December 06, 2014

E PAG

Fayose to PDP:

DSS forced confessions from arrested Data Centre workers, PAGE 7 APC alleges

I-G makes U-turn, moves to restore Tambuwal's security aides 6

Police to take advantage of Speaker's emergence as APC guber candidate

suspend Obasanjo now PAGE 7

www.thenationonlineng.net

VOL.07 N0. 3054

SATURDAY

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

DECEMBER 6, 2014

N150

APC governorship primaries:

Victorious Ambode extends olive branch to Hamzat, Solomon,other PAGE 2 contestants •Ambode (middle) with other APC faithful jubilating after he was declared winner at Onikan Stadium...early yesterday. MORE PICTURES ON PAGES 2 & 3

Says my victory is for Lagosians, democracy El-Rufai, Kwankwaso's deputy, others pick tickets

PDP N’Assembly primaries: PAGE 4

MARK, AKPABIO STAKE REPUTATION AS CHIME, UDUAGHAN SURRENDER Adeyemi, Ndoma-Egba, Mulikat-Akande face stiff contest

•Mark

•Ndoma-Egba

•Nnenadi

•Adeyemi

•Enang

•Mulikat-Akande

2

THE NATION

NEWS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

APC GOVERNORSHIP PRIMARIES

Victorious Ambode extends olive branch to fellow contestants It’s victory for Lagosians and democracy W INNER of the governorship ticket of the All Progresssives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has extended a hand of fellowship to other contestants, urging them to team up with him to win the poll.

In his acceptance speech after the election, the former Accountant-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance thanked party members and Lagosians for the confidence reposed in his ability, promising never to let them down.

His election by 3,735 of the 5,959 accredited delegates at the peaceful primary election at Onikan Stadium, Lagos yesterday had sparked jubilation among party members.

The election was conducted by the Planning Committee headed by the former deputy governor of Edo State, Pastor John Obadan.

Basking in the euphoria of a successful outing, Obadan said: Ambode, having scored the highest number of votes cast, is hereby declared winner.”

It was celebration galore at the venue as Obadan declared Ambode winner of the primaries.

Trailing him were the Lagos State Commissioner for Works, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, who polled 1,201 votes; Senator Ganiyu Solomon (272 votes); the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Yemi Ikuforiji (272) and former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Leke Pitan (112).

However, shortly after the shadow poll, other aspirants converged on Protea Hotel, Ikeja for the review of the

M

•Full text of Ambode's acceptance speech

Y fellow Lagosians, it is with a deep sense of gratitude and humility that I accept this ticket to run as the flag bearer of our great party, APC in the 2015 gubernatorial elections.

This victory was made possible by you, the people. And to my fellow contestants, I have nothing but commendation and respect for putting up a good fight. The success of this primary and the victory that has come out of it is not just for me but for all of us that stepped into the water. It is a victory for Lagosians and for democracy.

I thank all the delegates, over 6,000 of you who voted Emmanuel OLADESU, Group Political Editor

exercise. However, they could not agree on any collective assessment, making them to shelve the press conference proposed for noon.

At the meeting were Ikuforiji, Hamzat, Pitan, Dr. Tola Kasali, Mrs. Tokunbo Agbesanwa, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab and Mr. Adekunle Disu. Former lawmaker, Hon. Lanre Ope, was not at the meeting.

At the primaries, Disu scored nine votes while Wahab got seven. A total 5, 815. 5, 724 votes were valid while 91 were invalid.

Ambode hailed the shadow poll, saying that it had validated the belief of the APC in democracy. He said the delegates voted ac-

according to your conscience. For once, you did not waver in your faith in the process put in place by our great party, APC. To the State party Executive and the national officers, I extend my appreciation for the long hours and the experience invested in this exercise. The orderliness, the transparency of the process and the spirit of sportsmanship devoid of bitterness that characterised this process signpost a better future for our democracy.

Our party has demonstrated to all that we are a party of great minds and democratic ideals. The flag of the party that you have handed over to me I accept with a deep sense of history, knowing fully well

that Lagos deserves nothing but the best in terms of good governance and dynamic development. We have a legacy to build upon.

We have a challenge to meet, and speedily too. The responsibility belongs to all of us. Let us put aside the disappointment of yesterday and embrace the opportunity of today, not forgetting that the future begins today. We must never forget that the future of Lagos is bigger than the summation of our ambitions.

After this victory, we must move quickly to retain the party APC in the column of the progressives by returning the APC to power in Lagos. The task ahead is

daunting, but surmountable.

We have only just commenced the first phase of the execution of our political agenda. The next phase beckons. We must all work together to usher APC back into power in Lagos State.

On my part, I promise never to waiver or fail. I promise to energise and mobilise our teeming supporters in the next phase of this struggle. I put myself to the task, knowing fully well that the foundation laid must never be destroyed but built upon. I commit to the continuation of excellence and the uplifment of the lives of all Lagosians.

I thank you, and God bless Lagos State.

cording to their conscience in an atmosphere of transparency, adding that that transparency is a signpost for a better future for democracy.

Urging stakeholders to put

aside the disappointment of the past and face the opportunity of today, he said the APC must win next year’s election for the benefit of Lagosians.

Ambode added: “Lagos deserves the best in terms of good governance and development. We have a legacy to build on.

Before announcing the re-

sult, Obadan noted that the process was free, fair and credible, stressing that it underscored the commitment of party members to democracy.

The former deputy governor said: “We are highly impressed with the level of progressive political awareness of the people of Lagos.

What we saw at the party secretariat was the cooperation of the entire leadership of our party to ensure that we have smooth, transparent primaries.

“We have been transparent and fair to all. Aspirants have demonstrated a high level of maturity and understanding.”

However, Obadan said the APC has room for ventilation of grievances, urging aspirants who are not satisfied with the primaries to exploit the internal opportunity for redress.

He said: “In this contest, a winner emerged. If any aspirant is not satisfied with the way the exercise was carried out, he can go to the Appeal Committee, which is sitting in Lagos.”

My victory is divine, says Lalong

F

ORMER Speaker of Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon. Simon Lalong, has described his victory at the just concluded governorship primaries of the All Progressives Party (APC) in the state as a surprise package from God. Addressing delegates after emerging the governorship candidate of the APC in Jos, Lalong thanked the leadership of the party and other contestants who vied for the office with him.

He said: “I said it earlier that I would support whoever emerged as the party’s flag bearer. I didn’t know that God was going to pick me.”

Lalong picked the ticket after defeating four other contestants in the party’s primaries held at Crest Hotel Jos. He scored 2,222 votes in the election to beat his closest rival, Prof. Emmanuel Garba, who polled 304 votes.

Declaring the winner shortly after the election, Chairman of the APC Governorship Electoral Committee for the state, Mr Sunny Moniedafe, expressed joy that the pri-

Yusufu AMINU-IDEGU, Jos

mary election was peaceful.

Moniedafe called on the other aspirants to rally round Lalong in the interest of the party.

“Time will come when the party will hand over the flag to you. But for now, the result sheet shows that you are the candidate of our great party in Plateau State,” he said.

An APC stalwart in the state and former Ambassador of Nigeria to Switzerland, Yahaya Kwande, said the party decided to zone the state governorship slot to Plateau South to enable peace to reign in the party.

Kwande said: “The success of Lalong is a challenge for the people of Plateau State because the people want their next governor to come from Plateau South and now APC has given them someone from Plateau South” He urged members of the party to do their best to ensure that the party emerges victorious in the upcoming general elections, adding: “We will do our best to ensure success in 2015.”

•From left: Dr Benson, Mr Divine, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode and Mr Sunday Dare at the election venue, Onikan Stadium Lagos... yesterday

I’ll take big chunk of PDP supporters, says Ganduje as he emerges APC guber candidate

K

ANO State Deputy Governor and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, yesterday vowed to sweep the election in Kano in 2015.

He also boasted that he would convert a large number of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members to APC. He said: “I am going to take a big chunk of PDP supporters. I believe I have so many friends and well wishers in PDP and other parties in the state.

“I am going beyond APC. I am targeting the highest votes in the history of gubernatorial election in Kano,” Ganduje stated.

Ganduje emerged APC

Kolade ADEYEMI, Kano

governorship candidate after a keenly contested primaries between him and Brigadier-General Jafaru Isah who he defeated by a wide margin, scoring 5,588 votes against his opponent’s 126.

Two other aspirants, Hon. Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila and Alhaji Usman Alhaji, had stepped down for Ganduje at the last minute, saying they were convinced he could do the job better than them.

Brigadier-General Isah, however, conceded defeat as he congratulated Ganduje and promised to work with him to ensure that APC maintains its con-

trol of Kano beyond 2015.

Isah said the primary election was a family affair, adding that he had already instructed all his supporters to support Ganduje’s ambition.

Ganduje thanked his boss, Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, for reposing confidence in him and promised to consolidate on the legacies and achievements of Kwankwaso if he wins the secondary election in February next year.

“The journey started for a long time; the road was rough but now it is fruitful,” he said.

“I remain grateful to His Excellency, Engr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso because he deemed it right to make

me his deputy in 1999 despite the fact that I contested the primary election against him.

“Again in 2011, he chose me as his deputy. He gave me responsibilities and I didn’t abuse it. He trusted me, we worked harmoniously and there was no clash.

“Engr. Kwankwaso is a great planner. He has foresight and he is committed to the development of Kano State.

“If finally elected by Kano people, I am going to consolidate on what has already been put in place by this administration.

“I will block leakages and concentrate more on internally generated revenue.

THE NATION

NEWS 3

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

APC GOVERNORSHIP PRIMARIES

•Party members jubilating with the winner of the Lagos State governorship pramaries, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos... yesterday. PHOHO: Omosehin MOSES

Defeated APC aspirants pledge loyalty to party D EFEATED aspirants of the All Progressive Congress in Edo State have pledged to work towards the success of the party in next year’s general election.

Osagie OTABOR, Benin

The aspirants vowed to stop the People’s Democratic Party at the general elections and described the peaceful conduct of the APC prima-

ries as an indication that the party is poised for victory.

In Oredo West constituency, aspirants who lost at the primaries joined the winner, Chris Okaeben, to host delegates to a unity dinner

El-Rufai vows to throw out PDP in Kaduna N

EWLY elected governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has vowed to end the Peoples Democratic Party’s rule in Kaduna State by defeating the party’s candidate in next year’s election.

Addressing party members after picking the governorship ticket of the APC, ElRufai said he would throw out a spendthrift and ineffectual PDP government in the state and institute a particpatory government in its place.

He said: “With your support, I pledge to run a campaign that engages and mobilises all the people of Kaduna State for the necessary work of change, to throw out a spendthrift, ineffectual PDP gang and elect a government committed to participatory governance and sustainable empowerment of the people.”

El-Rufai emerged winner after polling 1,965 votes in an election which lasted into the early hours of yesterday, as against his close contender, Isah Ashiru, who polled 1,379 votes.

Haruna Sa’eed polled 127 votes while Shamsudin Ango Abdullahi and Salihu Mohammed Lukman polled 25 and 22 votes respectively.

In his acceptance speech, El-Rufai saluted the courage of other aspirants who aspired for the party’s gubernatorial ticket.

El-Rufai said it is now time for them to pull all their energy and talents together to elect an APC government in Kaduna State, saying “this is a mission to fulfil the aspirations of the people, and a mighty task that duty demands we successfully achieve.”

According to him, “I pay heartfelt tribute to the dis-

Abdulgafar ALABELEWE, Kaduna

tinguished party men who also aspired for and campaigned to be chosen as the APC governorship candidate. Your energetic campaigns have helped to build and strengthen our party; and the party, its members and supporters would continue to expect your leadership and worthy contributions.

“I hereby invite the distinguished persons with whom we competed for the nomination to continue to discharge our responsibilities together under the leadership of the party at the state level, to design and launch a statewide campaign as soon as possible.

“The APC Kaduna Team is ready to provide a government guided by fairness, passion and commitment. I am proud to be a member of this team, and I will discharge my leadership role within it with the vision, integrity and results-orientation that have been the hallmark of

my public service.”

Meanwhile, the Salihu Mohammed Lukman Campaign Organisation on behalf of the aspirant said they had accepted the outcome of the primaries and willing to contribute their own quota towards the victory of the party in the state.

The campaign organisation in a press statement made available to newsmen in Kaduna, however called on it loyalists and party members to continue to support all those who have emerged as candidates of the party for various elective positions to see to the victory of the party come the 2015 general elections.

“I wish to call on the party members to continue to support all those who have emerged as candidates of the party for various elective positions, so that the ruling PDP government will be shown the way out and give room for the APC to provide the needed good governance that the people of Kaduna State desire and yearn for,” he said.

where they promised to support him financially in the campaigns Osunde Pekies, who spoke on behalf of the aspirants, said they would provide financial and technical support towards Okaeben’s campaigns and warned against underrating the PDP. He promised that their various wards would be delivered for the APC in the general elections.

Leader of the party, Mr. Lawrence Orkar, said the APC would crush the PDP in Oredo West, saying “campaign is not talking about past glories but present achievements.”

Okaeben, in his speech, called for unity among party members and urged APC members to begin telling their neighbours about the many good things APC has to offer.

He said his chances of defeating his opponent, a daughter of Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, are very bright because, according to him, “recent day politics is not built on the aristocracy of birth but on the autocracy of intelligence.

“We should unite ahead of the battles ahead. We will be having periodic meetings to discuss the problems of Oredo West.

Bindow wins in Adamawa

S

E N A T O R Muhammadu Umar Jibrilla will fly the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Adamawa State governorship election next year.

Jibrilla, popularly called Bindow, won Thursday’s primaries of the party with 1880 votes, defeating his closest rival, Alhaji Ibrahim Mijinyawa Yayaji, who got 1183 votes .

Dr. Tahir Mamman polled 17 votes and Kobis Ari Themnu, 85 votes Jibrilla had also won the APC primaries held two months ago ahead of the

•Atiku congratulates him

Barnabas MANYAM, Yola

aborted governorship byelection in the state.

The chairman of the primaries election panel, Abubakar B Yawa, described it as peaceful and transparent as all the aspirants were satisfied with the elections modalities.

Presidential aspirant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Tuned Bashuwan, Dahiru Bobboi and other party stalwarts were at the primaries.

Atiku, according to a statement issued by his media office, has already con-

Anyim emerges APC guber flag bearer in Abia

F

ORMER National Vice Chairman and one of the aspirants gunning for the Abia State governorship race under the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Chinenye Nyere Anyim, yesterday emerged the party’s flag bearer in the governorship primaries of the party.

Anyim, emerged the party’s governorship candidate through a voice vote which was adopted by the primary electoral committee after it became clear that there was no other candidate in the race

with him.

The party primary held at the Ojukwu Bunker’s open field was witnessed by many APC ýsupporters from the 17 local government areas of the state and was also supervised by INEC officials.

Joseph Umoru, chairman of the electoral committee, thanked the party members for conducting themselves peacefully throughout the exercise.

Umoru in an interview with newsmen after the exercise said that the party at the national level, having been satisfied with the

“Today is the day to reunite. We must unite Oredo because it is the heart of government and seat of power.

“We must sink whatever is dividing us to move the party forward. Yesterday, my interest was to aspire, tomorrow, it is for you to benefit after the elections ahead. My passion is for us to turn Oredo West to a better place.

“The mandate of the people will always speak in the general elections. Never again in the politics of Oredo West will the people be shortchanged. We are very expectant of better representation.”

smooth and peaceful conduct of the primary election, had said that they would work together with Anyim to make sure that APC produces the next governor of the state.

He used the opportunity to apologise for the delay of the election which was supposed to hold on Thursday but was suspended for logistic reasons.

In his acceptance speech, Anyim said: “We don’t need to remind Abians about the sufferings and woes they have been subjected to in the last

16years. APC is going to redeem Abia from the hands of PDP government that has thrown the state into ruins.

We are going to redeem the image of the state.

“This is a time to join the train that will liberate Abians from the shackles of underdevelopment and decay the PDP-led administration has thrown the state into.”

He called on other aspirants and members of the party to join hands with him to redeem the image of the state and to also make sure that the party wins the 2015 poll in the state.

gratulated the winner of the primary election, Senator Muhammed Jubrilla Bindow, for his hard work and determination.

He urges him not to relent in his efforts but to mobilise and rally round other aspirants who are members of the party to ensure that come 2015, the APC in Adamawa State wins the governorship election.

The Turaki Adamawa commended the state branch of the party for organising rancour-free and transparent primaries and congratulated all the aspirants for their good conduct before and after the primaries.

Atiku advised all the aspirants to see the outcome of the election as a victory for the party and not a particular individual, as the party and its interest is bigger than any person or group of persons.

The Turaki Adamawa pledged to give total support to the party to ensure that it produces the governor of the state at the general elections come 2015.

He admonished the party leadership in the state and all the party members to maintain unity and peace to ensure that the party remains strong and attractive to win the support of the people of the state.

4

THE NATION

NEWS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

National Assembly primaries: Mark, Ndoma-Egba, Tukur, Nenadi, Adeyemi battle for survival

•Chime, Uduaghan step down • Mulikat Akande-Adeola faces opposition

T

HE much talked about automatic return ticket arrangement for PDP senators and members of the House of Representatives has collapsed, forcing top-ranking members of the National Assembly into the battle of their political career.

Many of them are now to slug it out with aspirants who are either sponsored by sitting governors or other vested interests.

Primaries for the House of Reps election are scheduled for today, while those of the Senate will come up tomorrow.

The last few weeks have witnessed intense horsetrading by President Goodluck Jonathan, the PDP and Senators for the purpose of giving automatic tickets to some sitting federal legislators.

All these have now come to nought after some governors tried to renege on the agreement reached by the President, the PDP and Senators.

The last of such agreement was the invocation of a “Doctrine of irreducible minimum” of at least automatic ticket for one senator per state.

Governors Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Gabriel Suswam (Benue) and Martin Elechi (Ebonyi) have refused to forgo their aspirations to go to the Senate or relax their grip on the politics of their state.

Governors Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta) and Sullivan Chime (Enugu) yesterday withdrew from the Senatorial race.

The roll call of Senators fighting for survival are the President of the Senate,

Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation Chief David Mark; the Senate Leader, Victor NdomaEgba; the Chairman of the Rules and Business Committee, Ita Enang; the Chairman of the FCT Committee, Smart Adeyemi; Tukur Bello, Aloy Etuk, and others.

The only survivor at press time was the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, whose victory at the court has forced Governor Sullivan Chime to forego his aspiration for Enugu West.

Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the pact on automatic ticket reached at the Villa with President Goodluck Jonathan for PDP senators failed as some governors and party members are not doing enough to respect it.

The development forced a former National Chairman of PDP, Senator Barnabas Gemade (Benue NorthWest), to withdraw from Sunday primaries with a December 2 letter to the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Muazu.

It was gathered that having been left to their fate, senators have decided to take their destinies in their hands.

In Benue State, a former Federal Permanent Secretary, Chief Mike Onoja, has refused to step down for the President of the Senate, Chief David Mark for Benue South District.

According to findings, Onoja was one of the financiers of Governor Gabriel Suswam’s election during his first term and it has been difficult for the governor to look him in the face to pre-

vail on his sponsor to sacrifice for Mark.

A source said: “Onoja, who is from Ado Local Government Area, is insisting on power shift. He has vowed to stop Mark’s fifth attempt at the senatorial slot.”

For Benue North East, Suswam has virtually intimidated Gemade out of the race with incumbency factor.

A sullen Gemade merely told Muazu: “There is in fact, no room for an honest and law-abiding member of this party in having a fair chance in any contest in the forthcoming primary elections as anyone who is capable of manipulating the process, albeit illegally, is free to do so and will be protected.”

In Cross River Central, Governor Liyel Imoke has remained committed to his plan to snatch the ticket from the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) for his loyal associate, John Ewa Eno. Ndoma-Egba, one of the hitherto beneficiaries of auto ticket, will now face Imoke and Eno in a fierce contest on Sunday which might be laced with incumbency might.

In Akwa Ibom State, Governor Godswill Akpabio is unrelenting in taking over

Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial ticket from the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Service, Senator Aloy Etuk.

Although the governor visited Etuk at home during the week, the visit failed as the Senator merely added a clincher, “we will meet at the primaries.”

For Akwa Ibom North East, the governor is backing his former Commissioner for Finance, Albert Akpan, to displace Ita Enang, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Business.

But there has been pressure on Akpabio to allow Enang to have a ‘second term’.

Findings also confirmed that it might be a fight to the finish between Senator Bello Tukur and the only female member of the House of Representatives from Yola North/Yola South/ Girei Federal Constituency, Hon. Aishatu Ahmed Dahiru (Binani) for Adamawa Central Senatorial District.

Armed with intimidating achievements, Binani’s influence has overshadowed any agreement at the Villa.

“Binani has touched many lives such that anyone trying to vie for a senatorial slot with her will be committing political suicide. She is a po-

litical hurricane,” said a source.

It was however learnt that a stakeholders’ session was convened last night in Yola on Adamawa primaries.

Despite his withdrawal from the race for the Deputy Senate President (DSP), Ike Ekweremadu, Governor Sullivan Chime is locked in a cold war with the DSP over Enugu East Senatorial ticket.

Chime’s former Chief of Staff, Ifeoma Nwobodo, is seeking to secure the ticket from the incumbent, Senator Gilbert Nnaji and a former Minister of Information, Mr. Frank Nweke, who are loyalists of Ekweremadu.

A source said: “Mrs. Ifeoma Nwobodo is from the North West Senatorial District, although she is married to someone from the North East District. If you know Enugu politics, she cannot deny the people of the North East District of their legitimate slot.”

Despite his visible and outstanding achievements, Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West Senatorial District) is being challenged by the immediate past Chairman of Kogi State Security Trust Fund, Mr. T. J. Faniyi, and a former member of the House of Representatives,

Hon. Sam Aro, who was one of those named in the oil subsidy scam but trying to prove his innocence.

A source said: “With his sterling qualities and outstanding performance, it is likely to be an easy ride for Senator Adeyemi who has been endorsed by the seven chairmen of the local governments in the district.

“Going by Adeyemi’s adoption by Governor Idris Wada and with campaign war chest coming from his benefactor, Oil Mogul Jide Omokore, the incumbent senator has about 90 per cent edge over his opponents.”

In Kogi Central, Senator Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman was schemed out of the automatic ticket arrangement at a recent session at the Presidential Villa. Instead, three new aspirants are jostling to replace the youngest Senator in the Upper Chamber. They are the Chairman of Okene Local Government, Salihu Ogembe, Alh. Deda Attah, and M. I. Onimisi.

The emergence of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim as the new godfather of Ebonyi State politics has sealed the hope of second •Continued on Page 5

Brent falls below $69 as price rout rolls on

B

RENT crude slipped below $69 a barrel yesterday on track to finish the week below $70 a barrel for the first time since 2010, as cuts to official selling prices from Saudi Arabia added to recent pressure.

Prices remain near fiveyear lows as the market grapples with oversupply due to the U.S. shale boom and the recent decision by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries not to cut production.

Prices pared early losses after stronger-than-expected U.S. employment data, while a slightly lower physical supply from the program that underpins the Brent crude benchmark in January also provided support.

But analysts said the Saudi cuts to monthly prices for crude it sells to the United States and Asia just a week after blocking cuts to OPEC's output show it is stepping up its battle for market share.

"It's been weighing on the market, showing that OPEC is not ready to end its price war," said Commerzbank analyst Eugen Weinberg.

"The lower the better seems to be the new paradigm for

OPEC." The January Brent crude contract fell by $1.14 to $68.50 a barrel, on track for the ninth loss in 10 weeks.

U.S. crude was down $1.35 at $65.46.

At the same time, oversupply could rise next year when Iraq starts to export more oil as a result of an agreement between Baghdad and the Kurdish regional government.

Libya is also set to restart its largest oilfield, El Sharara, once a pipeline blockage is cleared.

The combined pressure is preventing Brent from rebounding from a near 13percent plunge last week.

The fall may put global oil and gas exploration projects worth more than $150 billion on hold next year, potentially curbing supply by the end of the decade.

Fatih Birol, chief economist with the International Energy Agency, said yesterday he sees oil prices rising to near $100 a barrel in the coming years. Analysts also expect oil prices to rebound in the next two years, averaging $82.50 a barrel in 2015, a Reuters poll showed.

•Deputy Corps Commander, Sector Head Operations, Lagos, Federal Road Safety Commission, Kikelomo Akinnusoye; Director Corporate Relations, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Sesan Sobowale; Corps Commander, Sector Commander, Lagos, Federal Road Safety Commission, Omeje Hyginus; and Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Michael Onuoha at the flag-off of the ‘Don’t Drink and Drive Campaign’ organised by Guinness Nigeria in partnership with FRSC at toll gate, Ojota, Lagos PHOTO: NAN

A

former Minister of Petroleum, Prof.

Tam David-West, has disclosed that the position of the president of the OrganiSation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is not for the Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Allison-Madueke, but Nigeria as a member.

He stated this while speaking to The Nation in Ibadan yesterday.

The former minister said he was taken aback by the misunderstanding of the emergence of AllisonMadueke as OPEC President, saying it is shameful that most Nigerians do not know the

David-West: OPEC Presidency not for minister •Says Allison-Madueke was selected, not elected Bisi OLADELE, Ibadan organisation’s mode of operation.

According to him, OPEC presidents are never elected but selected by members, adding that the tenure is only for a meeting except the current president is given another term.

His words: “I congratulate Nigeria and the Petroleum Minister in that order for the OPEC presidency. However,

I want to make the following corrections: “First, OPEC presidents are are never elected but selected. There has never been a contest. Immediately they agree, the first item on the agenda is always selection of the president. It is by selection and consensus but never by election.

“It is also for the country, not for the minister. For example, Rilwan Lukman became OPEC President the

very first meeting he attended because they had agreed at the last meeting (during my tenure as minister) that Nigeria would be president. I actually received a handwritten note from the then Saudi Oil Minister, Sheik Zaki Yamani, to that effect.

“Again, the tenure of the OPEC presidency is for that meeting alone. But if she wants, she can be renominated and endorsed.”

THE NATION SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

NEWS

5

Southwest PDP and battle for Senate HE senatorial race is gathering momentum in the Southwest.

Across the six states-Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Ogun, and Ekiti-aspirants are on the prowl. The struggle for tickets have polarised the troubed chapters and escalated the protracted crises rocking the party.

In Ondo State, the battle was fierce.

But now, stakeholders have settled for consensus candidates. In the North District, Senator Bode Olajumoke has been endorsed, to the consternation of • Kasamu • Dosunmu • Olajumoke • Olujimi former Power and Steel Minister Dr. Olu Agunloye, who lost the ticket to Senator Ajayi Boroffice when they were in the Labour Party (LP). Despite the consensus arrangement, primaries may still hold in the district.

In Ondo Central, Senator Ayo Akinyelire has been endorsed for another term. He is the consensus candidate.

In Ondo South, where Senator Morayo Lebi, a lawyer, has been • Akinyelire • Ola • Gbajabiamila tipped as the candidate, the supporters • Sodipo-Clark of Senator Boluwaji Kunlere are kickCongress (APC) to the PDP is seeking re-election in ing. Kunlere is the former LP secretary before he Emmanuel OLADESU Oyo Central. But, a source said that the senators is was elected into the Senate. But, he defected to the Taiwo. planning to return to the House of Representatives PDP, following a rift with Governor Olusegun Ekiti senatorial aspirants include former Deputy so that he can become the Speaker, if the PDP comMimiko. When the governor returned to the PDP, Governor Biodun Olujimi (South), Senator Ayo mands the majority in the House after next year's the hostility escalated. Many stakeholders in the Arise (North), Senator Bode Ola (Central), former elections. Also, the House of Representatives South are still rooting for the candidature of federal legislator Mrs. Fatima Rasaki (Central), and Majority leader, Hon. Mulikat Adeola-Akande, is Kunlere.

Duro Faseyi (North). running for the House of Representatives in In Ogun State, the contest is hot. In Ogun East, In Lagos PDP, the contest is dull. In Lagos Ogbomoso Constituency.

Buruji Kashamu has declared his intention to run.

Central, Dr. Ade Dosunmu, the former governorIn Oyo South, another defector from the APC, This has made former Governor Gbenga Daniel to ship candidate is running. In the West District, the Senator Olufemi Lanlehin (South), is running on withdraw from the race. In Ogun Central, Hon. lone contestant is Mr. Hakeem Gbajabiamila, forthe platform of the Accord Party (AP). PDP chiefLanre Laoshe and a lawyer, Mrs. Bisola Sodipotain and son of the late strongman, Kamoru Clark, wife of Senator Edwin Clark, are fighting for mer Commissioner for Waterfront. In 2007, he left the Action Congress (AC), following his failed govAdedibu, is seeking re-election in Oyo North. Also, the ticket. In Ogun West, the struggle is between ernorship bid.

Senator Hosea Agbola is said to be mobilising for the Chairman of the Governing Board, University In Oyo, it is a battle of gladiators. Senator Ayo support for his senatorial aspiration in the same of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Mr. Biyi Otegbeye, and Adeseun, a defector from the All progressives district. former Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Waliyu

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Mark, Ndoma-Egba, Tukur, others battle for survival •Continued from Page 4 term ticket for the three Senators from the state who are loyalists of Governor Martin Elechi. In a surprising political realignment, Anyim and former Governor Sam Egwu have made a mince meat of Elechi, who is now politically stranded with all his anointed candidates for the National Assembly. The affected Senators from Ebonyi are Paulinus Igwe Nwagu (Ebonyi Central District); Christopher Nwankwo(Ebonyi North District) and Sunday Ogbuoji (Ebonyi South).

In Taraba State, two of the three senators who were instrumental to bringing the Acting Governor, Danladi Abubakar to power are still having to cope with automatic ticket for them.

Senator Emmanuel Bwacha is expected to contest for PDP ticket in Taraba South District with • Mark Gen. Ishaya Bauka and Bitrus Rimande. For Taraba Central, Senator Umar Abubakar Tutare has an opponent in Kabiru Marafa. Those seeking Taraba North District’s ticket are new comers, including ex-Governor Jolly Nyame and Ali Kona.

There were indications last night that the odds are in favour Bwacha and Nyame for their loyalty to the ailing Governor Danbaba Suntai and roles in the ouster of the former Acting Governor, Garba Umar.

In Kaduna State, ex-Governor Ahmed Makarfi is sure of a second term ticket after his opponent failed to obtain the nomination form because of the towering political influence of the senator. It was a tactical move by the PDP following rumours that Makarfi’s camp was disenchanted and might defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

But a former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Nenadi Usman, is being challenged by three aspirants. These are Barrister Mark Jacob (a former Commissioner for Justice under Makarfi), a former Commissioner under late Governor Patrick Yakowa, Dr. John Ayuba, and ex-military administrator of Taraba State, Col. Yohanna Dickson.

In Oyo State, Senator Hosea Agboola from Oyo North is under fire at the home front from Hon. Kareem Abiodun Tajudeen, who is a member of the House of Representatives from Saki.

In Sokoto State, the battle for the Central Senatorial ticket is between the incumbent PDP Senator Ahmed Muhammadu Maccido and Alh. Ibrahim Magaji Gusau.

APC is just waiting in the wing for the PDP candidate.

In Delta State, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan voluntarily shelved his senatorial ambition for Delta South District for the incumbent James Manager after a session

• Adeola with President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP National Chairman in Abuja. He said he dropped his bid to avoid bloodshed in the state.

He said: “As a manager of the process in the state level I have always appealed to other contestants that election must not be a do-or die affair. In this state, there has been political tension. Unfortunately in this state, there has been ethnic tension that seems to be threatening the peace and security. This has been noticed at the national level .

“Mr. President and the national hierarchy are concerned and a lot of discussion has gone on. My main agenda is the peace and security and anything that will threaten the peace and security of the state I will do everything to stop it. Having said that, some of the things that lead to insecurity in the Niger-Delta are economic issues and political and this political era.

“The state has been more peaceful than I met it seven years ago. And I am determined to leave Delta peaceful.

Anything that will cause insecurity I will do everything to stop.

“Anybody who believes he must get to a position through the loss of life is inhuman, I will not want to have anything that will lead to the loss of life. Now that I am out of the race, it gives me more leverage to manage the transition and more time to be involved in national issues. Nobody has forced me to step down, I owe it to Deltans for the peace and security of the state.”

The Presidency, it was learnt, had directed Senator Manager to work with Governor Uduaghan to ensure the emergence of Sir Anthony Obuh as the PDP governorship candidate tomorrow and also work for the contin-

ued sucess of the party in the state.

Ahead of the National Assembly primaries, automatic ticket-seeking senators had given President Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) a fresh condition.

The senators came up with a “Doctrine of irreducible minimum” of auto-ticket for at least one returnee Senator from states controlled by the PDP. Although it was initially agreed that 40 Senators should be given automatic tickets, PDP governors rejected the proposal leading to the pruning down of the list to 20.

The embattled senators however felt short-changed by the decision of the President and PDP leadership to renege on the “unwritten agreement” reached some few weeks ago at the Presidential Villa.

The development led to fresh talks on the fate of the PDP senators, which had not been concluded at press time.

The automatic ticket bug was not extended to all members of the House of Representatives whose number was described as wieldy by the PDP. The spate of defections in the House also made the PDP to be more circumspect in giving a blanket automatic ticket to its members in the lower chamber.

A party source said: “The PDP has never had it rough in the House like in the 7th House of Representatives.

Some of our members have virtually become rebels. This is why we are being extra-careful in this automatic concession thing.”

It was learnt that the gesture was limited to only ‘loyal’ principal officers. These are the Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha (Imo). Majority Leader, Mulikat Adeola-Akande (Oyo); Majority Whip, Ishaka Mohammed Bawa (Taraba); Deputy House Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor (Delta) and Deputy Chief Whip, Ahmed Mukhtar (Niger). But the auto-ticket concession is being resisted in the affected constituencies.

For instance, the Majority Leader, in the House of Representatives, Hon. Mulikat Adeola-Akande is not spared the rigours of primaries following resistance from some of her constituents, who are opposed to automatic ticket for her.

She is going to battle for the Ogbomoso North/ South/ Orire Federal Constituency with Hon. Segun Ogunwuyi( a serving member of the Oyo State House of Assembly) and Hon. Ezekiel Ajani Oyedepo. The only political pillar of Adeola-Akande in the constituency is ex-Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala who is unhappy with the situation in PDP and may defect to another party if the Presidency does not intervene. Adeola-Akande has however chosen to remain in PDP, a decision which might make her a political orphan.

THE NATION, SATURDAY DECEMBER 6, 2014

6 News

IG makes U-turn, moves to restore Tambuwal’s security aides

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IDING under his emer gence as the governor ship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Sokoto State, the Nigeria Police Force may restore the security aides of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal.

It was learnt that the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, was said to have given the directive.

It was gathered that the Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives has been contacted as at press time on the reinstatement of the security aides.

The security aides were withdrawn on October 30 following the Speaker’s defection to the APC. Findings, however, revealed that the IG and the police had been overwhelmed by the public opposition to the withdrawal of Tambuwal’s security aides.

According to investigation, the election of Tambuwal as APC governorship candidate in Sokoto has provided a “a safe

...Police take advantage of Speaker’s emergence as APC candidate Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation net” for the police to restore the security aides.

The Speaker defeated four other contestants to emerge Sokoto APC governorship flagbearer and will now slug it out with candidates from other parties at the February 2015 gubernatorial elections to be held across the country.

A source said: “We have got indications that the security aides of the Speaker will be restored any moment from now.

“They said since the Speaker has emerged a candidate of the APC and they want to protect all governorship candidates.

Whatever is the guise they are using to hide or any excuse being used is welcome.

“As an institution, we know they have been under tremendous pressure against the backdrop of public opinion. Politics should not be reduced to the

Winners Chapel begins Shiloh Tuesday

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LL is now set for the 2014 edition of Shiloh, an annual gathering of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, popularly known as Winners Chapel.

The event, which begins on Tuesday December 9 and ends on Saturday December 13, 2014, has as its theme “Heaven on earth.”

The event holds at the headquarters of the church, Canaanland, Idi-Iroko Road, Ota, Ogun State, and will be beamed to the whole world via satellite through the church networks and designated viewingcentres in and outside Nigeria.

Highlights of the event, which is usually hallmarked by unusual miracles, signs and wonders, include the ‘Healing School’ for all those afflicted and oppressed, Business Summit and Youth Alive Forum in addition to the main services.

Already, the massive church

premises in Canaanland is inShiloh mood with a display of all sizes of banners sensitising people for the event.

The last of the carnival-like rallies aimed at massively mobilising people for the event holds this morning in all the districts of the church.

At the pre-Shiloh service of last Sunday, the Presiding Bishop, Dr. David Oyedepo, admonished the congregation to take this year’s event seriously because “it is a divine appointment” that would culminate in their advancement.

He, however, emphasized that everybody’s individual faith is required to tap into the blessings awaiting them at the event.

He said: “Mighty works require your own mighty faith.

No one’s faith guarantees another person’s blessing. Each one’s attitude determines his/ her altitude. No aircraft tows another one in the air.”

level of institutional witch-hunt.

“The Speaker has no personal grudges with the IG in any manner whatsoever. But the police should not assume the role of the court.”

A police source said: “We still believe the Speaker is not entitled to security based on his decision to defect. The constitution is very clear on that and we are defending our position well in court.

“However, since Tambuwal is now a candidate of a major

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Gbenga OMOKHUNU, Abuja geria and Visitor to the University of Abuja, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, to investigate the activities of the University of Abuja from 1990,the year it became operational to date (2012 as then the terminal date).

“The SVP sat for a period of eight (8) weeks, and cost the Federal Government of Nigeria over four hundred million naira (N400,000.000) of tax payers’ money. The SVP submitted its report to the Visitor and President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Good luck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, through Prof. Ruquayat Rufai, the then Minister of Education, on 27th of September, 2012.

Till date, 28th November, 2014, the White Paper on the findings of the SVP on the University of Abuja is yet to be made public!

“The Congress of the Academic Staff Union of Universi-

and provide security.

“If you recall really well, the governorship candidate of the then ruling ANPP was murdered in Borno very close to the election. Since then, we reviewed our internal security arrangements and decided to notch security around candidates a bit high.”

Asked if the same number of men earlier withdrawn from Tambuwal will be restored, the source simply added: “Such a decision will be determined by the Police High Command.”

Another source said: “Reports indicate that the Federal Government has directed all security agencies to ensure zero casualty especially of candidates for the forthcoming elections.

“The directive is said to be boosted by the recent success of the government troops in their fight against insurgency in the North-Eastern part of the country.”

Speaker Tambuwal’s office could not be reached for comments.

Obi Ezekwesili, other campaigners to write Chadian President over Chibok girls

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EMBERS of the #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) advocacy will be writing a letter to the President of Chad, President Idriss Deby, concerning the whereabouts of the Chibok girls.

The group said it would be writing to him with the hope of getting answers to the whereabouts of the girls and the status of the purported negotiations brokered by the Chadian government for the release of the girls. #BBOG said it would be writing the President through the Chadian Embassy in Nigeria to ascertain responses to the sundry questions that remains unanswered.

The group stated this yesterday in a statement sent by its media spokesperson, Rotimi Olawale, and signed by Obiageli Ezekwesili, Hadiza Bala Usman, Maryam Uwais and Saudatu Mahdi.

It said: "On December 3, the Abuja BringBackOurGirls family staged a protest to the Chadian Embassy in continuation of our long-drawn advocacy to seek for the rescue of the 219 Chibok girls still in Boko Haram custody.

"Not satisfied with the response of the Ambassador of Chad to crucial questions bordering on the status of the negotiations to release the Chibok girls, purportedly brokered by

ASUU faults delay of UNIABUJA panel’s report HE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Abuja Chapter, has described the delay by Federal Government visitation panel to release the White paper as a plan to cover up hidden issues.

ASUU Chairman, UniAbuja chapter, Dr. Ben Ugheoke, said the panel constituted by President Goodluck Jonathan spent over N400 million in eight weeks and findings have not been made public.

The body in a statement issued and signed by it Chairman, Dr. Ben Ugbeoke after a congress in Abuja resolved that: “the Congress of ASUUUNIABUJA hereby calls on the Visitor to the university, to as a matter of urgency, direct the immediate release and implementation of the White Paper, in the interest of industrial harmony, peace, progress and prosperity of the University of Abuja.”

It reads in part: “On July 25, 2012, a forty-five (45)- man Special Visitation Panel (SVP) was constituted by President of Ni-

political party in Sokoto, convention requires that he is protected by the Police.

“The Federal Government takes the security of leading candidates very seriously and as such we will restore security to Tambuwal and at the same time provide same for all the leading candidates in all states of the Federation.

“If the Police feels at any given time that the security of candidates is under threat, we are bound by law to come in

ties, ASUU, University of Abuja Branch (ASUUUNIABUJA), construes this action as either a deliberate attempt to cover up the startling findings of the Dr Theophilus Osanakpo, SAN, led-SVP on the parlous state of the University of Abuja or a complete demonstration of FGN’s apathy towards the development and growth of the University of Abuja. Or even a tacit acceptance of the well-entrenched culture of impunity and gross administrative infractions over the 26 years existence of the institution by the university management.

“In view of the heavy financial and logistical commitment of the FGN as deployed to setting and financing the Dr Theophilus Osanakpo, SAN, led-Special Visitation Panel (2012) which was to help identify lingering issues in the University of Abuja, the resolution of which would commence the rebirth of the University of Abuja; its development and progress.”

Grace OBIKE, Abuja the Chadian Government, including the whereabouts of the girls and various media reports suggesting that some of the girls might actually be in Chad, the BringBackOurGirls Abuja Family, has resolved to write to the President of Chad, H.E. President Idriss Deby, through the Embassy of Chad in Nigeria, in order to ascertain responses to the sundry questions that remain unanswered.

"As ECOWAS citizens, we rely on the provisions of the ECOWAS treaty particularly Chapter 10, Article 58: 1 which states: ‘Member states undertake to work to safeguard and consolidate relations conducive to the maintenance of peace, stability and security within the region’ and Chapter 11, Article 63: 1 ‘Member States undertake to formulate, harmonise, co-ordinate and establish appropriate policies and mechanisms for enhancement of the economic, social and cultural conditions of women.

"These provisions in the ECOWAS treaty strengthen our belief that our neighboring

countries of Chad, Niger and Benin owe our Chibok girls an obligation to fully collaborate with our government in their rescue activities "The Abuja BringBackOurGirls Family is

determined to continue to mount pressure on the Nigerian government and other relevant stakeholders to prioritise the rescue of the 219 Chibok girls, as well as all other Nigerians abducted by the Boko Haram insurgents.”

Troops clear Mubi of Boko Haram insurgents

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HE Nigerian troops yes terday completed the operation to clear Mubi, Adamawa State of Boko Haram insurgents.

The insurgents had mischievously renamed the commercial town ‘Madina’ and operated from the town and the environs.

But a mop-up operation was nevertheless ongoing to apprehend and deal with those who might be lurking around neighbouring communities According to a military source, members of the terrorist group were "dislodged after coordinated air and land operations in the area."

The source said: "More special troops are being deployed in other areas in the NorthEast axis in similar coordinated air and land operations to rid the communities of terrorists’ activities.

“In their attempts to escape the intensity of military offensives, desperate terrorists have resorted to attacking soft-target in neighbouring communities.”

The officer acknowledged improved understanding of the communities on the military operation but sought for more support from the civilian population in identifying and exposing members of terrorist group.

THE NATION, SATURDAY DECEMBER 6, 2014

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HE All Progressives Con gress (APC) yesterday accused the Directorate of State Security (DSS) of resorting to the use of torture to obtain forced confessions from the workers who were arrested during the first raid on the party's Data Centre in Ikeja.

The party called the action of the DSS a contravention of the UN Convention against Torture to which Nigeria is a signatory and a violation of the citizens' fundamental human rights.

In a statement in Lagos , National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the agency may be treading on dangerous ground, as it continues in its efforts to intimidate, harass and weaken the opposition to give the PDP an undue advantage ahead of next year's polls.

The party quoted Part 1 Article 1 of the UN Convention as saying in part: ''For the purpose of this Convention, torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession......''

APC alleged that the DSS personnel who arrested the workers shackled their hands and legs and blindfolded them while they were being taken to Abuja. ''The workers remained in chains even at the dark detention cell where they were made to sleep on the bare floor for the 10 days they were detained illegally, while none of their family members knew their whereabouts all through their ordeal. Guns were pointed at their heads by DSS personnel who threatened to shoot them, while verbal insults were hauled at them as if they were common criminals.

It is simply incredible that Nigerians can be treated like this under a democratic dispensation,'' it said.

News 7

DSS forced confessions from arrested Data Centre workers, says APC APC also said a pregnant woman among those who were arrested was denied access to her drugs even when she started bleeding due to the torture to which she was subjected by the DSS. The party said having coerced, tortured and bullied them to say and write what suited the purpose of the DSS, the agency now gleefully issued a statement saying what it has found during its investigations, in the wake of the illegal raid on the APC Data Centre, will shock the world. ''DSS, Nigerians and indeed the entire world are already shocked by your actions, including the resort to the use of torture, in violation of an international Convention which Nigeria has signed and ratified, to obtain false information from the arrested APC workers. What more shock can come from an institution of state that treated Nigerian citizens like animals in a gross violation of fundamental human rights? ''What more shock can come from an institution of state that has now so shamelessly become the enforcement arm of the ruling PDP, to such an extent that it would even engage in untold illegal acts just to demonize the opposition. What more shock can come from an institution of state that could resort to this

crude tactics even under a democratic dispensation?'' it queried.

APC vowed to seek justice for the innocent Nigerians

who were treated worse than prisoners of war in their own country, by an agency of state that is maintained with tax payers' funds, and which is

profit from its wanton use of torture, intimidation and verbal assault of innocent citizens to obtain forced confessions just to satisfy its masters.”

•Tunde MacAlabi and wife, Bukie, receiving the Old Grammarian Society Merit Award from an executive member of the society.

Fayose to PDP: suspend Obasanjo now

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OVERNOR Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State yesterday launched a fresh attack on former President Olusegun Obasanjo for alleged anti -party activities.

The governor asked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to probe the former

president and suspend him for his persistent criticism of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Fayose told reporters in Ado Ekiti,a day after five of his fellow PDP governors visited Obasanjo in Abeokuta ostensibly to woo him to support President Jonathan’s second

term bid, that Obasanjo does not deserve that kind of attention.

He dismissed the governors’ visit as unwarranted, unnecessary and uncalled for as Obasajo,in his opinion,is working for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the

Nyanya blast: ‘Why we are holding on to alleged mastermind’ T HE Department of State Services (DSS) yesterday explained that its continued detention of the suspected mastermind of the April 14 blast in Nyanya, Abuja, Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, is based on a valid court order .

Counsel for the agency, Mr. Clifford Osagie, told a Federal High Court in Abuja that investigation in the case had been concluded and the case file is being transferred to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), for further action.

Arguing the DSS’ counteraffidavit to a fundamental rights enforcement application filed by Ogwuche, in which he is challenging his continued detention, seeking freedom and asking for N100million compensation for what he called unlawful detention,Osagie said the plaintiff’s fundamental rights have not been violated by his continued detention.

He said that the DSS, on September 11 this year, obtained an order ex-parte from Justice Gabriel Kolawole (also of the Federal High Court, Abuja) to detain the applicant for 90 days.

Osagie, who tendered the detention/remand warrant and similar other ones obtained from a Chief Magistrate Court in Kaduna, said the remand warrant obtained from Justice Kolawole was in accordance with the provision of Section 27 of the Terrorism Prevention

expected to be fair and nonpartisan in its operations.

The party also said every legal measure would be taken to ensure that “the DSS does not

Eric IKHILAE, Abuja

Act (TPA) 2013.

He argued that as against the contention of the applicant that he was unlawfully detained, Osagie said the DSS had acted within the confines of the law and that it had not violated the applicant’s rights.

“It is evident that the DSS has complied with the requirement of the Constitution in its remand of the applicant. We complied with the law and the Constitution. So, there is no breach of his fundamental rights,” Osagie said.

He said that contrary to Ogwuche’s claim, the provision of Section 27 of the TPA is not in contravention of Section 35 of the Constitution. He argued that in the case of capital offence, including terrorism, sub-section 4 of Section 35 of the Constitution does not always apply. He further argued that DSS’ action finds favour under Section 35(7) of the Constitution.

Osagie said that the steps taken so far by DSS in the case were within law and Constitution. He urged the court to dismiss the application and refuse Ogwuche’s prayer for N100m damages, arguing that he was not entitled to any compensation because he had suffered no injuries.

Replying on point of law,

applicant’s lawyer, Nureini Jimoh faulted the remand warrants obtained by the DSS from Kaduna, arguing that they were obtained outside jurisdiction.

He argued that his client was unlawfully detained and that he was entitled to the N100m damages he was claiming. He urged the court to grant his client’s application and set him free because there was no basis for his continued detention.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola has, however, invited the AGF to appear before the court, as a friend of the court, to address the contention by the applicant that Section 27 of the TPA was in conflict with Section 35 of the Constitution.

By the invitation, the AGF is expected to appear before the court on the next adjourned date to argue whether or not Section 27 of the TPA was constitutional and not in conflict with Section 35(4) and (7) of the Constitution and should be retained.

The DSS had, shortly after the blast, named Ogwuche as one of the brains behind the incident and declared him wanted.

On learning that the suspect had allegedly escaped to Sudan, the Federal Government, through the Office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) initiated extradition pro-

ceedings and filed a two-count charge to that effect.

Oguwche was successfully brought to Nigeria on July 15 and has since then been held in the custody of the DSS who recently procured an ex-parte order to further detain him for 90 days. The Fed Govt had, since the suspect was brought back into the country, been unable to proceed against him in view of the disagreement between officials of the Federal Ministry of Justice, the DSS and the Nigeria Police Force over which agency should handle Ogwuche’s prosecution.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court on November 24 struck out the twocount charge for lack of diligent prosecution.

Count one of the charge filed on behalf of the IGP by Oloye Torugbene ( a Deputy Superintendent of Police), accused the suspect of conspiring with others (at large), to commit an act of terrorism by detonating improvised explosive devices at Nyanya Motor Park, which resulted in the death of 75 persons and injuring over a hundred other persons.

The count reads: “That you, Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, male, and others now at large, on April 14, 2014 at Nyanya, FCT, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did facilitate the activities of persons engaged in an act of terrorism.”

2015 elections.

PDP, he declared,should stop condoning indiscipline, saying; “nobody should be treated as being bigger than the party.”

He argued that by begging Obasanjo, the PDP governors were unwittingly encouraging other party members to openly disrespect the office of the President.

“A man who has refused to respect the office of the President of Nigeria that he once occupied does not also deserve respect from anyone,” he said.

The governor, who also lambasted the former President at last week’s summit of Yoruba leaders in Ile Ife,Osun State, said: “Have you ever heard a former President of the United States of America (USA) openly abusing a sitting President of the country?

“Does it mean that former

USA President, Bill Clinton, agreed with all the policies of George W. Bush and the incumbent president, Barack Obama?

“Obasanjo is behaving unpresidentially and he must be told to respect himself.

“Obasanjo is a man who can never be pleased. His principle of life is: if it is not his way, it must not be another person’s way.

“Even if President Jonathan gives Obasanjo his blood today, he (Obasanjo) cannot change because he is already neckdeep in the APC agenda, with his eyes on the vice presidential ticket of the party.

“Therefore, no amount of visits by PDP governors can make him change his mind about President Jonathan whom he hates not because he has not performed, but because he (Jonathan) did not hand over his presidency to him.”

Jonathan appoints Ekpendu Controller General of Prisons

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has approved the appointment of a new Controller General of Prisons, Dr. Peter Ezenwa Ekpendu.

The new Controller General of Prisons hails from Ibeku Okwuato in Mbaise Local Government area of Imo state.

He takes over from Alhaji.

Aminu Suleh who held the leadership of the Nigerian Prisons Service until now.

According to a statement issued in Abuja by the NPS Public Relations Officer, Ope Fatinikun, the New NPS boss had his Primary school Education at St Patrick’s school Ibeku, Okwuato in Aboh Mbaise LGA, while his Secondary School education was at Mbaise Secondary School, Aboh Mbaise; He had his Teachers’ Training College

Gbenga OMOKHUNU, Education at Azaraegbelu Teachers’ Training College Emekuku, Owerri.

His tertiary Education was at University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he obtained his Bsc (Hons) in 1981, MED in 1984 and PHD in 1988.

Before his present appointment as the CG, he held various positions in the prisons.

Remembrance

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remembrance service will be held tomorrow for Madam Olabisi Danmole Disu who died in Lagos on December 4, 1996 during an illness The service, being organized by his only surviving child, Tolulope, holds at Bariga Road, Ilaje, Lagos.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

8 COMMENTARY

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Our fourth leader is a son of the soil, a Nigerian and leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who many may call the Iroko of South West politics but who in reality is a lesson in political pragmatism and innovation

Flag bearers, elections and the power of strong leaders HE Primaries of the two major parties in Nigeria have thrown up new leaders this week who have emerged, from obscurity in some cases, to state and national prominence. The results have shown the power of caucuses and cabals involved in the intra party rivalries as well as the relevance and obsolescence of hitherto party arrangements and loyalties . Which goes to show that politics is a moving game of dynamics and revolving doors. It has also shown that some power equations still have the clout to weather any storm and accept any challenges and still come out successful with all cylinders still blazing. Today I look at the emergence of flag bearers from our party caucuses with a view to seeing what they can learn from the style of leadership of some local and global leaders in the news, this last week.

The first of such leaders is the great Nelson Mandela who died a year ago this week but who by his contribution to human freedom and dignity remains immortal as an example of credible and humane leadership for the whole world, for all times , and for all seasons. The second is Vladmir Putin President of Russia who addressed his people this week and warned them against the West which he said is casting another Iron Curtain similar to the Cold War around Russia. The third is Robert Mugabe, the 90 year old President of Zimbabwe who this week positioned his wife as his successor by accusing the nation’s Vice President of a plot to assassinate him, as exposed by his wife. The fourth is the Iron Man of Lagos Politics, former Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who showed the power of political control even in the face of fierce competition, as he marshalled the state APC Primaries to see the emergence of his anointed candidate from the state primaries for the 2015 gubernatorial elections in the state.

Let me warn the flag bearers that I am leaving it to them to reach their conclusions on the type of leaders they want to be when they finally win elections and come to office. The title of a favourite film of mine The good, the bag and the ugly - can be a very good sign post here. Also popularity and good leadership don’t always go hand in hand and what is good for the goose in some cases may not always be good for the gander in assessing some of these leaders. This is because there is no laboratory in the world for breeding leaders. They emerge, as the flag bearers of today have done this week from their various political environments and culture, and the path they take to prominence and leadership may not always be strewn with roses.

What is unique about them however is that they have been able to use their brand of politics and style of leadership to influence the culture of their environ-

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ment in a certain direction. Today they have gripped the attention of the civilised world as leaders worthy of mention and from whom undoubtedly, lessons can be learnt by new and emerging leaders of the world.

Starting with Nelson Mandela who died a year ago let me pay tribute by pointing out some of the leadership styles he practised in S Africa where he served 27 years in prison and emerged without malice towards those who incarcerated him on Robben Island under the obnoxious and racist Apartheid System in that nation then. These lessons were gathered in a series of interviews he had over his lifetime. Mandela said you should keep close to your enemies but do not leave your friends far behind. He asked us to learn the language of your enemy as he learnt Afrikaans in prison as well as his enemy’s favourite game - this time Rugby - the favourite game of the racists which Mandela supported as president when S Africa won the Rugby World Cup staged in S Africa immediately on his election as President of S Africa. More importantly Mandela showed the world that tenacity of office is not an African leadership disease by serving only one term and asking others to carry on. In fact as revealed in his biography he never wanted to be president. All he wanted to do was to be the Secretary of the party - the African National Congress ANC - so as to prepare it for the challenges of leadership in a multiracial S Africa. Mandela has done his bit and has gone on and two presidents have succeeded each other after him. The fact that some members of the S African Parliament were suspended last week without pay for heckling the S African president over corruption when he came to address Parliament last week showed that the spirit of Mandela on transparency, accountability and dignity lives on in the post Mandela era in that great nation.

Next is Russia’s President Vladmir Putin who even his critics in the west confirm is popular at home with his fellow Russians . So why should Putin lose any sleep because he is being snubbed in international circles by the wast because he has invaded Ukraine twice and has even refused to withdraw from territories captured by invading Russian troops? In his speech to the Russian people he asked them be prepared for self reliance as the West maximises financial and economic sanctions on Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine. He accused the west of a policy of containment over Russia and of plotting to break up Russia the way the former Yugoslavia disintegrated. To Russians Putin is their lovable strong leader standing up to the west especially the USA . Putin was Russia’s president from 2000 to 2008, PM from 2008 to 2012 when he was elected president again. To western minds that is not democracy. But then who are they to determine the sort of democracy Russians want when the Russians are so proud of their leader in making Russia to rub shoulders with the powerful

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nations of the world? Surely one man’s food is another man’s poison on this matter.

Our next leader provides a good example of a gerontocracy in a democratic setting. Robert Mugabe is preparing for his mortal departure but not a political one. He has sacked his Vice President Joyce Mujuru with whom he fought the Independence War against Ian Smith during the Unilateral Declaration of Independence – UDI- days and is planning to replace her with his wife who made history by earning her Ph d from a university in Zimbabwe in three months. It is that doctorate that she is now using as a form of address as Dr Grace Mugabe to boost her political figure and stature as her husband’s successor. Surely Shakespeare’s Seven Stages of life, which says the last stage of ‘’second childishness and mere oblivion‘ has gripped the Zimbabwean leader even though he is still popular and powerful enough to make his wife to succeed him in his nation, now in the vile grip of his laughable, last gasp, gerontocracy.

Our fourth leader is a son of the soil, a Nigerian and leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who many may call the Iroko of South West politics but who in reality is a lesson in political pragmatism and innovation.

Which has made him to reclaim something he was about to lose in recent times. If you recall the story of the Iroko tree that stood stubbornly against a strong wind and was uprooted and the reed that bent in the direction of the wind and survived as the Iroko fell, then you will appreciate the political cunning, acumen and sagacity that went into the selection and election of a Christian and a proven public accountant as the next governor of Lagos state. This is because if the Houdini of Lagos politics had not anointed Akinwunmi Ambode as the party’s candidate as every one had said, there would have been open opposition in the state to a Muslim candidate. The primaries have vindicated that and Lagos is predictably safe for the APC in the 2015 elections. My hope now is for Asiwaju to use that pragmatism and sagacity in favour of the Man from Kano, the Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso in the presidential primaries of the APC in Lagos this week. As I said before Kwankwanso has achieved a lot in terms of education and infrastructure in Kano and has boldly told off Boko Haram which is trying to intimidate Kano consequently and we need such a leader at the helm of affairs at the centre in Abuja in 2015. But then the Battle of Lagos, I mean the presidential primaries of the APC have to be fought and won in Lagos this week. And there is no denying on whose turf the home game is being played or who is the Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra. Surely I can only say, hope springs eternal, for fruitful presidential APC Primaries.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

COMMENTARY

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Shema: A governor’s contempt for opposition Saturday M Flakes

Y only physical interaction with Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema, occurred on April 12, 2007. It was at Dustsin-Ma, his hometown. As an Assistant Editor with Punch newspaper, I headed a three-man team deployed by the newspaper in Katsina State to monitor the governorship election Shema eventually won on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The election in Katsina State was of general interest because the late former Nigerian president, Umaru Yar’Adua, an indigene and sitting governor of the state, had picked the PDP ticket for the presidential election scheduled to hold seven days after the governorship. Besides, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, another indigene of the state, was also the presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

The foregoing scenario accounted for the attention the state generated not just from the media and election monitors but the general public. With virtually all the media houses in the country deploying reporters to monitor the elections in Katsina State, the state invariably hosted an army of journalists doubling as election monitors. For logistics reasons, we divided ourselves into groups and spelt out the local government areas to be covered by each group. Among the local government areas that fell to my group were Daura, Buhari’s local government, and Dutsin-Ma where Shema hails from. My group decided to visit the two statesmen and sound them out on the governorship election as well as the presidential election scheduled to take place a week later.

Our meeting with Buhari in Daura remains one of the most shocking experiences of my life. Realising that we were going to meet a former head of state who had also served as Minister of Petroleum Resources and Chairman of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund, I expected to meet Buhari in a fortress like the one Gen. Ibrahim Babangida erected in Minna, Niger State. But there, he was in a three-bedroom bungalow whose sitting room was austerely decorated with mahogany furniture. Clad in all-white babanriga and a white cap to match, he welcomed us in his gentle voice. He told us that the house where we met him actually belonged to his younger brother.

Feeling that Buhari’s house in another part of the town had become an eyesore unbefitting of a former head of state, the younger brother asked Buhari to move into the bungalow while he helped the former head of state to renovate his own house which I later learnt is also a bungalow.

Before the meeting with Buhari, we had met with Shema in a hut in front of his house in Dutsin-Ma. Knowing that he was the candidate favoured to win the election because of the popularity of his party in the state, I had expected to meet Shema in a boisterous state, but the Shema that confronted us was the sober one beaten into a timid mien by anxiety. As would be

Vincent Akanmode vincentakanmode@yahoo.com SMS only: 08034426263

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His gentle disposition appears to have been so defiled by power that he now sees a fellow human being as an object of no higher value than a cockroach

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expected, we chatted with him about the election, asking if he expected victory at the end of the day. If he was sure of victory, he did not do or say anything to give it away. He came across as a perfect gentleman Katsina people would be lucky to have as governor.

He was even quick to give us his mobile phone number, and I remember joking that I would call him before the result of the election was announced because it might be impossible to reach him thereafter.Of course, he responded by assuring us that the allure of office would not change his gentle and friendly disposition, saying that he would be very reachable even as the chief executive of Katsina State. After the interaction we had in 2007, I have not made an attempt to visit the governor or even call him on the phone. But I have heard and read enough about him since then to suspect that he is no longer the amiable individual we met in Dutsin-Ma about

They want to impeach Jonathan, like seriously!

Knucklehead

OST of the times you are caught between laughing off the multi-dimensional, self-inflicted crises plaguing this country or employing laughter as a form of catharsis to blurt out the gory details of a nation that has refused to grow out of the embryo in which it has been trapped since ages past. Of course, those who seek the easy way out often resort to cheap escapism to explain our jaundiced movement without motion. Yet, the greatest tragedy lies in the clear and present danger that stares us in the face as we retreat into the nearest safe cocoon to a heave a temporary sigh. Well, that sigh rarely lasts more than few days before the reality of the monster we nurture kicks us in the groin, daring us to raise a hand of protestation if we are not the architects of our ill fate.

The scenario painted above captures my feelings concerning the joke making the rounds that some funny characters in Nigeria’s legislature are making moves to impeach President Goodluck Jonathan over what one of them called ‘a clear breach of the Constitution.’ Is that not what all of them at the centre have been doing under one guise or the other all these while? Clearly, this man here will not bat an eyelid if the President is asked to vacate that exalted seat for someone who can be more presidential in words and in deeds to take firm control. Unfortunately, that is not the case in this matter.

Those asking for Jonathan’s head on the guillotine are not doing it for any salutary interest, not even for self-enlightened interest. If Jonathan must go, it has to be through a more convincing and acceptable route. It will never happen under this band of noisemakers that suddenly wakes late in the day to realise that Jonathan has been riding roughshod on our Constitution. Could it be the same set of lawmakers that trooped to the Presidential Villa the other day, to endorse Jonathan for another shot at the Presidency unopposed?

Quite honestly, I have tried to see if I could identify with just one, out of the 14 listed breaches listed against Jonathan, to justify this latest charade and I just could not find any. For a Senate with its fair share of Methuselahs without greyhaired wisdom, I would have thought that they would understand that impeachment proceeding against any duly elected person ought not to be treated with kid’s gloves. It should not be an opportunity to display crass incompetence and poor understanding of how constitutional democracy works. It is not and should not be a knee-jerk reflex approach.

Our democracy suffers needless collateral damage because the active participants and the electorate have refused to wean themselves of military mentality and ‘bolekaja’ tactics.

It is all noise and no reason. No matter how they try, shouting empty threats would not get Jonathan off that seat. In fact, if I were him, I will simply ignore the noise. By the way, how on earth do they think they can impeach our hardworking President on those cooked-up allegations?

And what exactly were the allegations anyway? After over

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seven years ago. His gentle disposition appears to have been so defiled by power that he now sees a fellow human being as an object of no higher value than a cockroach.

Governor Shema reportedly unleashed tension on the state recently after inciting his supporters against their APC counterparts in the state, describing the latter as cockroaches and urging the supporters of the PDP to wipe them out. Shema, who reportedly addressed his supporters in Hausa, was quoted as saying: “If you look around, some states that I will not mention here, they keep making the headlines that PDP could not do this or that, but they should know Katsina State is PDP and we have done it. You should not be bothered with ‘cockroaches of politics.’ Cockroaches are only found in the toilet even at homes. If you see a cockroach in your house what do you do?” he is quoted as asking. The crowd was quoted as responding, “You kill it!” to which the Governor agrees, saying “Crush them! Anyone who does anything against you, we will retaliate, I am telling you now. Before now, people from the opposition would humiliate us in the PDP and we would say don’t do anything about it. But now, I am telling you to fight back. There should not be mercy or moderation!”

His supporters have tried to rationalise the speech by saying that what the governor meant was that his supporters should crush the APC supporters at the polls. They are also worried that the governor’s critics were mischievous in singling out the section from the long speech the governor made on that occasion. These are, however, beside the point, and their defence has been too tepid as to be an afterthought.

Apart from being one of the most detestable species of animals on account of their ugly physical appearance, cockroaches are vectors for the transmission of pathogens. They spread diseases, trigger allergies, contaminate food supplies and generally make our body ache with disgust upon sighting them.

The world was alarmed recently when a Boko Haram suspect declared that the ruthless sect had found it easy to slaughter people because its members see no difference between a human being and a chicken. But here is a governor describing political opponents not even as chickens but as cockroaches. Many have since reasoned that Shema’s comment offers an insight not just into the governor’s personal mentality, but the mentality of the party he represents. Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, once described the PDP as a nest of killers and there seems no better way to justify the observation of the respected scholar than Shema’s declaration of fathia on hapless party supporters. This, coupled with the lukewarm attitude of the ruling party to the killings in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and other parts of the country, explains why the country is in anomie.

With

Yomi Odunuga E-mail:yomi.odunuga @thenationonlineng.net SMS only: 07028006913 three years of patting Jonathan on the back for his relentless and strategic fight against insurgency, some aggrieved senators are just realising that the President has woefully failed to ‘curtail Boko Haram insurgency?’ They just got to know that the lethargic approach to the endless bloodletting has exposed Nigeria to ‘international ridicule with the abduction of 200 Chibok girls?’ Maybe I need to remind them that their ‘timely intervention’ is coming at just 235 days after the abduction! In one split brain wave moment, this select group of senators accuse our President of, among many other charges, unduly politicising the security situation; failing to act as de facto President; refusing to sign 120 bills; failing to give accounts on ‘missing’ $10.8bn from the Federation Account and another N10bn spent on chartering private jets by a powerful female minister in his cabinet; inability to tackle sloppiness/failed governance; violating constitutional provision and oath of office. Are these guys for real? Why didn't they indict for allowing his patient wife to enjoy the limelight with him? Or is that not an impeachable offence?

When did it become an impeachable offence for a President to ignore recommendations made by lawmakers on particular matters or an outright refusal to implement such reports by panels and committees? As some would ask in the local parlance, na today dem take crayfish sauce soup? What concrete evidence do they have that Jonathan’s hands are writ large in the setting up of ‘nebulous groups such as TAN for his re-election campaign’ contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act? What is their business if, in his informed wisdom, the President refuses to establish the Nigeria Police Council? Has the non-existence of that body affected the clinical annihilation of 'hoodlums' from the gates of the National Assembly? Are they saying that, as Commander-In-Chief, the President needs their permission to deploy his Armed Forces? What is illegal about the deployment of hooded men to snatch electoral victory from the jaws of defeat by the way?

It is, in my considered opinion, the height of disrespect of the Office of the President of Nigeria for any lawmaker to allege that Jonathan has been ‘sowing seed of hatred and turning

one part of the country against the other. ‘Who saw him when he was sowing the seed and why was he not reported to the appropriate quarters?

Seriously, these are laughable allegations. Someone needs to put an end to this shenanigan of an impeachment proceeding. If the man has been dancing a foxtrot with his beau in the past three-and-a-half years and nakedly abusing power, those who tolerated his excesses with condescending aplomb cannot just rev into irreverent inaction to shove him off his seat few months to a general election. That would be tantamount to hitting a man they once shared crumbs with on the table of deceit below the belt. Where were they when other well-meaning citizens cried themselves hoarse, demanding an end to the reign of impunity and total mis-governance?

Did they not all troop to the seat of power behind the National Assembly, to plead with the President to jack up the transformation sedative that has left all of us clueless about the essence of governance? Were they under the influence of a substance when they told an astounded populace that contrary to the howler made by Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as he then was - there was no missing dollars in the Federation Account? How can they be sure that our amiable, upwardly mobile Madam Minister wasted N10bn on private jets when they never mustered the courage to invite her for questioning? What do they understand by sloppiness in an environment where the transformation train is moving at the speed,of light?

In case they do not know the significance of the journey they are about to undertake, here is what Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court said about impeachment recently: “Impeachment of elected politicians is a very serious matter and should not be conducted as a matter of course. The purpose is to step aside the will of the electorate as expressed at the polls. It has implications for the impeached as well as the electorate who bestowed the mandate on him. If the matter is left at the whims and caprices of politicians and their panels, a state or even the country could be reduced to a status of a banana republic.”

And here lies the point. The senators and the other clowns gathering signatures in a bid to throw out Jonathan are carrying this joke too far. In any case, how do they expect us to take them seriously when former President Olusegun Obasanjo, an escapee of countless impeachment plots during his eight-year tenure, recently lambasted them for shrouding corruption in the opaque nature of budget padding, extorting money from ministries, departments and agencies in addition to getting slush funds from the executive to cover up misdeeds?

Could this be the reason why the latest joke has been welcomed with deafening silence even in Aso Rock? Welcome to our Banana Republic!

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

How hoodlums sacked Edo community over U leadership tussle n Osagie OTABOR, Benin n

•A house destroyed by the attackers. Inset: Pa Owieadolor

NTIL penultimate Saturday, Aruogba community in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State was relatively peaceful. Youths in the community had envisaged an imminent attack over change in the community leadership but they did not realise that the aftermath of the crisis would make them desert their homes.

When this reporter visited the community, it was a ghost of its former self. Many of the houses occupied by indigenes of the community were under lock and key. Occupants of some houses left them unlocked.

Hoodlums suspected to be hired had invaded that community and the reprisals attacks led to the death of a youth simply identified as Omoragbon and several others were injured.

At the end of the attack, over seven houses belonging to leaders of the community were razed, several cars were burnt and others thrashed.

Some labourers at the community said life was becoming miserable in the community.

Mr David Imafidon, who was sitting outside an abandoned building with his colleagues, said they returned to their homes to find an empty community.

He said: " No stores are selling anything.

We are living in difficult times here. The community is empty.

You have money but nothing to buy. We returned from work and saw that every where was scattered.

We didn't know where our wives and children ran to.’’

Trouble was said to have started after elders and youths in the community removed one Wilfred as the chairman of Aruogba Community Development Association (CDA) and elected one Okoro Ogbaretin.

The Odionwere (village head) of the community, Pa Aiwanseihia Owieadolor, said the community resolved to elect a new chairman because the former chairman had spent over 15 years in office.

Pa Aiwanseihia said the community elders decided to remove Wilfred because of series of court cases instituted against the community over sales of land.

The 97-year-old village head said the ousted chairman produced a court ruling reinstating him but the community refused to recognise it.

Confusion as policemen arrest Ifa priests in Ogun HERE was pandemonium on Thursday November 20, 2014, when some policemen attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of Ogun State Police Command, allegedly swooped on some Ifa priests in Ago-Alagbede area of Agbado Crossing in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The incident, according to eyewitnesses, happened when the policemen mistook the traditional priests for some suspects they were trailing.

The policemen were said to have brutalised the traditionalists and destroyed some of the items used to carry out divination.

It was gathered that, in the early hours of the day, four policemen attached to SARS had stormed the abode of a priest called Fadare Fasina, asking for the whereabouts of an unidentified Alhaji, which he declined knowing.

According to an eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity,” when the policemen barged into Fadare’s “office”, they told him that they were looking for one Alhaji and asked him to tell them the man’s whereabouts.

Fadare, however, told them he did not know anyone

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Continued on page 20

•The distraught Ifa priests

Continued on page 20

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CRIME

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OTHER STORIES

Confusion as policemen arrest Ifa priests in Ogun

olukunle87@yahoo.com

We snatched police berretta pistol – Suspect A

Actress battles breast cancer, needs N2m for surgery

Continued from page 19 with such name. But despite his response, the officers decided to arrest him.

“While Fadare was being led away by the officers, his sister, who was nursing a child, ran into them and demanded to know why her brother was being arrested. The angry officers pounced on her and handcuffed her to their station at Agbado Police Station.”

It was gathered that one of Fadare’s brothers, Ifakayode Opebiyi, who was to host a meeting of Ifa priests on the day, was also arrested when he tried to dissuade the officers from arresting his brother.

“Others arrested included Opebiyi Dare, Semiu Akinola and Ige Tope. They were all taken to Agbado Police Station, where they were accused of defrauding some unnamed persons of the sum of N5 million.

“The policemen allegedly went to Fakayode’s home in the evening of the same day and were said to have destroyed some items used in carrying out Ifa divination and propitiation. They shot a dog dead and took away some chickens they saw in the compound. The meal prepared for the meeting of the Ifa priests in the area and alcoholic drinks were also taken away by the officers. Fadare’s home was also ransacked by the officers and his Ifa groove was also destroyed during an on the-spot investigation carried out by the officers,” recalled another eyewitness, Jamiu Ola. The matter, however, took a new turn four days later, during an identification parade, when the person who allegedly reported that he was defrauded by some persons, said the Ifa priests were not the ones that duped him.

And they were subsequently released on bail to their lawyer.

It was gathered that the embattled priests are currently angry that their traditional items and grooves have been destroyed for their complicity in a phantom case.

However, the Ogun State Police Public Relation Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, faulted the claims of the Ifa priests.

He said: “It was not a case of mistaken identity at all.

Those arrested are still our suspects because there is circumstantial evidence linking them with the case of fraud. Even the person who alleged that he was defrauded has been able to identify them as the culprits, so they remain suspects. ‘’However, they have been granted bail and investigation is still ongoing on the matter.’’

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n Kunle AKINRINADE n promising actress cum make-up artiste, Bukola Oshadare, is down with breast cancer and needs the sum of N2 million for surgery that would restore her health.

Oshadare was first diagnosed with the ailment last year when she visited an hospital following a sharp pain she suffered on one of her breasts.

It was gathered that she was told by doctors that surgery was the only option to contain the life threatening ailment.

Her condition, however, took a turn for the worse a few months ago following which Oshadare became bed-ridden.

The Koro-Ekiti-born thespian is currently receiving treatment at DLW Medical Centre, Diocese of Lagos West (Anglican) Hospital, Surulere, Lagos.

One of her sisters, Sike, who spoke with our reporter said:” She was diagnosed of the disease last year when she went to the hospital for treatment owing to the pain on her breasts. A surgery was actually carried out on her and she had been taking the prescribed drugs until her condition relapsed a few months ago.

“We have been told that a comprehensive surgery is the only solution and we are looking for money to carry out the surgery.

To this end, we are crying out to Nigerians for help so that Bukola can regain her once bubbling health.”

Donations can be forwarded to Oshadare Iyabo Bukola’s Ecobank account number 0059242663.

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•Bukola before the ailment

HE leader of a suspected armed robbery gang that have been on the radar of the Kogi State Police Command, Suleiman Jimoh, caused a stir at the command headquarters in Lokoja when he confessed that his gang disarmed a policeman of his berretta service pistol, with breech No. 48119035.

The berretta, which was allegedly snatched from a now dismissed police corporal, was part of the other dangerous weapons on display during the parade of members of the gang and other suspected criminals during the week by the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Paul Okafor.

Jimoh, who said he attended Government Day Secondary School, Adankolo, said he had participated in four robbery operations before he was arrested.

He said: “Yes, we took the pistol from the policeman and we have used it for work four times. It is the last time that I was arrested. I finished secondary school but I did not go further. I have robbed four times but I have never killed anybody. Bad company is responsible for it”.

Others members of the gang who were arrested included Adamu Mohammed, Yahaya Egbeyo Suleiman, Ahmed Mohammed and Mohammed Dalemi.

Dalemi, on his part, pleaded for le-

•The suspects

n James AZANIA, Lokoja n

niency, promising not to return to crime if freed. His parents he said are unaware of his criminal activities.

“My parents are in the village. They don’t know what I am doing, but I beg for forgiveness. If they pardon me, I promise not to go back to criminal activities again”, he said.

The CP said the suspects were arrested by his men, using special strategy. He warned criminals to relocate from the state, saying efforts are on to rid the state of criminals.

His words: “Detectives were able to track the suspects using a special strategy which led to the arrest of Jimoh Suleiman of Bemana Street Adankolo, Lokoja. The arrest of Jimoh Suleiman subsequently led to the arrest of one Adamu Mohammed, Yahaya Egbeyo Suleiman and the others.

“The houses and the premises of the suspects were searched and a berretta pistol hidden in a damaged hoofer was recovered from Yahaya Egbeyo Suleiman, who admitted its ownership but could not give a satisfactory account of it, while other items were also recovered.

Other items recovered from the suspects included a Pump Action gun and 38 rounds of live cartridges.

The CP said all the suspects would be charged to court.

How hoodlums sacked Edo community W Continued from page 19 The community head said one of his sons was injured in the attack and taken to the police station.

He said: "I am a pensioner. This kind of crisis has not happened before. We were always going to the palace to settle land dispute. A piece of land will be sold to more than two persons. Hoodlums came to this community and destroyed our homes.

"The people voted for Okoro but Wilfred, who had ruled for 15 years, said he would not leave the position. Wilfred went to court and said he got a judgment naming him the chairman. They called my son who was sleeping and when he got there, they beat him up and dragged him to the police station."

Wilfred, on his part, accused Okoro of

leading the hoodlums to attack the community over the High Court’s judgment that said he (Wilfred) should continue in office for the next four years.

Okoro, who spoke on the phone, however, said he was in Lagos and denied complicity in the attack. One of his aides said they got a hint of the attack and they decided to keep a vigil to repel it.

He said the attackers came at about 3:30am when they were asleep but that he managed to escape.

Police Commissioner, Foluso Adebanjo, who confirmed the incident, said nine persons have been arrested and that one pump-action gun with live ammunition was recovered from the suspects.

Adebanjo said security had been tightened in the community to forestall further lawlessness.

•The labourers...confused

•Left & right: The relics of the attack

HO set Segun Akinleye ablaze? This is the poser the police and the courts in Ogun State will soon find answers to in the case of the man, who alleged his wife, Adeola, did the act.

His wife was said to have denied the allegation, claiming that her husband actually set himself ablaze.

The incident, which happened on Tuesday October 21, 2014, shocked residents of Aderinsola Adedeji in Ijebu Imoru, Ogun State, following the alarm raised

by Adeola to the effect that her husband had set himself ablaze.

Some sympathisers were said to have rushed Akinleye to the Ijebu-Ode General Hospital, •Akinleye shortly where he died about five hours before he died later.

He was said to have told the sympathisers how his wife allegedly poured petrol on him and set fire to his body following an argument.

Before he died, Akinleye, it was gathered, also signed a statement with the police wherein he accused his wife n Kunle AKINRINADE n of being the mastermind of the incident. that her husband had lately become indebted to a lot A cross section of residents, who asked not to be of people when his timber business witnessed a revernamed, said the embattled housewife, who is now sal of fortune. She claimed to have prepared a meal of being held at the State Criminal Investigation Departeba for the deceased shortly before he set fire to himment (SCID), Eleweran, Abeokuta, had been emself, adding that he became frustrated following his inbroiled in perennial feud with her husband, who was ability to defray the debts and resorted to taking his opposed to her lottery business.

The refusal of Adeola to quit the business, according own life.

“Adeola has been married to her husband for about to sources, led to an altercation that resulted in the un25 years and they are blessed with four children. They fortunate incident. actually had eight children but only four survived to An impeccable source, who pleaded anonymity, date,” the source added. however, said that Adeola claimed that her husband The Ogun State Police Comhad wanted to pour some mand’s spokesman, Muyiwa Adepetrol on her body when the jobi, said the man’s wife, Adeola, substance ‘mistakenly’ has been charged before an Ijebupoured on his body while Ode Magistrate’s Court and rehe was seated near a fire manded in prison custody, lamp. pending the advice of the Director “The 47-year-old woman of Public Prosecution (DPP), foldenied setting her husband lowing which the case would be ablaze but instead claimed transferred to a high court.

Who set this man ablaze?

Court sends murder suspects to prison

25-year-old bus conductor, Kamoru Kushimo, who is standing trial for allegedly killing one Mubaraq Olawale Salau, has been remanded in prison by an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrate’s Court.

The suspect was said to have stabbed Salau to death during an agurment in Agege, a suburb of Lagos.

It was reported that the duo were enjoying drinks in an undisclosed beer parlor when an argument ensued between them as to which party will rule Lagos State in 2015.

Salau, who was said to have been stabbed on the left hand chest and left side of his back, could not survive the injuries; he died on the spot.

The charge sheet reads: “That you, Kamoru Kushimo 'm' on the November 5, 2014,at about 09:30 at Alaafia Street, Alaagba Bus Stop, Agege, Lagos, in that Lagos magisterial district, did unlawfully kill one Mubaraq Olawale Salau 'm' aged 25 years by stabbing him with broken beer bottle on his left hand chest and left side of his back and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.”

His plea was not taken.

The Police prosecutor, Inspector Cousin Adam, filed an application that the defendant be remanded in prison custody for 30 days pending a legal advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

The Presiding Magistrate, F.J Adefioye, granted the prosecutor's plea and ordered the accused to be remanded in prison custody pending legal advice from the office of DPP. The case was adjourned

n Rukayat JIMOH n December 31, 2014 for DPP advice.

In a related development, a 37-year-old fisherman, Taiye Agbaje, who was accused of killing one Monday Ukoro, has also been remanded in prison custody by an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrate's Court.

Agbaje was accused of unlawfully killing Monday by hitting him with a paddle on his head.

He reportedly committed the act on August 13, 2014 at about 3pm at Ogbun village, Epe, Lagos.

Monday’s body was said to have been removed from water four days after the incident.

The charge sheet reads: ‘’That you ,Taiye Agbaje 'm ' on the 13th of day of August, 2014, about 1500 hrs, at Ogbun village, Epe, Lagos magisterial district, did unlawfully kill one Monday Ukoro 'm 'aged 29 years, by hitting him with a paddle on his head and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011'.’’

His plea was not taken.

The Police Prosecutor, Inspector Frank Odigie filed an application that the defendant be remanded in prison custody for the initial 30 days pending a legal advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs.A.K Ariyo, granted the prosecutor's application.

She ordered that the suspect be remanded in Ikoyi Prison pending a legal advice from DPP office.

The matter was adjourned January 7, 2015 for DPP’s advice.

Kofi, Bimbo Akintola, others join in the fight against gender-based sexual violence OPULAR comedian, Kofi Idowu, Nollywood actress, Bimbo Akintola, and Afro-pop singer, Ice Prince Zamani, have pledged to join in the battle against gender-based sexual violence.

At a conference on coordinated approach to sexual and gender-based violence organised by the Justice for All, Department of International Development (DFID), the trio promised to use their talents in the campaign for the eradication of sexual violence in the society.

Kofi said: “I have been robbed by armed robbers before and I forgave them on the spot. But when it comes to rape, I cannot forgive perpetrators because it is important for people like us to fight for those (rape victims) who cannot fight for themselves. Besides, I have a daughter and as a concerned father and entertainer, I will do anything to campaign against rape or gender-based sexual violence at any event I am asked to anchor.”

On her part, Akintola said:” It is an honour to be part of this project. I disagree with people who say that the provocative dress worn by some ladies might be responsible for their being raped, because even children who don’t wear skimpy dresses are also victims of rape and sexual violence.”

Others honoured as goodwill ambassadors of the project include Mrs Remki Diagbare of Vanguard newspapers and another popular singer, Bez Idakula.

In his remarks, the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Ade Ipaye, said: “ The Lagos State Sex Offenders Register is being opened and maintained by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice in partnership with the Lagos State judiciary, the Nigerian Prisons and Nigeria Police Force.

“We are, therefore, encouraged by the work so far and we are hopeful that in the coming year, with our strengthened partnerships and the various initiatives taken by the government and civil society organisations. We will be able to bring succour to these victims and ensure that sex offences are reduced to the barest minimum in our communities.”

P

AKINLOYE

AT LARGE

08050246155 atlarge84@yahoo.com

THE NATION, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

46

At the induction of new members of IoD PHOTOS: Biodun ADEYEWA

•President/ Chairman of Council, Institute of Directors Nigeria (IoD); Chief Mrs. Eniola Fadayomi (second right); past President and Guest Speaker, Mr. Chike Nwanze (second left); 1st Vice President, Mr. Yemi Akeju (left) and Director General/CEO, Mr Victor Banjo, at the induction of new members of the institute held at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island Lagos... penultimate Friday.

• Chief Mrs Opral Benson; Srinivasan Ayiniyat and Akin Akinrera

•From left: Dr. Kennedy Izuagbe; Nassr Muneer Fares and Godswill O. Hart

•From left: Lawal Afolake; Mr. and Mrs. Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli

•From left: Jihadez Matni; Murchid Allam and Ibrahim Abega

•Rear Admiral Michael Akinsola Johnson and wife

•Olayiwola Yahaya (left) and Aigbovbioise Aig -Imoukhuede

•Emma Mong (left) Ini Onuk

Email: counselling@faithoyedepo.org

53 Anthropogenic polutants from the excessive use of power generators in Nigeria

Compound Nitrogen

% by Volume

Conce ntration (ppm)

78.09

Oxyge n

20.94

7 80,900 209,400

Argon

0.9 3

Ca rbon dioxide

0.0325

Ne on

0.0018

18

He lium

0.0005

5.2

Methane

0.0001

1.1

Kr ypton

0.0001

1.0

Nitrous oxide

9300 325

0.5

Hydroge n

0.5

Xe non

0.008

Nitrogen dioxide

0.02

Oz one

0.01 –0.04

Coping with Diseases W h

it

Professor Dayo Oyekole,

Ph.D. (Ibadan), NMD, FNCP. Tel: 0803-330-3897 Website: www.holisticlifecare.com E-mail: kolemetric@yahoo.com

54

NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

‘Our close shave with death in triple

•Ahmed, a blood donor

HE ancient city of Kano was thrown into mourning penultimate Friday as six deadly terrorists stormed the Kano Central Juma’at Mosque and unleashed terror on innocent Muslim faithful who had no premonition that death was lurking in the Mosque where they had gone to seek the face of Allah. At about 2:15 pm on that faithful day, the suspected terrorists invaded the Kano Central Mosque located near the Emir’s palace, and as the Muslim faithful chorused Allahu akbar in commencement of prayers, triple explosions rocked the mosque and left the entire vicinity covered in smoke. In the midst of the ensuing confusion, the invaders also opened fire on hapless worshippers who were trying to escape from the scene.

Eyewitness accounts said that no fewer than 120 people lost their lives in the vicious attack, while

T •A victim of the blast

Even the Imam only managed to escape, while others ran in different directions. I later realised that almost all the people to my left had been shot dead. It was Allah who saved me because the other gunman stood beside me, thinking that I was dead

,

,

•Another victim

•Aminu Yahaya, a survivor

n Kolade ADEYEMI Kano n

more than 150 others were injured.

The ancient city has since remained tense. When our correspondent visited the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in the heart of the city, thousands of relations of the victims had besieged the mortuary of the hospital to identify the bodies of their loved ones as well as the injured. It was wailing and lamentation all around the hospital as families identified the bodies of their deceased members. Mass burials were also conducted for the bodies that could not be identified.

Blood donors have also besieged hospitals where the victims of the bomb blasts were admitted, as thousands of young men and women were all anxious to donate blood to their Muslim brothers and sisters.

However, this reporter observed that most of the donors are frustrated owing to the shortage of blood bags in most of these hospitals forcing them to visit one hospital or the other in their desperation to save life.

A top official at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, who asked not to be named, said: “This is the deadliest attack ever carried out in Kano.” He said the Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital,

•Some blood donors

Sir Muhammad Sunusi Specialist Hospital, Sheikh Muhammad Jiddah General Hospital, Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital and Aminu Kano Reaching Hospital were all overcrowded with corpses, while some people were still missing.”

Some survivors of the attack, who spoke with our correspondent, gave graphic accounts of what happened.

Auwalu Sule, 48, said: “On that day, as I was going to the Central Mosque near the Emir’s palace, where I had been worshipping for more than 16 years, a shocking incident occurred as we were about to start praying. As the Liman was saying Allahu akbar (God is great) at about 2L15 pm, we heard deafening sounds of bomb explosions.

“Some people also started shooting sporadically before that could end. They started shooting and killing people. Before I could realise what was happening, a suicide bomber had gained entry into the mosque and the third explosion went off. Meanwhile, the shooting continued and everybody lay flat on the floor for safety.”

According to him, the invaders killed many worshippers, while many others were injured. “Even the Imam only managed to escape, while others ran in different direc-

•Burnt motorbikes

NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

55

bomb attacks on Kano mosque’

tions. I later realised that almost all the people to my left had been shot dead. It was Allah who saved me because the other gunman stood beside me, thinking that I was dead.

“I heard people saying that they should stop running. I wanted to get up but I was afraid. When the noise had subsided, people summoned courage and went for the two gunmen that stood beside us, disarmed them and set them ablaze.”

Another survivor, Aminu Yahaya, 32, who lives in Kabara Quarters, close to the mosque, said: “We were about to start praying when we heard a loud bang and gunshots rent the air. In the twinkle of an eye, we heard another bomb explosion followed by yet another. The shooting came from different directions and the explosions shook the mosque to its foundation. It was a horrible scene.

“When soldiers arrived about 15 minutes after the incident and saw us trying to evacuate the wounded and separating them from the dead, the soldiers started beating us. Their action angered the people and they started hauling pebbles at the soldiers, which degenerated into a serious riot.”

Hamisu Dakaura, 35, who volunteered himself as a rescue worker, said he was in front of his shop close

•Hamisu Dankaura, rescue worker

to the Central Mosque when he heard a loud noise and a heavy smoke billowing from the explosions. He had no option but to join the rescue workers in their operations.

He said: “Let me tell you categorically that while we were evacuating the dead, I counted more than 400 people who lost their lives in the explosion. We worked for more than four hours evacuating dead bodies.

There were children as well as adults.

“As we were evacuating the dead bodies, soldiers descended heavily on us and tried to stop us. They started shooting sporadically to scare us away from the scene. They destroyed vehicles, including more than 30 tricycles, which were being used to evacuate dead bodies. They also shot at my tricycle. It was only God that saved me. Otherwise I would have been a dead man for trying to assist in the evacuation of dead bodies.’’

Nasiru Ahmed, 19, and Baffa Tijjani, 38, who were at the Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital to donate blood to victims when our correspondent visited, expressed dismay over the shortage of blood bags.

They pleaded with the authorities to urgently provide blood bags to the

hospitals so that those who were interested in saving the lives of the victims of the bomb blasts by donating blood to them.

The police, however, said that only 35 persons were killed in the triple bomb explosions. The Kano State Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Sanusi Lemu, told reporters in his office that 150 other persons also sustained various degrees of injuries.

He said that security had been beefed up in the area, while investigation had since commenced. The deputy police commissioner said all the injured persons had been taken to hospitals for medical treatment, while the dead bodies had been deposited in the morgue.

Lemu urged the people in the state to continue to be very vigilant and report suspected persons to the security agencies for immediate action.

•Relatives at the mortuary to identify their lost ones

,

•Auwalu Sule, another survivor

•Another survivor of the blast

As we were evacuating the dead bodies, soldiers descended heavily on us and tried to stop us. They started shooting sporadically to scare us away from the scene. They destroyed vehicles, including more than 30 tricycles, which were being used to evacuate dead bodies

•A survivor on hospital bed

,

56

THE NATION, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

INTERVIEW

Why roads fail frequently —FERMA MD OW would you rate the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency in the discharge of its responsibilities considering the state of roads in the country?

FERMA, as you are aware, was established in 2003 and tasked with the effective maintenance of all federal roads in the country. Since that time, some reforms have been carried out.

Though the agency has its corporate headquarters in Abuja, we also have the country divided into two. We have the East and West operations. Under these operations, we have 12 zonal operations. However, this does not mean that we have divided the operations on the principle of geo-political zones. We just took convenient areas that we can give coverage and we carved them into zones. FERMA has been structured in such a way that it can perform and be able to address road failure promptly. I must tell you that, at the inception, the level of failure was high. And so, most of our roads have actually passed maintenance stage in terms of age, in terms of degree of dilapidation, so you find that the agency was grappling from the first strategy, to recover roads before maintaining them.

In fact, the norm is that maintenance is expected to start immediately a road is commissioned. It is called periodic, routine or rehabilitation depending on the condition. So, in pavement management system, you are supposed to have pavement graded according to their age and when a pavement is due for resurfacing, you do it comprehensively. That is the international practice. But here in Nigeria, we have an experience where after the civil war in which a lot of roads were built and the maintenance outfit was not put in place, so we had roads that exceeded their lifespan and became very weak in terms of age. With the establishment of FERMA, we started grappling with the maintenance. Today, the Federal Government has well over 30,000 kilometres of roads and we must attend to all of these collectively in spite of what you know that is obvious; the funding lapses and challenges.

Did you introduce any reform on your assumption of office?

In 2011, this management took over and by the time we came, there were already calls to declare in state of emergency on Nigerian roads. Many senators and members of the House of Representatives were all feeling that there must be state of emergency due to the spread of roads that were impassable.

What we did at FERMA was to move on to study the roads and we started the process of developing a strategy that will enable us recover a greater length of the roads and make them passable in line with Mr. President's directive. It was called Rapid Road Recovery Programme (RRRP), which was approved by the minister. Under that programme, we commenced to get preventive maintenance initiative in place.

What do I mean by this? In the past, a road will start to fail if the funding and the enablement to get that road repaired is not there, you leave it because it may not

H

• Engr. Amuchi

The Managing Director of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Engr. Gabriel Amuchi, had an interaction with some reporters in his office in Abuja, where he explained why roads fail constantly in Nigeria, among other issues. Our Deputy Editor, Nation’s Capital, YOMI ODUNUGA, was there. Excerpts:

‘

You will find out that when Nigerians have problem with their tyres, they park immediately on the road and begin to change it. We have found Nigerians shift from places designated as markets and start marketing on the road. We have found that Nigerians deliberately block drainage structures to put market stalls.

Sometimes, somebody who wants to connect water pipe to his house would damage the road without taking any action to repair the damaged section. He will simply watch as the road fails...

‘

become too big immediately while you are tackling very big failures. Over the period, what you call minor failure would have enlarged and it will become another challenge. The preventive maintenance initiative is a corrective effort and we are doing things like that. We also found out that the agency had bought seven major asphalt plants but they were not cleared from the port. As I speak to you, we were able to remove all the plants from the port and distributed them to the seven regions of the country and they have already been installed and operational. These major asphalt plants make it possible for you to access material at every given time. We also noticed that, at the inception of this management, we had over 80 per cent of the roads that were bad. So, we needed to work critically to ensure that we reduce that number and what we did was to identify routes that we refer to as critical alignments.

For instance, the number of vehicles that move from Abuja through Kano to Katsina will be less than the ones branching off Zaria. The number of vehicles moving from Lagos to Benin made the road a high concentration one. By the time they get to Benin, some go to Warri and some others go to Onitsha. So, we took those routes as critical routes and started a programme of ensuring that the preventive maintenance and zero potholes initiative worked throughout on such routes and also, we needed to get more asphalt patchers. We inherited about six patchers. These patchers are state of the art equipment from the United States of America. You put all your tools in a patcher and it carries your asphalt too. It carries the compactor, the cutter and even the priming equipment and in one go, it goes to the highway and begins to seal potholes. We later arranged with the suppliers and we got additional 31.

Today, we have 38 of such patchers distributed all over the country. These are the programmes we flagged off to see how we can tackle the dilapidated nature of our highways. We also found out that, in some remote sections of the country, we did not have access to the road construction materials such as asphalt. And, in other states, it will surprise you to know that you may not find an asphalt plant. With that background in mind, we commenced a research programme to produce what we call cold asphalt for quick patch rather than waiting for an asphalt plant complete. Our staff here are producing and distributing cold asphalt in bags. It is the first in this country that some states have even come to study the process and technology. All our engineers have them in their offices and if there is any pothole, they don't have any excuse not to seal it up.

That has helped us to reduce the rampant cases of dangerous potholes on our roads. We also acquired light equipment like slashers, backhoes. These are light equipment used the world over for

maintenance of roads regularly. We found out that we were lacking in those areas. If you get to Lagos and some urban towns like Kano, you will find out that that the drainage structure must have been silted with sludge, you can't quickly use shovel to de-silt, so this backhoe has the capability of scooping the material. No matter the depth, it will be able to mechanically scoop them and de-silt. We have acquired and circulated them. Also, we currently have three asphalt plants working in Kuje, Lagos and Osogbo, producing asphalt for our distribution. We try to encourage public communication; that is anytime people have challenge on the roads, they should be able to call FERMA on our emergency lines. With the lines, you can get FERMA with even quick response.

What would you attribute to the constant road failure in the country? Could it be that most contractors are in the habit of executing shoddy jobs with little or no supervision by the authorities?

Recently, we discovered that most road failures had something to do with road abuse. Today, if you go to most places, you will discover that people paste posters on bridge stands and on roads and we have lost a number of bridges to abuses.

You will find out that when Nigerians have problem with their tyres, they park immediately on the road and begin to change it. We have found Nigerians shift from places designated as markets and start marketing on the road. We have found that Nigerians deliberately block drainage structures to put market stalls. Sometimes, somebody who wants to connect water pipe to his house would damage the road without taking any action to repair the damaged section. He will simply watch as the road fails and the moment the road fails, he will be the first to say government is not doing anything.

Government, I must stress, belongs to all of us, including the man who cuts the road. It is the same attitude you find with some of the people installing optical fibres. Sometimes, when they get to a bridge, they reduce the width and pass their pipe, what matters to them is their money. We found out that no one is particularly taking charge of our roads and we got approval from government to establish the Federal Road Committee on Surveillance and Action Against Road Abuse. The committee includes a member of the Armed Forces, the Nigerian Police Force, the FRSC, FERMA, ministry of works and Civil Defence representatives. Towards the end of each year, when Nigerians travel a lot, we push them all over the country to minimise and possibly stop entirely, road abuses, illegal use of roads, traffic offences and help the FRSC to decongest critical road.

It will interest you to know that sometimes when they say a road is fully blocked because of traffic grid, you will find out that it is just one irresponsible user of the road that is responsible. A tanker driver will park somewhere with the excuse that his battery is no longer working and he walks away causing serious traffic and this is what the committee has been helping us to do. Today, the question of road accidents occurring because of road failure has reduced. I have even read that sometimes, accidents occur because of bad manipulation, which could be caused by the driver’s attitude or equipment failure. Also, to add to road safety and security on our roads, we have built 90 observation camps meant for the use of the Police, Road Safety Corp, and of course FERMA and it contains first aid tools and they are supposed to serve as emergency intervention when accident occurs.

In this period, unlike what the experience used to be, we have been able to repair so many big box culverts that collapsed. We have been able to build new bridges when a road has failed.

For instance, if you travel to Kano and Katsina and on the way to Niger, there was a time a culvert under flood gave way and the road severed. We were mandated to reinstate the bridge and what we did was to pile the bridge instead of replacing with box culverts. After the flood of 2012, we had a similar challenge in Bayelsa area and we have been able to work on it.

Over 60 bridges had been repaired and they are functional again. It is important to highlight that the agency has come out of the state where they were calling for the introduction of a state of emergency to a state where people are saying at least, it is fair. The challenge is still there, the work to do is still there but a lot has been done. We have carried out maintenance on these roads--- Katsina to Kano road, Kaduna to Zaria road, and Abuja Keffi road, Third Mainlan Bridge in Lagos, Ilorin to Egbe and Omu-Aran road. On the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, there was a time they said the surface was wearing, what we did was to reinstate and strengthen the surface and then we provided reflective coating and now it is no longer dark as it used to be.

We have also worked on the Benin Bypass.

These are roads you can go today and you won't find any potholes. The Sagamu interchange and then sections of Lagos to Badagry, we repaired it and made it conducive for driving since last year. There was also a time when there was outcry over the movement of gas turbine to run the power plant in Kaduna. The turbines were in Onne Port for over three years.

They were starting to decompose and FERMA was mandated to save cost and repair the 950 kilometres of failed sections and we made it usable and a number of other roads that we have sustained and maintained through our maintenance and preventive effort to ensure that we don't have dangerous potholes left and unattended to.

THE NATION,

News 57

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

Synagogue: Lagos coroner to rule on stay of inquest December 10

T

HE Lagos State coroner’s court will on December 10, 2014 rule on whether

or not to stay proceedings on the inquest being made into the collapse building at the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Ikotun.

The coroner, Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe took the decision after hearing arguments from Joshua’s counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo and the Lagos State government’s counsel, Mr Akingbolahan Adeniran.

Founder of the church, Prophet Temitope Joshua had filed an application before the coroner seeking a stay of proceedings on the inquest.

A total of 115 persons died in the six-storey building that collapsed on September 12,

Adebisi ONANUGA 2014.

Prophet T.B. Joshua had asked the court to stop further sitting of the coroner’s inquest into the building collapse at the church.

In the application, Ojo asked the court for an order to stay proceedings on issues relating to calling of witnesses in respect of the building approval or material tests of the collapsed building.

He had in addition, asked for an order to suspend further action on the invitation issued to Joshua to appear before the inquest to give evidence.

He posited that, the stay of proceedings is pending the determination of another suit

he had filed against the coroner before Justice Lateefat Okunnu of an Ikeja High Court.

While moving the application, Ojo argued that the application before the high court was for a judicial review of the inquest.

He explained that it was intended to ascertain whether the coroner, Komolafe, had exceeded the statutory jurisdiction of the coroner’s court.

“It is our view that the strict scope of the coroner’s inquest is to ascertain the cause and manner of death and it will be in the best interest of all of us to get a judicial interpretation from a superior court.

“The best and reasonable cause of action for this court is to stay proceedings of the issues in contention, pending

the time the high court will deliver its pronouncement one way or the other,” Ojo said.

He therefore urged the coroner to accord the high court respect and dignity by not taking any further action that could prejudice the suit before Okunnu.

But counsel to Lagos State government, Adeniran argued that Section 40 of the Coroner’s System Law empowered the coroner to investigate and determine the cause of death of an individual who died under suspicious circumstances.

He maintained that the coroner has not exceeded its jurisdiction. “There is nothing in the Coroner’s System Law that reduces its jurisdiction.

“This honourable court, in our opinion, has not exceeded its jurisdiction,” he said. Adeniran

•Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State (middle), flanked by his Commissioner for Education, Professor Solomon Olaniyonu (right) and rector of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Prof. Olatunde Fawole (left) at the 30th convocation ceremony of the institution... yesterday

O

SUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has urged members of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) to see their national service as a call requiring dedication and commitment.

Represented by his deputy, Chief Mrs. Grace Titi LaoyeTomori, yesterday at the NYSC orientation camp, Ede, Osun State during the formal opening of orientation exercise and swearing-in ceremony for corps members in the batch ‘C’ deployed to the state, the governor charged the youths to see themselves as change agents.

The Chief Judge of the State, Justice Oyebola Adepele Ojo administered the oath on 2,780 corps members comprising of 1,339 males and 1,441 females.

Governor Aregbesola told the corps members that their deployment to the state was designed for a purpose and charged them to strive hard to be relevant in the state in the next one year.

Aregbesola, who said the young people should be given chance to play active role in political, economic and other areas of national development, ýnoted that the success of the nation now and in the future depend on the youths.

He said: “With the present realities of our political and economic landscape, it is very much necessary that the largest echelon and cream of our future, the youths should be mainstreamed into the challenging task of nation building.”

Aregbesola told the corps members that his administration has provided a tolerable level of comfort for

National service requires dedication, Aregbesola tells corps members Adesoji ADENIYI, Osogbo them in the camp.

He maintained that he would continue to partner with NYSC in a bid to meeting the national aspiration that the scheme was meant for.

According to him: “On our part as a government that is

passionate about the youth, we have done our bit to make you comfortable here and If there is any situation that elicit flaring of temper, you should express your grievances in a disciplined and matured manner.”

Also speaking, the Coordinator of NYSC in the

state, Mr. Abada Okpiroro, said the corps members cut across the thirty six states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory and that since their arrival in the camp, they have shown remarkable interest in the orientation activities in the camp.

The Polytechnic Ibadan graduates 4,977

T

Governor charges graduands to be self employed

HE Polytechnic, Ibadan yesterday turned out another set of graduates totaling 4,977.

They finished their programmes for the 2013/2014 academic session. While 3,675 graduated with National Diploma (ND), 1,302 graduated with Higher National Diploma (HND).

Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, charged the graduands to think towards self employment.

The governor also advised the graduands to be innovative and exceptional in whatever endeavor they find themselves,

T

Bisi OLADELE, Ibadan urging them to emulate geniuses including Bill Gates.

Ajimobi also told the audience at the convocation ceremony that he would continue to support the institution, maintaining that as an individual. he cherishes education and its importance in people’s lives.

He said: “I stand before you today addressing you simply because of the fact that I am educated. Without education, I doubt whether I would have that opportunity. Not that I was born with silver spoon, my father was a tailor before he

became a parliamentarian.

Then, I used to trek from OjaOba (Ibadan ) to Aperin, eating fried plantain. Today, that school boy is the governor addressing you. I believe in handwork and doing something exceptionally. I assure you that we shall continue to support you but I would want the management to ensure that we sit down together regularly to discuss about challenges being faced by the institution so that we can tackle them, so that when next I come here, it will not be that you will table your requests before me because we would have tackled those requests.”

Ondo PDP gets new executive committee

HE national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterdy dissolved the executive committee of the Ondo State chapter and inaugurated a new one to run the affairs of the chapter for the next four years.

It was a rancour free transition, as members of the dissolved executive were present at the inauguration, which took place at the party’s Abuja national secretariat.

Governor Olusegun Mimiko, who led other party chieftains to the inauguration said the chapter had overcome its numerous crises, apparently thrown up by his defection to the PDP a few weeks ago.

Gbade OGUNWALE, Assistant Editor, Abuja

Mimiko urged the national leadership of the party to cross check future complaints from the state with the new executive, to avoid what he described as duplication of party platforms, especially as the general elections draw nearer.

The governor enjoined the new executive committee, headed by Mr. Clement Faboyede to put in place appropriate mechanisms to address the problems confronting the state chapter.

Mr. Fatai Adams emerged deputy chairman and Igini Oyedele as secretary of the new exco.

further argued that the suit before Okunnu did not translate to an automatic stay of proceedings of the coroner’s inquest.

He said:” At the time the high court granted the applicants leave to apply for the judicial review, the judge was in a position to grant them a stay of proceedings but did not.

“As it stands, there is no order from the high court for a stay of proceedings.” Adeniran also argued that Joshua and the church had not presented sufficient materials before the court to warrant the coroner to exercise his discretion in their favour. He therefore asked the court to dismiss the application.

PDP primaries: Court orders Obanikoro, others to maintain status quo

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USTICE Kazeem Alogba of a Lagos high court, Ikeja has ordered parties in a suit seeking to stop Senator Musiliu Obanikoro from contesting the December 8, 2014 governorship primaries of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos to maintain the s t a t u s quo.

The applicants in the suit who are members of the party include Micheal Babatunde Ogun, Suleiman Olayinka Saheed and Wasiu Adeniyi Odusan.

Joined as defendants alongside Senator Obanikoro are Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP. The trial judge, Justice Kazeem Alogba refered parties to the admonition in the decision of judges of the Supreme Court in a suit, Ojukwu versus government of Lagos State 1986 NWLR PT. 86 .

Quoting from the judgment in the matter, Justice Alogba said, “the law as to what obligations are placed on parties when they are aware of pending application seeking to restrain them from doing anything that could foist a fait ac-

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Adebisi ONANUGA compli on the court with respect to an unfettered hearing and determination of that application on its full merits is very clear and live. ”I admonish all parties to obey the admonition in that decision of the learned jurists of our apex court”, he said. The appellants, through their lawyer, Wahab Shittu, had filed an ex parte motion before the court through which they urge the court to restrain the former Defence Minister-ofState.

They sought from the court, an order of interlocutory injuction restraining the first defendant from participating in the governorship primaries scheduled for December 8, 2014.

They also sought an order of interlocutory injuction restraning the PDP from nominating Senator Obanikoro to INEC for the purpose of contesting the 2015 governorship elections in Lagos state or any subsequent elections in Nigeria pending the hearing and determination of the originating summons and for any such further orders as the court may deem fit.

Community leaders save man from jungle justice

HE traditional ruler of Onigbongbo in Lagos State, Oba Muniru Olatunji and community leaders yesterday saved a man simply identified as Mosudi from being lynched, for encroaching on a land belonging to the Onigbongbo family.

According to the Onigbongbo family head, Chief Wakilu Sodiq,” The man was sighted with a jerry can filled with concoction which he intended to sprinkle on the land when he was accosted by some vigilant youths of the community.”

It was gathered that Mosudi was subsequently taken to the palace of Oba Olatunji, where he explained that he was sent to the site by a retired military officer. He however signed an undertaking before he was released to one of his relatives.

Group advises Ikorodu aspirants

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TAKEHOLDERS from the five Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) of Ikorodu, Lagos State, under the aegis of Ikorodu Revolutionary Movement on Tuesday asked All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirants in the community to desist from parading themselves as anointed candidates in the interest of peace and fairness.

A statement signed by the Publicity Secretary of the group, Mr. Osinowo Adeyemi reads in part: “ All party aspirants who have been posing around as the

anointed candidates of some leaders of the party should stop such act in the spirit of fairness.

“The movement also warned the political class in Ikorodu not to engage their youths in any form of electoral malpractices, thuggery or violence. Ikorodu is not ready to lose any of its people in the name of selfish political ambition.”

The group frowned at “a candidate, who categorically stated that if he was given the ticket to represent Ikorodu at the National Assembly, he would support the cancellation of the local government as a tier of government.”

Aspirant commends APC leadership

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HE leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) has been commended for its magnanimity in managing the party both at the state and national levels.

Speaking to journalists in Lagos, Hon. Kamorudeen Olatunji Temiloluwa, who is vying for a place in one of the of the Local Council Development Area, said the leadership of the party de-

serves praises because of its fairness in handling issues confronting the party Temiloluwa told youths in Agege that if elected into office next year, he would give priority to youths through the empowerment programmes.

He also assured the people that he will build on the legacy of Adaranijo, former Chairman of Orile-Agege Local Council development Area.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

PVC registration: Rivers APC, PDP in hot exchange over arrest of seven politicians in hotel •Police claim suspects are Internet scammers n Bisi OLANIYI, Port Harcourt n EADERS of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, have disagreed on the arrest of seven politicians in the state in connection with registration for Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in a hotel in the state.

While APC leaders claim the suspects belong to the PDP, those of PDP said the culprits are from APC. A chieftain of the APC in Rivers state, Elder Chidi Wihioka, who is also a House of Representatives' aspirant for Ikwerre/Emohua constitutiency of Rivers state, told reporters in Port Harcourt that the suspects had been handed over to the state's Criminal Investigations' Department (CID) of the Police.

According to him, the seven men were picked from a hotel room at Elele in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers state and were caught with three INEC machines and some printouts, stressing that some T-shirts, with the photographs of a PDP governorship aspirant, were found at the scene of the arrest.

However, the Rivers PDP Chairman, Chief Felix Obuah, through his Special Adviser on Media, Jerry Needam, denied the involvement of members of his PDP in the criminal act.

The mobile lines of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC in Rivers state, Aniedi Ikoiwak, were not available, when contacted for his reaction, while the text messages sent to his two lines had not been replied, as at press time.

Rivers Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muhammad Kidaya Ahmad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said: "Following a tip-off that some persons with questionable character were seen entering a hotel in Elele with concealed items in a carton, the police immediately swung into action.

"The police immediately raided the hotel and arrested nine suspected youths, who admitted that they were a syndicate of Internet scammers trying to break into a code. Investigation has commenced, to unravel the true position."

Wihioka, however, disagreed with the Rivers PPRO, by insisting that the persons arrested were PDP members, who were illegally registering people in the hotel, to perfect their rigging plan, ahead of the 2015 elections.

The APC chieftain said: "The policemen stormed the Elele hotel and after waiting for about ten to fifteen minutes, they could not find anything incriminating. The policemen were about leaving the hotel when a black Sport-Utility Vehicle (SUV) drove into the hotel and a young man alighted, behaving like he was in charge of everything happening.

"Presuming that the policemen were there to cover their nefarious activity, the young man told them they were in Room 8.

The policemen thereafter asked a female attendant at the hotel to direct them to the room, which she did.

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•Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi (middle), during a visit to Port Harcourt New Layout Market which was gutted by fire on Tuesday

PDP primaries: Violence looms in Bayelsa EAR of violence has enveloped Bayelsa, the state of President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of the National Assembly primaries scheduled for today and tomorrow.

It was gathered that the supremacy battle between the camp of Governor of the state, Mr. Seriake Dickson, and incumbent federal lawmakers from the state has unsettled the state ahead of the internal elections.

While the incumbent lawmakers were said to have vowed to clinch the tickets,

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n Mike ODIEGWU, Yenagoa n the camp of Dickson was said to have insisted that the lawmakers must respect the principle of zoning.

Against the backdrop of the principle, Dickson's camp, it was gathered, was prepared to ensure that the governor's loyalists deny the incumbent lawmakers return tickets.

But some of the lawmakers were said to have concluded plans to get the PDP's tickets by all means.

As at yesterday, tension

mounted and foreboding of what the day would hold was obvious. There was fear that violence may take over the political landscape of the state on Saturday.

The elections were considered the last battle between the camp of the governor and the state's federal lawmakers.

The angry lawmakers have been at daggers' drawn with their governor over zoning which they believed was deliberately formulated by Dickson to deny them the party's tickets.

Dickson has also con-

firmed alleged plots by politicians to unleash mayhem in the state during the primaries.

In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr. Daniel IworisoMarkson, the governor said security agencies had been placed on alert. He said further that "Only delegates and the contestants will be allowed into the various venues. The security agencies have been put on full alert to deal with any acts of lawlessness and brigandage across the state.’’

Esan fear extinction of language OREMOST politician and elder statesman, Chief Anthony Eronmonsele Enahoro’s kindredThe Esan, have declared fear that, their language and cultural values, may go extinct if definite urgent steps are not taken to ensure that it is vig-

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‘Youth development important to Nigeria's growth’ n Nicholas KALU, Calabar n HAIRMAN of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) in Cross River State, Mr. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, has promised to embark on massive youth development programmes in the state if elected to represent the Ogoja/Yala federal constituency in the 2015 election.

Jarigbe, who intends to run on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said engaging the youths is key and would lead to the meaningful growth of the country.

Speaking during a reception organized by members of the constituency to drum support for his election, Jarigbe said, “Basically I know the problem of the youths, they need unemployment, skill acquisition programmes, education, empowerment and lots more. I am an Ogoja/Yala man; I would try my best to ameliorate the plight of the youths in my constituency and beyond.

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orously taught in schools.

Rising from a National Conference with the theme ‘Esan & National Development’ held under the aegis of Ikolo Esan, an umbrella sociocultural organisation floated to promote the interest of the people, at the weekend in Ekpoma, Edo State, they expressed fear that the Esan language may die because their children are not being sufficiently encouraged to speak the language.

“Esan language is now threatened because it is not widely spoken; it is now dying because people believe

it is some status symbol to speak English. Unless our people speak Esan, it will die like Latin. At least you can still learn and read Latin. But Esan is not taught in any schools. Even those born in Esanland can’t speak Esan.

We need to speak and teach the language. People are also abbreviating Esan names in such a way that it is becoming damaging”, they contend.

Decrying the wanton speaking of adulterated English, now pervasive amongst women and children in the five Local Government Areas comprising Esanland, they

asked for the establishment of a Centre for Esan Cultural Values at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma to prepare the grounds for the teaching of the language at different levels and promote the people’s cultural attributes.

The four-day conference which drew resource persons and participants from different parts of Nigeria and supported by Esan in Diaspora, called on government to urgently check erosion in Esanland, by encouraging massive vegetation of the area among other issues.

Gunmen kills Edo PDP senatorial aspirant’s PA, orderly HE Edo State Police Command has commenced investigation into the circumstances surrounding the cruesome killing of the personal assistant and police orderly of Edo South PDP Senatorial aspirant, Hon. West Idahosa in Benin City, last Wednesday afternoon.

The command's acting spokeman, DSP Noble Uwoh disclosed this yesterday while giving an update on the mid-day twin murder.

He said though no arrest had been made so far, he vowed that the command would leave no stone unturned to unravel the dastardly act.

Though the bullect-ridden car marked BF 866 JJJ has been removed from the scene of attack, relics of the attack littered the spot when our reporter visited yesterday.

It will be recalled that a policeman identified as Sgt. David Usifo of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) and one Pere Ogai, 31, Personal Assistant to Hon. West Idahosa, were murdered by gunmen who opened fired on their car around Aikhionbare axis of GRA while returning home from a bank in the state capital.

The attack took place a stone’s throw to the private residence of Hon. West Idahosa.

The gunmen were said to have worn un-

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n Osemwengie BEN OGBEMUDIA n marked bullect proof vexts, armed with AK 47 and laid ambush for their unsuspecting victims.

According to the Director-General, Hon. West Idahosa Campaign Organisation Comrade Osasu Usebor, no sooner had they arrived home than they heard gun shots. On inquiry, they discovered that the PA and orderly had been killed and robbed of the money withdrawn from a bank.

He disclosed that the PA was a lone child of his mother and he recently returned from the United Kingdom where he bagged a Master’s Degree in Public Analysis.He stated that the PA was a reliable nephew who had been with Hon. West Idahosa for years.

Inside source, however, hinted our reporter that the victims went to cash N10million meant to be shared to delegates in the tomorrow’s primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in which their boss, Hon. West Idahosa, is a senatorial aspirant in Edo South.

It was further gathered that the snashing of the cash has compounded the senatorial aspirant condition who fate is now hanging in the balance.

Defeated APC aspirants pledge party loyalty EFEATED aspirants of the All Progressive Congress in Edo State have pledged to work towards the success of the party in next year's general election.

The aspirants vowed to stop the People's Democratic Party at the general elections and described the peaceful conduct of the APC primaries as an indication that the party is poised for victory.

In Oredo West constituency, aspirants who lost at the primaries joined the winner, Chris Okaeben, to host delegates to a unity dinner where they promised to support him financially in the campaigns Osunde Pekies, who spoke on behalf of the aspirants, said they would provide financial and technical support towards Okaeben campaigns and warned against under-

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rating the PDP. He promised that their various wards would be delivered for the APC in the general elections.

Leader of the party, Mr. Lawrence Orkar, said the APC would crush the PDP in Oredo West saying 'campaigns are not talking about past glories but present achievements.’

Okaeben in his speech called for unity among party members and urged APC members to begin telling their neighbours about the many good things APC has to offer.

He said his chances of defeating his opponent, a daughter of Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, are very bright because according to him, "recent day politics is not built on the aristocracy of birth but on the autocracy of intelligence"

Imoke enjoins transparent, peaceful primaries ROSS River State governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, yesterday charged leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the three senatorial zones of the state to ensure that today's House of Representatives primaries and the Senate scheduled for tomorrow respectively, as well as December 8 governorship primaries are transparent, free, fair and peaceful.

Addressing the leaders at the Governor' Lodge, Calabar, Imoke said owing to the peculiarities of this primaries, it was extremely im-

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perative to meet with them as a political family to ensure that not only is the outcome of today's exercise and the subsequent ones peaceful, but violence free and fair.

The Governor who said aspirants should not expect any imposition or favoritism from him or the party hierarchy, however, challenged them to reach out to their fellow aspirants for extensive consultations with a view to arriving at consensus candidates, noting that everyone could not emerge winner at the same time in this election.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

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Pastor, evangelist, 13 other suspected child T traffickers paraded in Anambra he Directorate of State Security (DSS) has arrested a pastor of one of the new generation churches, an evangelist, two nurses and 13 others for child trafficking and kidnapping in Anambra state.

The suspects were paraded yesterday at the DSS state headquarters in Awka with their faces bound in shame.

Also, the three children taken away from their parents were rescued; they were three year old Chinonso Oriuwa, two year old Chidera Abiara and seven month old Chinasa Abiara.

•Pastor, Evangelist, two nurses, 13 others arrested •Three children rescued n Nwanosike ONU, Awka n The suspects are Chinuru Martins (a pastor) from Umuahia in Abia State, Solomon Loveday Nwadinobi from Umuahia and Chiko Chima Ogu from Obowu in Imo state, all male.

The women are, Nnena Ogbonna Nwachukwu from Bende in Abia, Eunice Tochukwu Uwakwe

(Obowu), Glory Nnennaya Okwara a nurse from Arochukwu, Felicia Ebeh (Mbaise), Esther Eleanya (Abiriba).

Also, Ifeoma Iwu (Obowu), Anurika Theophilus, Osisioma in Abia state, Adora Nwaneri, an evangelist from Orlu in Imo state, Loveth Nwankwo (Isiala Ngwa in Abia) and Comfort Charity Ononuju.

Parading the suspects yes-

terday, the Anambra State Director of (DSS), Mr. Alex Okeiyi, said there had been rampant cases of missing children in recent times.

He said many churches, and their pastors are involved in this kind of business, adding that the situation had become a source of worry to security and the society.

According to Okeiyi, “this is beyond child trafficking, it

is pure kidnap and they will be handed over to the relevant authorities for further action” He said a total of 17 persons including some members of the syndicate and buyers of the children were arrested.

The assignment, according to Okeiyi was carried out by his command in collaboration with her Abia state counterpart and 144 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Asa in Abia state.

•The suspects...yesterday

Court voids Anambra PDP’s ad-hoc leadership Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday voided the caretaker/ad-hoc committee established by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to run the affairs of its Anambra chapter pending the 2015 general elections.

It ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to accept the list of delegates or nominated candidates that emanated from the primaries conducted by the caretaker committee led by Colonel Augustine Akobundo.

Justice Evoh Chukwu, in a judgment yesterday, faulted the PDP for setting up the committee in violation of his court’s subsisting order that parties to a suit over the party’s leadership should maintain status quo pending the determination of the suit.

He held that the action by the PDP, in establishing the caretaker committee during the pendency of the suit and the subsistence of his court’s order, was not only an affront to the court’s dignity and integrity, by a bold display of impunity.

The judgment was on a suit marked; FHC/ABJ/CS/854/2014 filed by two chieftains of the PDP in Anambra State – Ejike Oguebego and Chucks Okoye. It had PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.

The judge, who refused the preliminary objection by the defendants, held that by its action, the 1st defendant (PDP) “has shown total disrespect to this court and this must not be allowed to stand to avoid creating a dangerous precedence. For the sanctity of the Judiciary, this brazen display of impunity or total disregard to the court must be stopped, at least, to serve as a deter-

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•Restrains INEC from accepting party’s list of delegates, nominated candidates n Eric IKHILAE, Abuja n rent to others.

“The law is that a party in disobedience to a court order should not come before the same court to seek any remedy. So, rather than dismiss the suit as an abuse of court’s process, the defenses of the defendants, particularly the 1st defen-

dant, must fail as it amount to another abysmal display of contempt of court.

“They flouted this court’s order and still want a remedy from this court. The defendant, who is in contempt of court, cannot be seen to use the same court to advance its impunity,” the judge said.

Justice Chukwu acknowl-

edged the powers of the PDP, under the law, to appoint caretaker or ad-hoc committee for any of its state branches, “but that such powers must not be exercised arbitrarily, but judiciously and show some respect to the judicial institution. This they (PDP and its leadership) failed to do.

The law is sacrosanct.

“If the 1st defendant had waited for the determination of this suit, anything they could have done would not be queried by this court or any other court. But since they want self-help, and the court cannot allow it.

The judge, having considered arguments by both side, held that the plaintiff’s case succeeds.

Drama at Nwobodo’s son’s burial as body disappears T

HE corpse of Dr Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, son of Second Republic governor of the old Anambra State, unexpectedly disappeared yesterday hours before it was to be interned.

The disappearance was fallout of disagreement within the Nwobodo family on where to bury the deceased.

The remains had been moved from Abuja, where the younger Nwobodo died of cancer three weeks ago, to the Amechi Awkunanaw family home town of the Nwobodos for burial yesterday.

However, a dispute soon arose over where to bury him. Chief Nwobodo was said to have refused that the remains be buried in the compound.

This infuriated the elders of the community who saw the stance of the former governor as a violation of the community’s tradition that the first son inherits the father's obi whether in life or in death provided he was married and had male children.

After long fruitless effort to persuade Senator Nwobodo to submit to

Chris OJI, Enugu

tradition, the youths of Amechi Awkunanaw community became restive and started protesting. It was gathered that the former governor had directed that the deceased be buried in the compound of the bungalow he (father) built for him shortly after his death.

The decision of the former governor did not go down well with the siblings of the deceased and a section of the community who insisted that the corpse should be buried in his father’s compound.

As sympathizers converged on Chief Nwobodo’s country home for the funeral, it was soon discovered that the corpse was missing. Among the dignitaries were Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Senators, Chris Ngige and Gilbert Nnaji, former Imo State Governor, Achike Udenwa, former Anambra State Governor, Peter

Obi and former Information and Communication Minister, Frank Nweke jnr.

The dignitaries attempted to mediate in the dispute, but both parties in the disagreement refused to shift ground, holding tenaciously to their different positions. Even the intervention of the Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma who accepted to bury the deceased in the church compound at nearby St Mathew’s Anglican Church yielded no fruits.

Nwobodo’s children told the Bishop to do away with the idea of burying their brother in the church, saying that his remains must rest in their father’s compound.

Following the development, the funeral was stalled as dignitaries and other sympathizers dispersed.

As at 5.30 pm yesterday, the whereabouts of his corpse remained unknown, although unconfirmed sources said, it was most likely that his siblings took away the corpse to embarrass their father. The corpse remained missing at press time.

Enugu makes history, joins world’s 100 resilient cities NUGU made history on Wednesday, as the only Nigerian city among thirty five cities from across the globe invited to join the 100 Resilient Cities Network (100RC) pioneered

by The Rockefeller Foundation, New York.

The announcement was made during The Rockefeller

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Foundation’s Urban Resilience Summit in Singapore. The other three African cities that made the list alongside the Coal City of Enugu are Kigali (Rwanda), Accra (Ghana) and Arusha (Tanzania).

The choice of Enugu was predicated on the spectacular transformation the city

has undergone in the past seven years under the administration of Governor Sullivan Chime. This was an addition to numerous national and international recognitions that have been bestowed on Enugu state since the Chime administration.

The organizers of the net-

work said that Enugu was chosen from 331 applicants on the basis of its ability to “demonstrate a unique vision for resilience, a longterm commitment to cutting across silos of government and sectors of society, a special attention to the needs of the poor and vulnerable”.

Court dismisses N2b suit by alleged Igbo 'deportees' n Joseph JIBUEZE n HE Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday dismissed suit filed by some Igbo men and women who claimed they were allegedly forced out of Lagos. Justice Musa Kurya entered judgment in favour of Lagos State Government.

He held that the suit lacked merit and the allegations could not be substantiated.

The applicants: Rosemary Nathaniel, Friday Ndukwe, Grace Igbochi, Ugulori Tutua, Chinyere Nicholas, and Osondu Mbuto, had sued the state for themselves and on behalf of 77 others and sought the enforcement of their rights.

Joined as respondents in the suit are were Lagos State Government, its Attorney General and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State command. They had sought a declaration that their arrest, remand and forceful deportation from Lagos to Onitsha in 2012, on the ground that they were non-indigenes of Lagos was a violation of their personal liberty and freedom of movement.

The applicants had prayed the court to declare that such alleged action of the Lagos State Government was a violation of Sections 35, 41(1) and 42 of the Constitution, and Articles 6,12, 2 and 28 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.

They also asked the court to award damages in the sum of N2 billion against the Lagos State Government and its agents, for breach of their rights.

The applicants had also sought for an order of the court compelling the respondents to tender a published apology to them in at least three widely circulating national dailies.

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Uduaghan drops out of Delta South senate race n Okungbowa AIWERIE, n

Asaba

ELTA Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan yesterday said he dropped out of the Delta South Senatorial race to avoid bloodletting in the State. Governor Uduaghan said that his withdrawal from the Senatorial was in the general interest of the state and democracy at large.

His words, ‘As a manager of the process in the state level, I have always appealed to other contestant that election must not be a do-or die affair. In this state there has been political tension, unfortunately in this state there has been ethnic tension that seems to be threatening the peace and security. This has been noticed at the national level. Mr President and the national hierarchy are concerned and a lot of discussion has gone on.

My main agenda is the peace and security and I will do everything to stop anything that will threaten the peace and security of the state. The State has been more peaceful than I met it 7 years ago. And I am determined to leave Delta peaceful.’

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THE NATION SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

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I didn’t take PDP to court, says Tukur MMEDIATE past National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bamanga Tukur, has denied going to court to challenge his removal from office and seeking to be reinstated to his former position.

Addressing journalists at his Abuja residence yesterday, Tukur said contrary to media reports, he never took the party to court, but that he was even a defendant in the said law suit.

Tukur's denial is coming as the national leadership of the party slammed a one-month suspension on him. The PDP had also dragged him before its disciplinary committee for appropriate action.

The former Chairman said: "I have never taken my party to court before. As a matter of fact, I was also sued in that case and I only appeared in court as a mark of respect for the legal system.

"I am a founding member of the PDP, so the entire scenario was a case of misrepresentation of facts. I expected the party leadership to call and ask me about the suit so that I could explain my involvement, but that did not happen.

"I have always taken actions geared towards advancing the interests of the party. I will appear before the disciplinary committee to explain the circumstances. I wish the party well".

Meanwhile, a chieftain of the PDP in Adamawa State, Aliyu Gubrin, who was suspended on Thursday alongside Tukur, vowed yesterday to challenge the party's decision in court.

Gurin had sued the PDP, its National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, Tukur and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the Federal High Court in Abuja, praying the court to void Tukur’s resignation, sack Mu’azu and order Tukur’s return to office.

As a defendant in the suit, Tukur filed a counter-claim, and sought similar prayers.

In a judgment on December 2, Justice Evoh Chukwu faulted the procedure adopted in the case by Tukur. The judge held that it was

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Eric IKHILAE, Abuja strange and unknown to law for a defendant in a case commenced via originating summons to file a counter-claim and maintain a position against his fellow defendants.

The judge also dismissed the suit.

The PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) on Thursday announced the suspension of Gurin and Tukur for going to court and allegedly failing to exhaust the party’s internal mechanism for dispute resolution.

Yesterday, Gurin’s lawyer, Miss Lilian Ojimma, faulted the decision of the party on the grounds that he was never heard before he was suspended.

Ojimma, described the suspension of her client as strange as he was not heard before he was suspended.

Gurin’s lawyer denied that Tukur instigated him to sue, and that he (Tukur) was merely a defendant in the case.

Ojinma said: "When this case was filed, we had difficulties serving Tukur personally with the process.

"It was after the Legal Adviser of the PDP filed the memorandum of appearance that we were able to serve him. The entire suit is about my client and not Tukur.

"The court raised an important issue in its judgment by saying that the violation of the PDP Constitution by the leadership of the party is not an internal affair.

My client is aggrieved with the suspension. The PDP as the largest party in Africa should learn to respect its Constitution.

"I want to put this straight for the record. My client is not concerned with the suspension of Tukur. He is more concerned about his unlawful suspension.

"He was not summoned by any committee of the party before they pronounced the suspension on him.

I already have his instructions to challenge it in court.

"The suspension is strange because you can't suspend any member of the party without giving him a fair hearing. His suspension is unjustifiable and a disrespect to the court since we have filed an

Lagos deputy governor withdraws from senate race AGOS State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, yesterday announced her withdrawal from the race to contest the ticket of the Lagos West Senatorial district on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Her decision to withdraw from the race was contained in a press statement issued yesterday in Lagos.

In the statement, Princess OrelopeAdefulire, cited the overall interest of the party and the need to strengthen its unity as reasons for her withdrawal.

The statement reads: “This is, of course, a very difficult decision for me to make, but one that I made in the overall interest of my party and for the benefit of our growing internal democracy. I wish to thank the party, our apex leaders and our loyal, dedicated members in the state, particu-

L

larly members of Lagos West Senatorial District on the support shown through their wise counsel, best wishes and words of encouragement during visits on political mission,” she said.

The Deputy Governor, however, pledged her unalloyed support and cooperation to any aspirant that eventually emerges as the party’s candidate in the forthcoming primaries scheduled for Monday, December 8.

She said further; “In spite of my withdrawal from the senatorial race, my commitment to Lagosians and the development of Lagos remains sacrosanct. I promise to use the rest of my tenure as your Deputy Governor to continue to assist the Governor in providing good governance and continue to project our party and ensure its success at the forthcoming 2015 elections’.

ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS

THE NATION SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

NEWS

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APC will win Sokoto —Party chair Adamu SULEIMAN, Sokoto HE Acting Chairman, Sokoto State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Usman Danmadamin Isa says the party remains determined and resolute to clinch the state's governorship seat in 2015.

He said APC in the state remains the political platform that is fast gaining grounds with large followership.

"APC is strong in Sokoto state because we are grassroots oriented while the opposition PDP is a weak platform in the state.”

Danmadami, who is from the Eastern zone of the state spoke to reporters on Friday in Sokoto where he also expressed satisfaction with the outcome of Thursday's governorship primaries with an appeal to those who lost out to join hands with Aminu Tambuwal and rally support for the party's victory come 2015.

"The conduct was orderly, free, fair and transparent," he stated.

"I wish to personally appeal to all contestants who lost out to please consider it as the wish of Allah and let them drop whatever ill feelings behind them and team up with Tambuwal to develop the state if APC wins," he stressed.

Commenting on Wamakko's strides over the years, Danmadami said the emergence of the incumbent governor has been unprecedented, saying "Sokoto people are basing their politics largely on personality than party. And Wamakko is endeared to the people of the state and for the past seven to eight years, his performance has been wonderful," he added.

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Nigeria needs prayers —Kwankwaso IGERIA is in dire need of special prayers to overcome the persistent insurgency and political tension ahead of 2015 general election, Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso has said.

Gov. Kwankwaso said this during special prayers offered for the state and the nation by prominent northern Islamic scholars at Kano Government House yesterday, maintaining that the country has never found itself in such critical situation.

The governor pointed out that what happened at the Kano Central Mosque last Friday where hundreds of worshippers were killed was never expected to happen, lamenting that the Northeast crisis has resulted in the deaths of so many people while millions were dispersed and are living as refugees in neighbouring countries.

He therefore appealed to the Ulama to seek God intervention on the unfavorable issues so that peace would reign in the country, and enable the conduct of election and handover the leadership of the nation to a duly elected president.

Governor Kwankwaso maintained that Nigerians must work together as one entity, adding that “if we want our future to be bright, we must shun sentiment and elect leaders that have the capability to meet our yearnings and aspirations”.

The leading presidential aspirant expressed happiness over the mutual understanding among different Islamic groups in the state, pointing out that the move would go a long way in enhancing peace and progress.

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I laid solid foundation for Nigeria's education, says ex-minister Gbenga OMOKHUNU, Abuja ORMER Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa'i, has urged the Federal Government not to derail from the solid foundation she laid for the development and growth of the education sector in the country.

Rufa'i, said a direction has been provided for unfettered development of the education, including increasing of access to education at all levels as well as improvement in the quality of the system.

She spoke in Abuja shortly after an award of Excellence was conferred on her by the members of Education Correspondents' Association of Nigeria (ECAN) for her outstanding contribution to the development of education sector.

The award was presented to her by the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, alongside other 12 award recipients. Some of the awardees are: Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, MacJohn Nwaobiala; Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie, President of Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Michael Alogba Olukoya among others.

Ruqayyatu, thanked members of ECAN and minister of education and the entire education family for finding her worthy for the distinguished award. "I am very happy about it".

She said the award would definitely continue to spur her to do more for her community and the entire nation at large.

She said: "What we tried to do during my tenure was to simply lay a foundation. We developed plans which we are wishing that in the next years to come, even in the next tentwenty years, what we have planned would continue to be relevant to the sector.

"In terms of access to education, we have to continue to work in that direction until you are sure until you achieve that target. If you are talking of quality you have to continue to work hard on that.

"If you are talking of teacher education and development, technical and vocational education and training, funding, and of strengthening the sector to ensure that things are working, all these are captured in the strategic development plan we left behind.

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• Students watch school of basic and remedial studies, Ahmadu Bello University in Funtua burn on Wednesday. The inferno razed down the 315 bed space hostel Photo: NAN

Large turnout at Kano Central Mosque, one week after blasts HE Kano Central Mosque which was rocked by triple bomb blasts last Friday that resulted in the killing of over 100 Muslim worshippers and 150 others injured yesterday witnessed unprecedented crowd who converged in their thousands to observe the Friday Juma’at prayers and also honour the seven days prayer for the repose of the souls of those that were killed by the insurgents.

This reporter who monitored the prayer at the oldest Mosque in Kano reports that the Emir of Kano, Sarki Muhammad Sanusi 11 personally led prayers at the mosque yesterday.

Malam Umar Doguwa who spoke to our reporter after observing the prayers said he was not apprehensive while in the mosque, adding

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Kolade ADEYEMI, Kano

that, “I felt at home while praying to Allah to expose those behind the attack on our mosque and several other attacks on innocent Nigerians.

“I have the belief that very soon, their end will come since they have brought the unholy war to the very domain of Allah. All muslim faithful who gathered here today did so without fear or

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ly monitored as worshippers were not allowed to gain entrance inside the mosques with objects.

Another worshipper, Alhaji Hassan Idris told our reporter that he decided to worship at the mosque in order to express his grievances over the tragic loss of his loved ones, and to send a message to the perpetrators that they cannot stop him from practising Islam.

Solid minerals can take place of oil in Nigeria —Minister INISTER of Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Musa Mohammed Sada, has said the much expected diversification of Nigerian economy from oil can be made possible with solid minerals deposit that are available in every state of the federation.

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Kogi women decry govt’s insensitivity OMEN in Kogi State have decried what they termed a deliberate attempt at sidelining females from winning elective positions in the state following the loss by all female aspirants in the just concluded PDP House of Assembly primaries.

The women under the aegis of PDP E-Women Network said such decision of the party is against the 35 per cent affirmative action and will also endanger the state from reaching the 2015 targeted third goal of the Millennium Development Goal, MDG. In a statement jointly signed

by Comrade Harriet Mabe Yakubu and Mrs Nnasha Micheal-Ihunde, the Coordinator and Secretary respectively, the group said, "On behalf of the female aspirants for Kogi State House of Assembly, the recently concluded primary election has shown a clear indication that there is a widely accepted belief that the present admin-

favour because we believe that Allah is with us and will continue to guide and protect us.”

However, heavy security was witnessed around the Central Mosque, just as other mosques within the metropolis were heavily guarded and people going in and out thoroughly frisked.

Vehicles were not allowed to park close to the mosques, just as human traffic was strict-

James AZANIA, Lokoja istration of Kogi State is not favourably disposed to women aspirants from various communities.

"The report gathered from the women on the primary exercise, looks like a deliberate attempt to scuttle the political aspiration of women as the primary result shows that no women won in their respective constituency. This in itself is contrary to the policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria led by His Excellency, President Goodluck Jonathan which seeks to maintain a 35 per cent presence of women in government."

Calling on the state government to address the situation, the association said, "Therefore, we wish to appeal for the inclusion of women in elective post to help in the achievement of the third goal of the Millennium Development Goals, MDG, which has a target year of 20 15.

Yusufu AMINU Idegu, Jos

The minister stated this in Jos yesterday in his opening remarks during the 3-day professional development training workshop for mining engineers in the country.

The Minister who was represented by the director of Artisan and Small Scale Mining Department, Mr. Patrick Ojeka said: "The training is in line with president Goodluck Jonathan transformation agenda which is aimed at diversifying the nation's economy."

He said: "Solid mineral can compliment and even do better than other revenue source for the country if fully harnessed. That is why this training is apt and timely too because the nation's revenue is dwindling and there is need to look at the solid mineral for alternative.

"I have therefore no doubt in my mind that the professional training is in the interest of the present administration and in the interest of professionals who need to update their knowledge and acquire new skills.

"It will also help improve mineral processing methods as par-

ticipants are trained to acquire and improve on the necessary techniques. This will definitely add value to the economy of the country," he said.

The training which was organized by the Council Of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG) has as its theme, "Preparation of Bankable Mining Feasibility Study Report."

Professor Stephen Mallo, acting Vice Chancellor of Plateau State University who represented Plateau State governor Jonah Jang described the event as a welcome development; he also appealed to the organizers of the training to consider training people at the lower level, unprofessionals who are involved in mining activities.

A training consultant Professor Ibrahim Garba noted that Nigeria has failed to make impact in area of mining due to poor knowledge of those in the mining business in Nigeria. He however expressed hope that through such refresher and knowledge updating trainings, the sector will find its footing again as a major stay of the country's economy.

THE NATION SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

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SPORT EXTRA

Emenike passes fitness test F

OLLOWING a MRI scan conducted , Fenerbahce attacker Emmanuel Emenike has been declared fit for the Super Lig clash against Balikesirspor.

Indeed, the Nigeria international was named in the 19 man squad list announced on Friday afternoon, but it remains to be seen if manager Ismail Kartal will name him in the first 11 for the game at the Balikesir Atatürk Stadium.

It would be recalled that the 27 - year - old could not complete training on Thursday after suffering an injury.

However, on Friday the Super Eagles star underwent training, which lasted for approximately one hour 10 minutes, without suffering any discomfort.

Emmanuel Emenike is in the second year of the contract he penned with the Turkish champions in August 2013.

Sounders terminate Apam's contract

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NYEKACHI Apam's hope of resurrecting his career has suffered a set back after Major League Soccer (MLS) side, Seattle Sounders, released him and two other Nigerians from the current squad.

The club, in a statement, revealed they are declining contract options of eight players including defender Apam and forward Sean Okoli, while defender Jalil Anibaba is out of contract.

“In our league it’s a consistent challenge to keep successful teams together, and these types of decisions are always difficult,” said Sounders FC Owner and General Manager Adrian Hanauer.

“Having said that, conversations are ongoing with several players about their respective futures with our club, and as we continue to shape the roster for 2015 we’ll have additional announcements to share.”

The former Nigeria youth international failed to make an appearance for Sounders since joining on a free transfer in September 2014.

Meanwhile, Sean Okoli played

three games before joining second-tier Orange County on loan, while Anibaba played 17 games for Sounders, who have opted not to renew his contract.

Sounders, winners of the 2014 MLS Supporters’ Shield and the U.S. Open Cup, currently maintain a squad of 23 players including Nigerian Obafemi Martins, who scored 17 goals and made 13 assists in the 2014 season.

• Apam

• Emenike

NFF electoral c’ttee receives appeals rulings

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HE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) electoral committee has disclosed it received the authentic report of the NFF electoral appeals committee.

Chairman of the electoral committee Samson Ebomhe told AfricanFootball.com:"We have received the report of the appeals committee and as I talk to you I am presently studying the rulings.

"I have sent the copies to my committee members across the

Celtic eye Kayode

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COTTISH Premier League champions Glasgow Celtic are weighing up a January move for Maccabi Netanya striker

Falcons delegation arrive Ottawa for draws

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HE Super Falcons delegation have arrived Ottawa, capital of Canada for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015.

Falcons’ Coach, Edwin Okon, led the group which included Team Administrator, Ruth David and Team Media Officer, Gracious Akujobi.

The team, which left Abuja on Thursday via a British Airways aircraft, touched down in London Heathrow after a six-hour flight. They later transited for two hours at Heathrow before connecting an Air Canada flight for Toronto that lasted eight hours.

From Toronto they connected to Ottawa and arrived at 11:25pm local time with a freezing temperature of -16 degrees.

The delegation was welcomed at the airport by

• Okon

country and they should be studying it too. We will have to meet and take the next line of action.

"We would abide by the verdict of the appeals committee as properly constituted."

On whether seven days was enough to conduct bye-elections into the vacant offices, Ebomhe said: "Nothing is cast in stone.

If we envisage that seven days would not be enough we will get back to the appeals committee and seek for more time."

FIFA team Liaison Officer and the team driver who took the team straight to their hotel at the Westin Hotel and Resorts.

When asked what he is expecting from the draw, Coach Okon stated quietly but with confidence that he and his girls are ready to face any opposition.

"We have qualified for the World Cup and we are here for the draws. It doesn't matter who we are

drawn against, what matters is that we are prepared to face any team.

"Don't forget we are African champions and we hope to show the whole world the stuff we are made of. We hope for a favourable draw but we are not afraid to meet any team” Okon enthused.

The draw will take place at the Museum of History Ottawa-Gatineau between 12:00 - 1300 local time.

Olarenwaju Kayode,various reports in Scotland strongly suggest.

The Israeli First Division champions are faced with liquidity problems, and must offload the former Flying Eagles star next month to balance their books.

Olarenwaju Kayode’s influential agent Dudu Dahan is highly regarded by Celtic chiefs, and he was involved in the transfer of Efe Ambrose plus recommended Oshaniwa to the club in 2013.

If Celtic are really interested in signing Kayode, they must move fast as a couple of unnamed teams in Belgium are monitoring developments.

The 21 - year - old is tied to Maccabi Netanya till June 30, 2016.

Pellegrini rates Iheanacho high

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ANCHESTER City are confident Nigeria youth international Kelechi Iheanacho will be issued a work permit.

And the English Premier League moneybags have stressed that the highly rated starlet is part of coach Manuel Pellegrini's plans.

Kelechi Iheanacho is highly regarded by Pellegrini, so much so that he was allowed to train with the Argentina National Team before the friendly with Portugal last month.

“Kelechi has been in England training with the first team of Manchester City,” a source told SL10.ng.

“When Argentina met Portugal in November, the Argentina national team trained with a shadow 11, not the regulars you see on television, and Iheanacho was among those selected.”

With no caps for the Super

Eagles, the 18-year-old's future at the Etihad Stadium is hanging in the balance due to red tape, but the Citizens are hoping to invoke the Premier League special talent clause to complete the transfer.

“We are optimistic that Iheanacho will get a work permit, that is what everyone is looking forward to. He should be able to prove his mettle and break into the first team,” added the source.

“Manuel Pellegrini wants him which is important. He has to be considered as a special talent to get a work permit. Man City are not prepared to loan him to another team.

“They don't have a Plan A, B or C for Iheanacho. The club want him.”

Iheanacho, who has been called up to the Nigeria Under 23s, has been linked with New York City and KV Mechelen in the last few months.

• Iheanacho

Rewarding failures >>>> Continued from back page Many would have But, there is some form of thought that with the resurgence in boxing here. payment of the coaches’ The intrigues have been salaries, they would stick swept under the carpet. A with Nigeria. To imagine new dawn beckons. With that one of the coaches is these new dawn have come in Malabo says a lot about medals at the 2014 Comthe hire-and-fire theory monwealth Games. And with coaching. It would be President Goodluck tragic if the coach sits on Jonathan rewarded the athEquatorial Guinea’s bench letes and coaches with cash next year while Nigerians and national honours. sulk, watching the For the boxing coaches, matches of the 2015 Africa the president announced N1 Cup of Nations. I pray million cash reward. Howthat it happens so that the ever, this writer was true story about the shocked to hear one of the change of decision would coaches, Tony be known.

Konyegwachi, tell the The payment of N14 milworld on television that he lion ought to have shown was paid N500,000 instead the aforementioned coach of N1 million. What could that Nigeria is ready to do have gone wrong? Adminhis bidding, except he is istrative charges? there as a guest of the ConWhy was such cash paid federation of African Footthrough the Boxing Federaball (CAF). He richly detion? Why couldn’t the athserves to be CAF’s guest, letes and coaches send their having won the Africa account details for the Cup of Nations diadem as money to be deposited? a player and as a coach. It Who handled the cash reimis true that the coach has bursement? a right to be where he One hopes that the minchooses, especially as no ister can intervene and get deal has been struck with those who did that ridicuthe NFF. Yet, he ought to lous deduction to return the have considered President coach’s N500,000.

It Goodluck Jonathan’s diwouldn’t be a bad idea if rective to restore his job by those who tampered with shunning Equatorial the cash are reported to the Guinea’s FA chiefs’ quest EFCC. Or what do you think for his services. He always minister? told us that he could do Madness in the anything for the president aside, the fact that he loves Glasshouse Nigeria so much.

I thought these spurious Some have argued that arithmetic calculations the coach is a friend to the where five people would head of government’s son impeach the speaker of a and could have been inHouse of Assembly is revited by him. Correct destricted to politicians. I alductions, if the argument ways have a good laugh is hinged on the fact that when such topics are dishe still wants to work for cussed at editorial conferNigeria, having collected ences.

N14 million. But, the I was therefore shocked to flipside to this poser rests read on Thursday where a with the fact that the minority report has been coach travelled to Malabo made to cancel an election without telling his emwhere the majority of the ployer that he would be members voted. Four out of there. If he told his emfive members of the NFF ployers, his travelling Appeals Committee signed ticket would have been a document endorsing all done by them and the trip that transpired at the body’s made official. elections held in Warri. In On the hindsight, he dethis majority, the members serves to shun sentiments informed us that the in deciding his future. But chairman’s minority report such sentiments informed would be made public on his return to the job after Thursday. his sack. He has had sevSince the majority upheld eral running battles with the elections, the media his employers. He needs to went to town with it. The move, if any opening beckaspect of the chairman’s ons. We just hope that Niminority report was ingerians can bear the pains cluded. Sadly, we are now of watching him run his faced with another round of new team while our dear controversy that should atEagles sit at home. tract FIFA’s immediate The President sanctions, having been told by the world body that the must hear this! last threat was our last warning.

The Nigeria Amateur Why do we like to make Boxing Federation (NABA) Nigeria the laughing stock is in the news for the in the world? You don’t wrong reasons. In the past, need rocket science to know NABA produced boxers that decisions taken and who distinguished themduly signed by four people selves inside the ring, winout of five should be upheld. ing laurels for Nigeria.

Can’t somebody call this Many likened their exploits man to order? We are tired to athletics and we looked of this madness. We must forward to watching them move forward. We are still outpunch their rivals. ruing Nigeria’s failure to Those glorious days are defend the trophy which we gone. The boxing gymnawon last year in South Afsium can be recognised rica. Many have traced our only by the rusty equipouster to the instability at ment inside the place. The the Glasshouse. This is the gym is home to rabbits, time to start working, othreptiles, rodents and other erwise, Nigeria will not be dangerous animals due to at the Russia 2018 World lack of competitions and Cup. This is a warning. practice.

THE NATION, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

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TOMORROWPUNCHLINE IN THE NATION

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL.9, NO. 3054

Those who cheekily dismiss the likes of Soyinka as playing the ostrich may actually be ones whose collective heads are buried under sand dunes. While they lull Jonathan to sleep with sweet lullabies of delusion, the centers of power and influence across the country are deserting the president.

In their hubris they are not any wiser —Festus Eriye

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S Nigeria Democratising?’ That question is hardly original. It is an adaptation of the title of a public lecture, ‘Is Africa Democratising?’ delivered by the late Professor Claude Ake shortly before his tragic demise in an air crash in November 1996. The famous political economist contended that dictators in Africa legitimising their rule through farcical elections or citizens voting without choosing in mechanical and barren electoral processes could not be described as ‘democratising’. He argued that the periodic rotation of a fundamentally undemocratic state structure among competing sets of rapacious and parasitic elite that ape liberal democratic motions has disempowering implications for citizens.

Today it is even more pertinent to wonder if Nigeria is indeed democratising almost 15 years after civilian authoritarianism replaced a decade and a half of military dictatorship in 1999.

We remain burdened with the crushing weight of an arrogant imperial presidency with scant regard for the rule of law. We are collectively humiliated by having in office today one of the most fascistic and embarrassingly insensitive Inspectors General of Police, Suleiman Abba, in recent memory. Critical national institutions such as the legislature, civil service and the judiciary at all levels remain servile and supine.

Civil society is comatose as we daily exhibit an ever increasing capacity to absorb the most debasing treatment from oppressive masters who masquerade as servant leaders.

We have largely inchoate, incoherent and ideologically vacuous political parties. In the biblical account, the dithering prophet Jonah is swallowed by the whale. Here in Nigeria’s fabulous centre, the presidential Jonah has swallowed the PDP whale – a far more stupendous miracle. Helplessly imprisoned in the belly of the presidency, the PDP behemoth has virtually crowned Dr Goodluck Jonathan as its sole presidential candidate. Yet, all hell is let loose. First term PDP governors are also insisting on a ‘right of first refusal’. Second term governors of the party want to either pick their successors or be handed automatic senate seats.

These are all symptoms of an underdeveloped political system with a democratic content that is being systematically devalued.

But in spite of all these, there is still a glimmer of hope. One of such promising flashes of light at the end of the tunnel is from the emergent opposition, All Progressives Congress (APC). Please don’t get me wrong. The APC is not immune from the virus of opportunism and mindless quest for power at all cost that is the bane of Nigerian politics. Yet, as it strives to displace the PDP from its position of dominance at all levels of the Nigerian polity, the contending factions, caucuses and tendencies within the APC are being forced to make necessary compromises to achieve organisational cohesion. This has made for greater democratic activism within the party, a development that may rub off positively on a complacent PDP

An anatomy of Lagos APC primaries

‘ •Map of Lagos State that may be forced to sharpen its competitive edge with the emergence of a more vigorous opposition within the context of an increasingly conscious and sophisticated electorate.

It is against this background that the APC House of Assembly and governorship primaries across the country this week acquires added significance. This is particularly so in Lagos, the jewel of the Atlantic and the Nigerian economy’s pearl of inestimable value. It was only natural that the battle for the APC governorship ticket in Lagos would be fiercely fought.

It was so in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011. While Nigeria has degenerated on diverse fronts within that time frame, Lagos has recorded tremendous progress under the foundational leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (1999 – 2007) and the consolidating engineering of Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) (2007 – 2015).

It was thus not surprising that at least 12 worthy members of the party threw their hats in the ring in the epic battle to succeed the widely applauded performing Governor Fashola.

At least two tendencies were discernible in the Lagos APC governorship primaries. First, was the tendency in the party which felt that with Tinubu contesting from Lagos West Senatorial district, and Fashola from Lagos Central,

I think a key factor that will ultimately assist the Lagos APC to overcome the inevitable fissures and frictions arising from its governorship primaries and prepare seriously for the general election was the wisdom in allowing the spirit of democracy to prevail...

’

the governorship ticket should be conceded this time around to Lagos East Senatorial District for fairness, equity and balance. This tendency was equally of the view that since both Tinubu and Fashola are Muslims, a Christian candidate be given an opportunity in 2015 without compromising merit. However, a more radical tendency within the Lagos APC contended that the ticket should be thrown open to all qualified aspirants as the megacity has become too cosmopolitan and urbane to be constrained by restrictive primordial considerations.

I think a key factor that will ultimately assist the Lagos APC to overcome the inevitable fissures and frictions arising from its governorship primaries and prepare seriously for the general election was the wisdom in allowing the spirit of democracy to prevail by allowing all interested governorship aspirants to contest irrespective of their Senatorial District or religious affiliation. Thus, the APC must be proud that it could boast of such aspirants as the doughty and astute Adeyemi Ikuforiji who had offered wise leadership as Speaker of the House for eight years, Ganiyu Olawale Solomon whose

experience spans the local government through the House of Representatives to the Senate, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, a brilliant systems engineer with considerable experience as an executive council member, Dr Leke Pitan, a high performing commissioner for health in the Tinubu administration, Dr Tola Kasali, another accomplished medical doctor and member of Tinubu’s cabinet, Mr Supo Sasore (SAN), a brilliant and clinical legal mind and my friend, Mr Tayo Ayinde, a skilled security strategist and shrewd businessman whose time I think still lies in the future.

Among this array of stars, I think four factors stand the emergent candidate, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode out as the best man for the job at this time. First, Lagos has achieved tremendous infrastructural transformation over the past 14 years at inevitably high financial cost. Ambode’s skills as a chartered accountant with nearly three decades experience of managing the state’s finances from the lowest rungs to the apex of the financial system will enable him navigate the ship of Lagos safely in a period of declining oil revenues and growing economic depression. Second, his vast experience in local government administration will enable Ambode re-engineer governance at that critical level and stimulate inclusive growth at the grassroots. Third, he has a thorough knowledge of and enjoys the confidence of the civil service, which will enable him to effectively mobilize that critical work force to contribute maximally to taking Lagos to the next level. Fourth, Ambode served at critical levels in both the Tinubu and Fashola administrations and can thus be an effective bridge linking the past, the present and the future.

Another key factor that will work in the APC’s favour at this critical transition period in Lagos is the continued restraint and maturity of key leaders like Tinubu and Fashola. Yes, they will inevitably have their own interests and preferences. But so far they have been subtle and sober thus leaving analysts no option but to second guess them or try to read their body language. This period will task to the uttermost their capacity to make necessary sacrifices and compromises to demonstrate their commitment to the progress of Lagos and the growth of their party.

Of course, the quality of the APC candidature will also force the PDP to seek to bring forth its best material. In Senator Musliu Obanikoro, the PDP will have a candidate with considerable experience at various levels who may, however, have an uphill task explaining how he has productively utilised these opportunities to add value to Lagos and Nigeria. And in Mr Jimi Agbaje, the PDP will have a likeable candidate with negligible public managerial experience who seeks to lead a complex mega city in a time of critical global economic challenges. Can Lagos be an experimental school for leadership development? Surely, there are interesting times ahead for Lagos.

Ade Ojeikere on Saturday talk2adeojeikere@yahoo.com

Rewarding failures

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F I have the opportunity to return to this planet again, I want to be a football coach.

In fact, I want to coach the Super Eagles. I will strive to have the ears of the president.

My friends would be those in government governors, senators, security operatives who can reverse decisions slammed on me by overbearing employers.

I also would want to have a minister who would pay me when my employers are being funny. Not forgetting having the president to revoke my dismissal, with my employers pleading with my successor to reject the job. I would resign my appointment in a foreign land and the whole country would beg me to return to the job with full national honours. I would coach the Eagles because there is always money to be shared after every game.

My choice of Super Eagles is that other coaches are pushed out of their jobs without

the president asking. Those sacked coaches run to the media to cry foul. Nothing happens. The best that they get are comments from concerned citizens. That is where it ends. Soon, the story is flashed in the media the indebted coach is dead. Another great man is wasted. A page or two is published in the newspapers on the departed coach. That won’t be my portion as the Super Eagles coach, if I return to this planet.

Our leaders surely don’t love us. They do things that suit their fancies. It doesn’t matter if such decisions run ultra vires to the laid down laws. Otherwise, how was it possible for the sports minister to arbitrarily pay a coach N14 million as salaries for two months, even as there is no contract? For a coach whose previous salary was N5 million, what informed the increase by N2 million without the consent of the employer?

Wouldn’t it have been appropriate for the minister to pay the coach what he earned last?

Isn’t there a limit to how much the minister can arbitrarily approve? Nobody would have

questioned this inappropriate decision here if the coach had excelled in his assignment.

But for a man whose team failed to qualify for a big competition where we are the dethroned champions, the best the minister should have done was to pro-rate what the coach should get.

If those who brought back the coaches had allowed NFF’s new coaching order the opportunity to rescue our qualification, maybe it wouldn’t have cost us this staggering N14 million. Add this N14 million to what was used to fly the team to and from Pointe Noire, not forgetting all the sundry expenses, then we will appreciate why the decision to repeal Decree 101 must have a clause that forbids ministers from spending NFF’s cash before it gets to the Glasshouse chieftains. Already, even before the NFF gets FIFA’s $9 million accrued to Nigeria for participating at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the body has lost $3.85 million and N14 million. This explains why the NFF is always cashstrapped and unable to account for what it

gets to run the game.

The argument from National Sports Commission (NSC) chieftains that the N14 million was paid to the coach for his colleagues is laughable. Is that how the other coaches get their pay? Don’t these other coaches have their own bank accounts? What was the ratio of payment and who ensured that they got what was approved? So many intriguing scenarios have been raised over the presence of one of the caches in Malabo. Sometimes when these government officials speak, they assume that we are all fools; otherwise since when did the coach become the team’s bursar?

Incidentally, one of the assistant coaches whose salary ought to be part of the N14 million told The Guardian on Thursday: “I don’t know anything on the two months salaries said to have been paid to Keshi by the Sports minister. After the Eagles’ last game against South Africa, Keshi and I have not really been together. I’m ready to serve the Eagles anytime I’m given the chance.”

So, who do we believe? Truth is the coach was paid N14 million for two months.

•Continued on Page 62

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