok girls

VER 100 kids under the auspices of African Children of Peace Club (ACPC) drawn from across Lagos State last weekend interceded for the release of the over 200 abducted Chibok girls. The prayer marked with the mid-year children‘s intercessory prayer and valedictory service by ACPC, an arm of African Foundation for Peace and Love Initiatives in Egbeda, Lagos The session with the

By Adeola Ogunlade

theme for the sake of our children we pray featured drama, song rendition and bible recitation, among others. One of the children at the intercession, Otimayin Naomi, said the Chibok girls’ abduction has “become a source of concern for us and we believe God that with our prayers, they will be released.” She explained: “We are children and we feel the pains, agony and trauma of our

friends who have been held captive by the Boko Haram group. “We are praying that God will touch their heart and our friends will be released soon.” The founding president of APLI, Rev Titus Oyeyemi, said: “Our work is to intercede. Intercession will make the Almighty God, who has the power to release the Chibok girls, to arise. “We will ask God not to forget the sighing of these imprisoned girls.”

Oddities

The Nation on Sunday August 3, 2014

•Idowu

•Idowu’s house with the late Foyanmu’s obituary poster

is stature as a short man could deceive you to take him for an ordinary man. Though bald, one could see a sprinkle of grey hair surrounding his head as the scalp shines. He is almost 80 but he is as fit as a fiddle. When he spoke, his baritone voice vibrated the whole place. His cool eyes that rolled in their sockets were frightening. The facial marks on his cheeks clearly showed that he is a typical son of the soil (Ogbomoso).The words that came out from his mouth could make a man grow weak if he is not strong enough to sit with the octogenarian. The account of his experiences in hunting is frightening and could give one sleepless nights or nightmare. The account is reminiscent of the stories in the book: Forest of Thousands of Daemons, written by a Yoruba novelist, Daniel O. Fagunwa. Hunting Expeditions Chief Samuel Idowu recounted: "We rarely used gun to kill animals because our parents gave us powerful juju (fetish material) when juju was juju, not now when we cannot trust these juju men again. I have killed all kinds of animals in my life. My life had been threatened by some wild animals and I always narrowly escaped using egbe (magical disappearance). The magical disappearance (egbe) is real. I have seen elves. I have seen mysterious animals that you must not kill. My eyes have seen a lot .I have been to dangerous forests and the forest of no return but I returned. Whoever doubts the prowess or efficacy of the African magic must be kidding.” According to the the Olugbon, during one of his expeditions he shot at a wild animal and wounded it but the animal turned against him. He recounted: "Immediately I knew I was in trouble as the animal turned against me. I quickly used my egbe and asked it to bring me back home safely. And I found myself in my room. That was a long time ago. I could have been killed and nothing could have happened. This shows how powerful egbe is .But there is something about egbe you must quickly declare where you want the egbe to take you to or else it could take you to the top of the tree, hanging there, or rather land you on water, which is very dangerous. Egbe is real and it works perfectly but you have to be smart and fast.” Chief Idowu continued: "There are some

‘I met elves in the forest'

Chief Samuel Idowu (80), who is the Otun Olugbon of Orile Igbon, went down memory lane and spoke about his expeditions in hunting. Taiwo Abiodun reports animals that you dare not kill. If you kill these animals, you will regret it; your family would regret it as they would be afflicted with leprosy for life. And if you kill some animals, again your family will remain wretched for life. Take it from me or leave it and if you doubt it, then try it. There is an animal called Gidigidi. Its appearance looks like that of a donkey but it is not a donkey. It has a white patch on its body. If a hunter shoots at that white spot, he would run mad and his family members would be afflicted with strange and dangerous diseases for the rest of their lives. He stated further: “There is an animal called Mesia. If a hunter kills it, he will never be a normal person throughout his lifetime again." When this reporter asked whether all these could be superstition, he replied, "If they did not happen, our forefathers would not have told us or warned us against such. Not only that we hunters heard about them but we know them to be true. Go and do your research diligently and scrutinise some of these hunters' lives and their families you will know better .There is an animal that has half of his eyes bloodshot and the remaining white, this animal must not be killed. Whoever kills this animal is doomed. It is not all animals that you see in the forest you have to kill. Some are not ordinary animals. I have seen a lot in my life." Chief Idowu stated: "There are some animals you kill and must offer certain sacrifices. Take

for example, if you kill a buffalo you must offer a sacrifice or else you will not see any animal to kill again, it is real. Parrot is another mysterious bird; its tail's feather is highly efficacious in juju. It is real. You know parrot talks to human beings so they are strange birds” Mistaken identity The Olugbon also talked about those who erroneously killed human beings mistaken for animals in the bush. He said this was not only an error on their part but were cursed to do so. In his words: "We have seen a lot of hunters who mistakenly aimed at a human beings and claimed they were bush meats and shot at them not knowing they were human beings. It did not just happen and it is not a coincidence but the fact is that these set of hunters had committed one abomination or another. Such hunters had either killed a wrong animal or were cursed by the elders, aiye, during an argument and they may have forgotten they had been be cursed .This case is rampant and is no more strange. These hunters are cursed. " An encounter with elves Chief Idowu said some mysterious human beings still exist in this world no matter our civilisation and education. He stated: "I have encountered these short devils, elves, with mysterious body parts. They exist. We called them Iwin. I had encounters with them several

PHOTO: Taiwo Abiodun

times in dangerous forests, not in all these socalled small bush or small forests you people call forest, but real forests. I mean igbo kiji kiji. Yes, they exist and they could be dangerous. I remember when I had an encounter with some in the forest. They had their small lights on and started warning me not to come closer to them. They actually warned me. Later, they said I should not kill any animal there. Since they had politely warned me, I then politely turned back. If I had not been bold or had been an ordinary hunter, I would not have come back alive or something mysterious could have happened to me. They could be dangerous, and I repeat that elves are not fairy tales, they are real. I remember one of them screamed when I saw an animal and aimed at it: 'don't kill it, please don't, it is my own meat.' I quickly stopped." When asked why he chose to obey the elves, the old man looked at this reporter with disdain and said: "Our parents had warned us not to, and the elves too warned me not to, why should I defy their warnings, they are dangerous.” Asked how he prepared while going for hunting expeditions, he glanced at this reporter, shook his head, smiled and replied: "Hunting is not for the lily-livered. Our parents were powerful, they would give us strings of juju, tied on our waists and on our upper arms and with all kinds of thing to swallow, and they worked, though they have some dos and don'ts.” Asked whether he wished to handover the job to his children, he said: “Well, all my children are educated but they know about hunting. As I earlier said, my family is a family of hunters, and naturally, they know it since they were born into it.” Chief Idowu said he does not go to the forest as he used to due to old age. He also added that he does not use juju again since he has become a Christian. “I am now a Christian. That is why I have slowed down in all these things (using magical power). That is what Christianity has done to me but the ones I had taken in (ajesara) are still there.” Asked to show his charms and amulets, he looked at his reporter, smiled and said:"You want to see everything? The story I have told you is enough. We shall continue next time."

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

CHANGE OF NAME

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DOSUNMU

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Rafiat Temitope Dosunmu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Rafiat Temitope Sofoluwe. All former documents remain valid. Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos and general public should please take note.

OLABISI

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Olawale Kafayat Olabisi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Kafayat Olawale Yinusa. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public should please take note.

UROKO I, formerly known and addressed as MISS UROKO LOVETH NKIRUKA now wish to be known and addressed as MRS UGWU LOVETH NKIRUKA. All former documents remain valid NYSC, OSISA Polytechnic and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

ADEJUMOBI

OMOLAOYE

OLABIYI

CHANGE OF NAME IHIOM I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Ihiom Cynthia Sewuese now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ihenyen Cynthia Sewuese. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

AKINDELE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Olabiyi Oyeyemi Risikat now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ogundare Bolanle Risikat, all former documents remain valid general public take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Akindele Muinat Bolanle now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. OmotoshoAkindele Muinat Bolanle. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

AWOFADEJU

SALIU

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Awofadeju Sarah Oluwatowoju, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adeyemo Sarah Oluwatowoju, all former documents remain valid LAUTECH Osogbo and general public take note.

ONWUEGBUCHI

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Saliu Hawaw Oremeyi now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs OlatunjiSulaimon Hawaw Oremeyi. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

AHMED I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Ahmed Olawunmi Nimota now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Bamgbala Olawunmi Nimota. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

BAMGBOSE

I,formerly known and addressed as MISS CHINYERE ONWUEGBUCHI , now wish to be known and addressed as MRS CHINYERE MICHAEL. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ASHIKAOGU

I formerly known and addressed as Miss CHIDINMA PETRONILLA EKEJI now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs CHIDINMA PETRONILLA CHUKWUMAAJAELU. All former documents remain valid. General Public please take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Ajayi Abiola Christianah now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Sofowora Abiola Christianah. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

IBEANUSI

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Kayode Temitope Titilayo Deborah now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adeniyi Temitope Titilayo Deborah. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Bamgbose, Pedetin Deborah, now wish to be known and addressed as Gbadamosi, Pedetin Deborah. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note. I, formerly known and addressed as Ashikaogu, Magnus Ndubuisi, now wish to be known and addressed as Anorueh Magnus Ndubuisi. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME That I am the same person bearing any of the two names either Ulukpo Goodluck or Ulukpo Oghenovo Goodluck. All documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

OLOVE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Rita Eniwarikpaemi Olove, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Rita Eniwarikpaemi Kakain. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

DIO

EKEJI

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS IBEANUSI ROSEMARY CHIOMA now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. ALAJEMBA ROSEMARY CHIOMA. All former documents remain valid. IMT, NYSC and the general public take note.

EKOH

I, formerly known and addressed as EKOH OBINNA .I. now wish to be known and addressed as CLEMENT EKOH OBINNA I. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

AJAYI

KAYODE

ASHIKAOGU I,formerly known and addressed as Ashikaogu Magnus Ndubuisi now wish to be known and addressed as Anorueh Magnus Ndubuisi. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

FALUGBA

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Dio, Jennifer Ebia Soude, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ebia Soude Jennifer Seipulou. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Hamzat Saidat Adebimpe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adebiyi Saidat Adebimpe. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

HAMZAT

I,formerly known and addressed as Mrs Falugba Yewande Olamide now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Yewande Olamide Kofoworola Abayomi George. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

SHAIBU

ADEREMI

YUSSUF

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Mariam Shaibu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Momoh Lawal Mariam. All former documents remain valid. National Youth Service Corps Scheme and general public should please take note.

I, formerlly known and addressed as MISS KUBRAT ADEREMI now which to be known and addressed as MRS KUBRAT ADEREMI GOMNA all formal document remain valid .general public should please take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Yussuf Morenikeji Rukayat now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adetoye Morenikeji Rukayat. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

ADU

AUDU

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Abisola Olamide Adu now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Abisola Olamide Oseni. All documents bearing my former names remain valid. The general public should please take note.

IFEME

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Audu, Lydia Aghunoyeme, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Okhidievbie Lydia Aghunoyeme. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

TAIWO

I, formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Oluwaremilekun Oluwaranti Taiwo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oluwaremilekun O. Taiwo Oladipupo. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

FATODU I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Fatodu lbironke Abimbola now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Shittu lbironke Abimbola. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

EZERA

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Uchanma Ezera, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Uchanma Umah. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

ADABA

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Adaba Olayinka Christanah, now wish to be called and addressed as Mrs. Babatunde Olayinka Christanah. All former documents remain valid. Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti and general public should please take note.

ALAO I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Alao Oluwabunmi Oluwafunmilola now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Folarin Alao Oluwabunmi Oluwafunmilola. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

EZEOHA

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS. EZEOHA CHIDINMA STELLA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. AMUKA CHIDINMA STELLA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

NWOBODO

I,formerly known and addressed as Godstime Chizube Ifeme now wish to be known and addressed as Godstime Chizube Chukwuemezie. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

BADMUS

I,formerly known and addressed as Badmus Saheed Olalekan now wish to be known and addressed as Olasunkanmi Saheed Olanrewaju. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

BLESSING

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS. NWOBODO CHINENYE MERIT, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. TAGBO CHINENYE MERIT. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public should please take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Blessing Nkechinyere now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Arinze, Nkechinyere Blessing. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

ONYEACHUIBE

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Rosemary Ivie Aimiebenomon now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Rosemary Ivie Usiobafo. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as MISS. GLORIA ONYENACHUIBE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. GLORIA ETUKOMENI. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

OGBUEHI I,formerly known and addressed as MISS. OGBUEHI RITA CHINENYE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. OWI RITA WAIBIMO. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

YUSUF

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Yusuf Bisola Mariam, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Obinyan Bisola Mariam. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

OGUNBIYI

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Elezabeth Iyabowale Ogunbiyi now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Iyabo Bayo Majasan. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

AIMIEBENOMON

MUSA

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Musa, Ilamosi Mariam now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Donsi Ilamosi Kahlan Mariam. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note. ADVERT: Simply produce your marriage certificate or sworn affidavit for a change of name publication, with just N4,500. The payment can be made through - FIRST BANK of Nigeria Plc. Account number - 2017220392 Account Name VINTAGE PRESS LIMITED Scan the details of your advert and teller to gbengaodejide@yahoo.com orthenation.advert@gmail.com. For enquiry please contact: Gbenga on 08052720421, 08161675390, Emailgbengaodejide@yahoo.com or our offices nationwide. Note this! Change of name is now published every Sundays, all materials should reach us two days before publication.

NCC tackles social vices in tertiary institutions From: Vincent Ikuomola and Frank Ikpefan, Abuja HE Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has pledged to work with students across the country in tackling social vices in tertiary institutions. Its Executive Vice Chairman, Eugene Juwah, made the pledge when the National Association of Delta State Students paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja. Juwah underscored the need for Nigerian youth to join hands with the government in transforming the society. He assured that the Commission would support the students in waging war against cultism and violence in higher institutions of learning. He also pointed out that the youth are the foundation of any society, adding that they must be supported to realise their aspirations and dreams in life. The President of the association, Obiri Ebilade, explained that the leadership of the students’ body has decided to launch an action plan to curb the nagging issues of cultism, examination malpractices and other vices in higher institutions of learning.

2015: God’ll choose Jonathan’s successor- Kukah From Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

HE Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Dioceses, Rev Matthew Kukah, has stated that only God will determine who becomes the next President in 2015. The issue, he assured, cannot be manipulated but is in the hands of God. Kukah spoke yesterday at the ongoing synod organised by Evo Dioceses Anglican Communion in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital with the theme: Politics, Christians and Good Governance in Nigeria. He said the utterances of some politicians and religious leaders are diminishing others whose lives are in danger, especially the abducted Chibok girls. He noted that Nigerians must unite on the release of the Chibok girls, saying their rescue should not be left alone for the Federal government. He said the issue of who becomes the next President of Nigeria is solely rested on God, as He alone knows who will see tomorrow and what Nigerians deserved. Kukah said: “The way we talk about issues affecting Nigeria is making everything to look as if we are at war with one another. “We must mind what we say about the President and the country. Other African countries including developed countries are not happy with us, yet we are not the worst country in the world.”

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

HE first of two American aid workers infected with Ebola while working in West Africa arrived in the United States on Saturday aboard a private air ambulance specially equipped to isolate patients with infectious diseases and was quickly admitted to a hospital here. The jet carrying Dr. Kent Brantly, who is believed to be the first patient with the virus ever to be treated at a hospital in the United States, landed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base around 11 a.m. With news helicopters flying overhead, a police-escorted ambulance carrying Dr. Brantly arrived less than 90 minutes later at Emory University Hospital, which has a containment unit for patients with dangerous infectious diseases. The unit was built more than a decade ago with consultation from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which

Kent Brantly, infected Ebola doctor, arrives in US

has its headquarters nearby. Not long after the ambulance pulled into a service entrance at Emory, it left the hospital, its driver wearing a white hazardous materials suit. Security was tight at the hospital: Ahead of Dr. Brantly’s admission, law enforcement officers were posted around the building, and a police canine unit performed an inspection. Although Emory, citing health privacy laws, declined to identify the patient, the Christian aid organization Samaritan’s Purse said it was Dr. Brantly. He and the other infected American aid worker, Nancy Writebol, were working

at a hospital in Liberia that was treating patients suffering from Ebola. Samaritan’s Purse said Ms. Writebol would return to the United States “within the next few days” for treatment at Emory. At a news conference on Friday, Dr. Bruce S. Ribner, an

infectious disease specialist at Emory who will be involved in their care, said, “The reason we are bringing these patients back to our facility is because we feel they deserve to have the highest level of care offered for their treatment.” Both patients will receive what Dr. Ribner described as

“supportive care” focused on maintaining their vital functions, like blood pressure and breathing. “We depend on the body’s defenses to control the virus,” he said. “We just have to keep the patient alive long enough in order for the body to control this infection.”

Dr. Ribner said Emory would have a robust roster of medical workers handling the care of Dr. Brantly and Ms. Writebol, including four infectious disease doctors, a rotating cast of nurses and, as needed, subspecialists. Dr. Alexander P. Isakov, the executive director of Emory’s Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response, said in an interview that the staff in the containment unit had volunteered to work there, and that some who were supposed to be on vacation had offered to cancel their plans to take care of the new patients.

New Libyan parliament meets far from the battle grounds

IBYA’S newly elected House of Representatives held its first session on Saturday, holed up in a heavily guarded provincial hotel as armed factions turned the two biggest cities, Tripoli and Benghazi, into battlefields. Western governments, who have mostly evacuated their diplomats after two weeks of fighting, hope the new parliament can create space for negotiations after the worst clashes since the 2011 war that ousted Muammar Gaddafi. But there was no sign of a let up in the capital Tripoli where a huge cloud of black smoke spread over the south of the city once again on Saturday after a fuel depot near the international airport was hit for the second time in a week as rival Zintan and Misrata brigades battled for control. Fighting with rockets, anti-aircraft cannon and other heavy artillery in Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi has killed more than 200 people, and edged Libya closer to full-scale civil war just three years after the NATObacked revolution. Britain became the latest Western government to announce it would close its em-

bassy, fearing being caught in the crossfire. With its national army still in formation, Libya has struggled to control heavily armed factions that have entrenched themselves as de facto power brokers in the messy transition since Gaddafi’s one-man rule. Elected in June, lawmakers met on Saturday for an emergency session in Tobruk, a coastal city east of Benghazi, where they are supposed to form a new government that many Libyans hope will be a step to ending the crisis. “Our homeland is burning,” Abu Bakar Baira, interim head of parliament said. “We have to work fast, to meet the demands of the people and save them from this disaster.” The 200-member parliament will hold its first official session to elect its new president on tomorow, Baira said. Some deputies aim to form a new cabinet to handle the crisis, three of them told Reuters. Three years after Gaddafi’s demise, few Libyan state institutions have popular legitimacy and the country still has no new constitution. Militias stormed the last parliament repeatedly to threaten lawmakers.

Remains found at plane crash site

NVESTIGATORS have recovered more human remains and personal belongings from the Malaysia Airlines wreckage site in eastern Ukraine.The head of an international recovery mission revealed that officials had used sniffer dogs at the crash area. Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg said a team of 70 Dutch and Australian investigators were able to reach the site for the second consecutive day despite clashes between proRussia separatist rebels and Ukrainian forces nearby. Flight 17 was shot down on July 17 with what the west says was a Russian-made

missile fired by the rebels, killing all 298 passengers and crew. Speaking from Kiev, Mr Aalbersberg did not give details of the remains recovered. His team is searching for decomposing remains of approximately 80 victims. The head of an international recovery mission revealed that officials had used sniffer dogs at the crash area. Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg said a team of 70 Dutch and Australian investigators were able to reach the site for the second consecutive day despite clashes between pro-Russia separatist rebels and Ukrainian forces nearby.

•Family of missing Israeli soldier, Hadar Goldin addressing the press yesterday.

PHOTO: AFP

Israel’s operation in Gaza to last as long as necessary - Netanyahu

SRAEL will continue its military campaign in the Gaza Strip as long as necessary to stop Hamas attacks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday evening. But he added that once the army’s operations to destroy tunnels into Israel are completed, Israel will decide how to redeploy its forces, suggesting a de-escalation of the ground war in Gaza. “From the beginning, we promised to return the quiet to Israel’s citizens and we will continue to act until that aim is achieved,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a nationally televised statement, with his defense minister beside him. “We will take as much time as necessary, and will exert as much force as needed.” Israel was not ending its operation unilaterally, he

said, adding: “We will deploy in the places most convenient to us.” Mr. Netanyahu praised the United States for supporting Israel, and asked for international help to rebuild Gaza and secure its “demilitarization.” Earlier Saturday, the armed wing of Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian faction that dominates the coastal strip, said that it was not holding an Israeli officer who has been missing since a deadly clash Friday that shattered a planned 72-hour cease-fire. The Qassam Brigades, which have led the 26-dayold battle with Israel, suggested in a statement that the officer might have been killed along with his cap-

tors in an Israeli assault that followed an attack by Palestinian militants, who emerged from a tunnel that Israeli troops were trying to destroy near the southern border town of Rafah. Two Israelis were killed in the attack, bringing the military’s total casualty count to 63. “Until now, we have no idea about the disappearance of the Israeli soldier,” the statement read. “We do not know his whereabouts or the conditions of his disappearance.” Saying the leadership had lost touch with its “troops deployed in the ambush,” the statement added, “Our account is that the soldier could have been kidnapped and killed together with our fighters.”

The statement repeated earlier assertions by Hamas leaders that the clash on Friday had occurred at 7 a.m., an hour before the onset of the cease-fire secured by the United Nations and Secretary of State John Kerry. The Israeli military said the attack occurred at 9:20 a.m., and Mr. Kerry, President Obama and the United Nations appeared to accept that account, with statements Friday that clearly blamed Hamas for the cease-fire’s breakdown and demanded that the group immediately and unconditionally release the captive. Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said Saturday morning that the search for the officer, Second Lt. Hadar Goldin, had not progressed, but that Israeli forces “have increased our activities.”

India evacuates thousands as Nepal landslide sparks flood fears

UTHORITIES in eastern India began evacuating thousands of villagers yesterday after efforts to clear a deadly landslide in neighbouring Nepal sparked fears of flash floods downstream, government officials said. The landslide, triggered by heavy rains in Nepal’s

Sindhupalchowk district, killed at least nine people and buried dozens of homes. More than 100 people are believed missing. The slide has also created a mud dam blocking the Sunkoshi river, which runs into India’s Bihar state as the Kosi river. Indian officials said water

levels were already above the danger mark. They feared that as Nepal blasts through the landslide to clear it, a torrent of water could be unleashed inundating hundreds of Bihar’s villages. “We are repeatedly appealing to villagers settled along the Kosi embankments to flee to safer places as soon

as possible,” the principal secretary in Bihar’s disaster management department, Vyasji, who goes only by one name, told reporters. “The blasting of blockage in river could result in a 10metre high wall of water sweeping down Kosi into Bihar which could bring trouble,” he added.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2014

WORLD/COMMENTARY

WRITE this piece with all intentions of dealing with the border crisis in the United States. However, I am compelled to return to Ukraine for I hear the loudening drums, and these drums beat nothing save war. The covers of most major American magazines feature ominous pictures of Russian President Putin will even more ominous headlines appearing under the masthead declaring him an international pariah, the rogue leader of a rogue nation. I just witnessed a horrid television interview of a former American ambassador to the Ukraine, advocating the incision of an armed international force into eastern Ukraine ostensibly to secure the MH17 crash site. This preposterous notion would surely turn the Ukrainian civil war into an international one and yet was not brazen enough for the envoy. The former diplomat argued that tougher economic sanctions against Russia were inadequate. Blaming every wrong thing and every drop of blood in Ukraine on Russia, the man called for an international military coalition to war against Russia. The irony that this mongering for the third pan-European conflagration in a century came from a man currently holding a senior position in an organisation bearing the title, “Institute for Peace” seemed not to dawn on the CNN hirelings interviewing him. Perhaps their blindness was because CNN’s parent company had just published a Time magazine edition branding Russia and its leader as pariahs. Consequently, these reporters never questioned the conclusion that Putin and the Ukrainian rebels were culpable for the plane’s downing. For people so obsessed with assuring that no nation challenge America’s global expansionism a great and dangerous transformation has come over them. They now find, in war, the solace the normal heart finds in peace. They long for a world where there is no disagreement and no enemies. This world will not materialise because of the high wisdom of their ways or rule. They seek to accomplish this world by blowing up enough countries that they will be left with no more enemies to face. The tragedy’s most likely explanation is the rebels downed the plane, mistaking it for a Ukrainian army transport plane. While this is the most plausible and least sinister explanation, it does not make this positive. Evidence adduced, thus far, is inconclusive as to the identity of the wrongdoer, let alone the motives behind the act. Thus, the chorus of Western officials and corporate media figureheads ascribing the act and the most heinous motives to Russia and the rebels does compound disservice to the pursuit of truth and peace at a time when both are most needed. Putative presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, trying to spark life into her sagging public persona after a lackluster book tour and several verbal gaffes about the extent of her family’s wealth, has taken to the interview circuit, launching her own fulsome projectiles at Putin. She paints Putin as a war merchant who bears full responsibility for the aerial calamity. Her reasoning for pinning the devil’s tail on the Russian leader is as superficial as were her reasons for backing the Iraqi war. Because Putin has not lashed himself to the American juggernaut, he is an evil tumescent that must be excised. As a reward for such crudity of thought on such complex things, the Anglo-American corporate media has bestowed to her a secular halo; but that false diadem cannot wash the blood from her hands. Comparing their records over the past decade, Clinton looms as an undisciplined hustler for war and the expansion of American power beyond the limits of global peace and historic propriety. Next to the Clintonian war lust, Putin stands as a model of the restraint that old world Realpolitik commands from its disciples. He may be cold and hard; however, his military exertions have been limited to his own territory (Chechnya) or its borders (Georgia and Ukraine). Regarding Georgia and Ukraine, he has adhered to what was Russia’s traditional defensive posture even before the doomed Napoleonic invasion. Russian has always sought a line of neutral, if not servile, states as a buffer protecting it from encroachment from superior Western European military technology and power. That Western leaders feign shock at Putin neither means they are disingenuous or are

More trouble along the border Whosoever arises by a lie will fall by the truth

•Obama

• Putin

so grossly ignorant of history that they should forfeit office before plunging the world into a war that the scantest respect for history would have caused them to avoid. Meanwhile, Clinton has lent full-throttle, zealous support to every needless misadventure America has entered since she happened upon the public scene. As senator, she endorsed the fraud in Iraq. As Secretary of State, she led the hawks in the Administration into convincing President Obama that bombing Libya into ruination was a humanitarian imperative. The fallacy of that logic has become painful obvious even to America. This weekend, Washington evacuated its embassy staff from the maelstrom its belligerency created. After retiring, she joined league with those pushing for America to war against Syria. However, plaintive cries from Clinton and others about the Sarin gas episode are heard no longer. The shouting has subsided because the truth leaked in bits and pieces proved awkward for Clinton and her ilk. The Sarin gas attack most likely was hatched by American allies seeking to bring America into the conflict. It did not come from Assad, apparently. However, there is no word of apology from Clinton and the American establishment and no sign of introspection at the near fallacy of rushing into war. Instead, theirs was a mad dash to the next crisis. This time Ukraine, and, this time, Russia must be taught a lesson for navigating a foreign policy that did not render it a vassal to American interests. Thus, the Anglo-American media has launched an unfettered propaganda war against Russia and the eastern Ukrainian dissidents for downing MH17. Rarely has such a weighty conclusion been globally published based on so little evidence. There was more incriminating evidence against Saddam than against Putin at this stage. We all know how that earlier farce turned out. The priests of war have gathered at their highest altars, preparing to sacrifice truth so that the clouds of war might once more gather over Eastern Europe. This ground has seen too much war and blood over the centuries. If possible, it should be allowed to recover and see no more. Before we led to a hasty conclusion that might march us into war, the facts should

be carefully examined. Thus far, the major evidence of rebel and Russian culpability is based on the faulty logic that since the Russians have the Buk missile system and the plane was likely downed by a Buk, then the Russians or their rebel allies caused it. What the media conveniently forgets to add is that the Soviets not the Russians manufactured the Buk. The system was stationed in every part of the former USSR. When the USSR fractured, Buk systems were inherited by the new nations. Ukraine was one of them. Thus, forces loyal to Kiev could have downed the plain with one of their launchers. They had the means and the motive. Downing the plane and blaming it on the rebels, Kiev could exploit the resultant international firestorm by seeking to place greater pressure on Russia to jettison its support for the rebels. Conversely, there was no advantage the rebels would gain by willfully targeting the aircraft. Days after the attack, Western media was flush with pictures of a Buk missile launcher purportedly being swiftly moved to Russia. This was alleged literally to be the “smoking gun,” the exact instrument that shot the deadly projectile. There may be something very wrong with the picture. According to the rebels and Russia, the city in which the picture was taken was under Kiev’s control. If so, then unless the Ukrainian military is apt to give free passage to enemy heavy armaments, the pictured Buk system belonged to the government, not Russia, not the rebels. If this were to be the smoking gun, the gun may fit the holster of the Ukrainian government. Even President Obama’s verbal formulation that the missile was fired from within territory controlled by the rebels is vague. Donetsk is the seat of the rebel administration, yet Donetsk currently undergoes such heavy shelling by government artillery that people hurriedly flee, carrying as much as their frightened arms and their vehicles can tote. Donetsk is under rebel control but areas near it, which the Donetsk rebels claim as their own, are effectively in the hands of advancing troops and their artillery batteries, the modern–day battering ram. A parcel of land may be “within rebel territory” but actually in the hands of

government forces aided by heavy weapons such as artillery and Buk missile ensembles. A senior Ukrainian government military figure added greater doubt regarding the identity of the culprit with his unusually frank admission that the rebels’ Buk launcher did not have the requisite radar complement. This means the rebels could not accurately get a radar lock on to a plane flying at high altitude. For the rebels to shoot down a plane flying over 30,000 feet would be an uncommon stroke of ill fate. Conversely, Ukrainian missile batteries feature the missing radar component. Then there is the alleged taped transcript of rebel commanders gloating over the plane’s downing. There is good reason the tape is no longer being touted as evidence. Several forensic experts have found it to be fabrication, a cut-and-paste job hastily assembled from prior conversations of rebel commanders. This trick is the latest in a line of misinformation operations by Kiev such as the fake decree purportedly issued by the rebels obligating Jews to specially register with the rebel administration. Perhaps, the information that advises extreme caution comes from the small minority of American journalists and government whistleblowers courageous enough to refuse joining the throaty, vociferous procession to war. Robert Parry, a respected investigative reporter who helped uncover the Iran-Contra scandal in the 1980’s, reports an American intelligence source stating that official satellite imagery suggests the missile was fired by the Ukrainian army. Perhaps this revelation is one reason the American government has refused to acknowledge, let alone publish, satellite imagery although it was an open secret that American satellites continuously monitor the Ukrainian theater. Plying a soft retreat from the harsh rhetoric of war and unsubstantiated conclusions of Russian wrongdoing, a leading American newspaper let slip toward the end of an article that an American intelligence source indicated a “defector” from the Ukrainian army fired the missile. That a single person set the launch is rather a clumsy explanation to digest, like a mouse trying to swallow and elephant’s leg. Moreover, a true defector would not control such a vital piece of hardware. Apparently, some American intelligence sources believe the missile emanated from a Ukrainian army vehicle; they seek to levy the blame at some mysterious, disgruntled soldier to detract the onus from the Kiev government itself. How convenient. Bias still infects them. Thus, they seem willing to lie to again cover the lie soon to be exposed. Another mystery is the flight path of the ill-destined plane. Western media reported the plane took this dangerous route to save fuel. This is a canard. Ukrainian air traffic control diverted the plane from its usually path, sending it northward over the war zone and toward its encounter with catastrophe. The Kiev government says the plane was diverted because of bad weather. Yet, if the choice were between thunderstorms and flying over a war zone, dodging a bit of rain would be preferable to dodging an armed projectile. This official explanation does not hold water. An Air India plane was flying minutes behind MH17. The Indian pilots report hearing Ukrainian traffic controllers divert the Malaysian craft to hostile territory. If due to foul weather, the Indian plane should have received the same command since they were on the same route. The weather could not have been foul for one but not the other. Adding to this mystery is the fact that Ukrainian security services rushed to the Kiev airport immediately after the downing, confiscating all traffic control recordings and heretofore has not release any of them. Here, I apologize to Malaysian airlines. I initially fell victim to the media’s misinformation about the airline flying this route to shave fuel costs. The media shaved the truth and used the airline as a convenient fall guy to present a false narrative about why the plane was where it reasonably should never have been. Malaysian Airlines was not as callous as I stated last week. •Continued on page 76

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

NEWS

Boko Haram embarrassment will soon end, says Jonathan

Agbaje, Johnson lead walk for the blind

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

By Adeola Ogunlade

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said that the embarrassment the Boko Haram’s deadly attacks is causing the nation will soon come to an end in the next few months. He made the remark when he paid homage to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade at IleIfe in Osun State. Jonathan was in the state for the mega rally of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore for the August 9 governorship election in the State. Stressing that the insurgency would soon be rooted out of the country, he described members of the Boko Haram sect as rascals. According to him, his government was committed to building very strong security agencies to deal with the current security challenges. He said: “There are certain things we should have done as a government but because of the situation in the country, we have not been able to do much of them. “The kind of embarrassment we are receiving now will never continue in this country. “We want to build a very strong army, the Nigeria Police and the Navy and the Air Force so that these rascals called Boko Haram will never stop us because we will surely rout Boko Haram. “We are very committed. In the next few months, no criminals will ever embarrass us again in this country”. He was optimistic that Omisore will work with the federal government to bring development to the state if he becomes governor of Osun State. The Ooni said the people in the South West and Osun State in particular needed a better feel of federal government’s presence in the key areas of Jonathan’s transformation agenda. “For instance, in the area of agricultural sector, cocoa farming which is the main stay of the economy of southwest deserves better attention. “In the aviation sector, it would be appreciated if the ongoing upgrading of the Ibadan airport is completed. “In the transportation sector, it is high time our railway system was expanded to link the southwest with the southeast through Akire, Owo and Benin,” he stated. Jonathan also paid homage to the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun.

NMA restates case for Office of Surgeon-General

HE outgoing Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Delta state chapter, Dr Monday Osarenkhoe, has urged the federal government to create the Office of Surgeon-General. Osarenkhoe made the call at the association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Scientific Conference in Asaba last Friday. The theme of the AGM is: “Improving Health care Delivery in Nigeria: The Role of the SurgeonGeneral of the Federation”. He said the appointment of surgeon-general “will save the health sector politics”. The outgoing chairman said the surgeon-general when appointed would be the custodian of the country’s public health.

•L-R, Board Member, Airtel Nigeria, Paul Usoro (SAN), Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce & Industry, Mrs. Sola Oworu; winners of CEO Award for Excellence and grand prize 2014 Toyota Land Cruiser SUV, Mr. Nwabueze Nwachukwu of C& M Abuson Ltd with MD/CEO, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya at the 2014 Airtel Channel Partners Award in Lagos…at the weekend

S former Information Minister Dora Nkem Akunyili lay dying in her India hospital bed last June, uppermost in her thought was the safe return home of the over 200 school girls abducted seven weeks earlier by Boko Haram members. She wished she could, on her own, bring them out of captivity. She did not give up praying for them until she breathed her last on June 7, her widower, Dr Chike Akunyili, revealed yesterday. The girls remain in the dungeon of the terrorists.

Akunyili’s last wish: Wanted Chobok girls released •Widower says she died of Endometrial Carcinoma, not cervical cancer By Nwanosike Onu, Awka

Speaking on the last moment of the former Director General, National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Chike said that she died of Endometrial Carcinoma and not cervical cancer widely speculated as the

Halt legislative recklessness in Nasarawa, Falana tasks Jonathan

UMAN rights activist and lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to call members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly to order over their moves to impeach the state governor, Tanko Al-Makura. Describing the ongoing attempts to remove AlMakura by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)dominated House as part of an alleged agenda to turning Nigeria into a one-party state, Falana urged the president to immediately put a stop to what he called the “legislative recklessness in Nasarawa State. He said: “It is no longer a secret that the wave of impeachment sweeping across the nation is part of the planned manipulation of the 2015 general elections in favour of the ruling party. In the process, the dubious agenda of turning Nigeria into a one party state will be achieved. “In view of the potential danger which the trend portends for political stability in the country, the illegality which has characterised the ongoing impeachment of Governor Tanko Al-Makura must be halted by President Goodluck Jonathan forthwith.” Dismissing claims by the presidency and PDP that it had no hand in the gale of impeachment threats against opposition governors, Falana declared, “It is no longer sufficient to distance the Presidency from the legislative recklessness being

exhibited with impunity by the legislators. If the Presidency is not involved in what have become recurrent illegalities, who stopped the Edo State Police Command from arresting four suspended legislators from conducting mock proceedings of the Edo State House of Assembly? “Why is the Edo State police command helpless when both the High Court and the Court of Appeal have ordered the suspended legislators to desist from treating court orders with disdain? In the case of Nasarawa State, who authorised the provision of the security personnel guiding the illegal meetings of the legislators outside the premises of the House of Assembly, the only venue where legitimate proceedings of the legislative body can be conducted? Citing a Supreme Court ruling on the impeachment of former Governor Rasheed Ladoja of Oyo State conducted by PDP legislators in a hotel at Ibadan as illegal and unconstitutional, Falana wondered why President Jonathan, who as the Chief Security Officer of the country has not directed the security forces to stop what he called “the highly contemptuous impeachment proceedings being conducted by PDP legislators in Nasarawa State? While admitting that the legislature has the powers to impeach governors and deputy governors, Falana, however, added that the powers must be exercised in total compliance with the Constitution.

cause of her death. He spoke in Agulu, Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, while briefing reporters ahead of her burial on August 28. He said that Endometrial Carcinoma is another type of cancer that takes no time in killing its victims.

He said the deceased also remained, till her last second, passionate about the unity of Nigeria. ”My wife said she would serve Nigeria with the last drop of her blood,” he said. Dr Akunyili said she would be given a post humous award in the United States of America on November 18, 2014 for her achievements in Pharmacy.

HE Nigeria Society for the Blind (NSB) has concluded plans to stage its annual white cane walk at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos on August 9. The Chairman of the NSB, Mrs. Biola Agbaje, made this known at a press briefing at the NSB Vocational Centre, Oshodi, Lagos. The walk tagged Walk for Fitness will start from the National Stadium at 7; 00am to Costain Avenue. The wife of the first Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Obafunmilayo Johnson, will lead the walk. Agbaje said the walk is aimed at sensitising Nigerians and the virtually impaired on the importance of the use of the white cane to the mobility of the blind people in Nigeria. Agbaje, who was represented by the member of the Executive Board of NSB, Chief Olu Falomo, said that the white cane is a symbol for the virtually impaired person. She noted that the era where the visually impaired will be led to walk with the white cane is over, which when used regularly could lead them to wherever they want to go.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

‘Our opponents sustain their campaigns with falsehood’ Continued fron page 21

istration has done in the history of this state. Yes, we are having some challenges with the lecturers but it’s not peculiar to us but you just have to bear it. For Okada riders, they have no problem with us. They may want us to do things for them as we have done to some other groups, but it not as if they said compared to others, these are the problems. The roads here are appreciated even by those who used legs. Has any government succeeded in constructing 200 kilometres of road in all nooks and crannies of the state? There is no part of this state that we have not constructed a new road and it’s not just any road but roads with concrete drainage, with stone base and kick asphaltic cover and above all when I get to campaign grounds, I say our roads have tribal marks. In all general roads, we have roads to with marks. We now have special roads, when we complete some of them, they will be tourism attraction and centres on their own. The road we are building in Gbogan, people will be coming to look at it, mark my words. That road you see, Gbongan to Akoda, will be a tourism attraction because it is not an ordinary road because it’s a road that took me time to conceive and design and we are taking our time to develop it. So, when people talk about the cost of our roads, I just laugh because it’s not good to be talking to people who don’t know what they are saying. We have different types of roads. That road is going to be a reference point in road construction. We are changing the landscape and making the state of Osun a hub of everything that is good. We also want to tell the world that the black man is a human being. Before our advent, the civil servants never knew that salary could be paid before the end of the month. For seven and half year, salaries were never paid here before the end of the month. But from when I assumed office, we changed that. Before the year ended when I assumed office, I paid 10 per cent of their basic as 13th month salary and paid December salary before the end of the year, the civil servants were dazed. Since that day up until December 2013, I pay salary on or before the 25th of every month. But as from January 2014, we ran into trouble which we explained to everybody six months before then. In July 2013, the Federal Government began a squeeze that they themselves know that nobody believed them. They said 400,000 barrel of crude oil is being stolen every day. We didn’t know problem was coming. Instead of collecting N4.6 billion, they gave this government N2.6 billion, 40 per cent slashed. We thought it will be temporary because after that month, they said the stolen crude has reduced to 200,000 barrel per day. When the oil being lost reduced, would you still expect a 40 per cent cut? From that July to now, the maximum allocation this state has ever received is N3.2 billion which was in November 2013. I am not making up anything, simply saying the truth. Now ask me how was I able to pay up until December 2013? My people are called osomalo- they are very deft in the management of money and I took this from them. I had been saving through the Omoluabi Conservation Fund in which 10 per cent of all allocation must just go and rest. So, I had money in reserve, which was a build-up for my refusal to form cabinet for 10 months, I had the money. Whereas my income fell to N2.6billion at the lowest and N3.4billion at the highest for a month, my statutory expenditures which are expenditures that I have no control on once we have agreed on it, •Continued from page 74 It may have been a tool in a lethal deception. The dark badge of callousness instead goes to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. While he plays no discernible role in Ukraine, he took advantage of the air tragedy to advance his incarnadine schemes. Upon learning the plane went down, Netanyahu unleashed his ground assault on Gaza. He did so knowing corporate media would focus its ire and outrage on Russia and the Ukrainian rebels. This would divert criticism and attention from his brutal policy. While MH17’s downing seems the product of error, what Israel has done is premeditated cruelty. The Israeli claim of provocation rings empty. The Palestinian’s military efforts have been futile and relatively harmless. The Israeli assault is highly disproportionate to danger faced. This has been willful slaughter, decimating more innocent civilians than purported Hamas members, decimating almost three times more people than the MH17 disaster. It seems Israeli policy has disintegrated to the point where the only good Palestinian is a

•Aregbesola

for instance salary, pension and they are N3.6 billion every month, I have no power over it. I can’t say no, am not paying, Between July and December, I augmented my income with N5.4billion. All in the hope that this thing will go, it didn’t go. It has not gone as we speak, it is even worse. Before, when you get your allocation, you will cash it by the 15th of every month that is why they are paying salaries on the 15th of the month before we came in. That used to be the practice. But now, because you want to squeeze the opposition government, they even squeeze themselves. Nobody gets the reduced allocation earlier than the 26th of the following month. But before now, I wasn’t waiting for their money; I just pay on or before the 25th. If for whatever reason, because when we wanted to introduce the digital automation, it was difficult to do cross over it will get to the 1st or 2nd of the following month, not that the money is not there, we have arranged, banks just pay, we have money with them. To make up the deficit in what I received and what I must pay, I spent extra N5.4 billion. However, I told you earlier that I gave 10 per cent of basic salary for 13th month salary; the second year I gave 25 per cent; the third year I gave 50 per cent; the fourth year, I gave 100 per cent. So, December of 2013, I gave every worker in the employment of Osun 100 per cent of their basic salary as extra income which I paid before the end of the year, ordinarily, why should any worker say I am not friendly with them. Before, workers here were given their leave allowances en bloc at the end of the year, I told them this is unreasonable because we don’t go to leave at the same time, so choose when you want your leave allowance to be paid. Is it at your birthday or the anniversary of your employment into the service? So, whenever you submit your birthday,

your leave allowance will be credited to you. I don’t know if any other government in Nigeria does that. Two, go and visit the secretariat and see what we have made of their work environment. So, if these are things that should motivate workers, I stand tall and proud because I have done my best. No matter what anybody tells me, majority of them will appreciate these things. However, since January because I have exhausted my reserve, it is when we get money that we now go to look for money to add to it and pay. That began in January. The difference between me and others is that I don’t hide anything; I tell whosoever cares to listen. I am the most loquacious governor in Nigeria. I went to the retreat of lawmakers’ and I said what is happening in Nigeria today is equivalent to the declaration of economic war on the states. If it is just mere shortage and it comes early, of course we will pay, it doesn’t come early. As we speak, we have not collected June allocation. What we are saying is that is either people don’t even care or they think you can just conjoined money or they know what you are going through. I said at a rally recently that from what I have heard from their grapevine because they had a meeting where they said that, squeeze them, if they can’t pay salary, you will create problem for them. Mark my words; they might not give us June allocation until the end of August. But we will pay our workers, already we have pay June. I am happy to tell you that majority of our civil servants see and appreciate what we are doing. You can to the secretariat and see what we are doing. We increased the car loan by 400 per cent; we increased housing loans by 100 per cent. For 36 out of 43 months we have been paying regularly, let’s even assume that there is a problem of delayed payments now, I cannot believe all the workers will be against us because I have done my best. If the demonstration of interest of workers in their remuneration and allowances counts and with what we have done, I don’t think they will be against us. I read the advert they published and I laughed because it indicted them. They wrote that my income was N2.8 billion and this is what I have to pay, N3.4billion and pegged it with state and local governments. There is no way I can touched local government account because is separate and distinct. We made sure nobody touches local government account and get away with it. Local government has its own separate account and I don’t know where their account is. I can only give policy statements on that. Our teachers in the state are now very well motivated such that you cannot distinguished between our them and bank workers. When you see a teacher in Osun before you know. They are so depressed, unmotivated and absence of facilities. Our teachers now appear corporate and wellmotivated. It is not that there won’t be some of them who for whatever reason don’t like us but they are in the minority. Don’t buy the talk that you hear that teachers don’t like him, I don’t believe that. We do independent, scientific opinion poll does not support all these talks. You need to how people respond to us everywhere, people just swarm around me. I have never being in a place where my presence does not generate euphoria. You don’t get such reception if people have problem with you. I don’t really believe I have any problem with any critical sector. There is nothing that they have done to deride us. There is no household in this state that does not feel our impact. We are talking about how to

More trouble along the border dead or a fleeing one. Back to Ukraine. Much hangs on which side downed the plane. This means the truth will likely never be known. Again, that the rebels committed this as a tragic error is most likely explanation. However, there is enough doubt and countervailing information to make one pause. A prudent person would withhold judgment. Moreover, judgment about the propriety of the wider conflict — the civil war between the government and the rebels – should be made independent of culpability for the aerial tragedy. In that case, one must weigh whether the rebels have a right to contest the writ of the government in Kiev just as the leaders of that government recently contested against and ousted the elected Yanukovych government. Given the wider international context of the war, one has to judge whether the West’s policy of extending EU/NATO to Russia’s

westernmost borders is an excellent innovation that will promote security and prosperity or is it a guise to isolate and weaken an increasingly strong and independent Russia. The West is racing against time and thus must exploit the uncertainty around this incident to compel Russia to brake its support for the rebels. In a few months, the summer and autumn will cede to winter. If the weather turns bitter cold and snowy, the military activity will subside, allowing the rebels to more firmly secure their hold on what they currently possess. Also, Europe will be in dire need of Russian gas and thus will have no stomach for imposing greater sanctions on the supplier of such a valued and timely commodity. In other words, one must decide whether Putin behaves like a relic in his adherence to traditional Russian policy and Realpolitik or has he positioned himself on the tip of a needle as a strategist. Is he trying to balance the need to avoid a conflagration that might en-

make education the central focus of our administration because I am no longer thinking of now but we want to create a new sets of Nigerians on which a new society would be born and we can’t do it on what is there now. Mine is the first government in Nigeria to give free uniform to all students. The first government that will say that you don’t need to buy textbooks for your children in the high school, Opon Imo and its targeted at 150,000 students. One of the attractions is that it reduces the cost of book. With that number and with what it cost us to procure the e-book, N200m for 53 books. If you divide N200 million by 53, you will get the cost of per book on that basis. If you now divide the outcome with 150,000, do you know that the cost of the book will be N2? Opon Imo should be celebrated by all because it reduces the capital outlay on books. Tell me any government anywhere in the world that can provide eight textbooks free of charge to students. How many parents can buy all books required by their children, but we have changed this by putting into the hands of all our students in high school a library of 53 textbooks. Our students here keep it with them, go home with them, and sleep with them for as long as they are in school. That was why I said that we have saved our state N8 billion to procure these books for the students. Immediately they heard that I said we have save the state of N8 billion naira, they said Aregbesola has stolen N8 billion. That was the genesis of the money they said my son took from Opon Imo. Let’s asked them where the N8 billion is. How much of an impact do you expect what is now referred to as ‘stomach infrastructure’ to have on the poll this weekend? To those who people who are elite and are therefore separated from the people, this term may make a new meaning to them. I am a product of the popular forces, the people and I am part and parcel of them. I emanated from them and a product of their struggles. What is now known as stomach infrastructure is what we know as interaction, engagement, living with the people and meeting their aspirations and needs. That is what we have been doing from the very beginning of this administration; I feed their children every day meal. The Akara seller knows that I feed her child every day. I identify with them on a daily basis in their struggle to live and they understand that everything we do is to make live easy for them. My administration does not suffer alienation from the people, it is one and same with the people and that is the basis of our confidence in their ever ready support at all times. Is there any aspect of the state that you think you have not touched? There is no trade, commercial or social group in the state of Osun that we have not impacted. There is no aspect. Apart from Lagos, we are the only state government that has an emergency call centre but has been made dysfunctional because the federal government just refused to give us short code to make it work. I am telling how totally insensitive some of us are to the critical issues of our people. Whether you are APC or PDP, is your commitment not to improve the lot of your people? And when you get to these offices you must show shun partisanship because you have sworn to an oath of allegiance to the Constitution and service to the people. I challenge anybody to say that my programmes are discriminatory? Why should it be anyway, are they not our citizens? We have a nation to build and a people to serve gulf an entire continent with his desire to establish his nation as a power at the center of an international alignment challenging the global hegemony of American power? He and the Chinese had hoped to make the challenge via reform of the global economic system. However, his refusal to side with America on geopolitical issues such as Syria, Iran and European missile systems has brought war to his border’s edge. He has proven himself to be the best geopolitical strategist among those now operating in the European theater. This includes the Americans. However, his craftiness may not be enough to overcome the more powerful West’s preference for larger battle. If not, we may be on a slide toward a war that would have been incomprehensible merely ten years ago. Peace is in jeopardy. Pray that it endures. Cherish it while it lasts. Once again, I failed to address the American border crisis. I surely will cure this omission next week. 08060340825 sms only

THE NATION ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

NEWS

Jonathan for US-African leaders Summit in Washington

Govt to cut taxes for phone companies to boost investment

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan is scheduled to depart Abuja today for Washington, DC, to participate in a three-day United StatesAfrican Leaders Summit to be hosted by President Barack Obama. About 49 other African leaders have been invited to the summit which the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said will lead to greater progress in key areas such as expanding trade and investment ties, promoting inclusive sustainable development and expanding cooperation on peace and security. Besides three special sessions on “Investing in Africa’s Future”, “Peace and Regional Stability” and “Governing the Next Generation”, the summit will also feature side-events such as the United States-Africa Business Forum which has the objectives of boosting efforts to strengthen trade and financial ties between the United States and Africa, creating partnerships that will accelerate job creation, and encouraging even more American investments in Nigeria and other African countries, Abati said. Jonathan is also scheduled to hold meetings in Washington with key United States political, security and business leaders on the sidelines of the summit to discuss the further expansion of bilateral cooperation between Nigeria and the United States in other areas including the war against terrorism. The President will be accompanied on the visit by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, the Coordinating Minster of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, and the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.) He will return home at the conclusion of the summit on Wednesday.

Ihedioha dissociates self from campaign posters

HE Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, has dissociated himself, from posters in parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, suggesting him as a presidential running mate on the platform the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015. His Press Sceretary, Mr. Oke Opia said, yesterday, that he remained a member of the PDP and asked public to ignore the posters. He said the pasting of the posters was the handiwork of mischief makers. “The deputy speaker is fully focused on, and committed to rebuilding the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nationally and in Imo State where he has remained a bulwark of the ruling party since the opposition took over the reins of government at that level in 2011,” Opia said..

From left: Surveyor-General of The Federation, Prof. Nwilo Chigozie; former Governor of Cross River, Donald Duke And Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed, at a send-off and retirement dinner in honour of Prince Mgbemena in Abuja on Friday night. PHOTO: NAN

Why NNPC GMD was fired •Yakubu opposed minister’s suit against Reps over chartered flight

RRECONCILABLE differences between the newly dropped Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu, and Petroleum Minister Diezani AlisonMadueke, cost him his job on Friday, The Nation can reveal. Yakubu and the Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Mr. Victor Briggs, were unceremoniously dumped at the weekend by President Goodluck Jonathan who immediately appointed Dr Joseph Thlama Dawha at NNPC and Mr. Anthony Ugonna Muoneke at NPDC as replacements. Yakubu is the fourth NNPC GMD to work with the minister in a space of four years. Many staff of the NNPC remained shell shocked at the development yesterday a few weeks after Yakubu reportedly told them that he had the confidence of the President. Industry sources told The Nation in Abuja that the relationship between the former NNPC boss and the minister was dogged by disagreements on several issues. These include constant sack of highly-skilled professionals in the corporation who were trained by the federal government; sharp differences on policies affecting oil and gas industry; alienation

FROM: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation of International Oil Companies (IOCs); opposition to the minister’s court action against the House of Representatives to stop the probe into alleged N10billion spent on chartered jet; non-availability of the minister when crucial decisions are required; and pile up of files on matters affecting the industry. An NNPC source familiar with the situation said: “You know Yakubu, a northern minority, was the fourth to get the boot in four years. We had Barkindo, Ladan, Oniwon and the latest victim, Yakubu. “What happened was that the immediate past GMD was uncomfortable with the recurring sack of competent hands in NNPC to satisfy some cronies. His position was that sycophancy should not be the basis for appointments in the corporation. “For instance, a former GED of the NNPC in charge of exploration, Abiye, was sacked after he fought spiritedly to reconcile accounts on alleged missing oil funds with ex-CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. There were so many cases like that in the last four years.” The source also alleged that several policy proposals made by Yakubu never sat well with the minister.

“The ex-GMD was not happy that the IOCs are divesting in the oil sector although the minister does not see anything wrong with the development,” the source said. “Above all, the former GMD detested the idea of running after a minister with files when crucial decisions were to be taken. “Instead of being mutually consultative, the minister will rather give an order on what should be done when it is technically obvious as defective. All the management staff owe the minister is “Yes madam.” Yakubu was said to be opposed to the minister’s decision to take the House of Representatives to court on the alleged N10billion spent on chartered jet. His position was that the corporation should go and explain to the House and lay the facts bare. “Yakubu was thinking of what would become of NNPC after the exit of the minister. He said a constitutional body should be accountable for the system to flow well. “The frequent travels of the minister also affected or delayed issues which ought to be treated on time. This created a cold war between the minister and the former GMD.” The source said that the manner in which the President acted clearly showed that he only listened to the supervis-

ing minister alone. Another source however said although some management staff saw Yakubu’s sack coming, the ex-GMD dismissed such assumption. It was gathered that some management staff had been tipped off that the Minister was uncomfortable with the exGMD anymore. Such managers reportedly raised the issue with the former GMD but he refused to move to stop the sack. He was said to have told his informants that President Jonathan had repeatedly assured him that his job was safe. The source said: “I can recall that some management staff had recently asked him if all was well with the supervising minister, the former MD said: ‘I have met with the president and he told me he had no problem with me. I have done that more than three times.’ You can imagine our feelings when our worst fear was confirmed on Friday night. “None of us was in the picture, not even the aides of the minister. We were all shocked because the former GMD did so much to put the refineries in good shape. He was also too loyal to the Minister of Petroleum Resources.” The source said: “Instability is gradually creeping into NNPC, we are losing good hands to incessant sack. The development has created fears in all of us.”

Courts to resume operations Monday

OURTS across the nation are expected to resume operations tomorrow after judicial workers under the aegis of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) called off their three week industrial action at the weekend. JUSUN decided to suspend the strike following a meeting between the union’s leaders and Labour Minister, Emeka Wogu, and other stakeholders in the nation’s justice sector. The judicial workers embarked on strike to compel government to obey the January 13 judgment given in a suit by JUSUN by justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

•As JUSUN suspends three-week old strike •Rivers not included courts in the case of states’ From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

Justice Ademola had, in the judgment, held among others that it was unconstitutional for the Executive to withhold or release in piecemeal, funds standing to the credit of the Judiciary in the Federation Account and Consolidated Revenue Fund. The Judge directed that such funds should be paid directly to the National Judicial Council (NJC) for onward disbursement to heads of courts in the case of federal Judiciary and heads of

Judiciary as required under sections 81(3), 121(3) and 162(9) of the Constitution. The Nation learnt that government agreed to meet JUSUN’s demand in 45 days. Those at the meetings included the Labour and Productivity Minister, representatives of the state commissioners of finance and state Accountants-General, the Accountant-General of the Federation and the National Judicial Council. Others were the President of the Nigerian Bar Association

(NBA), Okey Wali (SAN), and the representatives of the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC). It was, however, learnt that courts in Rivers State would remain closed as court workers in the state, whose strike began before the called by JUSUN, have been directed to remain at home. JUSUN’s President, Marwan Adamu told The Nation in an interview that the strike in Rivers State was different from the nationwide strike JUSUN called over the refusal of the Executive to obey the January 13 judgment.

HE Federal Government plans to reduce taxes on telecommunications infrastructure to encourage companies to spend more on networks in the country, Communications Technology Minister Omobola Johnson has said. “For every naira that is spent on infrastructure, about 70 percent of it is spent on taxes,” she said in an interview in Abuja. “We’re going to bring that down to a much more reasonable level at 30 to 40 percent.” Mobile-phone companies including MTN) and Bharti Airtel Ltd have examined ways to offload networks to reduce exposure to costly African infrastructure. Apart from taxes, Nigeria operators also face the challenges of unreliable power supply and the threat of bomb attacks from terrorists. MTN and Airtel were both fined earlier this year for poor service standards in the country. While Nigerian laws allow only the federal government to tax mobile-phone companies, states and local authorities have found other ways to raise cash by heavily levying operators’ infrastructure, including towers and base stations, Johnson said. The states shouldn’t charge a retail store 10 million naira and phone companies 100 million naira for the same-sized space, she said. MTN is planning to sell a stake in its Nigerian mobile tower network, which it values at more than $1 billion. Sunil Mittal, the billionaire chairman of India’s largest mobile-phone operator Airtel, said in a May interview that operators are unfairly taxed in Nigeria because the industry supports other areas of the economy. A five-year insurgency by Boko Haram in the Northeast has “badly affected” phone companies’ operations in the region as militants target telecommunications network sites, Johnson said. An MTN office in Maiduguri was torched by terrorists in 2012. Its base stations and towers have been attacked in the past. “There are parts of the Northeast that no operator can go into even if they want to,” Johnson said. “Whenever they have to desperately go and maintain, they do get the support of the security forces to escort to their base stations to do their work.” Nigeria remains a target for international phone companies eager to tap into demand from the country’s 170 million people. The total number of connected mobilephones increased to 177 million as of the end of April, compared with 170 million at the start of the year, according to the Nigerian Communication Commission. MTN said in April it secured a $3 billion loan to invest in the country, while Globacom is spending $1.25 billion to upgrade and expand its network. Nigeria plans to award seven licences within a year to companies that will build fibre-optic networks in each of the six geopolitical zones and Lagos Johnson said. The nation wants to reach 30 percent broadband penetration by 2017.

QUOTABLE

“This (Ebola) is no longer a local, but an international problem, because it is easily transmittable across the borders and boundaries. I think what the Federal Government needs to do at this time is to consider the imperative of closing some of our borders… We must now choose the treaty obligations that we hold under the ECOWAS treaty and perhaps, the short term benefits in terms of economic cost to human life…”

SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2014 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL. 9, NO. 2929

- Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, calling on the Federal Government to shut Nigeria’s borders in order to curtail the spread of the Ebola epidemic.

EXT Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State is strictly speaking between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Any other party staking a claim to the state’s Government House is simply making up the number. Should PDP win, the party, and by inference, President Goodluck Jonathan, could create a roaring momentum that would be hard to stop going into the 2015 general elections. Not only would the party make a serious and plausible claim to reclaiming the Southwest for the PDP, as many of the party’s leading political philosophers suggest and desire, even Dr Jonathan, whose life and politics consistently defy gravity and logic, could feel considerably animated about his chances. The president’s life is full of happenstances; indeed, it relies on happenstances; and his politics, strangely energised by its mediocre pauses, now relies almost entirely on brute force, intimidation, harassment and constitutional subversion. But should APC win, as its beleaguered apparatchiks earnestly hope, it would check the heresy triggered by the Ekiti governorship poll, buoy up the party in general terms, create a fresh momentum for the opposition towards the 2015 polls, especially the presidential election, and arrest the PDP frenzy in the Southwest. In short, the APC needs Osun much more than the PDP does. Ekiti proved during the June governorship poll that the Southwest is not as ideologically driven as many analysts, including this columnist, hoped. Ideology is therefore unlikely to play a dominant role in shaping Osun’s electoral choices on Saturday. Instead, rather than party preference, Osun will more likely than not vote for personality. But secondarily, I suspect, Osun will also try to distance itself from the unwholesome factors that tarred the Ekiti poll, especially the specious reasons given to justify the revolt against Governor Kayode Fayemi. The contest in Osun will be narrowed down to a straight fight between Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Senator Iyiola Omisore. Both, it is obvious, have been tried in one office or the other; the former as governor, and the latter as a senator, former deputy governor, ruthless machinator, and maverick politician. Choosing between the two politicians should not present Osun with a hard task, though both gentlemen have an insatiable knack for courting controversy and for sailing near the wind. Governor Aregbesola is not unbeatable, for after all, I have had reasons to disagree with him vehemently, and still do; but it will require someone acutely cerebral, much calmer, more reflective and more genuine than the challenger. Senator Omisore is none of these, and no matter how hard he tries, can’t be. Indeed, the

The choice before Osun

The El-Zakzaky tragedy

F •Aregbesola

•Omisore

most poignant part of the challenger’s persona is his absolute lack of reflection, not to talk of his impatience, dangerous and intuitive iconoclasm, which he displayed in his numerous battles with the late Minister of Justice, Bola Ige, and complete vacuity. Like Ekiti’s Governor-elect, Ayo Fayose, who neither believes nor stands for anything substantial, Senator Omisore feigns disingenuous eclecticism by borrowing bits and pieces of disjointed ideas from all sources. In politics, it is said that you can’t beat something with nothing. But it happened in Ekiti last June where a hollow nothing beat a full something. The misfortune of Senator Omisore is to live in a state like Osun eager to buck the trend of the so-called PDP reclamation of the Southwest rather than in a vengeful Ekiti full of vendetta. Though he has tried his valiant best to put on the Fayose airs – of spontaneous roadside meals, of wisecracks and rural jocosity, and of a risible attachment to indefinable pragmatism – the fact remains that he is not Mr Fayose, and Osun is not Ekiti. Governor Aregbesola, on the other hand, and in spite of his fondness for leftist/Marxist regimentation, has managed to capture popular imagination in Osun. More, he is a workaholic, someone genuinely interested in affecting the course of history, in overthrowing the citadel of privilege, making a name for himself, touching lives, and demystifying governance. His passion sometimes makes him overreach himself,

but he at least shows courage in tackling societal problems even at the risk of alienating sections of his society. I doubt whether Osun will punish him for this. Even after the election, the fight for societal redefinition will continue, and I think by and by, he will have to face reality and reach an accommodation with his critics. But perhaps the main reason I expect him to win is because Osun, more than Ekiti, recognises that the battle for the soul of the Southwest is raging fiercely. They recognise that if the tide is to be turned, Osun will have to set the pace, similar to what they did during the 2011 presidential poll. They recognise instinctively the consequence of the return of Mr Fayose. They know it is a harbinger of bad news for the zone, a return to vagrant politics, mediocrity, and social and cultural anomie. They know a vote for Omisore, especially with the unresolved Chief Ige murder for which he was at a time detained and even interdicted, will open the door for the return of Adebayo Alao-Akala and other underachieving politicians without programmes and without reputation. They know Senator Omisore and Mr Fayose will get the Southwest sucked once again into the vortex of another silly season. To prove that Ekiti made a grave error of judgement, Osun will likely and very sensibly re-elect Governor Aregbesola. It will not be a wholesale endorsement of all his policies in his first term. But it will be their way of repudiat-

Nasarawa lawmakers plan legislative coup

AWMAKERS of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly are determined to procure the impeachment of Governor Tanko Al-Makura, even if it offends fair play, rule of law and constitutional provisions. They do not see the impeachment drive they are championing as a constitutional issue; they see it as a political matter, and do not appear to care what the end of it would be. Dissatisfied with playing the Scarlet Pimpernel in the past few weeks over their subterranean moves to impeach Governor AlMakura, and still breathing imprecates against the governor and thirsting for more blood, they have resolved to oppose the seven-man investigative panel constituted by the state Chief Judge, Suleiman Dikko, to look into the impeachment allegations against the governor. They argue that the panel is made up of the governor’s loyalists. In other words, they do not trust the judgement and impartiality of the panel, but would prefer a panel certain to hang the governor. Last month, Adamawa State lawmakers had inspired a similar treason plot against the implacable Murtala Nyako, perhaps the only governor in the North to look President Goodluck Jonathan in the face and call him unflattering names. Having also offended the political juggernauts of the state, virtually all of whom loathe the finer princi-

ing Senator Omisore who is so unfit for high office it is inconceivable he is at all fit for anything. It will also be their way of showing the federal government that the unconstitutional madness of militarising polls does not intimidate them, let alone yield anything productive for the Jonathan presidency. Finally, it will be their way of showing they recognise that the disinformation and misinformation that perverted the Ekiti poll will not be accommodated in Osun. I endorse Governor Aregbesola without reservation. I would rather reason and disagree with an Aregbesola who can feel the weight of criticism, notwithstanding his sometimes inflexible approach, than a pliant and dissembling Omisore whose lack of character and distorted worldview make him inured to criticism and change.

ples of democracy – or perhaps can’t understand the concept – the former naval officer was already isolated and ready to be offered when the knives came out for him. The Adamawa legislature, however, did not simply plot an impeachment to right the wrongs attributed to the deposed governor, they engaged in the most atrocious machination ever conducted in any House of Assembly in Nigeria. Not only could they not agree on whom to impeach between the former governor and his deputy, Bala Ngilari, they were consumed by their common disregard for procedure and constitutionality. Former Deputy Governor Ngilari, they realised, did no wrong, at least nothing properly describable as impeachable offences. But they needed to get rid of him in order to bring about the crooked outcome they had designed. Eventually they tricked him into resigning on the excuse that it would be easier to enthrone him after their common foe, Admiral Nyako, was humiliated. But, as it turned out, the goal of the legislators was to enthrone the highly ambitious Umaru Fintiri, former Speaker of the House of Assembly. In essence, what took place in Adamawa last month was not an impeachment but a legislative coup. Nasarawa’s legislative coup is a little different. While it is not yet clear what their final objective is, that is apart from unhorsing the governor to seize the state from the electorate through the backdoor, the state’s 20 PDP law-

makers are, however, bent on deposing Governor Al-Makura by the most brazen legislative abracadabra ever. Since the constitution does not allow them the leeway they seek, they have sought to abridge, circumvent and humiliate it. This is why they want a panel that would do their private and unconstitutional bidding. This is why they are asking Justice Suleiman to disband the panel he had constituted and replace it with one amenable to their whims. It is not certain just what mettle Justice Suleiman is made of, whether he has the character to resist the legislative insurrection going on in Nasarawa, or whether he would succumb as supinely as the Acting Chief Judge of Adamawa did under the pressure of Dr Jonathan’s increasingly partisan Nigerian Army. What is clear, however, is that so far while the Nasarawa legislature has behaved lawlessly and irresponsibly, the state Chief Judge has confined himself to the ambit of the law. Tomorrow may bring new realities. But there is no reality that can erase the conviction that Nigeria has come under gunboat democracy, one in which the constitution is disregarded, and the president, his aides and party strategists are embroiled in the most pernicious subversion of both the constitution and democracy. We are blithely sowing the wind today; it is certain we will reap the whirlwind before long, for nature itself abhors the capricious and despicable politics being played by the president and his men.

IVE years ago, security agents grossly mishandled Boko Haram’s unorthodox approach to social and religious engineering. Many analysts, including this column, and rights groups warned stridently that government’s approach was counterproductive. No one listened. The consequence, today, is a full-blown rebellion unmitigated by any panacea the government might throw at it. Indeed, the prospect of a complete overthrow of the old order is now absolutely not impossible. Five years after the folly of 2009, the government’s security agencies, which act more like a neo-colonial force and custodian of a diseased order, have enacted another brutal repression of a religious movement, this time one headed by Sheikh El-Zakzaky, the Zaria-based Shiite leader. About 35 of his movement’s members, including three of his sons, were killed by troops. This immense tragedy shows there is something fundamentally wrong with the structure and orientation of the security services in Nigeria. According to the Shi’a leader, his three sons felled by bullets were: Mahmud of Al-Mustapha University, Beirut; Ahmad, a chemical engineering student at Shenyang University, China; and Hamid, an aeronautical engineering student at Xian University, China. The fourth son, Ali, according to him was shot in the leg but is alive. Mahmud was shot in the abdomen but bled to death because “soldiers blocked everywhere along the way.” In addition, he claimed more ominously, his two other sons and many of the followers were “simply arrested by the soldiers and thereafter killed in cold blood.” Investigations are underway, says the government. But like the so-called investigations that took place during the early stages of the Boko Haram challenge, it is not clear of what use these will be. I think as a country we should simply brace up for more perilous and probably defining times ahead. Events in the Middle East, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere, not to say the undefeated and growing Boko Haram menace, should instruct us to build a just society along new and unifying paradigms. Sadly, we have instead chosen a different and dishonourable path, and are determined to stew in our juice.

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